Ch. 43: A Golden Light

CHAPTER FORTY-THREE:
I had made it home some time ago and was trying to focus on homework. I needed to get things done, and maybe focusing all my thoughts on anything else would help free my mind. It helped sometimes, losing myself in other thoughts. Like when I forgot the name of some person who was in that one show that I just couldn’t remember the name of. I could just spend some time watching TV or declutter my closet, and the answer from earlier would just hit me. I was counting on that today.
My phone buzzed and I saw a notification for a new email, but didn’t recognize the sender. I opened it.
This isn’t the end of this. I’m not giving you up
I dropped my phone on the floor and stood straight up. In a panic I looked around, expecting to see Vance watching me from a window, but didn’t see anything. I walked to the windows and door anyway, making sure everything was locked. I closed blinds more, and peaked out searching for anything odd. But I didn’t see anything obvious. Just the usual trees, plants, birds, and such.
How did this creep get my email? I mean, it was him, right?
What was worse - if it was or it was someone else?
I walked back to my phone and picked it up. I started to delete the email but hesitated. What if I later needed this for evidence or something? I made a new file with his name on it. Although the email address it came from was just a bunch of letters and numbers, who knows? Maybe someday someone could trace this or something. I did go ahead and block the email address, just in case. Shaking it off I turned on a Disney movie to have something cheerful to play in the background and help me feel less alone.
After about an hour my phone lit up, Jake was calling. Relief washed over me.
“Hey,” I said.
Holy hell it felt good to say something, anything at all, after so long.
“Hey, Killer,” he greeted, “Now don’t go try and distract me. Tell me about your day. What happened?”
His deep care pierced me and I started to tear up.
“Rach?” he asked again.
“I - I just don’t even know if I can say it,” I breathed.
“Hmm… okay. Can you try?” he nudged.
I exhaled. “I’ve been a little bothered by this guy at Pacific. It started off as nothing aggressive really, but today -” my tongue wouldn’t form the words. I was stuck. It was as paralyzing as earlier. I really couldn’t tell anyone.
What was I going to do?
Jake grunted after a beat of silence.
“Today?” he prompted.
But I couldn’t.
“I - can’t,” I choked.
I heard some voices in the background, he must be near some other people. I sniffled, the struggle of not being able to convey what had happened to anyone causing me panic again. I had thought, for some reason, that maybe saying it to Jake would be easier. That somehow I would be able to at least tell him. But now I was just disappointed, disillusioned.
“Are you hurt?” the soft question.
“No,” I squeaked.
“Can I come get you from somewhere?” another hushed question, laced with concern.
“I’m okay,” I breathed, “I’m at home.”
“Is someone else with you at least? I don’t like the idea of you being alone right now,” Jake implored.
I sniffled again, “No, not yet. My mom’s on her way, she’s just got to pick up Meg first.”
“Do you want to stay on the phone until she’s there?” he asked me.
I scrunch my face in thought, “But aren’t you busy? Sounds like there’s people around. I don’t want to take up-”
“You’re not interrupting anything Rach,” he cut me off. “Don’t even think that. I’m just getting on the bus here. I’ll sit on my own and we can talk, okay? About anything.”
His deep voice soothed me.
“Okay,” I whispered. “Can you distract me for a bit?”
“Anything you need,” he resolved.

Jake ~
I spent a few minutes telling her random things about my day, trying to make a few things sound funnier. Anything to help. She chuckled at a few things, and I felt my chest fill with pride at my being able to make her laugh after, after whatever had happened.
Earlier when I realized something serious had happened, I felt like I couldn’t breathe. My mind had spun fearing the worst. That she was hurt again, that someone hurt her, I don’t know. When she started to choke up trying to tell me, my insides rumbled. I swear it was like hearing someone’s wolf growl, but Nick and Evan had been right by me and hadn’t reacted to anything. I would mention it to them later.
I had thought about asking her to fill me in again as we talked, but something in my mind was nudging me to hold back. I knew she would tell me when she needed to. And in the meantime I would be whatever she needed me to be. Right now that was distraction and entertainment.
She laughed on the other side, “He did not say that. You’re making that up!”
“Ask Evan, he’ll back me up. I swear,” I chuckled.
We had been talking for most of the ride. It felt good to be useful for her.
“Oh, Jake,” how I loved it when she said my name, “I think my mom’s here.”
In one second I was sad to be getting off the phone, to be missing her voice, but on the other hand I was glad she wasn’t going to be alone. Before we finished though, I needed to make sure she knew something.
“Okay,” I started, “Hey Rachel?”
“Yeah?”
“Just - whenever or if ever you want to finish what you were saying earlier, I’m here,” I assured.
She paused for a moment then breathed out, “Thanks.”
We said our goodbyes and she hung up.
I was almost at our stop and Nick made eye contact with me from a few seats ahead. I don’t know what my face looked like in that instant, but he nodded.
After getting off at our stop I had had too many minutes alone with my thoughts to be very calm about whoever was bothering Rachel. It was obviously so bad that she was emotional about it, and so much so that she couldn’t speak about it. The more I thought about this imaginary guy in my head bothering her the angrier I got.
“Jake, slow down!” Nick jogged up to me. His dad had picked the three of us up and brought us home to the packhouse.
I hadn’t noticed I was in a stomping rage. I whirled to him and he stepped back.
“What the hell?!” he exclaimed. “Evan!”
I looked over to see Evan coming closer to us.
“What’s up?” he asked, good-mood smile and easy strut.
“His eyes, look!” Nick demanded.
Evan looked into my eyes and shrugged. “What about them? Are you telling us after all this time that you just noticed how strikingly handsome our future Alpha is?” he joked.
“Wha- no, I swear,” Nick muttered looking at me from different angles. “I swear to all that the Moon Goddess gave us - Jake’s eyes were different. Like there were gold flecks in them swirling around.”
Nick stood so still as he looked at me in shock, and Evan choked on his saliva.
“Nick, you’re seeing sh*t,” I decided, and took off jogging into the forest.