Unsound: A Horizons Book (23 page)

They hugged for a long time. I don’t think Jon realized how much he missed his dad, and vice versa.

“It’s good to see you dad,” Jon managed to squeeze out despite the tight embrace. Jon’s dad let him go and took a look at his son.

“You look great, kid,” Mike said, “really great.”

“Thanks dad,” Jon said. I knew how hard Jon had been working to get better. I was so proud of him and ecstatic that his father noticed.

After some moments of hugs, smiles and backslapping, Jon’s dad noticed me perched on the steps, watching.

“And who do we have here?” he asked, his charming grin splitting his face. I stood up and walked next to Jon who placed his hand on the small of my back. I felt heat spread from his touch down to my toes. I had to train my face not to show my racing hormones.

“Dad, this is Julie Thompson, Julie, this is my dad--” Jon began the introductions.

“Mike,” Jon’s dad boomed, causing Jon to chuckle.

“I’m glad you’re not going to try to make her call you Big Mike,” Jon said and looked at me, “he tried for ages to get my friends to call him Big Mike. Didn’t take… no one wanted to give him more of an ego boost.”

Mike laughed his booming chuckle again, “Well, it’s sure nice to meet such a beautiful
friend
of Jonathan’s,” he said, pulling me into a hug. It wasn’t uncomfortable; something about it was familiar… fatherly, it made me feel safe.

“Mr. Scott, it’s good to have you here,” Jeff’s voice sounded from behind me.

“Mike, please, Jeff,” Mike pleaded as he walked towards Jeff. Jon took the opportunity to pull me into his side and press a kiss to my temple. He was practically giddy; I couldn’t stop smiling.

“Yeah, she’s coming soon! She booked last minute so her flight left a couple hours behind mine. I’m leaving in a little bit to scoop her from the airport,” Mike said to Jeff. I felt my stomach drop.

“What are you talking about, dad?” Jon asked slowly. His body tensed up next to me; his grip on me suddenly slightly painful.

“Claire took the weekend off! She wanted to surprise you,” Mike said with enthusiasm.

JONATHAN

A cold sensation formed in the pit of my stomach but I could feel my face getting warm. Claire was coming. Claire. Was. Coming. Here.

How do I get out? I need to get out.
The words played on a loop in my brain.

After a year of safety, a year of healing from the guilt, she was coming back to infiltrate that. The need to leave was intense. It was a panic forming deep in my gut. I never thought that I would take flight over fight, but I didn’t have a choice. I had to get out before she could unravel any progress I made.

“Jon,” Julie’s hiss reached my ear and I felt the pinch.

“What,” I said, narrowing my eyes at her as I rubbed the back of my arm. She simply nodded towards my dad and Jeff who had now walked a few paces ahead of us, thankfully missing my zone-out.

Julie started to follow the two men, ignoring my snip and expecting me to follow as well. She wanted me to play along, act like nothing was wrong until we could sneak off. At least that’s what my plan was. I just hoped Julie was on the same page.

Julie was smart. She would be my saving grace. She would get me out of here.

Julie slid next to me on the bench in the cafeteria, putting a reassuring hand on my knee and bringing me back to the conversation at hand.

Dad and Jeff were talking about classes; Julie kept the conversation flowing with her accounts of project adventure and how terrible it was for her. She squeezed me on the knee a few times to force me to pipe up. Her touch calmed me considerably. I was able to relax and enjoy the time with my father, ignoring for a few moments my gut reaction to get away.

“It’s good to see you so happy, son. Claire is definitely going to like this girl. So tell me Julie, where are you from?”

I didn’t listen to Julie’s answer but started the plans for my escape. Claire’s name was a trigger. If there were a way to get out of here, I would find it. I had no choice.

Julie

I didn’t know what was going on in Jon’s head. I was hoping that Jeff and Mike would wrap this up so we could sneak away for a little. The tenseness in his body was scary. I never saw this side of Jon and I couldn’t read it. Sulky, moody Jon I could handle. I think I could handle angry Jon too. He was normally a pillar of strength, calm, and control; but this troubled, anxious version of Jon, this was someone new to me.

