Short Lines

After we had woken up, Zack and Rian took us back to the mall to get Carter’s car, but not before I left my phone number for a still sleeping Libby. After everything that had taken place the day before, I felt I had developed a special bond with her, and I wasn’t about to just let go of that. As we were about to leave, Jack grabbed me by the wrist and stopped me.
“So, that’s it then?” he asked. “You’re just...leaving?”
“I’ll be back, don’t worry. I mean, as long as Libby contacts me, I’ll be back,” I replied.
He grabbed my cell phone out of my hands and quickly punched in a few numbers, adding himself to my contacts. “There. Just in case she doesn’t.”
Alex snorted a laugh. “Jack Barakat, you smooth mother fucker.”
Bravely, I placed a light peck on Jack’s cheek, quickly turning away and walking out the door. I heard the guys laugh and tease Jack, telling him he was blushing before Zack and Rian finally joined us in the hallway.
We made small talk on the way back to the mall, trying to fill the void of silence. Zack and Rian weren’t nearly as talkative as Jack and Alex, which I could respect since I was the same way.
“What do you think about that Crosby dude?” Rian asked, eyes squinting in the bright sunlight.
“He seems...troubled,” I mentioned. “I’m more concerned about how it all effects Libby though.”
“Wow, look at you. You care about someone you don’t even know,” Zack cut in.
“That’s what she does,” Carter added in a bitter tone of voice. “She takes in all the misfit toys on the island and tries to fix them.”
“Is that a reference to Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer?” Rian questioned.
“Carter, don’t do this now.” I sighed.
“What? You mean bring up Katie?” He snapped.
Sensing my discomfort, Zack strived to change the subject. “So, Avery, tell us more about school.”
Soon enough, we arrived at the parking garage, and Zack and Rian said goodbye, promising to see us later. I got into the passenger side of Carter’s car, arms folded in anger. “What the fuck is wrong with you? Why did you have to talk about Katie?”
“I don’t want you to get involved in saving people again. I had to remind you about last time so maybe you’d come to your senses.” he defended.
“Why? What’s so bad about trying to help people? Just because of everything that happened with Katie, it doesn’t make it awful.” I said, frustrated.
He hit the steering wheel, furious at me for not getting it. “Don’t you remember what she did to you? For 5 goddamned years, you were always trying to save her. I can’t count the number of times you tried talking her out of self harm or suicide. She never listened to you, and it just broke you down.”
“So you’re saying I should try to be friends with people who have problems because there was one that I could never save?” I asked.
“I just don’t want you to be as involved with anyone as you were with her,” he replied.
It was taking all of my strength not to cry. “At least Libby helps me in return. You said yourself she can calm me down faster than you can.”
He sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. “You’re not even over Katie’s death, and that was two years ago. How can you possibly think that finding a replacement it going to make anything better?”
“I wish you’d trust me, Carter. I’m a lot stronger than you think I am,” I put in.
He said nothing, and instead chose to spend the rest of the car ride pouting. I kept an eye on my phone, wanting nothing more than for Libby to call. Carter may be my best friend, but there were a lot of things he didn’t understand about me that I think Libby did. If I ended up getting burned, then oh well, but I had to at least test the waters for myself. Carter couldn’t stop me.

Notes