Our fallen souls [EN] (High Enough) : VOLUME 1

13 - Blake

Eventually, we arrive in front of the principal's office. He ushers us in one by one, and of course it's Shawn who goes first, the lucky one of my two. So I find myself alone with Joséphine, with an atmosphere as tense as a fucking razor's edge floating between us.

I let out a loud sigh, letting my eyes wander over my bruised fingers.

I notice she's on edge as her leg trembles. "Stop getting so worked up," I say in a slightly annoyed tone.

I can feel her staring at me, but she remains silent for a moment. "What's got into you?" she finally asks.

"Nothing that concerns you."

The atmosphere in the room changes instantly, becoming more tense.

"We argue this morning, I see Shawn, and then you hit him? Frankly, since I'm the cause of this argument between you and Shawn, I've got a right to know," she says, trying to break through my silence.

I sigh again, feeling anger bubbling up inside me. "Stop with your fucking questions, I don't feel like answering or talking to you."

"Fuck you," she says, her words coming out of her mouth with a certain ease.

I look at her, surprised. Her raw words resonate strangely well. A smile spreads across my face, and I notice that she's frowning, obviously confused.

The door swings open, startling her.

"Your turn now," says the principal, pointing at Joséphine.

"Can't he go before me?" she asks, pointing at me.

What's her problem?

"No, it's your turn. Don't argue."

Joséphine enters the room and the door closes behind her.

My mind fills with all the shit that's happened to me today. The row with her and the news about my old man. He threatened to beat the shit out of me if I let go of him for good, this fucking traffic shit. He won't let me go, that's for sure. It's all piling up. I've got James on my back, and now my old man shows up. James is even looser now that he knows I'm fucking his sister.

Fuck, that's really fucked up.

I'm reminded of Joséphine's angry face. The way she responds to me without fear intrigues me more than it should. I'm starting to get used to it, and that's part of the reason I sent her packing.

Lost in my thoughts, I forget Shawn's presence. I was expecting him to leave, but no, the bastard just stands there and sits next to me.

I stiffen.

"So. Are you really going to tell me what's going on or what?" he asks me calmly.

I was expecting him to yell at me and make a big deal out of it, knowing him, but nope.

I jump in, weighing the pros and cons. If Shawn's acting like this, it's because he doesn't want things to get out of hand. He just wants to talk, and that's damn rare. "I've got too many problems. I'm in fucking debt and my old man wants to kick the shit out of me for leaving the band," I blurt out.

He looks at me, surprised, thinking I was jealous. I'm just trying to convince myself that I'm not. I'm not supposed to feel this kind of shit, and I need to forget about Jo. The feeling of protecting her from anyone who might hurt her is bullshit. I'm not a fucking babysitter. So, whether Shawn is banging her or not, whether it hurts her or not, it touches one of me without moving the other.

"Your old man won't do anything, Blake," replies Shawn, once again pulling me out of my fucking thoughts.

"You don't know the man. Anyway, if you want to fuck Jo, go ahead, I don't give a shit. But make sure you don't fuck with Jared or do anything stupid. You're smart enough not to question your whole life, right?"