Page 76 of #Lovestrong
Lena
Thankfully, the last few days have passed with no incidents. Dad insists we go to the town's Thanksgiving Day parade today. I'm only agreeing because tomorrow is Thanksgiving, and we go back to Lakeview the day after that. Not that I don't enjoy spending time with my dad and Jaz, I'm just eager to get back to where I feel like I belong.
And I don't belong here anymore.
Though having Declan here makes things better. A lot better, honestly.
The parade goes down Main Street, which is technically the only street in town. Everyone parks in the parking lots or sets up chairs and blankets on the sidewalks. We're opting for the parking lots. The diner sits right in the middle of town, and Dad backs his truck into a spot right against the street and puts the tailgate down. Jaz and her mom are with us, and Dad has filled the truck bed with blankets and pillows.
I'm sitting in the middle of the tailgate with Declan on one side and Jaz on the other. Thankfully, no one is sitting on the pavement in front of us yet. Declan has his arm around my back and curled around my side, and I’m happy with my hand resting on his thigh. He's wearing blue jeans and a plaid button-down my dad got him. He almost looks like he fits in here, except he's way better looking than most of the boys in our small town.
We clap and laugh as the local Girl Scout chapter starts the parade, dressed in Pilgrim outfits, running about the street to hand out little bags of cookies. It's not a bad parade, but my chest tightens as the high school goes through, the marching band leading a tribute to all those killed and injured in the shooting. My name is listed on a banner with the injured, but that's not what grabs my attention.
Sharon, Cameron's ex-girlfriend from before we started talking, is walking in the center, holding a blown-up picture of him. She's also the rotten person who writes that stupid blog. If it wasn't for Declan being with me, I'd be tempted to walk into the parade and smack her.
Cameron broke up with her because she told everyone he was a "pussy" for not having sex with her when they dated. As soon as word got back to him, he broke up with her and she went on a three-month spree of trying to make his life miserable. To his credit, he'd ignored every bit of it.
Once the parade is over, we hop off the truck bed and stretch. Someone calls my name and as all three of us turn around, something wet splashes into my face. My mouth drops open as Jaz cusses next to me. I open my eyes, my vision obscured by red liquid. It runs onto my lips and I instinctively lick them.
Hawaiian Punch.
I wipe my face and look up at Sharon the She-Beast, pissed off and red-faced, holding a now empty solo cup. "It should’ve been you, you stupid bitch. How dare you even show your face here? He's dead and it's all your fault."
My dad yells and the truck shifts, but before he can get to me, something blonde steps in front of me.
"Sharon! Who do you think you are?" I don't have to see the face to know that voice, and my heart stops, all the blood freezing in my veins.
"She doesn't belong here!" Sharon is getting redder-faced by the second.
"She didn't kill my son. And don't act like you and Cam were even friends. Go home before I drag you back to your mother by your ear."
Sharon shrieks and stamps her foot but turns on her heels and stomps across the street.
"Thanks, Mrs. Dettweiller," I say, looking down at the ground as she turns to face me.
She reaches behind me and then holds out a towel to me. I take it and wipe at my face, already knowing my white hoodie is ruined. Declan takes the towel from my hand and tilts my face toward him. I try to stop the tears forming in my eyes as he gently wipes the juice off my face.
"To hell with her," he whispers, curling his hand around my side. "You know the truth. Don't let people like that upset you."
I blink and tears roll down my face. As Declan goes to pull me forward, I'm yanked to the side and crushed into a plush blouse. A sob escapes my lips and my arms go around a woman I've hugged too many times in my life. She's one of three women who stepped in when my own mother left.
"Shh," she says against the side of my head, her hand rubbing up and down my back. "He'd be heartbroken to see you still suffering." She lets me go and holds me by the shoulders, leaning down to look me in the eyes. "Listen to me, Lena-Beana. Cameron loved you. And you loved him. And my son is gone. But you're not. The last thing he’d want in this world is his best friend throwing her life away and being anything but the wild, crazy, amazing girl he'd always known. So you dry those tears, and you love your boyfriend with every fiber of your being. Because today is a gift. God takes us when it's our time, and we don't know when that is. So stop those tears, ignore stupidity, and you live every single day like it's the last day you’re going to get. Do you understand me?"
Sniffling, I nod. "Yes, Ma'am."
"That's my girl." She pulls me in and hugs me again tightly.
When she lets me go, Declan takes me by the arm and I'm more than willing to just melt into his embrace. I open my eyes in time to see him shake hands with Mrs. Dettweiller. She has an approving smile on her face, and a fierce determination rests in Declan's eyes. As she walks away, he wraps his arms tighter around me.
"Come on, baby. Let's get you home."
As Declan guides me around the truck, I stop and glance across the street. A smile spreads across my face as Mrs. Dettweiller stands with her hands on her hips, her lips moving a mile a minute, right in Sharon's face.
I'd say God dispenses swift justice, but Cameron's mother seems to be swifter today.