The Heartbreaking Agreement

Chapter XVII

It's been few days since Jerome's winning race against the Cerberus. It wasn't surprising he won - according to many members of Phoenix. Maybe his opponent looked like someone, who would crush Jerome with one hand, but behind the wheel he was like an old lady.

I couldn't agree or disagree with any of those comments. I didn't get to see Jerome's race, after Gabe messed up my tattoo and he and Zebra Boy had a huge, pointless fight about that. Mike wanted Gabe to fix it, while Gabe believed he doesn't have to do any more work. At the end, the tattoo stayed the way it was and I kinda liked it.

But I also felt horrible. It was like someone took away a part of me, killed it with ink. I didn't like it, I hated it. The only think I wanted to do was to get home, which temporarily was Jerome and Mike's apartment. All I needed was to stay in bed, hide under three blankets and cry.

I thought I said goodbye to my old self. I felt ready for this major change in my life. I realized I was wrong, when it was way too late. I wasn't ready to become a Phoenix or a Tiger. This life wasn't for me, but now I had to suck it up and deal with it - at least, that's what Mike kept saying.

I hoped I would see Quinn somewhere in that crowd, but he wasn't there.

Quinn.

I got distracted for few of days, forgetting what was the reason, why I was doing all these things in the first place. My best friend was still out there, probably fighting for his life. But it wasn't that surprising he didn't come. There were a lot of Tigers watching Jerome's race. For some reason, Quinn wasn't on the best terms with them, so it wouldn't be smart to come here.

I think I start to understand how everything works over here. That was a good and a bad sign.

We didn't stop looking for any clues, people and Quinn himself. He was evidently avoiding us, it was clear by now. But why? Why didn't he want to see me so badly? What was he hiding?

Jerome tried to calm me down, as he believed he wasn't hiding from us, but from the Tigers. It could be true, which would explain why he would never come to the Joker Card. Too many Tigers. But why was it so hard to find him during classes or somewhere in the city. It also seemed he wasn't in his apartment for a while. Did he run away?

"So you and Jerome are a thing now?" my thoughts were distracted by Felicia's voice. I looked at her, realizing that girls were talking to me, but I didn't listen to them at all.

"No, we're not"

"Liar" Karma murmured, playing with her empty fork. Since the day I moved temporarily to Jerome's place, my roommate didn't talk to me as often as before. She ignored my calls and texts, didn't say a word during lunches we had together, all four of us.

But I wasn't mad at her. I understood the way she probably felt, after reading the short note I left in my room, the day I packed few of my stuff after agreeing to join the cruel and dangerous world. I didn't assist on a serious conversation with her because I knew I couldn't tell her the truth and lies weren't good either. So I gave her some time to think about this and hopefully let me live with her again, after my "loyalty tests" are over.

The Old Man warned me people close to me could walk away, hate me, distrust me. It was a part of the payment for this life and I couldn't do anything about it.

"So are you just sex buddies?" Felicia continued her interview, while Julia's eyes sparkles with excitement.

"No" I answered, looking away from Karma, who didn't even breath near me.

"Then are you-"

"Can you shut up already?" a guy from a table next to ours looked at Felicia. She answered him with a middle finger.