Homecoming

Chapter Seventeen

When her phone rang, May didn't even look at the caller ID as she answered it. So she shouldn't have been surprised that it was Jakob on the other end, or she could be. She thought he wouldn't talk to her after she broke his heart in high school.

　　So she dumbly stared at her phone, putting it on speaker as she crossed her legs on her couch. It wasn't like her neighbours were home, she didn't know why. Nor did she care, they avoided each other and that was something that she wasn't willing to question.

　　"May? May, are you there," Jakob repeated.

　　"I'm here," May told him. She had the next three days off, for Karl's and Faith's funerals. Karl was like a father to her, more so when her foster brother took her foster sister and moved to Europe. She was slightly bitter about the whole thing, which was the reason his number was on her auto-reject list.

　　"So you are."

　　"It's been awhile."

　　"It has," Jakob agreed, his voice was emotionless. It reminded her of those who worked for the army. At least, when they had to make sure fear didn't control them in stressful situations. "Almost twelve years."

　　And she had ignored Karl for ten years, ever since she moved away from New York for University. But unlike Myles, he wasn't going to scold her for her actions, even if he had been alive. He would have stared at her disappointedly. Which might have broken her heart more then Myles' scolding.

　　"Uncle Ciaran's been silent," Jakob said.

　　"I see," she replied.

　　"Aunt Whitney thinks it's because you've been ignoring him."

　　"My phone must have died." May felt slightly bad about lying, but she didn't feel like explaining the situation. Not to Jakob, not to anyone.

　　"Aunt Whitney wanted me to ask if you needed a lift."

　　"No. Ellie's already said she'd pick me up."

　　"I'll tell her."

　　"Okay." Which reminded her, she needed to sent her address to Ellie and hope she didn't tell anyone else. The last thing she needed was for Vivi to punch her.

　　"I'll see you there then," May told him, her fingers lacing themselves through her toes. She needed to find her formal clothing, which she hadn't touched for awhile.

　　"Yes," Jakob told her, his voice was tight and he sounded like someone on the verge of tears. May couldn't think of a reason that Jakob would want to spend time with her, at least not willing. Like she said, she broke his heart during high school.

　　They avoided each other during senior year, May skipping prom in order to study for her exams. She doubted that Mylie had her hand in it, since she remembered... one of the Tawnya siblings struggling to tell her that they were attracted by their own gender, or both.

　　She really couldn't remember anymore. It just wasn't something she thought about. Wishing them luck, yes, since Mylie could be as closed minded as members of the KKK.

　　"Good bye," she told him, hanging up before he could get another word in. Sighing, she dropped her head into her hands.

　　When was the last time she hang out with someone who she didn't work with? Who wasn't Sean? In fact, other then him dropping by once a week to binge TV shows or watch moves, when was the last time she spent time with him?

　　Shaking her head, she pushed her emotional baggage back into it's box, people were being killed. Those who abused their children, or partners; emotional, mentally, physically or sexually.

　　Along with those who might not have been in positions to do anything about it. Or have known about it. Which was way she didn't sympathise with the killers, just because a third party doesn't do anything to help someone being abused, doesn't mean they don't want to. Sometimes, it's because they can't do anything about it.

　　She didn't have time to think about her ex-boyfriend or his family, even if Ellie was trying to sneak into her life. She could tell that she was trying to, at least, that's what she was hoping Ellie was doing. Otherwise she was at a lost and would start over-thinking everything she said to her.

　　Not that she wasn't already, when she had a minute to stop thinking about her case. Then, and only then, could she start wondering why Ellie had invited her to her fashion house. It wasn't like May had ever cared about the clothes she was wearing. She wore what she was given, then she wore whatever worked for her job.

　　If Ellie was going to wake her up at some horribly early hour, which May had been warned about. From Ellie herself, who had always been an annoying morning person. Whilst she, herself, needed a cup of tea and at least an hour before her mood settled into something pleasant. Along with being less tempted to remove the head off of the person who woke her up.

　　Sean refused to wake her up, Kieran thought it was a game, while Diana thought it was amusing. Along with calling her adorable, her partners were always annoying. Sadly, May didn't think she wanted it any other way. It helped with the stress of the job.

　　Closing her eyes, she smiled as she drifted off to sleep.