Morose ✔️

10

The next morning I woke up to my phone going off like crazy on the nightstand. I made a mental note to start putting it on some sort of sleep-mode when I went to bed as I sat up and stretched to get it. There were several texts— mostly from my mom— and a missed call— also from my mom. I grimaced, knowing exactly what she'd heard and decided to check the message from Jesse first.

"We are no longer friends. Had I known you and Mr. James would be such assholes I would never have pushed you in his direction. I forbid you from seeing each other ever again. Sincerely, Jesse Stevens. PS— did you have fun?"

I barked out a laugh at his dramatic reaction to what I assumed was Helix telling him about the stories I shared the night before, and bit my lip as I typed a message back, saying it could have been worse, but now I had to deal with my mom and whatever she'd heard from her gossip-y friends— to which he just replied, "ouch, good luck".

I decided to get out of bed before replying to my mom's frantic messages, but just as I walked out to the living room after putting on my fleece pajamas, there was a knock on the door.

Shit.

Knowing exactly who it was, I groaned, before I made myself walk over to open up. My mom pressed past me through the small living room slash kitchen and opened the door to my bedroom harshly. She looked around, opening my closet and lifting the covers, before going back out, giving me a weird look and going into my bathroom to probably check all the drawers and cupboards in there as well. As if Helix would fit in them...

The couch looked pretty good right about then, so I climbed over the back of it and sat down, picking my phone up to scroll on some social media app while I waited for her to finish. It didn't take too long, my place wasn't that big, and when she finally concluded that I was alone, she came over with crossed arms and stared at me with a look that made me feel like the biggest disappointment in history— even though I'd done nothing wrong.

She kept staring at me for a few seconds, before she sighed and asked, "Were you at No. 1 last night, Olivia?" Her tone was so venomous it caught me a little off guard.

"Yes," I said, not bothering to lie, "I was on a date."

"Oh, I know," she spat back, before closing her eyes and taking a deep breath, composing herself. "I know you're hurting, sweetie, but it won't heal any quicker by being reckless. This man you were on a date with, do you know who he is?"

The fact that she said man and not boy lingered in my mind for a while. She had always called my previous companions boys.

I looked at her quizzically, leaning back as I nodded. "Yes, I do, he's Jesse's best frie—"

"And you know what he's done?" Her tone was harsher again, and she clenched her fists to probably try to calm herself down. I did that when I was angry and tried to reassure myself everything was fine.

"Allegedly," I replied quickly, my tongue starting to struggle not to snap back at her with the increasing heat in the small space.

"He's a dangerous man, and I had to hear from Maureen that you not only rid with him on a stupid motorcycle, but ate from his hands!"

She started pacing back and forth in the tiny clearing between the coffee table and the TV, her hands in her hair.. I hadn't seen her like that in a while, not since I was a kid and ran away for a day to find out what it would be like to live in the woods alone, eating berries and leaves.. I found it boring and came home right after dark, but she was pissed at me either way.

I chuckled a little at her words, though.. Ate from his hands.. I took one bite out of one fry that he held up for me to try, and that was enough for her friend Maureen to say something like that to her. I didn't even see Maureen there— if I did I'd probably be a little more careful, if only to avoid the mess that was in front of me now.

"I didn't eat from his hands, mom, he offered me a French fry, and I took a bite," I explained.

She stopped and looked at me. "And you said a couple weeks ago you didn't even want to date right now, and now you're off with the worst guy you could have fou—"

"He's not a bad guy!"

"He killed a man, Olivia!"

The room fell silent.

We just stared at each other. After way too long, I ripped my eyes from hers and scoffed. I got up and started pacing in front of the front door, trying my best to figure out what to say. After another few minutes I stopped to look at her again and asked, "Then why isn't he in prison? He's young, he couldn't possibly have served a sentence for murder, or even manslaughter, when he's out here now."

I tried to sound as calm as I could, but I felt the vibrations in my chest as the irritation seeped through with my words. I didn't believe those rumors. I didn't believe Helix was a murderer, especially not after getting to know him more. And even if I did, logic would have killed the suspicions when I thought of the time he'd have to spend behind bars for a crime like that.

"I don't know," my mom replied, waving it off like it was barely an inconvenience, "don't you know what gang he's a part of? Those wolves, or whatever, probably has some judge or prosecutor in the palm of their hand, making deals and whatnot."

I gritted my teeth. "It's not a gang, it's motorcycle club," I told her, my fists clenched, "Jesse's a part of that club too, you know."

"Poor Jesse's getting dragged into things he doesn't want, and now you too, poor kids.." She walked over to me with pity in her eyes, cupping my face as she looked into my eyes. Her green irises looked so much like mine and it made me almost sick to think I looked like someone who could say such horrible things.

I closed my eyes and took a deep breath before I calmly said, "Helix isn't a bad guy, mom. He's kind, gentle, funny, even, and he makes me feel... happy. I haven't felt happy since..."

I trailed off and looked away from her. Even thinking about it made my eyes pool with tears and I regretted bringing it up.

Her hands forced my face back to look at her. "I know, honey," she said, scanning my whole face for a few, uncomfortable seconds. "He really makes you feel like that? And he isn't hurting you? Or just acting like it so you'll fall for him before he... does something?"

I made sure she knew I stared into her eyes when I said, "Yes, mom, he makes me feel like that. I get butterflies just thinking about him.. He's been Jesse's best friend for years now, since he came to town, actually, and I trust Jesse enough to know Helix is good. You should too."

She looked at me, still scanning me for any signs of a lie, before she put her arms around me and hugged me. "Your brother isn't going to like this.."

I rolled my eyes. "You don't like it either."

"No, I don't," she admitted with a sigh, "but I should trust you. We'll have a code, you text me an emoji of a zipper if he ever treats you badly, and I'll hunt him down."

"A zipper?" I questioned.

"Yes, it means it's our secret," she explained, before pulling back from our hug and running her hands through my hair with a small smile. "I'm sorry, Olivia, I want to trust you, but people run from him." She sighed, closing her eyes for a long second, before continuing, "I'm gonna try my best to not listen to the rumors and gossip, but promise me you'll be careful."

I nodded. "I promise."