“You were with your brother all the time. Surrounded by snowboarders.Cheating was my way of getting back at you. It’s stupid, I know,” he chokes over the last few words.
It is stupid. One of the worst justifications I’ve ever heard, but it is obvious Jake is hurting. Lashing out at him now won’t do either of us any good. I’m certainly mad at him and I will be for a while. I’ll probably curse his name for a few years, but right now being bitchy to him won’t makeme feel any better. I have bigger issues to deal with.
“But you’re right. I’m sorry I hurt you.”
I wrap my arms loosely around Jake’s shoulders. “Sorry too.”
He squeezes me tightly, my head falling on the top of his shoulders. Jake pulls back when a loud jarring blare bursts through the room.
“What is that?” I cover my ears to drown out the sound.
Jake does the same. “A fire alarm?”
Jakegrabs his coat from the desk chair where he threw it and I open the door to the hallway. Outside other doors open and a stream of confused people hesitantly walk to the exit door, each asking the other what’s going on. The noise doesn’t sound like any alarm noise we have in the US. It’s too much of a beep, but anything that buzzes this loud can’t mean good things.
Jake leans his head out thedoor and sees the ten or so people picking up their steps to make it to the fire exit. “Come on. We have to get out of here.”
