Page 102 of Keeping Kara

Penny nodded and gently shut the door.

Taking a deep breath, Kara headed down the hall toward Jen’s apartment. She understood her friend’s mental angst, but enough was enough. It was time she understood the power of friendship, and the unconditional love that came with it.

* * *

Since Jen wouldn’t answer the door, Kara was forced to use her spare key to enter the apartment, which Edge had given her so she could continue to look after Fred if needed. She put in the security code Edge had given her…and immediately realized the apartment was dark, all the lights off and the shades drawn over the windows. It was depressing as hell.

The kitchen had dishes stacked high in the sink and the trash was overflowing, in need of being taken out.

“Jen? It’s Kara.”

There was no response, but Fred did trot out of the bedroom with what looked like a happy smile on his face.

“Hey, boy. How’re you doing? You look good, handsome as ever!” Kara took the time to pet the dog, praise him, and generally give him some love before she went looking for Jen. She found her in her bedroom. It was as dark as the rest of the apartment, which was concerning, since it was the middle of the day.

Flicking the overhead light on, Kara said loudly, “I can’t believe you’re still in bed. When was the last time you took Fred out to pee?”

“He’s fine,” her friend mumbled without sitting up.

Kara was alarmed and pissed at the same time. This wasn’t her strong-ass friend. The woman who’d outsmarted Nolan by pretending to be dead, and then crawled for who knows how long to get help.

Stomping over to the window, Kara threw back the curtains, then headed for Jen. She took hold of the comforter and jerked it off the bed.

“Hey!” she protested, sitting up and glaring at Kara.

“You look like shit.”

“Wow, thanks for the pep talk. You can go now.”

The words were sarcastic, but Kara could hear the hurt behind them. Jen was wearing an oversized T-shirt and a pair of sleep shorts. The wounds on her knees from where she’d crawled along that dirt road were finally healed, which was good. She wasn’t wearing a wig at the moment, and she wouldn’t meet Kara’s eyes.

Yeah, her friend was hurting. Badly. Kara had never seen her friend without a wig on. She always wore one, no matter what time of day or what she was doing. She looked a little raw and a lot broken.

Without a word, Kara picked up the comforter she’d just ripped off the bed and moved to the side of the mattress. She climbed in next to Jen and covered them both with the blanket. Then she took Jen into her arms and held her as tightly as she could.

After a moment of stiffness, Jen seemed to melt into the embrace. The mattress dipped as Fred jumped up and joined them, pressing himself against Jen’s legs.

They stayed like that for several minutes, not speaking, soaking up the moment.

“Thank you,” Kara finally said, breaking the silence.

Jen snorted. “I have no idea what you’re thanking me for, but it’s bullshit.”

“I’m thanking you for not giving up. For outsmarting that asshole. For crawling to the road for help. If it wasn’t for you, Arrow wouldn’t know I was missing for hours. Hours I didn’t have. Your actions saved my life, and I’ll forever love you for that.”

“My actions put you in harm’s way in the first place.”

“They did not.”

“Kara, they did. I fell hook, line, and sinker for his lies. I soaked up his bullshit compliments, believed them, believed him. I thought he was genuinely into me. Thought for once in my life my alopecia wasn’t an issue. He said he didn’t care that I was bald, that I didn’t have eyebrows. Said it gave me character. What a fucking joke! All the while, he was using me to get to you. I’m so stupid…and it almost killed you.”

“If you’re stupid, so am I,” Kara said calmly, not letting go of her friend. They were lying on the bed like two lovers, with Jen’s head on Kara’s shoulder, her arm across her belly. But this wasn’t a sexual thing. It was two friends having a long overdue emotional discussion, and needing a close physical connection to get through it.

“You aren’t stupid,” Jen insisted.

“I fell for his lies too. I dated him for two months. Ate up his compliments just like you did. I had no inkling that he was as dangerous as he was. A freaking serial killer. That he would turn on me the second I decided we’d be better off as friends. When he agreed, I was relieved. Actually looked forward to hanging out with my friend, meeting up for coffee and stuff.

“When he hit me that first time, it was such a shock. I couldn’t believe the man I’d thought I knew so well could turn on a dime like he did.”