Long Gone Girl by Amy Rose Bennett Read Free Book Online Page A

me. I’ve pushed her too far.
    “If all this is true,” she challenged, her
eyes suddenly hard with long-held resentment, “if you cared, why
didn’t you follow me? Tell me how you really felt afterwards.”
    Jett sighed and sat back, resting his hands
upon his thighs to keep them away from her. For the moment. “After
you ran off, Mr. Davis hauled both me and Frank off to see the
vice-principal, Mr. Webster, for creating a ruckus. He then called
our parents and sent us home. My mom and dad were not happy, to say
the least. I was grounded for the next week. Actually I was damn
lucky I wasn’t suspended.”
    Ginny’s expression softened a little. “I
didn’t hear about that.”
    Jett shrugged and stared out at the waves
rolling in. The swell was getting heavier and the bank of low grey
clouds was moving closer to shore. The weather was going to take a
turn for the worse. He hoped to hell this conversation didn’t
though. He prayed that when Ginny heard about everything else that
had happened, she would understand, even if she couldn’t forgive
him. “Being grounded didn’t matter. It was the week leading up to
exams anyway,” he said matter-of factly. He glanced back at Ginny
again and tried to catch her eye. “What did matter was that
I didn’t get to see you at all. You never came to school…I heard
you were sick.”
    She nodded. “I had tonsillitis. I guess I
was run-down.”
    And heart-sore too no doubt. Because of
me. Jett winced a little as he felt a sharp twist of guilt deep
inside him again. “I remember, during our last week of school—exam
week—you wouldn’t even look at me the few times I did see you,” he
said softly. “I thought you hated my guts, Ginny. I just didn’t
think you’d listen to me if I tried to talk to you then.” Jett ran
a hand down his face, inwardly cringing at the memory of how
idiotic he’d been. “I was a cowardly ass.”
    Ginny remained silent and crossed her arms
firmly over her chest. By the set expression on her face, the tight
line of her mouth, she obviously didn’t disagree.
    Regardless, he needed to push on. “Anyway,
the day after school finished, my family left Ridgewood. I don’t
know if you recall, but we always went away for a few weeks every
summer—to stay with my grandparents in The Hamptons. I was due to
start law school in the fall, but as soon as I turned eighteen, I
enlisted for flight training with the air force, much to my dad’s
annoyance. He’d always wanted me to follow in his footsteps, but I
guess World War II put a crimp in his plans. Not that I ended up
serving then—the war ended before I finished my training—but that’s
another story.”
    Still no response other than stony silence.
Disappointment settled in Jett’s gut like a cold, lead weight. He
only had one thing left to divulge. And if Ginny didn’t accept what
he told her next, he was screwed. He swallowed, attempting to
moisten his suddenly tight, dry throat. “I thought you should also
know that the morning I left for The Hamptons, I dropped a letter
off at your house, explaining everything… But based on your opinion
of me, I’m thinking, you never got it.” He willed Ginny to look at
him so he could see the expression in her eyes. To see if he stood
a chance. “Am I right?”
    She frowned in apparent confusion and at
last met his gaze. “No, I never got it. Who did you give it
to?”
    “Your sister, Kathleen.” He held his
breath.
    Ginny’s mouth tilted into a rueful smile.
“Huh. Well that explains it. I’m sure she would have given it
straight to my mother, who would have thrown it away. Mom was
always warning me about how you were the wrong kind of boy, and
that no girl—even a decent one—would be safe in your company.”
    Jett grimaced. “She was right to some
extent.”
    Ginny’s gaze narrowed, but Jett thought he
detected a glint of humor in their rich, golden-brown depths. “And
I’m thinking it’s probably still the case.”
    Jett put a