House at the End of the Street by Lily Blake, David Loucka, Jonathan Mostow Page A

tightly her knuckles turned white. As they strode toward the barn, Elissa listened to the sounds of Jake’s bass rise up over the wind. This would be the hardest part—she knew it. Explaining to people that Ryan Jacobsen wasn’t the freak they thought he was. Shattering this image that had been building for years.
    “I think he’s suffering from PTSD,” Elissa explained. Post-traumatic—”
    “I know what it is. I watch Dr. Oz,” Jillian said. She straightened her red hair, which fell down past her shoulders. “I just can’t believe you went over there. You’re lucky he didn’t turn you into a lampshade.”
    “Oh, stop,” Elissa said, giving Jillian a gentle nudge. Sheadjusted her guitar on her back. “Everyone has this idea of him, and it’s just…it’s wrong. He’s been isolated, and it seems like he has low self-esteem, but I think he wants to start opening up to people. I mean, he gave me a ride, didn’t he? He must be lonely in that house—he must.”
    “Low self-esteem,” Jillian muttered. “Those are the ones who do all the weird stuff. I don’t think he wants help—he wants in your pants.”
    Elissa turned, narrowing her eyes at her friend. Why did everyone have to be so crude? This from the girl who had dated Tyler Reynolds—the girl actually at one point considered him her boyfriend. Ryan Jacobsen seemed like a saint compared to that guy. Sure, he didn’t fit into the picture of what other Woodshire residents imagined themselves to be. But did that mean he was a bad person?
    Jillian softened. She glanced back at the old barn, listening to the music for a moment. “Do you really like Ryan? Or are you just trying to piss off your mom?”
    At that, Elissa finally laughed. Jillian had only been over once since they’d met, but apparently Elissa and Sarah’s tense relationship was easy to read. Maybe it was the awkward one-word answers Elissa gave whenever her mother asked a question, even if it was just:
Do we need more milk?
“Maybe I was trying to piss her off at first,” Elissa said. “But I don’t know. He’s hard not to like.”
    Jillian’s expression changed. She offered Elissa a half smile. “Well, if you like him, I’ll at least
try
to like him.No promises though.” Then the two of them went into the old barn, where Jake and Robbie were waiting, ready to welcome Elissa into the band.
    “Y ou rocked it!” Robbie shouted out of the Jeep’s rear window, calling to Elissa as she started up her front steps. She waved as Jillian, Jake, and Robbie pulled away, leaving her alone for a moment on her porch. The afternoon had gone surprisingly well. When she’d listened to Jake and Robbie’s music she’d known they were good—but she hadn’t realized
how
good. They played together for hours, the rhythms blending together so naturally. Robbie riffed on some original melodies she’d written, and Jake accompanied on the bass. She’d always used her laptop, recording and rerecording over tracks, then playing along with them to create original songs. But now she had to admit it—a real, live band was so much better.
    She pushed inside the foyer, setting her guitar against the wall. Immediately she knew something wasn’t right. It was the light—her mom had dimmed the track bulbs down lower, so the room was filled with a soft, rosy glow. She went into the dining room, where Sarah was setting the table. She’d changed out of her work scrubs and was wearing a casual blue dress and sandals.
    “Mom…?” Elissa asked. “What’s going on? What happened to mac and cheese on the couch?”
    Sarah picked up her glass of red wine and took a sip, her eyes meeting Elissa’s. “I thought it would be nice to get to know each other.”
    Get to know who?
Elissa thought. Then the doorbell rang. Elissa spun around, noticing Ryan through the front window.
She invited Ryan to dinner?
    Elissa darted to the door, getting there before Sarah could. “I’m so sorry,” she muttered under her