the kitchen.
Jake sat on the bed for a minute or so, thinking about what his father had said, feeling somewhat better, then got up and left his room. He entered the kitchen and saw that his father had sat back down at the table, his brother and sister both talking to him at once. His mother was still in the kitchen, spooning some extra potatoes into a bowl. She looked at Jake and gave him a warm smile. Seeing that as he approached her, Jake felt guilty for having shouted at her.
"I'm sorry I yelled at you, Mom." Jake said quietly. "I've had a pretty crappy day."
His mother reached out and pulled him into a fierce hug. His sore ribs protested against the pressure of her embrace. "That's ok, Jake. I love you and am just so worried for you." She released him, reached up and lightly touched his swollen eye. "Are you sure you are ok? That looks bad, honey."
"I'm fine, Mom. It looks worse that it feels." Jake lied.
"If you say so, Jake." She gave him another quick hug and turned back to the potatoes. "Why don't you go sit down and get something to eat."
"I'm not hungry, Mom. I just want to head outside and get some fresh air to clear my head."
His mother frowned at that, but said. "Ok, sweetheart, I'll make a plate for you. Don't be too long."
Jake headed out the back door, grateful for the cool night air. After all of the conflicting emotions he had just gone through, he felt the need for the solitude of the woods. He paused for a moment, allowing his eyes to adjust to the darkness and then began moving towards the woods.
The almost-full moon, in a cloudless sky, was bathing the ground in a faint silvery light, allowing Jake to see where he was going. As he reached the edge of the woods, the moonlight made the shadows under the trees in the woods seem even darker. Unconcerned, he headed in; having been in the woods many times, he was confident about his ability to navigate in the dark.
He made his way through the trees to the pond. The water seemed to sparkle as the moonlight reflected off the slight ripples that were pushed by the movement of the frogs and insects across its surface. At the edge of the pond, a large flat rock seemed to call to Jake. It had been placed there many years before, serving as convenient seat for enjoying the pond. It protruded into the pond a foot or so, so people could soak their feet without having to sit in the dirt.
Jake made his way to the rock and sat down. He pulled up his hood and laid back on the rock. He shifted a couple of times to take pressure off his ribs, finding a comfortable position. He rested his head back and gazed up at the stars. Once he had settled and stopped moving, the frogs around the pond resumed their calls that they had stopped at his approach. The noise they raised started to intrude into his thoughts, so he sat up and pulled out his phone and earbuds to start his music. He put the earbuds in and looked at his phone.
As he tapped the phone to wake it up, he saw that he had received several texts. Sighing, he opened his messages. The first one was from Matt. "Dude, someone posted on Facebook that you got jumped by the Donster. Let me know." The next was from Sean. "Matt told me that Donald found you. I thought you were ok?" The last one was from Tina. "Jake, I heard something about a fight. Call me."
Jake groaned, suddenly hating social media. This was going to be a nightmare when he went back to school. Everyone would know by tomorrow. He did not feel like replying right now, so he closed out the messages and went to his playlists. He selected his soft mix, wanting to relax. As the first song came on, he adjusted the volume and lay back down.
His thoughts drifted as he watched the stars slowly move across the sky overhead. He thought of Sabrina, then Tina, about what he would say to his friends, how to handle the scene at school. The rapid succession of thoughts and images slowed into a repetitive pattern of visions of Sabrina and Tina. Soon, even those thoughts faded and he drifted off into a dreamless sleep.
Some instinct