Mesmerized

school."
    "Mother, listen to me. I put a boy in the hospital and they don't think he is going to make it back.”
    "Lily, how many times did we tell you?" 
    "He attacked me for the second time. I don't think you realize how serious this is. He might die or be brain dead. The cops suspect foul play. They have surveillance cameras that show me with him when he collapsed."
    "Oh dear, we are out of options as far as schools go. Maybe I can come down there and smooth things out."
    "Mom, I'm scared. I don't want to go to jail." 
    "You will not be going to jail. What will the camera show?"
    "It shows him trying to kiss me and me pushing him away. He grabbed me anyway and shoved his lips on mine at the same time I was yelling “don't”. So he got his tongue in my mouth. I think the saliva was too much."
    "It will look like natural causes. They will not be able to prove anything. Even if he wakes up, so what? He was kissing a girl and passed out. I'm sure it's happened before. You guys are overreacting. If the police come to talk to you tell them that you have to wait for your lawyer. You have his number in your phone. Call him as soon as anyone contacts you. It is your legal right."
    "Thanks Mom. I'll call you if anything else comes up. I'll run before I go to jail. If I have to take off, I'll find away to let you know.”
    "Don't talk like that. This will all be smoothed over before you know it." 
     
    After Lily hung up, she told Jake what her mom had said. 
    He put his arm around her. “We’ll figure it out.”
    Lily smiled at Jake and then rested her head on his shoulder. “You make it seem so easy.”
    “School starts back up Monday. I’m sure there’ll be a lot of rumors flying around. You ready to deal with that?”
    She took a deep breath. “I’m used to rumors.”
    “Okay.”
    “I should get back to Hannah. I did promise her some girl time.”
    Jake nodded, even though he hated letting her go. She looked upset and he just wanted to hold her all night long. “Put your number in my phone, so I can call you.”
    She took the phone from him and entered in her number. “Thanks.” She stood up to go. She didn't want to leave him. 
    Standing up, Jake grabbed her hand and pulled her back to him. He cupped her face with his hands and quickly kissed her. “Now you can go,” he said after pulling back.
    Lily’s cheeks turned red and she touched her fingers to her lip with a smile. She waved and took off back to her room.
    Opening the door, she faced Hannah. “Just give me a minute and I’ll be ready.”
    “What was that all about?” Hannah asked.
    “What?” Lily tried to play oblivious.
    “Jake? Since when does he come onto the girl’s floor and drag you out of the building?”
    Lily hesitated, trying to think of a good excuse. “We were both here for Thanksgiving. We ended up talking.”
    “Did he ask you out?”
    “No,” she said honestly.
    Hannah stared intently at Lily waiting for her to say more. She had a feeling something else was going on, but didn’t want to press too hard. “Let me know when you’re ready.”
    Lily nodded thankful that Hannah was letting it go. She changed into a pair of loose-fit jeans. It was pretty cold out and she wanted to be comfortable walking around campus. She grabbed her curling iron and added a few loose curls to frame her face. Lily grabbed her coat and reached for a hat. “Let’s go for our walk.”
    For the next hour, Lily and Hannah walked around campus. Hannah filled Lily in on her week at home. Lily listened, trying not to think about Ben and what had happened. When they had made a full circle, they went back up to their room and threw on a movie. About halfway through, Lily’s phone dinged. She picked it up. It was Jake, checking on her. She grinned and wrote back that everything was fine. She missed him so much already. 
    After the movie was over, Lily straightened Hannah's head full of curls. She cursed when she burned herself with the straightner. "I don't know why you don't just embrace your curls. They’re beautiful."
    Hannah smirked. "Wanna switch?"
    Lily grinned. "Believe me, you wouldn't want to be me." 
    "Sure, guys falling all over themselves to get your attention. Sounds horrible.” 
    "Hannah, I'm so glad we're friends." Lily smiled at Hannah in the mirror as she ran the iron through the last piece of hair. 
    "Me too." Hannah ran her hand through her fiery-red, straight hair. "I love it." 
     

Chapter