Sharks Read Online Free

Guilt and maybe a tab bit of jealousy made her tremble.
     
    "Oh, man, I'm sorry. Can we meet?" Lilly asked.
     
    "Sure, but it's a ways."
     
    "I'll catch a plane tomorrow. Don't care what it costs." She blew a fly-away piece of hair from her eyes.
     
    "If you need to see me that bad, I'll pay for it."
     
    "Umm… can't let you do that. I'll call when I know what time the plane will arrive at PDX."
     
    "K."
     
    "And, Jacob…I'm quitting."
     
    ~ * ~
     
    "You look awful." Jacob wrapped Lilly in his arms, giving her a gentle hug then wiping the lone tear from her cheek and holding her a little bit away from him as to study her. Her eyes were red and dark circles rimmed her eyes. She had pulled her hair back in a severe bun and the clothes she wore hung from her in a box shape. She appeared as if in hiding. He pulled the band from her hair and fluffed it up to frame her face.
     
    "You would too," Lilly looked down, her hair falling forward to cover her from Jacob's view, "if you cried for two hours." She grabbed for the band but he pushed her hand away.
     
    "That's not like you either." Jacob had never before felt so desperate. Understanding her situation seemed imperative and he wanted that knowledge yesterday not when she felt like telling him. "I want, no I need to see the old Lilly, my Lilly."
     
    Once more he held her at arms length, studying her expression, trying to read her mind. She hadn't told him why. He knew she would but in her own good time. She had to settle in and remember how much she trusted him. With one finger he lifted her chin. A small wave of fear whispered over him and her saddened appearance.
     
    "Listen to me, Kiddo. You are not dropping out of school. Your education means too much to you for that drastic measure." Frustration shimmied through Jacob. He didn't know what else to say to Lilly or how to convince her this was a horrible mistake. For a moment he focused on the baggage circling on the turnstile at PDX. But the blur of movement only made him feel more anxious and inefficient.
     
    "I don't have a choice." Lilly shrugged slender shoulders. The hopelessness of her expression fed on Jacob's nerves.
     
    "There is always a choice. Then you mean to let this demon of yours defeat you. That's not like you, Lilly. You have to fight this. I will do all in my power to make this happen. Do you need money?"
     
    "You don't understand. And No, I don't need money. My scholarship pays for my tuition and my work-study pays for everything else. I saved over the years, you know."
     
    "Try me. I know you and I know I can understand anything you tell me. Sorry to imply you might need money. You don't have to be offended. We are friends, and if you can't come to friends, who can you come to?"
     
    Lilly sat down crossed-legged on the carpet and rested her chin on the knuckles of her hands. "Give me some time. You know I trust you but this is personal--too personal to just blurt everything out. It's--well--it's embarrassing." Lilly put her face in her hands.
     
    "Geez, Lilly, this is me." Jacob ran his fingers through his hair. "Lord, I need some sleep."
     
    "So do I."
     
    "Sleep is underrated and it's going to have to wait. There's your bag." Jacob scooped it up then offered his hand to Lilly and pulled her from the floor. "We are going out for lunch and we are going to have a long conversation--as long a discussion as you need to work this out."
     
    For a split second he saw her smile. It vanished just as quickly. Jacob felt ready to strangle someone. He didn't know who, but every protective instinct catapulted to the frontal lobe of his brain or wherever that caveman reflex was located. The need to shelter and protect overwhelmed him, washing through him with tsunami force. He had never felt this way about anyone. But then he'd never had a sister, and he didn't know what kind of feelings these were.
     
    "I'm going to tell you everything. I promise." She smiled ever so slightly. The sight made his