I both wanted and dreaded being alone with him. I needed to know but didn’t want to know what was going through his gorgeous head.

It was three o’clock when Mike finally said he was headed to pick up Claire. We were supposed to get ready for dinner and tell the rest of the group what time we were leaving.

Jon wasted no time pulling me towards the pantry once the coast was clear. Forever the gentleman, he opened the door and let me walk in before stepping in and closing it behind him.

“Jon,” I started, but he walked over and cut me off, pulling me close and claiming my mouth. I kissed him back with as much passion, letting him use me as a distraction.

Jon broke away, both of our breathing ragged, “come with me,” he said looking into my eyes. My brain clouded with confusion.

“Come… where?” I asked. I started to feel cold all over. I took a step back.

“Sorry, I’m getting ahead of myself. I can’t see her, Jules. I can’t. I need to get out. I came up with a plan. When they get back, they’re going to stop at Jeff’s office again. I’ll wait til they go inside and get the car. I’m sure I can break in, I’ve done that before.”

“And what, Jon,” I interrupted his crazy train of thoughts, “all of a sudden you know how to hot wire a car too? Or are you going to will it into starting? It’s a rental, Jon! Those things usually have gps trackers. How far do you expect to get with one tank of gas? You don’t even have money.”

Jon didn’t say anything; he was looking beyond me, looking towards his freedom. Then he nodded and was back, looking me in the eye again.

“You’re right. See? I need you. I need you to do this; you can think logically. I need you to help me get out.”

“Jon, I don’t think that’s the right answer,” I said quietly. I couldn’t help him. I couldn’t let him leave.

“Julie,” Jon choked out. He looked at me again; all walls down. I could see the terror, that’s the only thing I could call it. There was terror in his eyes.

“Baby,” I whispered, walking close to him again. I put my arms around his waist and rested my head against his chest. Jon wrapped his arms around me and tucked his head into my neck.

“I just can’t see her. I can’t be here. I can’t.”

“Baby,” I whispered again at a loss for words. I hadn’t used any endearments on him before, and it didn’t feel wrong. I didn’t have to try to put myself in his shoes. I wore those shoes. If I was forced back to my home, forced to see…
him
, well… I ran away once. I would certainly do it again. I would be a hypocrite not to help Jon. I had to help him. I understood firsthand the need to escape. Escaping was better than the fear, the guilt, the tears, and the hurt.

“I’ll help,” I conceded, “but it can’t be right now. I’m sorry, but if you want to do this right, you have to wait. You can’t run with a half-assed plan.”

“Me?” Jon asked, pulling back to look at me again, “you really won’t come with me?”

I looked back, and even though it killed me a little inside, I shook my head. My throat was thick with emotion and I didn’t trust myself to speak. Jon was still practically a stranger but I felt a part of me breaking.

“Jon, I can’t just go. I already… I already ran. I… can’t go back to that. I can’t….”

“Okay, it’s okay. I understand,” Jon said quietly, pulling my head against his chest once again.

We stood like that for a little while. I’m not exactly sure how long. I’m also not sure when my brain shifted from the heartbreak to planning.

I knew that Jon couldn’t run from here. I hated letting him face Claire, but we had to wait until we were off campus. Security was too tight to attempt a run from here. We had to do it when we got to the restaurant for dinner. There would be a lot of us. It would be easier to attempt when there were so many of us in a public location.

I pulled back and looked up at my boyfriend. I pushed all thoughts away of him being gone, of leaving me here alone. I had to help him achieve his escape.

“I have an idea,” I told him quietly.

“You’re amazing,” Jon whispered, sweeping my hair behind my ears, cupping my face and pulling me in for a kiss.

