Chapter 30 Chapter Thirty
Lena's POV
Martin had his head down over his comprehension worksheet when my phone rang. After a while he had gotten over his crying and shaking, then we took a break from math and worked together on his English.
“That’s odd, it's an unknown number,” I muttered, sliding the receiver icon over to red.
I silenced the phone and went back to watching him work. He was doing much better now, moving through the reading questions in a flow state with less of that frustrated stillness he got when the words weren't cooperating with him, and I didn't want to break his rhythm.
"You're not going to answer that?" he asked, without looking up.
"I don't answer unknown numbers."
"Why not?"
"Because you’re not supposed to. Its probably a scam or something, besides, if they were important to me, I would’ve already had their number saved.”
He considered this. "Oh. I didn’t know I wasn’t supposed to answer unknown numbers.”
"Well, now you do. Let’s focus on question four, okay? We’ve already read the story written down on the page together, so now you have to try and answer the questions based on what you’ve learned.”
“Okay.” He nodded and went back to the worksheet while I went back to my notes.
The phone buzzed on the table this time, and I hung up and silenced it again.
"Still not answering?" Martin asked.
"Nope. Still not answering."
A third ring came again from the same number. Martin looked at my phone, then at me, frowning a little. Clearly, he thought I was being unreasonable but he was too polite and well-mannered to say so directly.
"It could be important," he said.
"It could also be someone trying to sell me car insurance."
"You don't have a car."
"Which is why I don't need the insurance."
The phone rang a fourth time.
Martin set his pen down and looked at me with both eyebrows raised
I sighed, shook my head at him and picked up the phone.
"Lena Hartwell, how can I help you?"
"Hey. It's Jace." His dark, whiskey-smooth voice came through the phone and I froze up, then sat up very straight.
Martin's head came up immediately, his curious ears had picked up his brother’s voice so now he was smiling, his work long forgotten.
"Jace? Do you need to speak to Martin?" I asked.
"No."
Martin frowned.
"Oh." I stood up from the table, turning slightly away, and lowering my voice. "Is everything okay with you? Is it your mom, should I get her for you?"
"No need for that. I need to talk to you."
“What? Right now?"
"Yeah."
Martin was watching me, his full attention on our discussion. I had to motion for him to return to his English book and he didn’t look happy at that.
"Is this about that talk you said we were going to have?" I asked carefully.
"Actually yes." He paused. "I need you to come to the school. The school gym, close to the swimming pool. Can you do that?"
I looked at the window. It was dark outside, properly dark, and cold enough that I would need a coat if I were to go outside in that weather.
Maybe it would even rain, because I heard faint rumbling that sounded a lot like thunder.
"Right now?" I said. "Are you sure you don't want me to get your mom instead, because if something's happened she should probably…"
"Not my mom." His voice was quiet. "Just you. Only you."
"Hi Jace!" Martin announced loudly on the phone from across the table.
Jace responded softly, "Hey buddy."
"Lena's teaching me English. We’re reading stories together," Martin reported. "I'm quite good at it today."
"That's good. Can I borrow her for a bit, bud?"
Martin looked at me, gave me a nod of generous approval, then picked up his pen and went back to question four.
I grabbed my coat from the back of the chair.
"I'll be there," I said into the phone. "Give me thirty minutes."
"Try to make it faster."
He hung up.
I stood there for a second holding the phone and trying to understand what had just happened.
His voice had been off. Not cold or sharp or mean like how it usually was, or the clipped, irritated tone he used when he was managing his patience with me.
This was definitely something else. It sounded urgent, and so for Jace to call me out of the blue, asking me to come somewhere, it had to be serious.
Maybe it was an emergency! Maybe he didn’t care that he hated my guts at the moment and that I hated his too, because I was the only person who could help in this situation.
"The last three questions," I told Martin, pointing at the worksheet. "Finish those and leave them on the table for me, okay? I’ll be right back!”
He shrugged, “Please bring my brother back with you, I miss him.”
I nodded, pulled my coat on and checked my pockets to find what I already knew I'd find there.
Just a handful of coins and the folded 10-dollar note I'd been saving since last month. Money was really tight, especially with my father’s death being so recent, and it had been so bad that we had nearly become homeless.
It wasn’t much, but it was my entire savings and every penny counted.
I sighed, now a little unsure if Jace was worth the trouble.
No, no, I shook my head. He needed me, so I had to go. There was no other choice, I couldn’t prioritise our petty fights over a real emergency.
It wasn't the right thing to do.
I looked at the money one more time, I thought about his voice on the phone, then I rushed out the front door and flagged down the first cab I saw.
"Westbrook High School, please. Step on it!"