On The Rocks (Royce)

23

Jacob's P.O.V.

"So, what do you plan to do?"

I looked over my shoulder at Ms. August, sadly she felt the need to join Chresanto and I in the kitchen. I was hoping for some alone time with him, so we could really talk about what happened, but alas... She decided that I didn't deserve alone time with him.

"About?" I asked, maneuvering around Chresanto who was stiffly chopping up tomatoes.

"Your life, I mean, you're nineteen... Don't you want to get a job, go to college or something?"

"Yeah, I'd have to get my high school diploma, or maybe a GED".

"You didn't graduate high school?"

I rolled my eyes at her disapproving tone, I peered into the pot that was sitting on one of the eyes of the stove. The pasta noodles weren't over cooked, that's good.

"No, I didn't".

"What did you do before you met Chresanto?"

"That's none of your business, mom" Chresanto sighed, he looked at her, "he doesn't have to tell you everything about his life, just be satisfied with what you know".

Ms. August huffed in what seemed to be disappointment, "fine".

Chresanto looked at me then, he looked tired. I felt kind of sorry for him, maybe we should just postpone this and he should just go to sleep.

"Your noodles are going to be too soft" he stated, looking past my shoulder. I turned to take the pot off of the eye, but he beat me to it.

"I'll drain them" he stated, "I don't want you burning yourself or something".

My lips tugged upwards into a small smile, I moved to where he once was standing. I began cutting half of a tomato, debating if we needed another for our pasta sauce. Chresanto moved to the sink, beginning to strain the noodles.

"It's a shame, you know, that you didn't graduate high school" Ms. August abruptly spoke up.

"Yeah?" I answered, gripping the knife a bit tighter than necessary.

"Yeah, you're never going to get a good job, or get into a good college. You're basically relying on Chresanto for everything, you'll never succeed in life if you're just going to depend on him for everything. How did you even ask him to be with you?"

"I didn't, your son asked me" I said, my voice barely audible.

"That's a surprise" Ms. August replied, "Chresanto usually doesn't go for people like you".

"Like me?"

"Yeah... The people who'll manipulate anyone for their money, what're they called? Gold diggers?"

A gasp left the back of my throat, it shouldn't have affected me, but fuck, it did. I don't know what happened, but as I turned around to give Ms. August a piece of my mind, the blade of the knife dug into my hand.

"Fuck" I hissed, the sharp pain seeming to shoot up my arm, "ow, ow, ow".

Chresanto spun around, eyes widening at the sight of my blood oozing from my palm. "God dammit, Jacob" he muttered, rushing over and taking my hand in his own. Tears filled my eyes, but I blinked them away, sending a hate filled glare to Ms. August.

"You have to be more careful, kitten" he murmured, placing my hand underneath the sink faucet. The cold water hurt a bit, but then it felt good. "Come on, I think I have band-aids upstairs".

I let him walk me out of the kitchen and up the stairs to our room. "It's not deep" Chresanto stated, I sat down on the bed and waited for him to return from the bathroom.