*  *  *

Claire and Mike were set to meet us at The Grill. The last time we were all there as a group was the night Michelle and Evan were caught. I wondered what memories would stay with me after this outing. I didn’t want to think about it, couldn’t get distracted by the what-if’s. I had to pay attention, wait for my chance to set my own plan into motion.

I wasn’t going to allow myself any guilt. I couldn’t. This was for Jon’s own good. This was going to help him. I wasn’t a hypocrite. I was doing something that I wish someone had done for me. Something I couldn’t do for myself out of fear.

Dinner was off to a less than stellar start. Claire was a snake. A beautiful snake, but a snake nonetheless. She was wearing slacks and a sheer blouse that showed bra underneath. Her stilettos put her a couple of inches taller than me. No doubt she could have just come from the office, but this wasn’t exactly traveling attire when you’re headed to your almost stepson’s rehabilitation school out in the mountains.

After we exchanged greetings in the front of the restaurant, Claire weaseled into the seat next to Jon before I managed to make it to the table. I settled next to Mike so I could keep a watchful eye directly across the table.

I hated her. I hated her next to Jon. He was so tense I could see the veins in his neck. Every time her hand slipped out of view I wanted to stab her with my fork.

After the waitress took our drink orders, Claire excused herself for the bathroom. She had come straight from the airport and wanted to freshen up. Jon visibly relaxed the second she stepped away from him. Her presence had him physically on edge. Jeff felt it, I know he did. I could see it in his face, in the shift of his eyes. He watched just as carefully as I did.

I excused myself for the ladies room, trailing Claire. When I opened the door, she stopped applying lip liner for a moment to look through the reflection at me. She smiled at me, but it didn’t quite reach her eyes in the dim bathroom lighting.

“Hey there,” she greeted me, “Julie, right?”

“Yup, Julie,” I said with a fake smile of my own, “it’s so nice of you to come and surprise Jon like this.”

“Well, it’s been lonely around the house without him. I know he missed us too,” Claire said as she applied some fresh mascara.

“Funny,” I said casually as I washed my hands.

“What’s that?” Claire said. The tone of her voice hadn’t faltered yet. She had no idea the knowledge I held.

“Funny that you would think Jon misses you. You knew him for what, a year? Most of that time he spent using drugs. You’re not even his stepmother. What makes you think he misses you?”

“Sweetheart,” she started with a forced chuckle, “maybe when you have a family of your own, then you’ll understand,” Claire stated. She barely had venom in her tone. I started to think that she was a little sick in the head. She seemed a bit delusional.

Where Gary had a power over me, used his strength and his position in my family to force himself onto me, I think Claire started a fantasy in her head. She might have had feelings for Jon. I felt a shiver down my spine.

“Listen, you psycho,” I started, unable to contain my disgust any more, “I’m starting to think that you created some weird fantasy and that’s what you pushed onto Jon. But I want you to know that not only do I know about everything. And I do mean everything. Jon’s with me now. I’m his fantasy. I’m the one that gets his body and his brain and his heart. He doesn’t want you anymore.”

Claire didn’t look away from her reflection, but I saw her knuckles turn white as she gripped the mascara wand.

“I’m going to let you have a moment alone, you skeeze. And I hope you’re scared. You should be. Very. Scared.”

I walked out. My hands were shaking from adrenaline. I didn’t know what her reaction was going to be, but I didn’t care. I said what I had to. She knew that I knew. She knew that her secret was out. And her crazy storybook ending was crumbling around her.

I took the opportunity to move and sit next to Jon. I wasn’t letting Claire get this close to him again. I reached down to take his hand. It was wound tight in a fist and I slowly loosened his fingers to run my thumb over his palm in small circles.

Jeff knew something was going on. He was sitting on the other side of Jon with a clear view of my exit from the restroom. I was too angry to train my face into a blank expression. He saw me holding his hand and whether he disapproved or not, he remained silent.

Claire came out of the bathroom and I’ll give it to her, she barely paused when she saw me sitting in her seat next to Jon. I was winning and the mean girl in me loved the feeling. I was defeating her. I was scaring her.