No Way Out

Chapter 4 - Messed up

 Chapter 4

Shocked, Leslie dropped the keys and the cigarette on the floor before whipping around, eyes wide with surprise and a hint of fear.

“J-J-Jace! W-What are you doing here? And at this hour?”

“I was… um… hey, is that a cigarette?” he suddenly asks.

Leslie looks at the lightly lit cigarette that she dropped earlier and quickly stepped on it, crushing the weed beneath her feet. She looked down, using her hair to cover her eyes so he couldn’t see what state she was in.

“Er… no. What are you talking about? It’s obviously really early, go home and get some more rest. You’re seeing things,” Leslie said, trying to shift him away from the topic and get him to leave.

Jace chuckled hesitantly at her with confusion on his face, “Oh no, Leslie. I saw that, what are you doing with a cigarette? And where did you just come from?”

Leslie bent down to pick up the fallen keys, “No, you’re just seeing stuff, Jace. Now, I’m going to just go back to my apartment and-”

Before Leslie could finish, Jace grabbed her elbow and pinned her hands above her head on the door. Leslie winced as her body came into forceful contact with the hard wood behind her back. Nevertheless, she kept her head down so Jace couldn’t see her face.

“What do you want, Wong?”

Jace’s face came close to hers and Leslie felt is warm breath on her ear, “I want answers, Miss Mai, and first is why do you keep avoiding me. What did I do?”

Leslie kept her face down.

“Look at me, Mai!” Jace then used his free hand to bring her chin up so she could face him.

Then he saw her red rimmed and tired eyes. She looked so helpless and her lips so full, a dry and flakey pink, Jace had every chance and all the urge to kiss her but he shook himself from the thoughts when reality came crashing back to him.

He suddenly asked incredulously and full of shock, “Are you high? Were you on drugs?!” Jace let her go and stepped back.

“No! I’ve been crying, dipshit,” Leslie said sarcastically, feeling her arms as blood rushed back into them, “Of course I’m high! Oh and by the way, I love how you instantly dropped my arms and moved away from me like I was a disease after you realized the point blank obvious,” she sneered.

Jace realized his mistake and quickly tried to fix it, “No, I didn’t mean to do that!”

Leslie laughed a seemingly dark and hollow laugh, “Of course you didn’t…”

She retrieved her keys and started opening the door to her apartment and Jace felt like he was stuck to the ground he was standing on, unable to move an inch towards her.

Without turning back, stared at the door and said, “I avoid you for this very reason. Hope you learned it and if you’re smart, hopefully, you’ll leave me alone for good now. Good day, Wong.”

She stepped into the familiar setting of her living room and closed the door behind her, not bothering to even see what reaction he had. He was the same, like all the others, Leslie thought.

Once you see a druggie, you don’t even get their side of the story, just step away like you’re a plague.

But then why did I feel that he’d be different?

Slumping down to the floor and leaning against the door, she tossed her keys across the room and rummaged her bag for something to smoke but it looks like she finished it all and the one that she killed earlier was the last one. Oh well, she thought, I have school soon so I’d better get ready anyways.