The Hardest Fall

“We didn’t have a party, and we’re not planning on having a party in the near future either. I would love to help you with whatever you need, but right now I’m late for class and Dylan needs to get to practice, so I’m sorry, but you’re gonna have to find someone else to check your drapes. Have a good day, Ms. Hilda.”

While she was staring at me with an even deeper frown and an open mouth, I started down the stairs. A second later, Dylan’s footsteps followed.

When I stepped outside, I tilted my head up to the bright blue sky and felt a little better with the wind on my face.

“What’s going on?” Dylan asked from behind me. Then his arms were around my waist, pulling me back to his chest, his lips pressing the lightest kiss on my neck.

That felt even better than the wind, and I relaxed further.

“Nothing,” I answered then tilted my head to the side, shamelessly asking for more. He didn’t make me wait. Gripping my chin, he gave me a long, wet kiss, chasing away every bad thought.

“Nothing,” I repeated breathlessly when we stopped. I looked up to his dizzying eyes and believed it would all be all right.

* * *

“Is she asleep?” I asked when Jared walked back into the living room.

He sat on the couch with a huff and held his head in his hands. “Yeah, finally.”

I twisted so I could look at him but was stopped short by a little hand tugging on my hair. “Zoe, no, no, no. You’re messing it up. You can’t move, silly. Now I’m gonna have to start again.” There was a cute sigh behind me, dripping with mock annoyance.

“I’m so sorry, Miss Bluebird,” I drawled, using the new nickname she’d begged me to use as soon as I’d stepped foot into the apartment. Jared’s little sister, Becky, was the cutest little girl, and the smartest, too, just like her brother. “Do I have to pay extra now that you’re starting again?”

Her fingers stopped moving in my hair. “I get paid?”

“Well, you’re my hairstylist, so I think I should pay, don’t you? I mean, you’ve been working at it for how long now? Half an hour?”

“Yes. Yes, you pay me, okay?”

“Okay, I pay, but you have to make me look pretty, okay?”

“I’m trying. How much are you paying?”

“Ouch,” I mouthed to Jared, but he wasn’t even paying us any attention. “How much do you want?”

She turned to Jared. “Jar, I’m getting paid today. How much money do I want?”

I grinned a toothless grin and managed to hold my snicker back. Becky always called her big brother Jar or Jer.

After a long negotiation process, we settled on three dollars because she envisioned me with three braids like her toy horsey had and it was gonna be beautiful because she was the best at braids—Jar had said so—and she was gonna buy all the chocolates with her money.

Letting Becky continue to play with my hair, I glanced at Jared’s bent head.

“Her parents are coming tomorrow. It’ll be good for her to see them,” I said quietly.

Agitated, he rubbed his neck and exploded up to his feet. In the three years I’d known him, never once had I seen him as angry as he was that day. He couldn’t sit in one place longer than a few minutes.

“Fuck! I could kill him! We should’ve said something sooner, should—”

Abruptly, chubby little arms wrapped around my neck and Becky hid her face against my hair. I reached up to stroke her arm reassuringly.

“Jared, sit down,” I hissed at him. “Oh, it’s okay, Becky. He just got upset.”

Hearing my tone, his eyes snapped to me then lowered as he finally remembered that his sister was in the room and sat back down.

“I’m sorry, princess,” he murmured, kissing her cheek and coaxing her out of her hiding spot behind my hair. “You’re not gonna tell on me for using a bad word, are you?” A few more kisses later, Becky was giggling and all was well in her world again.

I put my hand on his knee until it stopped bouncing and stilled. “She knew we didn’t like him, Jared,” I started quietly. “This wasn’t our fault, and it wasn’t Kayla’s fault either. She loved him. There is only one person responsible here, and he’s gonna get what’s coming to him.”

“You think his parents won’t get that”—he shot a quick look at his sister—“b-a-s-t-a-r-d off faster than you can say his name?”

“It won’t be that easy.”

He got up and started pacing the room again. “And he hurt you too, for fu—God’s sake! Why didn’t she call me? Why didn’t you call me, for that matter? If I had been at the library with you two—”

“Okay, you’re gonna give me whiplash. Please sit down.” After the look he gave me, I changed my mind. “Or don’t, fine, but be quiet,” I grumbled. “She’s been like a ghost the entire day, and just when she finally closes her eyes for more than ten minutes, you’re gonna wake her up again.”