Page 87 of Withered

My gaze travels across his naked chest and lands on his tree tattoo. My eyes rise to meet his, he smirks when he realizes I’ve been staring, and my cheeks burn with embarrassment.

He says, “I think it’s time to tell you about this.”

“You don’t have to tell me if you don’t want to,” I state.

“I’ll do it because I want to. But first, let us wrap this up.” He points to the mess on his bed—books and papers lying everywhere.

I nod, and we get busy finishing our work. I notice Jake watching me several times from the corner of my eye, and I repeat his words from earlier: “You do know that a picture lasts a long time, don’t you?”

He chuckles but says nothing.

Once we’re done, we pack everything up. Jake’s eyes are closed, his head is tilted back toward the headboard, and he has a small smile on his face as if he is recalling something.

I stare at him, fascinated by his captivating personality. He looks calmer than his usual confident and upbeat self.

I clear my throat. “So?”

He opens his eyes and meets mine as I sit cross-legged in front of him.

“I was about eight years old when my parents began fighting,” he starts, and I hold on to every word.

Something tells me that Jake isn’t the type to open up to people. If he is doing this, I respect it.

“I’m not sure what happened, but all I could hear was them yelling at each other. I was in my room when this all started. I went downstairs, hid behind the wall, and watched everything. Mum caught me, and they both stopped immediately. Mum asked me to go back to my room and shut the door. I did that, but it was hard to drown out their voices while they were just downstairs. Days passed, and their bickering and arguing continued daily. Eventually, I gave up and went outside.”

I watch him, my silence urging him to continue.

“Back in London, a girl lived next door: Jennifer. Tyler knew her too. We used to attend the same school and then spend the rest of the day just playing with her. We were close from the start. She was easy to talk to. She was friendly with everyone yet shy about talking to people. On the other hand, I was the opposite. So, I helped her open up, and she opened up to everyone. But all that mattered to me washer. She had this aura around her that I couldn’t help but be drawn to.”

He pauses and faces me. His expressions reveal nothing, and I’m not sure who he is.

“So when my parents used to fight, I would just go to her. We’d play or talk or whatever; having her by my side was enough to make me forget about everything and everyone. She had this tree in her backyard, where we used to spend most of our time.”

He points to his tattoo and says, “This tree is that tree.”

My eyes dart to the same tattoo, and I nod in understanding.

“After a year, my father left us, and all Mum did was cry. Then one day, we found out he got married, and the very next day, that fucking bastard sent the divorce papers. Mum was devastated, and I didn’t know what to do. I couldn’t help but be with her. Jen was right by my side. Whenever I was sad for Mum or mad at my asshole of a father, she’d take me to the tree, and everything was long forgotten.”

I keep a neutral face when all I feel is a little bitterness about this Jennifer girl. Whatever, I am sure Jennifer is just a good friend. She sure sounds like an amazing person. I’d like to meet her someday.

Jake closes his eyes and exhales deeply. “But then she left.”

“Left where?” I press.

He continues, his voice laced with sadness. “I’m not sure. She didn’t tell me she was leaving. I was broken that day. My only armor and support system left me. I waited and waited, but nothing. No news. I cried for days. Mum was with me, but that wasn’t enough. I wanted her. I just wanted her to take my hand in hers and tell me everything would be fine.”

I ask him the question that has been bugging me for a few minutes. “You liked her, didn’t you?”

He chuckles but answers, “Yes. I know it sounds crazy, and I had no idea what that emotion meant, but I did. She had me wrapped around her little finger.”

I hear my heart-shattering. I manage to smile, but all I want to do is run through the door, go home, and cry. I may not have said it out loud, but deep down, I like this boy sitting in front of me. Or maybe I’m just overthinking.Where is Kristy when I need her?

He goes on, “Days after that, Mum got news about her.”

He shakes his head and looks down. “What was it, Jake?”

He answers in a hushed tone, “She had cancer.”

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