Sixty Seconds

Chapter 8

Carter

She was staring out the window, looking upset. I wondered if I had overdone it. Another glance at her and I knew I had. I could see a tear making it's was silently down her cheek, unnoticed by her. For some reason the fact she was upset like that bothered me.

“I do know how it feels” I told her softly, taking my eyes off the road for a second and watched her reaction. Her eyes met mine for an instant in the glass reflection before she looked down, her eyelashes brushing her cheek.

“Know how what feels?” She mumbled, eyes flicking back up to meet mine.

“For your entire life to be ripped from it's roots and turned upside down in such a way it can never be fixed.” I fixed my eyes on the road. Painful memories flashed through my head, I pushed them away, attempting not to think of the past.

Jessica turned to me, eyes confused. “How?” She asked. I took one hand off the steering wheel to change gears, attempting to prolong trying to dig out of the hole I had just dug. Her dark eyes followed my hand, waiting for the explanation that I suddenly wanted to avoid at all costs.

I sighed. Decided to get it over with.

“My sister was fourteen, I was sixteen, ready to go into sixth form the next September. My sister was depressive but she kept so much to herself, we had no idea how bad it had gotten.”

My eyes hardened remembering. “She took an overdose the day before she came fifteen. She had wanted me to help her study for her exams that summer, I refused telling her to do it herself. She failed most of them, and the disappointment drove her over the edge, I guess.”

Jessica looked down at her hands. “What about your parents?” She asked me quietly. “Are they-”

“Dead” I told her. “They died to, I was coming home from a school trip, I waited in the airport for them but they never arrived, they never reached the airport.”

Jessica looked upset, looking torn between keeping quiet and asking what had happened. I decided to make the decision for her.

“There was an oil spill on the motorway, they slid and swung out of control. They crashed into the barrier and a lorry crashed into the back of them. I was told they both died instantly. After my whole family was dead, I quit school and joined the army and now I'm here, with you, which is, annoying” I told her, managing to smile.

A ghost of a smile contemplated on her face, it faded as she took in all that I had said.

“I'm sorry” She told me. “I was a bit of a bitch.” She looked guilty now.

“No, I was pissed off about having to look after you” I cocked my head slightly. “Still am.”

She hit my arm and I laughed. The enormous weight that I had been holding on my shoulders had gone. All because she had come barging into my life unwillingly. I grinned at her and pressed the accelerator.

“Slow down, you moron!” Jessica shouted at me. I laughed again. It was fun teasing her.

***

“Okay, so what type of pizza do you want?” I asked. We were back in my apartment. Jessica was sprawled over the sofa looking through T.V channels. She stopped on one which seemed to suit.

“Hawaiian” She told me, not bothering to look up from the T.V. She was watching one of those shows I never got the point of. Bright dresses and nice cakes were pointless on T.V. Things like that weren't used in real life as often as on T.V.

“There's cheese, pepperoni, beef-” I started, watching her reaction. I couldn't help feeling slightly disappointed her reaction, or lack of.

“Hawaiian” She said again. Glancing up slightly. I was standing at the island, leaning on top of the menu.

“BBQ, Meaty, American” I continued. This time I got a reaction.

“Are you deaf?” She asked from the sofa, looking up at me. I grinned at her and named some more pizza's. “You are incorrigible! ”

I could see her looking round for something to throw. A pillow flew past my head. I ducked and caught it, tossing it back onto the nearest seat.

“So you want cheese right?” I asked, teasing her more. This time the pillow hit its target. I picked the pillow off the floor and chucked it with the other. “Pepperoni?”

“You're lucky I've run out of things to throw.” She said icily. I laughed at her.

A phone vibrated beside me. It was expensive looking, the new I-phone as far I knew. It definitely wasn't mine.

“Jessica, you're phone vibrating” I told her. She sat up.

“Toss it.” She told me. I picked it up and threw it in the general direction of Jessica. “Hey!” She shouted, diving to catch it. I chuckled slightly and turned back to the pizza menu. She placed her self back on the sofa and answered her phone.

Running my finger down the list of pizza's I spotted the Hawaiian, I made a mental note to order that as well as my pizza. I glanced down at Jessica. No one had questioned her cover story as yet and all her relatives had been told not to call her while she settled into her new “School”. It was probably only Harper, making sure I hadn't murdered her yet. Which she half expected me to do. Even so I kicked myself for not checking the called ID first. Out of the corner of my eye I saw Jessica raising her phone up to her ear and her face went pale.

“Mum?” My head jerked up.

Oh Shit.