Chapter 36: Close calls
I stared at Jerome in awe. "What? Where?" I asked, taking it from his hands and putting it back around my neck. I suddenly felt ten times safer.
"Fabian's things." Jerome said, pushing Fabian's drawer closed forcefully with his hand. He sat down on the nearest bed and put his hands on his head. "You were right. We can't trust him."
"Not necessarily." I replied, not wanting to believe it, either. Even though I may not have been the biggest fan of Fabian's, I didn't want to believe that he could have killed his best friend. "Someone could have planted it."
"Yeah. You're right. We should just keep an eye on him." Jerome stood up and stepped closer to me. "I trust you, and whatever you do, I'm there for you. I promise."
"Thank you." I took Jerome's hand and leaned forward, kissing him lightly on the lips. He hesitantly kissed back. I stepped back, my thoughts finally flooding through my head. Eddie. "Oh my God." I closed my eyes in embarrassment. "I'm so sorry. I just did exactly what you said. Mixed signals, giving you the wrong idea. I'm a horrible person."
"No, you're not. You're amazing." Jerome tilted my head up towards his.
"Jerome..." I clamped my eyes shut.
"I know you feel it, too." He whispered, pulling me closer to him. "You don't have this with Eddie, do you?" He smirked as if he already knew the answer.
I opened my mouth, but found myself speechless. He kissed me again, and I found myself wrapping my hands around his neck. My fingers ran through his hair as it got more intimate. I felt him reach for my shirt and...
There was a knock on the door.
Jerome and I broke apart and froze.
"Fabian? You in there?" A voice called.
My heart sank.
Eddie.
"Let's go." Jerome grabbed my hand and pulled me into the closet. He left the door slightly ajar so we could see what was happening, and Eddie entered the room. I felt Jerome's breath on my neck and shifted uncomfortably.
I looked through the crack and saw Eddie's face. He didn't say anything, but I could tell he was worried about something. Eddie looked around, then opened a drawer. A look crossed his face that I couldn't decipher. I glanced at Jerome and he shrugged. Eddie pulled something out of the drawer, his strange look faded, and he sighed in what sounded like relief. He looked around once more and then left the room.
I tumbled out of the closet, letting out a satisfied huff. Jerome helped me up.
"That was close." Jerome said.
"Yeah, it was." I replied, letting the moment flow through my mind again. What if Eddie hadn't knocked? What if he'd seen? "And it can't happen again."
"Patricia..." Jerome reached out for my arm, realizing what I was saying.
"I'm sorry, Jerome." I stepped away. "I'm with Eddie, and I can't risk losing him. Not again." I felt myself start to tear up, but I held them in.
I ran out of the room, and heard Jerome call my name, but I kept going.
"I'm sorry."
The next day, I woke up laying sideways on my bed, Mara hovering above me.
"How long until you start waking yourself up again?" She asked, laughing.
I remained still, thinking. I didn't remember going to sleep last night. The last thing I could think of was running out of that room from Jerome, tears brimming my eyes. It wasn't even his room: it was Eddie's, which made it ten times worse. After I was out of the boys hallway, I remembered bumping into someone, then saying a quick "Sorry" under my breath, and running up to my room. When I sat down on my bed, I finally let the tears come out. I must have cried myself to sleep because I felt so horrible.
I still felt horrible. Turning on my other side, I buried myself under my covers. "I'm not getting up today." I muttered.
"Why? Not feeling good?" Mara sat down next to my feet, pulling the covers off my head so she could see my face. She seemed concerned. She cared.
"Something like that." I closed my eyes, hoping that she wouldn't realize what was going on. It would probably break her heart. She would hate me again.
"Okay, spill. You are not sick." Mara rolled her eyes. It felt like she could see right through me. Maybe she already knew what was going on. I tried to think of a way to explain, but nothing came to mind. No words came out. "It's Jerome, isn't it?" Mara sound a little angry and sad. She asked the questions like she already knew the answers. When I didn't answer, she continued. "What did he do?"
"Mara... Did you already know?" I managed, suspecting the answer she was about to give me.
"I suspected. When you ran into me, I knew something was on your mind. Jerome just makes sense." Mara let out a loud sigh.
"We kissed." I turned away from Mara. It was more than just a kiss. I remembered him reaching for my shirt, just about to pull it over my head as Eddie's voice rang through the room. Mara stiffened, but she didn't say anything." I'm so sorry, Mara."
"You know what?" Mara brightened. "It's ok. I'm over him. I'll tell Trudy you aren't feeling well." She patted my head and got up.
"Thanks." I called out as she reached the door.
"No problem." She was about to close the door, but I stopped her.
"Mara?"
"Yeah?" Mara swung the door back open.
"You're a great friend."
Instead of responding, Mara smiled and closed the door behind her. I let my head fall back onto my pillow, grinning to myself.
This was perfect. I would be at the house without the killer lurking around. I could find what I needed.
I was going to nail them.