Bad Isn't Always Terrible (REWRITING)

Chapter 8

*Mason*

What was I thinking? I shouldn't have gone to that flower shop. It was stupid and selfish of me to risk Rosetta's safety like that.

Rosie and I used to be close. Really close. She'd always been like a second mother to me, since I was seven. She was a short, smiley forty-year-old woman, and she'd been working at that flower shop most of her life.

That's actually how I met her. Every day, I'd come in to buy a bouquet of flowers for my mother. Eugene didn't like that, and demanded that I stayed away from her shop. After all, couldn't have me paying respects to the person he put six feet under, right?

When I refused to stop buying flowers and seeing Rosie, he started beating me twice as hard. Unfortunately, even after I agreed to quit, the beatings never eased back to their original state. So, I snuck out. Every Sunday night, I'd go out to see Rosie in the shop, after I made sure Eugene was asleep.

He'd suspected I would do as much, and had one of his 'buddies' keep an eye on me one night. Eugene then proceeded to threaten Rosie bad enough for her to completely abandon me, even when she knew what Eugene had been doing to me.

I wasn't mad at her: I could never be mad at Rosie. I was disappointed that she'd given me up so easily, yet I understood. She was scared, like I had been—like I still am.

"Mason!"

I stopped immediately and spun around, only for a small, light brown haired girl to run into my chest. She stumbled back with flushed cheeks, making her hazel eyes stand out in contrast.

"Sorry," she mumbled.

I chuckled softly. "Its fine, Angel." Then, my expression turned serious. "What are you doing out here?"

She shrugged. "Came after you."

I raised my eyebrows in surprise, wondering why she'd even bother. "You should've stayed inside. You're soaked—not to mention the fact that it's still raining—and you could catch a cold."

She laughed softly, lacing her fingers with mine. I didn't mind it, since we both knew she was only borrowing the warmth mine held. "Didn't know the Big, Bad, Boy cared so much. Get it? Like, the Big, Bad, Wolf?"

I shook my head with a sigh. Softly, I said, "Not all of those rumours are true."

I tried being quiet so she wouldn't hear it; apparently, she did.

"What?"

"Nothing," I muttered.

"What do you mean, they're not true?" She pressed.

"Forget it, Charlotte."

She sighed in defeat. "I'll figure it out later."

"I thought you only wanted to be near me until this damn project was over?" I asked, glancing at her through the corner of my eye.

She shrugged, keeping her eyes on the road in front of us. "I'm most likely stuck with you all night, so I might as well learn as much about you as I can."

"Who says I'm okay with that?"

"Who says I was asking?" She smirked.

I glared. "You're a pain in the ass, you know that?"

She snickered, unconsciously squeezing my hand. "So I've been told."

I rolled my eyes, tugging on her hand as I sped up our pace. This rain was really getting annoying.

"So," she asked after a while. "Where are we going?"

I shrugged. "Not sure yet. Somewhere dry, that's for sure. I think I might know a few places."