Page 47 of Kaine

I can’t remember the last time I allowed someone to do that for me.

I’d had enough of people taking care of me after the accident.

There’s a car horn and I notice the reason for the jam. We drive past the car accident and the bottle neck eases. I look out the window counting the streets until my destination, practicing the words I’m going to say. The apology.

As soon as Henry pulls up out the front of the library, I jump out of the car, looking around but she’s not there. Out of nowhere, though, a mob descends. It’s the same damn people from the other day, that had surrounded Jade, almost suffocating her.

“It’s him! It’s the hooded hero who saved Jade Sinclair!” They yell as they envelope me, crowding around me. I push them out the way, not caring if I hurt them. They deserve it for hurting her.

“Take off your hoodie! What’s your name!” Their assault is relentless.

I push my way through them, and take cover in the building. There’s a sign pointing to the back entrance and I make my way out there, just to gather my thoughts.

I push the door open with my back, pivoting on my heel as I step outside.

“Oh!” A woman cries out as I feel my whole body bang up against her.

I reach out and grab her with my hands before she falls from the force of my body. Then I notice, it’s her.

“Jade!”

She shakes her arms, trying to get away from me.

“Wait! Jade! Are you okay?” I say, even as she tries to push past me. I block her with my body and she just stands there, not meeting my eyes. “Hey,” I say, softer this time, in case in my excitement to see her, I’d frightened her. “I heard you were bleeding last night. Was it your stitches, are you okay now?”

“Go away, Kaine.” He voice is cold and flat, like I’ve never heard it before.

“Jade. I’m sorry. I was... I was just surprised.”

“Whatever. I’m late for work.”

“Jade, please.” I take a risk and reach out, my finger tipping her chin up to make her eyes meet mine.

What I see makes me want to pull her into my arms.

Her eyes are circled by dark patches, her skin pale and green. Like she’s gotten no sleep. There’s no light in her eyes, the way they’d been last night, when she’d teased me. When she’d cooked for me, when she’d seen me... all of me.

She turns her face away from me and walks over to a wooden bench in the alley.

I follow, sitting down silently next to her. I take a deep breath and say the words I’d been practicing since last night.

“I’m sorry. I over-reacted. I- I didn’t expect to see you there.”

“It’s fine. I wasn’t snooping, I was just grabbing my clothes.”

I nod. Though a part of me almost wishes she’d been curious enough about me to want to snoop. “I know. I just... well, now you know.” I gesture to the side of my face.

She keeps her gaze down at her hands, they’re wringing each other, white knuckled. “Yes. Now I know. And now I have to go to work.”

This isn’t her. Did I do this, turn her cold like this? “Wait. Are you okay? You look... you look tired.”

“I’m fine. Don’t worry about me.”

“Don’t you think it’s a little late for that now?” I ask her, the desperation in my own voice startling me.

“You know what? We don’t owe each other anything anymore, Kaine. Mr. Ashley,” she says, and the distant way she refers to me want to scratch at my ears. “Thank you for saving me. But I can take care of myself now. Good bye.”

She stands up, but then seems reluctant to take another step forward, her eyes glaze over, as if in a trance.