Mesmerized

raising a perfectly shaped eyebrow. 
    "No. I’m fine. Just a little worried that people are going to cause trouble about the whole Ben thing."
    "I told you I took care of that." 
    Lily sighed. "I know. Thank you for making the trip with me. Okay, I guess I better go in."  She tightly gripped the car door handle and shoved it open. "I'll call you soon. I love you." 
    She smiled as she blew her mother a kiss and then grabbed her backpack from the back seat. She stared up at the large brick building touching her necklace to calm her nerves. She felt the instant effect of the necklace and walked forward. It was late so there weren't many kids hanging out which she was grateful for. 
    She didn't want to startle Hannah so she tentatively knocked on the door. Hannah flung the door open and threw her arms around Lily. "I'm so glad you are alright. I was so worried about you." She grabbed her hands and pulled her forward. "Tell me everything." 
    Lily giggled. She loved having a girlfriend. How could she have been so worried when she knew Hannah would be waiting for her? Lily quickly told her the cover story they made up. "I know my mom told you I was homesick and part of me was, but the real reason I took off was that I totally freaked about Ben. I knew I didn't do anything wrong, but I was scared. I didn't want to get kicked out of yet another school. Jake was worried so he followed me. It was a mess. I never should have left. Once that was cleared up, Jake’s uncle died in a horrible fire. He was pretty shaken about it and I didn't want to leave him alone. So, I decided to stay with him until he was ready to come back to school. Between Thanksgiving and Christmas vacations, we really didn't miss too much. I'm sure we'll be able to catch up." Lily finally paused to catch her breath. "Enough about me. What did you do for Christmas? What's the latest gossip? Has Samantha found someone new to make miserable while I was gone?"
    Hannah filled Lily in on everything she missed. Everyone was so relieved that Ben had recovered. They had all been freaked out at the thought of someone their age possibly dying. It seemed to have a big impact on everyone. Some of the kids had even started being nice to Hannah. Impending death can be an eye opener. They chatted for hours until Lily couldn't keep her eyes open any longer. 
     
    The next morning Lily walked down the halls and there were some stares, but nothing like she was used to. A few of the kids welcomed her back and offered their notes if she needed them to catch up. 
    Lily touched her bracelet and smiled to herself. She could get used to this. When she walked into the class she had with Samantha, she had expected words, but Samantha looked up at her, curled her upper lip and looked away. No confrontation. Lily smiled to herself. Samantha still might not like her, but it wasn’t anything like it was before. 
    After class, she tried to catch up with Jake only to find him busy with school work. She sighed and sat out in the hall waiting for him. It was another hour before he emerged from the room. She jumped up. “Hey!”
    Jake grinned. “Hey. What are you doing out here?”
    “Waiting for you.”
    “Sorry it took so long. I got pretty behind while we were away.”
    “I don’t mind. I just want to see you.”
    “Hey Jake?” Another student called out. 
    Jake turned. “Yeah?”
    “See you for dinner.”
    “Sure.” Jake waved.
    “I guess that means we’re not having dinner together.”
    Jake took her hand. “Tomorrow. I’ve got to meet with these guys tonight. I'm sure you want to spend time with Hannah anyway.”
    “Fine.” She stuck out her lower lip.
    “Don’t be like that. We’ve only been back a couple of days.”
    “Seems like a lifetime ago.”
    Jake rolled his eyes. “Stop exaggerating.” He pulled Lily close to him. “I love you, Lily, and things will be fine.”
    Lily nodded and kissed him, but she wondered if they really would be. They did have dinner the next night, but it was interrupted by plenty of people. Everyone wanted to know what happened and where they were. Lily got so sick of repeating the story, she excused herself and walked outside. 
    Lily paced back and forth muttering to herself, “Should have stayed away from here.”
    “What’s the matter?” Jake asked, surprising her.
    “We haven’t had a minute to ourselves since we got back here. Maybe coming back was a big mistake. All I want to do is be with you,” Lily