The Gray Zone

CHAPTER 18

/Alexis' POV/

I was sitting at the table in the separated dining room and looked straight past my mom who was across from me, walking up and down. Levi was leaning against the door frame and his expression was unreadable but in a bad way. 

"WHO DO YOU THINK YOU ARE?" My mom screamed and looked at me furiously. "IT'S HALF PAST NINE AND YOU WERE GONE THE WHOLE DAY WITHOUT LEAVING A SINGLE HINT!" 

I bit my tongue and didn't say that it was actually just 9:15 PM. "I'm sorry" I lied and starred at the wooden table. 

"GOD DAMN, ALEX, WE WERE REALLY WORRIED ABOUT YOU." Mom had stopped walking and leaned over one of the empty chairs. 

"I know I am very sorry" I insisted but just wanted to get this done and go up to my room. 

"YOU ARE SOR-" With greatest contempt she stopped screaming and began to angrily hiss at me "You are sorry?" 

"Yes, Mom. I am." Levi came forward and asked "Who was with you?" 

"That doesn't matter" I whispered and earned a suspicious look from my brother before Mom continued the survey. "It does matter." She insisted and I breathed out. 

"I was out with some friends. That's it. I know I should have told you something but didn't so I can't do anything else than apologize to you." 

I knew that I'd get her with that. My mom's behavior was easy to calculate if you knew her well. She shook her head before looking at me. 

"You're grounded." She sighed. "For one week and I want to speak to some of your teachers." 

"But-" I tried to defend myself but she was absolutely determined. 

"No 'But'. I said what your punishment is and now go to bed." I nodded melancholic and pushed past Levi out of my room. As soon as I was out of their sight a wide smile crossed my face. She could ground me, she could speak with my teachers – whatever. But she couldn't take today away. No one could.

When I laid in bed I saw that Jesse had texted me and began to smile immediately.

What's going on my lil hoodlum?

You make me so fucking happy

 ;)

...also I'm grounded for the rest of the week

Doesn't matter

Nothing really matters

You matter to me Darling

What did I do to deserve you?

I'm not even enough for you...

I disagree. We're robbers.

We are.

/Jesse's POV/

I sat on the floor of my room and leaned against my bed. With closed eyes I brought my beer can up to my mouth and took a sip. A smile crossed my face. I would let her drag me to hell if it meant that I could hold her hand. 

Everyone was asleep I guess and I think my shirt smells a bit like Alexis. I couldn't even form into words how happy I was right now. In my imagination Alex was still on my lap crying or smiling or talking or sleeping or kissing but damn she was almost too much to comprehend. I wondered how many guys my girl had kissed before me since she was so eternal good at it. Fuck, she kissed Sasha today, too. I opened my eyes abruptly and starred into the dark. 

In this exact moment Lea opened the door and peeked into my room. "Jesse? Can I come in?" Without waiting for my reaction she tiptoed towards me. Quickly I hid the beer besides me.

"Why aren't you asleep yet?" I whispered and motioned for her to sit down next to me. Lea ignored my question.  "Why was Mom angry at you?" Now I remembered that Lea was sent to her room before my mother began to indoctrinate me about not leaving a notice where I was going. 

"Because I kidnapped someone." I joked and went through my hair. I had used this phrase a couple of times over the years and I guess my sister had already figured out that I always meant hanging out with girls. 

"If I'd ask you when the last time you kissed someone was today would you answer it with a 'Yes'?" She questioned and I smiled about how she had phrased it.                                                                                   

"Maybe." I chuckled softly and stroke over her hair. 

"And if I'd ask who it was would you tell me her name?" Lea whispered nervous. 

"If you never shoot you'll never know." 

"Who did you kiss today?" She bursted out, her eyes big circles in the darkness. "You should go to bed now." I said and got up with her hand in mine to bring her to her room. She followed without any protest which I was glad for. When she laid in her bed I looked at her for a second and was just about to leave when she murmured "Is it Alexis?" I could not stop from smirking a bit and purred 

"Maybe." Before going through the door; leaving Lea with satisfaction and confusion.

/Alexis' POV/

Directly when I woke up and remembered yesterday noon so vividly I was fully sure that it wasn't a dream.

I hurried to eat my breakfast because after one look in the mirror this morning I saw that my throat was laced with smaller and bigger hickeys. Damn this boy really did his job well, didn't he? When was the last time I had some? Anyways, after looking and stroking over them a few times I stopped smiling to myself. Because not only I could see them but everyone else could, too. And then people would ask questions and give me looks so better I hide them. 

I put on a thick infinity scarf to cover all of them up, but it still felt like one could see them. Every time I worried about that I felt Jesse's lips there again, sucking on my skin. I had to stop smiling to myself the whole time since Levi had looked at me a bit suspicious one or two times already.

When Mom dropped us off my brother and I walked besides each other like every morning. I glanced over to the left were some of Jesse's friends were standing but he wasn't there. 

"Did you were with him?" Levi mumbled and I turned around. "Paden me?" 

He smiled half hearted. "When you were gone yesterday." 

Levi began to grin at me knowingly. "I know you hung out together because you weren't even really mad that Mom grounded you... and there are some other hints on your neck."

I quickly tried to move my scarf and earned and laugh from him. "Don't worry, Sis, I saw them yesterday." 

"And why do you think I got them from Jesse?" I asked both offended and curious. Levi's smile got wider "Girl, I may be stupid but I'm not an idiot!"

It was a little awkward when I got to my usual group of friends and saw Sasha. He didn't seem to bother or want to talk about yesterday which I was really glad for. 

"Have you heard that Jesse Rutherford might have a crush on Madison?" Olivia, a Hispanic cheerleader who hung out with us sometimes asked. I looked at the floor. "At least that's what some other girls have said in the dressing room." 

They began to discuss really heavily the relationship status of my boyfriend which made me uncomfortable and I was actually glad when the first lesson started.