Page 2 of Shadow and Skulls

“Get off!” I scream, pushing against his chest.

He holds his hands up and backs off me. “Jesus, Kelsie.”

I sit up, tugging my shirt down while I grab my pants from the floor.

“What the fuck is wrong with you?”

Not looking at him, I snag my white Nikes and open the door.

“Kelsie!”

Jason curses under his breath, following me, his pants hanging open. “Get in the car, and I’ll take you home.”

I shake my head, stopping a few feet away from him to put my shoes on.

He takes a deep breath, running his fingers through his hair. “I’m serious, Kels. Your brothers will kill me if I let you walk home.”

When my heel drops into my shoe, I straighten and look at him. “I’ll see you at school tomorrow.” Then, I sprint away.

I jog all the way to JD’s. The second my feet land on the other side of the fence, I breathe a sigh of relief. I’m on safe ground. Picking my way through the yard, I look for a mud hole. The minute I find one, I plop my ass right down into it.

My hands shake as I call my dad. When he picks up, I don’t even try to hide the tremble in my voice. “Daddy,” I cry.

“Where are you?” he asks, and I know he’s already on his way out the door.

“I’m at JD’s. I’m sorry to call you, but I didn’t want you to worry about me. I know you’re busy.”

“I’m never too busy for you, sweetheart. I’m on the way.”

“No. It’s okay,” I sniffle. “It’s silly. I’m so embarrassed. My friends and I were having a scavenger hunt up in the hills, and I fell in a mud puddle. Mom’s going to kill me because I’ve ruined my brand new white pants.”

He starts to chuckle. “Baby, goddammit, you scared your old man. Mom isn’t going to be mad at you for getting a pair of jeans dirty. Accidents happen.”

“But these cost me an entire week’s pay,” I whine, pushing myself from the ground with one hand. Slowly, I make my way up to JD’s house.

“I’ll come get you.”

“That’s okay. JD said he’d give me a ride.”

“Is he there? Everyone is supposed to be out looking for Katie.”

I peek around the corner, spotting his bike in front of the porch. “He’s here.”

“Okay, then. I’ll see you as soon as I get back to the house. Mom is over at the warehouse, so you and I will have time to figure out how to get that stain out before she gets home, yeah?”

“Yeah,” I sigh, stepping up to the porch. “Thank you, Dad. I knew you’d make me feel better.”

“Love you, honey. See you in a bit.”

“Love you, too.”

I pull the phone away from my ear, running my finger over his contact picture. Swallowing the lump in my throat, I knock on JD’s door.

He answers as he’s sliding his arm into his leather cut. “Kelsie?”

He grabs me by my shoulders, looking over my head as he pulls me into his chest. I inhale deeply, comforted by his familiar scent. When he gets me inside and closes the door, he pushes me an arm’s length away so he can look me in the eye.

“What’s wrong?” Concern wrinkles his brow.

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