Charity Case (Creepypasta/Jeff the Killer Love Story)

Chapter 23

When I opened my eyes, I was surprised to be immediately met with icy blue ones. I blinked a few times before rubbing my eyes. "Jeff? What are you doing?" I asked, my voice thick with sleep as I sat up. He didn't move from where he was next to me.

It was morning, but you could barely tell with how clouds were rolling in, and I hoped there wouldn't be more snow that day. I sighed and looked back at the boy at my side when I realized he still hadn't spoken. He was studying me intently, and the serious expression on his face confused me. My first concern was that he was sick or injured somehow. "Hey, is something wrong?"

"I haven't been telling the truth," Jeff finally told me.

I grumbled, fixing my ponytail, "Is that really a surprise?"

He said, "Ronnie, I'm not joking." I met his eyes in a slightly shocked manner. I wasn't sure there was a time I had seen him so grave.

"Sorry. Go ahead. Tell me," I encouraged, turning towards him completely.

"Okay." He took a breath, preparing himself. "I lied about how the police would arrest you. They aren't going to lock you up, Ronnie. There's nothing that ties you to the crime scenes, I made sure of it, and you could easily say you just got spooked when they saw you in Chancellor. You're in the clear, Ronnie, and I think you should leave," he suddenly told me.

I raised my eyebrows, "Why would I do that?"

This time, he was the one perplexed. He narrowed his eyes, "Aren't you mad at me? Maybe want to hit me? Because, at this point, I'll let you take a free shot at it. I probably deserve it."

"I already knew about that. The police told me they would take me back to my home if I went with them in Chancellor," I revealed.

"You didn't tell me that."

"You didn't need to know. It wasn't important at the time."

"And you didn't go with them?" he asked in an incredulous tone.

I told him, "I didn't want to."

Jeff stared at me for a few moments with this look of disbelief. "Well, that's stupid! What the hell is wrong with you? When someone gives you an out, you take it! You don't fucking dust it off and hand it back!"

I replied, "I'm sticking this out! I didn't want to leave you, and I still don't! And if you think it's your right to dictate when I can and cannot leave after how invested I am in you, then you're the idiot!"

"I'm not trying to dictate anything! I just don't want you here when I finally get to Liu, alright? I don't want you here when things go south," he explained, trying to calm himself after hearing I knew I could have gotten out of that mess days before.

"I've been traumatized to the point of being numb, thank you very much. I think I'll do fine meeting Liu again. Not to mention that the only plan that is going to work includes me," I rolled my eyes, standing up.

He mimicked my motion and protested, "Ronnie, listen to me! You're going to get hurt. Do you get that?"

I glared, "Yeah, I do. I also realize I could have been hurt this entire time. It really doesn't bother me at this point. You're not getting rid of me."

"It's not getting rid of you. It's protecting you," he stressed.

"Now, you think I can't handle myself?"

"Well, you definitely aren't my first choice in terms of brute strength, but no, Ronnie, that's not it. I don't know what will happen when I finally catch him, and I don't want you to get hurt. I can figure out some other plan, but you have to go. I'll take you back to McKenna and everything. Just as long as you're not with me," Jeff said.

I settled my hands on my hips, "I don't care what you say. I'm not leaving you." I could tell by his determined expression that he wasn't going to give it up, and I wasn't, either.

I sighed as he continued to fight me, "You're being ridiculous. You-" I finally silenced his entire argument with a complete leap of faith and kissed him. I felt him freeze completely, and I put my hands on his shoulders. Eventually, he began kissing me back and placed his hands on my waist. His lips were rough from scarring, but I didn't mind it at all. I only stopped because I needed to take a breath, and he looked at me with a mix of confusion and disbelief.

"I don't think you understand. I'm not leaving you. Not because I have this crazy urge to help people, but because I genuinely care a lot about you. Okay?" I smiled softly.

"Why do you think I want you out of here, Ronnie? I'm supposed to let someone else important to me die?" Jeff sighed, and I could see him struggling to figure out what to do.

"I know. I get it. Really, I do. Still, I know I'll be fine. I want you to get your life back. I want you to be happy. And...." I trailed off.

"What?"

I suggested slowly, "You could always just stop, you know? No one ever said you had to do this with your life, Jeff. We could hide out here for a year or something. Leave the state, even. People would forget about us. We could always go back to my parents after a while. They'd believe me. They'd help. This isn't the only way, Jeff. You can give this up."

He moved a hand from my waist and placed it on the side of my face. He smiled sadly, "Liu might not, though. There's no telling what he would do if I stopped. You and I are still the only ones who know the true story, and whether I want to think about it or not, those kids are dying because of me." It stung a bit to hear it, but I had been fully aware what the response would be.

I placed my hand on top of his and nodded, "Okay. Then, I'm not leaving you until Liu is stopped, no matter how that may be, and not after if I can help it. You're going to get your life back."