Jacket
109. Jacket
🤍🖤💜 Jacob 💜🖤🤍
“No. We wouldn’t be able to make it. Please cancel it.” I tell the representative on the phone while pinching my brows in frustration.
Such a perfect start of the day…
“Alright. I have to inform you, Cancellations made without 24 hours’ notice are subject to a 50 percent cancellation fee.”
I roll my eyes.
Yeah, I am damn rich.
Take my money.
“No problem.” I tell her.
“Alright It’s done.” She says in a chirpy voice, ”Please wish Ms. Natalie a very Happy birthday from our side. I hope you guys have a wonderful day.”
“Yea.. Sure,” I say and cut the call.
I had totally forgotten about this wooden campsite booking. Sorry grandma... Looks like I wasted some of your money.
I go downstairs and see mom cooking something experimental. She doesn’t share dishes with Mrs. Relish anymore. I feel bad about it. Dad is usually too busy with work, so it was a pleasant distraction for mom.
“June will go to school with you today.” I nod and she adds, “It’s a little chilly outside. Take a jacket.”
I groan. I don’t want to go back to my room. I glance upstairs and see June waddling down the stairs.
I order her, “Grab me my jacket, June!”
She flips me a finger and goes to my room. It makes me chuckle.
I wait for her in the driveway, thinking how I could make my day busy today. Days are bearable if I make a conscious effort to keep myself busy. I need it more than anything today.
June hops in the car after a while and throws a leather jacket in my face.
My stomach twists.
“You know I don’t like to wear it.” I mutter.
“It will look good on you. You should.” Natalie had told me.
June shrugs and says indifferently, “You asked me to bring one. You never said which one.”
I shake my head and throw it in the back seat and drive to Riley’s place.
….
It’s been more than two months since I last saw her. Days are getting slightly better but…
It’s her birthday. So what else can I expect?
After picking up Riley, we finally head to school.
Nowadays, I hang out with Norris and Riley most of the time. They are a good company, but Riley… often ends up mentioning something about Natalie. Some random facts, some random memories. I try not to show but it’s hard on me.
I reported the chat group to the admin office and our entire class reprimanded for gossip, bullying and slandering. They banned the group but some more have popped up. Nothing much that can be done about these things. But at least students are being discrete now.
As we sit for lunch in the cafeteria, Riley asks me, ”What are you doing this afternoon?”
I glance at Norris and ask, “I think we have practice.”
He nods.
I look at her and ask, ”Why?”
Despite all the mess that happened two months ago, things have been calm and controlled within the Team. I have to commend coach and West for that. I guess I should commend myself too. For not punching his face.
West had beaten up Norris real bad. Luckily, he recovered in a week. West was let go with barely a slap on the wrist. Nobody wanted to lose a captain in the middle of the season. Not even Norris.
West is lucky when it comes to getting out of trouble without facing any consequences.
“You need some help?” I ask her.
“hmmm yea.. I…” she looks hesitant.
I raise my brow at her and ask, “Say it…”
“It’s my mom’s birthday today…”
Great, another birthday!
“.... I wanted to grab some gifts and a cake from her favorite shop.. but it’s kinda far from here.”
Must be some special place that she is willing to go that far!
“If you can wait until our practice is over… I can help you.”
She grins. “Ok! I will come to see you guys practice today.”
I nod. I just hope West doesn’t hound her. I am not sure what exactly he wants from her. It’s obvious she is not going back to him.
“It’s Natalie’s birthday too.” She says quietly after a while. As if she was waiting for me to mention it.
“Yea..” I say. I don’t show her enthusiasm about Natalie because she starts insisting I should reach out to her at least once.
I really don’t see a point.
And let’s not forget it’s not easy to contact her. It's a 3,207 acres wide campus with thirty-five thousand students in it. Not easy to find someone.
I sigh..
I am again getting into that rabbit hole.
…..
After school I bring Riley with me to the ice rink. She gets comfortable at the bleachers and I walk towards the locker room. As I enter, I see the coach already waiting there for us, which is odd. He usually waits in the rink.
“There wouldn’t be any practice today. We are doing a drug test instead.”
Just as I predicted.
A little later, as per my assumption, though.
“Great! I am tired today,” David says, a few players chuckle.
“I am not giving any samples!” West says bluntly while placing his bag on a bench.
“Excuse me!”
“You heard me!”
Coach stalks towards him and West turns to face him.
“Everyone out!” Coach barks at us.
West smirks. “Ask a witness to stay… Probably it could turn ugly, coach.”
“Jacob!” Coach calls my name and I stay.
“And David.” West demands.
“Fucking great!” David mutters.
“What the fuck do you think you are doing?” Coach asks as everyone leaves and it’s only four of us are in the room.
“Just exercising my rights... You cannot force random drug tests. You need to notify me beforehand.”
“As if a day’s notification will produce a clean result for you!” Coach hisses at him.
West’s jaw clenches and Coach says with disdain, “Oh yeah, I know…. Such a wasted effort… People like you are not worth saving.”
“Be careful what you say, Coach. I might put some blame on you if I fail the test.”
“Oh!! and how exactly do you plan to do that?”
West smirks. “I can’t show you all my cards. Can I?”
Coach shakes his head and walks out.
“No practice today. Be ready for a drug test tomorrow. This is your 24 hour notice.” He declares to everyone and calls me out, “Jacob, come with me.”
“Will you pass it?” David asks West.
“I am not sure.” I hear West reply as I walk out of the room.
…..
After talking to coach, I text Riley to meet me in the parking lot. When I reach there, I see West standing next to her, trying to talk.
“Stop being paranoid and leave me alone!” She hisses at him.
West notices me, then asks her, “Where are you going now?”
“None of your business!” she snaps and gets in the car I just unlocked.
His face is strikingly calm as he watches us leave.
“What was he bothering you about?”
“Nothing serious... I think he is looking for excuses to talk to me.” She says.
Riley gives me the location, and it’s almost on the outskirts of the city.
“I hope that gift is fucking special.”
She grins. “Well, it is… that’s why I am going out of my way.”
It takes us a good half hour to reach there. We get out of the car and she flinches as the chilly air hits her.
“Jeez, it’s way colder here…”
“We are near the river now. Maybe that’s why,” I say, picking up my jacket from the backseat.
“You want this?” I offer her my jacket before wearing it myself.
She makes a face and says, “Nooo.. I will drown in it.”
I chuckle and wear it while following her into a tiny gift shop.
It doesn’t take much longer to feel a crisp paper in the inner pocket of my jacket.
I frown and pull it out.
I suck in a breath when I see an envelope with Natalie’s handwriting on it.
‘I hope I have already told you everything… If not, please have patience while you read it…’
