As I start to get into the bed, I can hear hushed conversation just outside the door.

“Get some rest sweetheart, both of you. Well, try anyway.”

“Thanks, Mom, for everything, I mean it.”

“Honey, you don’t need to thank me. You did such a good thing today. We’re very proud of you.”

“I didn’t do anything, Mom.”

“Try to get some sleep, son.” A deep male voice says, I assume it’s Jake’s dad. “You have a meeting with your agent here at 9am. Don’t forget.”

“We can’t cancel?” Jake asks.

“Son, he’s travelled from L.A” His dad again. “Just tell him you’re not interested in anything right now and send him on his way.”

“Goodnight, guys.” Jake says as he opens the door.

He closes it behind him then leans against it. His left hand holds an ice pack to his right knuckles, from punching James.

He takes in a deep breath and lets it out in a big puff, blowing his cheeks out.

He looks over at me, for seconds, minutes, hours, who knows.

“God, Kayla. I’m so fucking sorry.” His voice breaks.

I stare at him.

He puts the ice pack down on his dresser and starts to strip out of his clothes and I look away.

He gets in his bed with me, dressed in his tank and boxers.

Once he’s in, we face each other. Then he sits up abruptly and rips his tank off. “Smells like beer,” he shrugs, getting back under the covers and pulling the blankets to our chins.

“What happened to them, Jake?”

He looks at me and tears fill his eyes.

He pulls my body flush against his and wraps his arms around me, he rests his chin on top of my head and clears his throat.

“The police think your family walked in on a burglar in the house, the asshole shot them all, Kayla.”

I tense in his arms.

“He got away, but he tried to burn down the house, to get rid of the evidence I guess.”

I lay silent, tears streaming down my face, I wipe them on his chest.

“They got a lot of prints and evidence so they should catch the asshole soon. They got a lot of witnesses too. The police are calling it a ‘random act of violence’.” He runs his fingers through my hair and kisses my forehead again. “I know it doesn’t bring them back, Kayla, but I really am sorry, for all of it, for James and your best friend, and then your family. Fuck, I can’t even begin to comprehend what you’re feeling. Just know, that I’m here for you… and my friends… our friends, we’ll all be here for you, and my family too. I mean, I know that I just met you tonight but I truly do care about you, Mikayla. And if there’s anything you need, or want, you just tell me okay? Promise me you’ll do that?”

I nod my head. The lump in my throat preventing me from speaking actual words.

I fall asleep in Jake’s arms, sheltered from all the bad and evil in the world.

Chapter 9

*Mikayla*

The next morning I wake up needing to use the bathroom. Jake isn’t in his bed. My head is pounding from the previous nights crying and I try not to think about any of it too soon. I look around the room and notice two doors on the right wall, I’m praying one of them is a bathroom.

I get up and creep to open the doors, the first one I open is the one I need. I finish doing my business and crawl back into bed.

I hear voices downstairs, all male voices. I look for my phone on the nightstand and see a glass of water and two aspirins, there’s a note leaning against the glass.

‘Had to take care of some business, be back as soon as it’s done. Take the aspirin for your headache. - Jake’

I do as the note says and then look at my phone, 178 missed calls from James and some unknown numbers, 32 new text messages. I look to make sure I don’t miss any that aren’t from James, nothing from Megan. Not a single call or text.

Then I read the text from last night.

‘We love you too, sweetheart. Have a good night. Emily is begging for ice cream. We’ll bring you back a big batch of cookies’n’cream. It will be waiting for you in the freezer, wake me if I’m asleep to share it.’

They must’ve come back from getting ice cream when they walked in on the burglary. I close my eyes and will this all to go away.

I lay there for a long time before I realize I should be doing something else, anything else. I start to panic. Lawyers, wills, insurance and funeral planning. Oh, God. I’m legally an adult, I won’t have any help.

I’m going to have to bury my entire family.

I feel claustrophobic in this room, the walls start closing in and before I know it I’m rushing to the bedroom door and pulling it open. I stop in my tracks as I see Jake’s mom bending down, about to put a tray of food and clothes on the floor in front of the door.

She startles when she sees me, an audible gasp exits her mouth.

She smiles awkwardly at me, “Good morning, Mikayla. I was just going to bring you some food and a change of clothes. I’m not sure what your size is, but I think you would fit in my sweats.” She won’t look at me.

She walks into Jake’s room and fingers the dress from last night, it’s sitting on the back of Jake’s desk chair. I sit on the bed and wait.

“This must be incredibly hard for you,” she says, trying to hold back the tears. She moves to stand in front of me, leaning on the dresser. She clears her throat, I notice she doesn’t have an accent. “Sweetheart, I need you to understand that I’m not asking you this because, well, because we don’t want you staying here. You stay here as long as you need to, we’ve already told Jake that. I’m asking because it’s an important step in the process, I guess. Is there anyone you should be calling? Aunts, Uncles? Cousins? Grandparents? Anyone like that?”

They had a lot of acquaintances but not really any family. People cared about them but it wasn’t like anyone would care for me. The only person would be my Aunt Lisa. She wasn’t really my Aunt. Both my parents were only children and my grandparents are dead.

“Um, just one, my Aunt Lisa, she umm, she’s not my real aunt. She’s my mom’s best friend from high school. My parents were only children and I don’t have any living grandparents. It’s um… it’s just me”

“Oh, sweetheart,” she coos, coming to sit next to me on the bed and holding my hand.

“Umm, where’s Jake?” I ask her, looking at the floor, uncomfortable and awkward.

“He’s downstairs having a meeting with his agent, he won’t be too much longer.”

“Agent?”

“Yeah, for baseball? He didn’t tell you?” She looks at me curiously, I don’t move. “Sounds like Jake.” She shakes her head. “Yeah, baseball, he’s kind of a big deal.”

I don’t say anything.

“How long have you and Jake been dating?”

“Oh, we’re not.” I look up at her, she cocks an eyebrow at me. “It’s a long story,” I say.

“Okay, sweetheart.” She pats my hand. “I’ll leave you to make that phone call then.”

She leaves the tray in the room and walks out the door.

***

“Aunt Lisa?” I say, the second the phone connects.

“Oh, honey. Tracey rang me last night. I’m at the airport catching a flight out to you right now. Just sit tight, Kayla, I’ll be there soon. I’ll take care of everything okay? I promise.”

“Okay.” I say quietly into the phone, looking up at the ceiling, wide eyed, trying to stop the tears from falling.

There’s a soft knock and Jake pokes his head through the door. I motion for him to come in and he sits at the edge of his bed and waits till I’m done.