Sweet Magnolias Autumn

Trapped

Annie

I groan silently at the five texts my mom sent during my last two classes. She constantly talks about not using my phone at school, yet here she is, texting me and wanting a response during school hours. If this is how she is when she is gone, I can't imagine how much they will hover when they get back on Friday. 

"Hey, Annie," Lily says as she walks up to my locker. 

"Hey," I say to her as I grab the last notebook I need for the night from my locker and put it into my backpack. "You walking home?" 

"No, my mom is coming to pick me up. We're going shopping for a baby shower for one of her friends. Why I have to go is beyond me, though." she says.

"Don't worry; my mom does the same thing. She brings me along when she has to go shopping for gifts," I tell her truthfully. It's annoying, but I think it's just a Mom thing." 

"How long until they get back?" Lily asks. 

"Two more days at Maddie's, and then my loving, well-meaning, hovering parents will be back," I tell her.

"I thought you weren't grounded anymore; why would your parents be hovering?" Lily asked. I hadn't told anyone about what happened with Jackson on Sunday, so I didn't have a great explanation for her. 

"They just keep texting me at all hours of the day. Like, today, I got five messages during the last two classes. I don't know why, considering they know we aren't supposed to be on our phones in class," I tell her as I run my thumb over the small dark blue bruise on my hand. It took me a while to realize that I had been doing that, running my thumb over the bruise. It was only when Maddie asked if the bruise was bothering me last night that I realized I had been doing it. 

"That's what they're doing on their Honeymoon, texting you?" she asked in an amused tone. 

"I am trying not to think about what they are doing on their honeymoon," I tell her seriously. The memory of the night I accidentally walked in on them is starting to work its way to the front of my mind. I shake my head a bit, trying to get rid of that thought. 

"Fair; I wouldn't want to think about that if I were in your shoes," she says as we reach the front doors leading out to the parking lot.

"Put your hands over your ear and sing; I can't hear you over and over again," I say jokingly, and we both burst out laughing. 

"Definitely," Lily responds with humour in her voice, which says we both know that is not what she would do at all.  She looks around and stops noticing something."I have to go find my mom; see you tomorrow."

"See you tomorrow and have fun," I say as we wave goodbye. As I look around, I notice that the parking lot is fairly empty compared to how it usually is right after school. Odd. I grabbed my phone from my back pocket to see if it was later than I thought, but it wasn't. It was the same time I usually left. As I started to cross the parking lot to the sidewalk, I noticed a black car parked a couple of houses up. It was good to see things in town were starting to return to normal. 

That was until I saw who the driver was. 

Jackson. 

He opened the door and claimed out, his blond hair styled in its usual way, and his gaze locked on me. I froze; it was like I couldn't move. A little part of me wanted to go to him, remembering the good times, but I knew that was all an act; it wasn't who he really was. We both stood there for a minute. 

"Annie," Jackson said my name, and it sounded like a plea. 

Then I swallowed hard. Hearing him speak to me broke the spell I was under, and I turned, running back towards the school. I didn't know what I was going to do, but I knew I couldn't keep walking home. I heard a car door slam and the thumping of feet behind me and knew he was following me.