"No, I want to go give Liesl and AJ an update. They'll be dying. It's nearly noon."
"That's cool. I'll text you guys when we get there." Elliot looked on fire, his eyes dancing with the thrill of it all. Alex was waiting for him at the door, looking just as pumped as he was. They left without saying goodbye, slamming out of the house and running for Alex's car.
Lucy came down the stairs a few moments later, an iShuffle clipped to her shorts. "You don't mind me going?" She stopped in front of Zach.
"As long as you come back." He added a wink to his cheeky grin, forcing her to smile. She placed a brief kiss on his lips before turning to Jaeda. "See ya." With a wave of her hand, she was gone.
"You alright?" The big bangles on Jaeda wrist made a tinkling sound as she stepped towards Zach.
"Yeah." He closed his eyes. "Yeah, it's nearly over, Jae. I just can't wait." Exhaustion swept over him as the events of the last few days came hurtling forward.
"Do you want me to wait with you? Until she gets back?"
"No, I'm cool. I'll just..." He pointed to the dining room table. "I'll just clean up and potter around. You know...."
"Go stir crazy while you wait?" Her head tipped with a cynical frown.
"She needs me to be here when she gets back."
"I know." Jaeda kicked at the carpet. "Hey, um, I'm really sorry about losing it with you and I can't remember everything I said, but if I was mean... well, you know, just forgive me, okay?" She winced.
Moving towards her with a grin, Zach wrapped his arms around her shoulders and kissed the side of her head. "Hey, you're our Jaeda. I'll always forgive you, no matter what. I'm sorry I couldn't tell you."
"Yeah, well, you're our Zach, so you're forgiven too." She nudged him with her elbow. "Maybe I should bring AJ and Liesl over this afternoon? We both know they'll want to be a part of this."
"Yeah, sure, why not, that's a good idea."
The phone in Jaeda's pocket dinged. Zach let her go and stood back while she pulled it free. "Seriously, AJ has got to change his profile shot, it's just plain embarrassing." She spun it around to show Zach an image of AJ wearing a puffy chef's hat with a spatula in one hand and a whisk in the other. His smile is so incredibly cheesy. Jaeda giggled, while unlocking the screen. "I can't wait to tell them about this morning."
Her smile fled as she read the message, her eyes popping wide.
"What is it?" Zach's stomach clenched.
She pressed a few keys on the screen and lifted the phone to her ear, her lips trembling as she replied. "They've been in a car accident."
Chapter 29
LUCY
It felt good to be out running with music thumping in my ears. I kept in time with the steady rhythm, my nerves settling just a little with each stride. When I first hit the pavement, I couldn't help feeling bad for just ditching Zach and his friends, but I needed to be on my own. They were all looking at me with those expectant eyes, waiting for me to be thrilled about what we'd found, but I couldn't muster it.
Seeing everything my dad had done was overwhelming. He was such an amazing guy and I'd totally let down his legacy by going into hiding for so long. I still felt pretty cowardly as I loped along the residential street. I should have gone with Elliot and Alex. I should be standing excitedly by their sides, proclaiming Tenner's guilt and relishing the dishing out of justice, but I was too numb to feel anything.
Justice was good, yes. But it didn't give me back my parents or the last five years of my life. If everything went according to plan, I had a shot at a future, but the very idea terrified me. I'd never had a future to own before and I was scared. Bringing Tenner's indiscretions into the spotlight would also have the beam landing on me. I'd be in the public eye. I'd have to confess my sins to the police, admit to my thieving, my cowardly hiding. I had a lot to face up to. It felt good to know that Zach would be there holding my hand, but it also felt unfair to drag him into it.
I grimaced, shaking my head. It was like going around in circles. I was supposed to be running to clear my head, not confuse myself even more.
Focusing on my breathing, I pulled in a mouthful of fresh air and slowly expelled it, zoning into the way the air moved through my lungs. I had no idea how long I'd been running for, but my body was slick with sweat and my limbs were starting to feel the ache of weariness. Reaching the end of the street, I crossed the road and started weaving my way back to the Schultz home. It felt good to have a place to return to and even though a lot of crap awaited me in the near future, once it was done, I 'd have a clean slate to work with. I'd have Zach.