The World Beyond Us

s i x t e e n

"So you're interested in my daughter." My dad states.

"Seeing her, actually, Sir." Jace corrects my father.

My parents are seated across from me and Jace in the living room. Keegan hovers impatiently over by the doorway.

"Well, I've heard a lot about you." My mother butts in. My stomach clenches. "Everyone has."

"One might say I'm famous." Jace smirks.

"Infamous." My mom's mouth forms a straight line.

"Mom." I hiss.

"I just don't see how you could dump Hudson for-" She gestures towards Jace and me. "This."

"This." Jace begins bitterly. "Makes your daughter happy. You'd think that, being a loving mother, would make you happy as well. Considering you are a loving mother."

"What are you implying, exactly?" My mother's voice is tense at Jace's passive-aggressive accusation.

"It means whatever you want it to mean." Jace vaugly explains. "But your daughter and I have plans for the night, so if you'd please excuse us." Jace captures my hand and stands up.

My mother sits there, stunned. I expect my dad to call us back, instead he directs us to be back by midnight.

I smile at my father before turning back to Jace.

"You're insane, Jace." I giggle.

The door shuts behind us, and I grab a hold of Jace's hand. I splay my other arm out and take in a well needed breath of fresh air.

"But you like, don't you?" He grips his hands to my hips, pulling me in close. His forehead presses against mine, lips curling up.

I drape my arms around his shoulders. I look back to the house to make sure my parents aren't watching. They are, they're standing right in the window. It only makes me smile.

I turn back to Jace. "I do." I try to kiss him, but I'm smiling too damn much to do so.

"C'mon, we have to hurry up. Get there early." Jace is talking about the football game.

We watch the game like high school students are to do. Keegan scores the winning touchdown, and shows no shame in rubbing it in the face of the losing team.

And when that's all over with we head to the after party.

The music is loud, pounding, annoying, but I act like I am supposed to, like I'm having fun.

"Where is he?" I yell into Jace's ear. Jace keeps his hand at the small of my back, guiding me through the crowded halls.

"His car is out there, that little bitch is just hiding." Jace mutters.

"There?" I grin, pointing over to Hudson. He's crowded with a group of people, laughing.

"Go to the car, I'll get it." I tell Jace.

"Why can't I just get it?" Jace whines.

"Because, Jace." I sigh, patting his chest. "He'll just pick some dumb fight, and ruin the whole plan."

"Fine, but if he tries to touch you." Jace waits for me to fill in the blank. "I'll kick him in the crotch." Jace grabs my cheeks and kisses me. "Now go." I shove him away.

I watch him until he's not longer in sight, then I turn back to Hudson. He's alone now.

I waltz over to him and smile.

He glances at me. "Where's your dog?" He asks in disgust.

I clench my jaw. "If you mean Jace, he didn't come. He said he wasn't feeling well." I say evenly, forcing my feeling under the rug.

This sparks a bit of interest in Hudson, a light goes on behind his eyes.

"And you're talking to me because?" He smiles.

I smile wider. "I just wanted to say sorry, about what I said in class last week. About me cheating too, it was wrong, and I'm sorry," I really am.

"You don't have to apologize. I'm not hurting over you, Wynter." He puts his hands in the pockets of his stupid khaki pants. His perfect hair is so gelled over it can't even move. "You're just another name I had the misfortune of knowing, soon to be a faded memory."

"Would you just hug me." I hiss.

"You really are desperate." Hudson shakes his head, smirking. He opens his arms to me anyways.

His arms encase me tight to his chest. Strong cologne and detergent nostalgically warft up my nose. My eyes fall closed. His hand slides up and down my back.

"I missed this." I sigh.

"Of course you do." Hudson kisses my forehead.

My eyes snap open. I yank myself away from him and shove my hands in my pockets.

"I really needed this." I assure him. "But I have to go." I make a quick exit.

"I missed this." I snort. "The hell I did."

"Did you do it?" Jace asks hopefully. He's leaning against his car, Hudson's Mercedes sits next to him.

I grin, pulling Hudson's car keys out of my back pocket. They jingle against each other. I toss them over to Jace. He catches them and unlocks Hudson's car.

I pull the hood of my black hoodie over my head. Jace pulls his on too.

I go over to Jace's trunk and take out a can of green paint. I use a screwdriver to pop the top off, then go back to Hudson's car.

I look at Jace, he nods me on. I turn back to the car and dump the paint out on to the fresh leather seat.

About an hour later Jace and I are down to our last few cans. A crowd of drunken teenagers surround us, cheering us on.

Jace reaches up to me- I'm sitting on the top of the car- and hands me a can. I yawn, prying the top away and pouring it into through the sun roof.

The doors are closed, and the windows are rolled up. They show the sea of green swimming around in the car.

"What 'er you guys doing?" Some guy asks.

"What's it look like, Ed." Another guy knocks Ed upside the head. "They're filling dat car with paint. People do it all tha' time."

They're both wasted, and their drunken banter is the most exciting thing since Jace and I started all of this.

"Last can, Wynnie." Jace hands me the final can of green paint.

I pour it in. It fills right up to the top.

"Hey!" I hear someone yell. "Hey what the fuck are you doing? That's my car!" Hudson runs towards us.

He shoves past the chanting crowd.

I feel a set of hands wrap around my waist, they pull me off the side of the car.

"Get the hell in!" Jace yanks his car door open and shoves me in.

Jace speeds off. I shift to look out the back window. Hudson opens the door to his car, paint rushes out like a broken dam. It drenches his pants, and then he just starts crying. Legit sobbing. Hudson falls to his knees and covers his face and cries.

I toss his keys out of the window. I use the back of my hand to wipe my forehead off where his lips touched me.

And that is the end of Hudson.

I look over at Jace. Both hands grip the wheel, as we zip down the street. We're going fast, but time in the car seems to slow down.

Jace glances over in my direction, he smiles at me. I can't tell if his eyes are blue or gray, or maybe they're both. Whatever color they are, I love them.

Jace looks back at the road. His hand blindly reaches over to grip my thigh, squeezing it a little.