UNEXPECTED • Jake Kiszka

Chapter 6 - QUESTIONS

TW: Substance usage, vape mentions, cigarette mention

            I woke up to my alarm at 7am. I walk out into the kitchen to grab a bowl and pour cereal and milk into the bowl. I sit at the white marble island on a stool. I see Jake wrapped in a blanket on the couch. I smile and eat my cereal. I finish eating and put my bowl in the sink before heading to my room to change. I do my makeup and hair and go outside and sit in the sun, reading and listening to the birds chirp. About an hour after coming outside, I hear the back door slide open. I take my head out of the book I am reading to look over at Jake walking over to the sun chair next to me and taking a seat.

"Morning sleepy head." I announce.

"Morning," he replies with his tired, raspy voice. I try so hard not to blush and go back to reading. He laughs, "You always have your head in books." I roll my eyes.

"Not really. Just when you're around." He looks at me with fake offense in his face to my sarcasm and I laugh. "That's what you get for basically calling me a nerd because I like reading and writing. Also don't forget, 12:30pm I have to go to the police station for questioning." I remind him and he nods.

"Do you want me to come in with you or wait inside the car?" He asks.

"Probably come in because they might need to ask you some questions considering you were holding her away from me." He nods. "Thanks again for that. If you guys didn't show up when you did, I don't think I would be able to walk or be here right now. I would either be in the  hospital or somewhere else." I say looking at him in his eyes, fighting back tears that sting my eyes.

"Anything to help friends." He says, sounding unsure about the word friend. 'Did he really look at me as a friend? I mean why wouldn't he. Who would like a girl like me?' I nod and go back to my book, shifting in my seat while doing so. "Why did I have to be so stupid to think he likes me? Why would I think that just because he acts differently around me? Did he do it for protection to keep me safe?' I overthink, fake reading my book. I see in the corner of my eyes and feel him staring at me. I don't feel like I could stand facing him at that moment.

"I'm gonna go for a walk." I announce before heading back inside, putting my book down and walking out the front door. He follows me the whole time until I leave the front door and off my property. I just needed time to think and clear my head.

I walk outside and along the sidewalk that leads to the forest I always go in that I live near to clear my head. After 15 minutes I head back to my house and see a car missing in my parking place. I sigh and walk inside and walk to the back to the back door and walk outside, grabbing a joint and lighting it. Once the joint is finished I walk back inside and go upstairs to my room and then the washroom connected to my bedroom. The joints I usually have aren't hard so it takes a couple of them to get high. I walk into te washroom and put some perfume on to cover the snmell of weed so Jake doesn't know I was smoking a joint.

I walk out of the washroom and lay in my bed thinking for about 25 minutes before I hear a knock on the door. I walk downstairs and walk to the door and open it to see Jake standing there. I open the door a little to let him in and walk to my room. He walks in shutting the door behind him.

"Hey, sorry I took forever. Josh got stuck while doing a dare Danny gave him." He explains and laughs and I just nod. He follows me to my room and I lay on my bed scrolling through Instagram. He sits in a chair next to my bed, pulling out one of his joints and right before he goes to light him I remind him of the one rule I don't allow.

"No joints inside. You know this Jake." He nods and walks out the back door downstairs. He comes back after about 5 minutes, smelling slightly of weed but not as strong because of the wind.