East Bound

Still Strangers

*THE NEXT MORNING* JACE P.O.V.*

I feel a bigass weight shift in my bed already knowing it's East. I was too hungover to talk shit about him sneaking in my bed like a toddler.

East: man you gettin on ma nerves not wantin to sleep with a Nigga no more.

He says in a raspy deep tone stretching his limbs out.

Nigga I can't sleep with you now that I know you can run a 3 legged race by yo self.

Jace: you sleeping with me now shush.

East: we gotta talk about Thursday.

Jace: we need to talk about last night.

East: what happened last night?

My eyes popped open.

Jace: you don't remember? You came in the room after me, walked up to me.....

I lead him to it hoping he would start to remember.

East: then what?

His voice became clear & calm but serious. He didn't sound raspy or groggy anymore.

I pause.

I put on my Janet Jackson voice.

Jace: well you slowly walked up to me...you ran your hands up my arms..you wrapped your hands around my neck..you caressed my jaw with your thumbs.. we were skin to skin and yo-

East: Hahahahahaahahaha!

East starts busting up laughing and I look over my shoulder at him like he lost his mind.

East: girl please! You ain't that cute!

My mouth drops.

Jace: um! You can get the fuck out ma bed! Laughing like a goddamn hyena I don't know what's so funny.

East: Im serious man we gotta talk about Thursday.

I roll my eyes and deep sigh.

I didn't wanna talk about Thursday. Thursday was the plan for me & kendra to get "found" by the cops.

Jace: I don't wanna talk about Thursday.

East: Jace ..

I sigh sadly and turn towards him. We look into each eyes with our heads resting on our hands.

East: don't be scared.

Jace: but I am....you think the cops are going to believe we were kidnapped for a month?

East: your life depends on it.

I began to scatter on the inside. I find it funny how everybody made the decision to commit a crime but I was thrown into it out of my free will & now I'm supposed to put on a award winning act to survive this.

East: we talked about this-

Jace: I know I know.

East coached me & Kendra every other day to made sure our stories were aligned perfectly. We practiced so much it got annoying. We were coached to not say specifics. You could say a road but you couldn't say gravel. You could say something bigger than a car but not truck or suv. We were somewhere dark but couldn't say garage or basement. We could say we heard sounds but not surrounding sounds. Tied to a chair in a dark room with a sack over our heads is all we were supposed to know.

*Knock* Knock*

I open my mouth to speak.

East: Yo!