News Flash (15 page)

My phone buzzed in my pocket. I ignored it the best I could, and tried to concentrate on what Esther was saying. She droned on about the legal battle between the show and John. Bonnie had apparently relented, and agreed to finish out her contract on our show.

When my cell went off again I knew it had to be important so I stood up as inconspicuously as I could, and ducked into the stairwell.

“Allie? Are you busy?”

“Jake?” Cold fingers of fear brushed the back of my neck, and all the little hairs stood on end. His voice sounded thick with grief, slightly strangled too, like he was holding back tears. I could count on one hand the number of times I had seen him cry. “What's wrong?”

“It's Jimmy,” Jake said in that strange tone and my heart stopped. “Melinda just came over, and told us she got a call from, I don't know, whoever delivers the bad news. Jimmy got hit by a roadside bomb. He lost a lot of blood, and he's been in surgery for seven hours. They think he'll lose his leg.”

“But he's alive,” I said with more force than I meant. My voice rose, and I glanced back at the doorway to make sure no one would pop in on me. “He's alive, and he's going to come home.”

Jake was silent for a long time. “I need you, Al.”

“Can you come get me? I'm at the station. The bus will take forever.”

“I'll be there in fifteen minutes.”

We hung up because there was nothing left to say. I knew that I couldn't make any other choice, no matter what the consequences were for my internship. No matter how lousy of a friend I had been these past few months, there was no way I was going to let Jake or his family down on this one. Jimmy had been like my older brother growing up too.

I slipped back into the newsroom, and made my way to my desk where I grabbed my back pack. Rory noticed me lifting it over my shoulder, and raised his eyebrows at me. I mouthed, “Leaving” at him, and hurried out the door.

When I emerged into the warm late April sunshine I felt a surge of anger. How dare the weather be so idyllic when something so horrific was happening? It just wasn't fair. I stood in front of the station jiggling my leg, wondering what I could do to help. Then I had an idea.

I was running before I had really thought my plan all the way through. My back pack bumped roughly against my back as I darted around people. I thought grimly that my feet would be full of blisters from running in heels. Still I didn't slow or stop until I reached Edna's Eats. The store was bustling as I burst through the doors.

Edna smiled at me as I approached the counter. “Well, if it isn't the ace reporter. What can I do for you, Allison?”

“I need ten sandwiches and two dozen cookies.”

“Is this for the office, dear? I can send someone over with it if you'd prefer not to wait. “

I shook my head. “My friend's brother. Bomb overseas. The family…you know.”

Edna's brows knit in concern. She reached across, and patted my hand. “I'll get those things together for you, and it'll be on the house. We need to support our military families.”

Tears pricked my eyes as I watched her bustle around assembling the items of my order. Her kindness was limitless, and Marika was truly lucky to have a grandmother like her. I wondered if she appreciated that fact. I had no time to dwell in bitterness, though, because the order was ready in record time.

“Thank you,” I said, and leaned across the counter to give the older woman a quick hug.

Edna pressed a business card into my hand, and said, “Let me know when he's coming home, and I'll make him a special cake.”

I sprinted back to the station just in time to find Jake climbing out of a beaten up pick-up truck. The sight of the dinged, dented, and rusted blue paint momentarily stopped me in my tracks. When Jake saw me, though, he strode over to me, and wrapped me in a hug. I could feel him trembling, and I squeezed him back as hard as I could. The paper bag of food crinkled as I leaned into him.

“Jake, I'm so sorry.” The words felt hollow as they slipped from my mouth.

He released me, and shook his head. “I mean, I always knew this could happen, but he's been on four tours of duty, and he's always been fine. Why now? He just went back, and Melinda's pregnant. It's just not fair.”

We stood on the sidewalk with people walking around us as we both mulled over the unjustness of the situation. I chewed my lower lip, unsure what to say or how to proceed. Finally I held up the bag, and said, “I got some sandwiches. I know it's silly but I thought it might help your mom. It's from Edna's Eats.”

