Light the Fire (Jackson's Hollow #1)

Chapter 7

Jo stopped by the campus bookstore for her textbooks first, then headed to the student center for lunch. There was a campus dining hall/eatery place where you could buy from a couple different fast food places or choose from the campus-made food. Jo decided on fast food, not wanting to have to figure out the whole swiping system yet. Grabbing her burger and fries, she headed outdoors, deciding she didn't really want to do the whole sit-awkwardly-by-yourself thing that was supposed to end after high school. So many lies told in K-12 education.

Well, at least she was pretty much done with the college thing for the day, she mused as she munched absently on some fries. Orientation--check, campus tour--check, books--check. At the very least, she'd be able to survive her first day of college tomorrow. Jo closed her eyes, enjoying the warmth of the sun on her skin, but quickly opened them again when she sensed someone sit down on the brick wall next to her.

She half-expected to see Ryker yet again, or maybe even Charlie, but instead it was a completely new person. A tiny, petite girl with curly red hair and pale skin, and a broad smile that seemed to be practically making her glow.

"My brother told me to come eat lunch with you," the girl said matter-of-factly.  She pushed a curl of rebellious hair out of her face and started unpacking a homemade lunch.

Huh, how nice of this brother of hers. "Um, your brother?" Jo asked. She had a very narrow list of possibilities, seeing as she'd met about three members of the male species in the last few days. And this girl didn't look like any of them.

"Ryker," the girl said, turning gray eyes on her that were practically sparkling with cheerfulness.

"Oh!" Jo stared, feeling completely thrown off at the moment. First of all, this girl with her bubbly personality, tiny stature, and pale skin seemed to be the opposite of Ryker in every way. She definitely hadn't guessed the two of them would be related. Though she could maybe see a bit of resemblance in the eye color.

And second and most importantly of all...why? Was he actually trying to be nice? Because he'd been so rude earlier? She narrowed her eyes. Or was this his way of keeping an eye on her? Using a sister's extroverted personality for nefarious purposes. That definitely seemed more like him.

His sister apparently assumed the 'Oh' was because of how different they looked. "I know, it always surprises everyone we're related since we look nothing alike. Alas, recessive genes." She smiled warmly at Jo again. "I'm Lexi, by the way."

"Hey," Jo said, still wary but not wanting to be entirely rude, "I'm guessing you already know my name..."

"And that'd be a correct guess," Lexi said with a cheeky grin. She opened the light purple lunch bag she had brought with her, and Jo saw that it was monogrammed in white stitching with her initials. "The burger and fries option is pretty safe here, so good choice."

Jo picked up a fry and popped it into her mouth as Lexi pulled a chicken salad croissant sandwich out of the bag, plus a few cute little plastic containers. The last thing she brought out was a water bottle. It was a much healthier lunch than Jo's, but she wasn't going to feel self-conscious about her meal. Ryker had already made her second-guess herself enough today; she wasn't going to allow his sister to make her feel the same way.

"I'll trade you for some fries," Lexi said, holding out a few baby carrots. "I know, I'm getting the better deal here, but I'm hoping you'll take pity on me."

"Only if I can have some ranch," she negotiated.

Lexi's mouth quirked into a smile. "That could be arranged."

Jo handed over about five fries while Lexi dipped the first carrot into the ranch dressing and held it out.

"So, what'd you do to Ryker?"

Jo nearly dropped the carrot she had just taken. "I didn't do anything to him. At all."

Lexi shook her head and laughed. "Oh, no, I'm not accusing you of anything. He's just never asked me to sit with anyone before. Or more like demanded." She waved a hand in the air and then bit down on a fry. "He's sort of a hothead, so I'm sorry if he was rude to you or something. He seemed to be in that kind of mood."

Well at least his sister recognized his massive flaws. Jo pulled her leg up onto the wall and balanced her plate on it. "Okay, but I really didn't do anything to him and he seems to think I'm some kind of reckless hiker. It seems like an obsession. What's that about?"

A snort escaped from Lexi. "He just thinks all hikers are destined to get lost. He doesn't hate them, he's just...skeptical. Or suspicious? That's probably a better word."

"Suspicious about hikers," Jo said in a deadpan voice, incredulous.

"Well, we live in the woods outside of town, and they come on our land sometimes. And get stuck in ravines. And get lost. And then there are the ones hunting for Bigfoot, those are the worst."

Jo's eyebrows sprung up. "What."

"Bigfoot hunting is a big thing around here," Lexi said, taking a bite out of her sandwich. "There's a town not too far from here that specializes in Bigfoot hunting gear." She rolled her eyes. "It's great for tourism but aggravating when people are traipsing all over the mountains and sometimes setting traps. That really gets Ryker mad."

"Do I look like some kind of Bigfoot hunter?"

"You?" Lexi laughed again, covering her mouth. "No, you just look like a fish out of water."

"Thanks..."

Lexi smirked at her, but she was already starting to win Jo over. If only her brother was more like her. "I guess it's just unusual for people our age to move here, you know? Most people are looking to move to the big cities, not out of them."

"I'm just weird like that," Jo said with an exaggerated sigh.

"Well, you'll fit right in then!" Lexi was almost done with her sandwich, while Jo snagged another carrot.

"So I'm in the town of misfits then? Jo joked.

"Something like that." Lexi's eyes were twinkling, but she didn't elaborate, instead changing topics. "What classes do you have anyway? Let's see if we have anything together."

Apparently they had English together--Jo briefly wondered if Lexi and Ryker were fraternal twins or something, but Lexi explained that Ryker took a gap year to work in the family business. Jo wondered what exactly that family business was, but wasn't about to push for a bunch of personal details on someone she just met. Not that Lexi seemed to mind divulging personal details, but she did occasionally sidestep around some of Jo's questions. Jo didn't take it personally, she did it a few times too, like when Lexi seemed interested in why she'd left Charlotte.

There were just some things you didn't share with people.

Eventually Lexi had to go meet up with some friends to shop for new school outfits--Jo politely declined an invitation to join her. She'd appreciated the company during lunch, but it still slightly irked her that Ryker had just forced his sister to come eat lunch with her. She wasn't a charity case, she could certainly meet people on her own. And if it hadn't been done as an apology for his rudeness, well, she didn't need to be constantly watched either.

Jo instead headed back to the house, where there was plenty of work to be done. She sighed as she stood in the entryway, glancing at the cans of paint waiting for her. She could do that, or she could take a break...