Partners In Crime (II)

(Part 1: http://life-passion-love.blogspot.com/2012/04/partners-in-crime-i.html)

After that day, Jane nicknamed Ren and I Watson and Sherlock Holms, roles we have stuck to ever since. We've been through reruns of that day, always searching to wipe away tears. Not only Jane has been on our radar, but at the end of a particularly long hunt, we've found Cara.
Cara was beyond light's reach, in the bushes, crying in Jane's arms.
Ren turned to me and asked, "Do you think that we should go over there?"
"I dunno," I replied after pausing to consider. "Why, what do you think?"
"I don't know either... You're better at these things." He paused. "Would you want a guy to be there when you were crying?"
"Not sure." We stood silently for prolonging moments and I decided that I wouldn't be able to live with myself if I didn't go over to her. "Let's go."
The mud she stood in was as thick as her tears. Not a word was said as we all wrapped our arms around her. "I love you guys," she said.
"Love you too, Cara."

The next episode was during the New Year's Eve when Ren came up to me with the familiar question, "Do you know where Jane is?"
I guiltily adored how he came to me first whenever this dilemma was brought to his attention. "Well, I was with her on the stage a few songs ago, but I left her with Lucas... She seemed okay."
"Do you know where she is now?"
"Uhhh..." I scanned through the shadows and crowds. "Nope." I could see in his eyes that he was worried, so I decided to go with his gut.
We took hands and preceded to go through the routine comb of the building. Jane was sitting in the hallway talking to a girl, whose name escapes me, as I came to share the chair she was sitting in and Ren was on the ground beside me. After parting words, it was just the three of us.
We took her into an empty classroom and she told us snippets of the altercation between her and Lucas, how she felt that she wasn't giving him enough attention. She was feeling discouraged, and was questioning  all her other friendships and if she was a terrible friend to them also.
I took both her hands in mine and knelt in front of her, looking her straight in the eyes, denying every discouraging conception that came out of her mouth.
"You know, the days that I came into your class when you weren't there, I'd still say 'hi' to Evelyn, after looking for you. But she thinks that I don't care about her, that I only come in to ask her where you are. I'm such a terrible friend."
"You are not terrible." I took a deep breath and a thought came to me. "Jane, does anybody even come to your class to see you? You are way better than you think you are."
Ren backed me up, praising her care and devotion to others.
I wiped her tears from her eyes and rubbed off the smudged mascara. Out of the corner of my eye, I could see Ren looking at me as much as he was looking at her. I faintly wondered if he admired me for the love I gave Jane, but then dismissed it quickly, not daring to let him take hold of my thoughts.
A leader came in to turn on the lights, causing Ren to hurriedly scramble from his lounging position, to avert any negative suspicions. The suddenness and then the supposed picture to another's eyes made Jane laugh softly, relieving the sadness in the room. My thoughts allowed my gaze to consider Ren's shoulder situated conveniently for me to lean on. Passion won over prudence for the moment and I felt the warm fabric of his shirt against my cheek, until the second Jane alluded to the want of a back massage. Conspicuously, I shifted him away from my figure and towards Jane. After feeling rejected, we smiled and explained that my purpose was for guidance.
She wanted him to be in love with her that night, but his attentions were directed elsewhere and she could only cheerfully support his endeavors at her own expense.