Jake took the food from me. “Mom will really appreciate this. I know she's been going crazy with worry even though she's faking calm pretty well. Come on, we should go.”

I nodded, and moved toward the truck. Jake pulled open the passenger door for me, and it squealed on its hinges. When he got in, I asked, “So who does this belong to?”

He gave me a funny look. “Me.”

“This is your truck? When did that happen, and how did I not know about it?”

We buckled our seatbelts, and Jake pulled out into traffic. He was quiet for a few blocks. Then he said, “I miss summer.”

“It'll be here soon enough.”

“No, I mean, I miss our summers,” he paused. “Do you ever think we'll be close again? Or do you think too much has changed?”

My pulse sped up. I hated admitting that things were different between us, but the feelings I had about my best friend were too complicated to unpack right now. “Honestly? I don't know, Jake. I think things are just…different between us now. That doesn't have to be a bad thing, though, you know?”

“I guess.” Jake fell silent again, and if I hadn't known him so well I would've thought he was just focusing on traffic.

“What's wrong, Jake? Besides Jimmy, I mean. And don't tell me nothing because I still know how to read you.” I shifted in my seat, adjusted my seatbelt, and looked directly at him.

Jake cleared his throat. “I, um, I didn't get the scholarship. When we lost the super sectional game, I blew every chance I had to play for any big school.”

His words hung heavy in the cab of the truck. Each one hit me like a brick to the head. “Why didn't you tell me?”

With a shrug, Jake said, “Things have been so different between us this semester. You've been busy with your internship, and I guess I figured you didn't have time for me.”

“For something that major? I will always have time for you, Jake. I wish you'd told me.”

We lapsed in as to an uncomfortable silence. Jake's face got hard, and his jaw ticked as he stared out the windshield. Uncertain how he'd respond, I reached across the seat to put my hand on his arm. I saw him swallow, and then he took a hand off the steering wheel and laced his fingers through mine.

Jake and I had held hands plenty of times over the years, but this time felt vastly different. Every inch of my skin that touched his felt as if my nerves were on fire. The contrast in experiences was disconcerting to say the least. I told myself rather firmly that I was just having those feelings because we'd been so distant from each other over the past few months. I knew it would take time to get back into a rhythm of friendship.

Still I didn't pull away, despite the warring emotions that made my heart beat so erratically I thought I might pass out. When Jake pulled into his driveway, he let go of my hand as he put the truck in park. He shot me a glance that I couldn't interpret.

“Are you coming in?”

“Of course I am.” I frowned at him. “I should probably let my mom know where I am, but I'll stay over as long as you need me to.”

“Your mom's already at my house,” Jake said. “She's been there since Melinda came over.”

I nodded. That sounded like my mom. She was good in a crisis. When we entered Jake's house I was smacked with the realization that I hadn't been there in months. I dropped my back pack on the floor near the front door. A low buzz of noise came from both the living room to the left, and the kitchen to the far back right of the house.

Jake carried the bag of food back to the kitchen, yelling out that we were back. Jake's mom burst into tears when he told her that I'd thought to get dinner.

“Please don't cry, Mrs. McAvoy. It's nothing. I just wanted to help.” I hugged her, hoping to stem the tears, and ease her heartache.

Jake's mom sniffled, patted my back, and said, “Just like your mom. You know that?”

I looked over at Jake who was leaning against the doorframe watching us. After I checked in with my mom in the living room, there was another round of hugs. Then Jake caught my elbow, and tugged me toward the stairs. In the past I wouldn't have thought twice about following him up to his room, but now…I couldn't explain the hesitation. Something about the situation felt too intimate.

I followed him anyway.

“Your room is way cleaner than I remember.”

Jake flopped down on his bed, and gave me a half-hearted smile. “I've never been a slob. That would be you.”

I crossed my arms and frowned. “I have never been slovenly in my life. You must have someone else in mind.”

Even though I wanted to join him on his bed, I sat down on his desk chair instead. Jake watched me with a look of curious passivity. I wasn't sure how he pulled something like that off, but he managed it well. He didn't say anything, opting instead to grab a foam basketball and shoot it at the plastic rimmed hoop that was suctioned to his wall above my head. The ball banked off the rim, and landed with a soft thunk on my head before bouncing away.

