The Disappearance of Jessica Stark

6. Coffee

      I stood inside the barn at Laura's farm later that night. Clint has a workout space set up here in the corner of the barn by the tractor. There are a few iron weights, a punching bag, some archery targets with bows, and a couple more toys to workout with. I wore black leggings with an old grey sweatshirt.

      The sun was setting across the field, a cool breeze drifted through the musty barn. I was busy hitting my fists against the punching bag. Every glove I wore kept burning off from the heat of my skin, so I just gave up on them. A patch of burnt punching bag was beginning to form where I was hitting.

      "How was school?" Laura asked, leaning against the barn door. I hadn't noticed her standing there until now. She had a glass of tea in her hands.

      "Eh" I shrugged, getting another good hit in. Everything was sweating. My my breath was coming up short from exhaustion.

"Make any friends?" Laura stepped into the barn and ran her fingers over the dusty tractor.

      "A girl let me burrow her pencil in History... but No. I'm not sure if I'm going to in all honesty. Making friends has never been my speciality"

"What?"

      "It's too risky Laura, sending me to school is risky" I shrugged, taking a pause from punching. I let my hand rest on the bag "Me even being here in this state is risky. You could get into trouble, and people could get hurt, and-"

      "Jessi, relax" Laura put her hand on my shoulders and squeezed it. I took a deep breath and closed my mouth. Sweat was still dripping from my forehead.

      I wiped my hairline with my sleeve and continued "Part of me wants to go home, to just accept the consequences of what I've done. But if I went back, then you'd be thrown in jail for helping me, and Henry! I'd screw up things more than they already are. And... and if we're caught, things would probably be much worse. There's literally no where for me to go" I threw my hands in the air "and Rhodey...".

      I scratched my head, feeling an enormous amount of guilt "Look at what I did to Colonel Rhodes. I paralyzed him! My friend is have to re-learn how to walk because of me!"

      "Stay here" Laura tucked my blonde hair behind my ear. She set her glass of tea down on the wheel of the tractor. She spoke calmly, hoping to sooth me "Lay low, like you have been doing. Everything will turn out alright, I'm sure of it"

***

      Cooper sat at the breakfast table the next morning, he barely looked at me when I sat down across from him. He doesn't like me  that much. He feels that what happened with Clint is my fault, more specifically my Fathers fault. I've tried to talk with him a few times, but he just slams the door right in my face. I looked down to my slightly burnt toast and began spreading jelly on it "how'd you sleep?" I asked, trying to start up a conversation.

      A cow mooed outside. Cooper didn't answer, he just brushed his brown, bowl-cut hair over his eyes to block me out. I blew a long breath out of my lips and twisted the top of the jelly container back on "well... thats neat"

      "Why're you trying to be my friend?" Cooper asked suddenly in an annoyed tone. He crossed his arms over his chest and look away "we are not friends"

"At least I'm trying" I pointed out, trying my best to hide the anger.

      Cooper slid off the chair, taking his bowl of frosted mini wheats with him "I don't want to be friends with someone who took my Dad away" he added over his shoulder and went to go sit in the living room.