When he chuckled, I felt something inside of me melt. The oozy, gooey feeling blossoming in my chest was not an emotion I'd ever had before, and I didn't know what to do with it. I squirmed uncomfortably, trying to make it go away.

“I remember the day Jimmy and Melinda got married,” I said suddenly. The words just popped out of my mouth.

“You were my date,” Jake said with a laugh.

“Uh, yeah, but I remember how in love they were. I can't imagine how hard Jimmy's deployments are on Melinda.” I shook my head, wondering why I'd never bothered to think about that simple fact before.

Jake nodded his face solemn. “She refused to live on base because she'd have been hundreds of miles away from her family and ours. She told Dad, Mom, and me that she doesn't think he'll ask to be discharged even after this. Melinda seems to think that he'll want a desk job. Military career for life, I guess.”

“You don't sound too happy about that.”

“I don't know. I mean, I support everything Jimmy does. He's my hero, but it'd be nice to have him home, you know?” Jake shrugged, and leaned back on his elbows. He stared up at the ceiling, and I realized that his eyes were bright with unshed tears.

“Let's go out on the roof,” I said, gesturing toward the window.

“Okay.” Jake's voice sounded so small it made me want to cry.

We used to go out on the roof all the time when we were kids, and we felt like being rebellious or when we had something to talk about that was strictly private. Jake needed that privacy now.

I pushed up the window, and undid the screen, slipping it into the house as quietly as I could. A warm wind buffeted me I stepped out onto the gently sloped roof of the back porch. Pressing my back into the side of the house, I slid down until I was seated. Jake swung himself out a moment later, and folded himself into a sitting position. Our shoulders touched, and after a moment I leaned my head against him.

“It's okay to cry,” I said in a quiet voice. “I'm here.”

Even though I still had a lot to figure out about how being close to Jake was making me feel, I took his hand to hold. From the corner of my eye, I watched him lean his head back against the house and close his eyes. A second later the first tears slipped down his cheeks. Soon a torrent of salty liquid spilled over, and his body shook from the silent sobs. Scalding hot fear stole my breath. At a loss for anything else to do, I wrapped my free arm around him, and held on to him as he cried.

After an eternity he stopped. His breath stuttered as he inhaled deeply, and when he exhaled he gave a shaky chuckle. “Well, I haven't done that in a long time.”

I let go of him, and pressed myself back against the house. I knew that I'd cry later, alone in my room. For Jake, for Jimmy and Melinda, for all the McAvoys, and for what our friendship had become. Confusion seemed to be my new best friend, inserting itself firmly between me and Jake. If I didn't sort it all out soon, I knew that I ran the very real risk of losing him.

“Jimmy will be okay,” I said with more confidence than I felt. “Remember when he broke his ribs in high school. He played a full game of football before he went to the hospital, and even then he was only out for three games that season. This won't even slow him down.”

Jake gave me a small smile, one corner of his mouth tugging up slightly. “I want to believe that. Jimmy's never been a quitter. I just wish we'd get some more information. It's been two hours. Wouldn't you think he'd be out of surgery by now?”

“Maybe we should go downstairs to check?” I didn't want to rush him out of this safe place, but the part of me that didn't want to think about what all this meant to my heart; thought that getting around other people would be the best idea.

“Yeah, that's a good idea.”

We both climbed back into his room, and were almost at the door when Jake put his hand on my shoulder, stopping me. “Thanks, Allie. I'm really glad you're here.”

He gave me a quick hug before opening the door to lead the way downstairs. I followed a few paces behind, confusion drilling into my head and into my heart. The fact that we had drifted apart over this past semester made it feel like we were getting to know each other all over again, even though I already knew most of what there was to know about him. The distance had allowed something to creep in that had never been there before, something that felt strangely like romance. That was impossible, though; I couldn't have feelings like that for my best friend, could I?