Perfect Timing

°5°

          It's been a month and ten days since I was released from Jackson Led's captivity and I haven't been the same since. I can't sleep, I can't take a shower without fear of someone breaking in and f kidnapping me again. Or if I step out of my front door I won't get shot in my skull. I can't sleep in my bed, I feel the prying eyes on me as I pass the windows, I can't think straight. I haven't figured out if my life changed for the better or the worse. My door has been occupied since 10 AM by Kaylen pleading to me to let her in. its been like this since last Thursday when Hunter finally told her I knew. Now she wants to talk, and I can't talk, to anyone, not when I can't trust a soul.
         The only people I trusted kept this huge secret from me and I found out while I was kidnapped by a man who tortured me for fun, I've told her to leave already but she decided to protest and stand her ground. I shouted from my living room to leave I didn't wait for a reply as I turned up the volume on my T.V. I just want her to leave already, this is the longest she has ever stayed, I know she must be freezing, winter is approaching faster than a tsunami. Just when I thought she left I heard her begin banging on the door again.
"You can't just stop talking to me!" She yelled banging on the door faster, the neighbors are going to call the cops soon if they are home.
"Just leave," I shouted again. I lowered the volume and took a deep breath ready to give in, except now I didn't hear anything from the door. She is my best friends, and for her to keep something like that from me is not okay, I tell her everything. Why won't she tell me everything, what else hasn't she told me, why is she keeping things from me, I thought I was a sister to her?
          She knew Hunter was in a gang, and she went with him to places as he did what he did if he's anything like Jackson, that means he's killed, tortured, kidnapped, robbed people, and many more! They aren't even together, yet she trusts him more than me, she trusts him with her life clearly if he is putting her in life or death situations. She won't even tell me the real reason why Hunter doesn't want to be with her but drags her everywhere like a couple. That's another secret that I'm not included in, but it's not like I'll ever try to figure something out that is not wanted by me. I quit my job and left to work at a different private club, Liam fixed the club, but I didn't feel safe working there and I didn't want to run into Jackson, Kaylen, or Hunter.
            I started taking up boxing again since it's been a while, I used to do it all the time but decided to stop and focus on school. I'm majoring in business, and also a writing course, and see what they can do for me in the future. I barely leave my house, unless I'm going to school, work, boxing, or visiting my mom and dad's graves, which only happens a few times a year since plane tickets are expensive now and days, but I try to every four months to fly over.
            I'm going to the gym at 5 for boxing lessons. I'm just curled up on the couch watching the Titanic, such a good movie, it's always been a favorite mine, along with the movie You've got mail. Both such old and classic movies, always one to be remembered.
"Draw me like one of your French girls." I mock. I open a can of soda and gulp it down after eating a bag of chips, I should really start eating healthy like I used to. I think about it and eventually, laugh at myself for thinking ill actually go back to my full-on all veggie way. I go on my phone and play some solitaire, I'm addicted, I know I'm pathetic, all well, better than most girls in the world, who go out and have one night stands every other night. 4:30 already, I set my phone down and changed into a comfortable stretchy pair of shorts and a big blue t-shirt, I'm assuming this is Hunters from the multiple times he has slept over when Kaylen was really wasted.
        I found it in my dresser a few days ago, I get my duffle bag and put a change of clothes in it with a few water bottles, my phone charger, and an apple, I turn off all the lights in my apartment and the television, grab my phone, wallet, keys and put them in my bag and lock the door behind me. Halfway to the gym, I noticed the clouds growing darker and moving in closer towards the direction I'm headed.
         I parked my car as close as possible to the entrance and just sat for a minute, watching the small drops of water fall down on the windshield. I finally step out of my car and take a deep breath as the wind picks up and pushes my hair out of my face, I walk into the gym and feel determined.
"Cleo, just on time, Clark is waiting for you in the ring." Toni the owner of the gym greets me with a smile. She has made it her duty to make sure that she is well acquainted with her members. she wants all of us to be comfortable taking part in changing our lives in her gym. I waved to her as I walk by with a nod of my head. I walk towards the rings and see Clark standing in one of the corners preparing himself to train with me.
"Hey, Clark!" I yelled running up to the ring, dropping my bad and sliding in, I grab the tape out of my bag and begin wrapping my hands, I have someone help me with my right and I throw in my mouth guard while Clark grabs some towels.
"You ready?" He asked, I nodded my head and we got started on a fight I was really needing. We circled each other for a bit and begun swinging, I'm just putting all my anger, sadness, abuse, and anxiety into this session right now, each punch has a meaning. I look at Clark and all I see is Matt, Greg, Hunter, Kaylen, and Jackson.
           I see Kaylen lying to me about everything, I see Hunter leaving me in that house to get tortured, I see Matt, and Greg kidnapping me, and then hurting me. Then Jackson, the incredibly sexy, dangerous, masculine, horrible, and mysterious man who haunts me, and gives me anxiety anytime I walk around a corner and keeps me up at night. He is making me quake in my shoes when I'm in an unknown area, I'm losing my mind, I can't breathe just thinking about him.
"What's wrong with you?" I asked helping him up as he grabs his jaw.
"Sorry but this guy has been staring at you since you got here, it's weird." He says nodding over to someplace behind making me turn around and see him. My heart starts racing and I start panicking, taking in heavy breaths as I dropped my mouth guard out of my mouth from shock. I move my hair out of my face and turn back around to Clark and try to calm down.
"I need to go, thanks for the training today, we did well," I said picking up my mouth guard and throwing it into the trash, unwrapped my tape on my knuckles and grabbed my bag heading into the girl's locker room very fast, but not fast enough.
"Hello love." I hear as I make my way towards the locker room, I stop abruptly and turn around. I look him up and down, he had on black basketball shorts on with a grey tank top, he had tattoos all over his body, it looked hot. My own judgment and body went against me within a second of seeing him all tired and sweaty. I turn back around and begin making my way towards the ladies locker room to shower and rescind my membership.
"It's just funny seeing you here, I didn't know you box." I tense when I grab the door handle and mumble a few words.
"There's a lot you don't know about me," I turn around and watch him take a step forward in my direction.
"You look good in my shirt." Just when I thought he was gonna turn around and leave he speaks again. I look down at the shirt in shock and begin to feel disgusted. Just looking at his face with that godforsaken smirk makes me want to which involuntarily slap him even more for him being so God-like.
"Here take it back," I say dropping my bag loudly on the floor, forgetting I had an apple and my phone in there and taking off his shirt and throwing it at him, I had a sports bra on under, which helps keep some of the sweat from dripping off my body even more, but what he did shocked me even more than I intended.
"What are you doing! Put it back on people can't see you like this, flaunting what's m-" He stopped talking and put his shirt over my chest forcefully and quickly, I'm wide-eyed and looking at his body language, he eyes are squinted, his lips are pursed forward, he hands are wrapped around my body covering my skin from all the other gym members with his blue shirt. He's looking around to see if anyone was looking at me then brought his eyes to mine and I physically felt him loosen up.
"Have you looked around here, all the girls are working out in this type of bra?" I said pushing his hands off me along with his shirt but he immediately went and wrapped it around my chest and torso again.
"Take the shirt, Jackson," I said shaking it in his face smelling a bit of my odor, I instantly stopped shaking it and dropped it on the floor.
"No." He said, crossing his arms over his chest making me sigh in defeat. I turned around and left him and the shirt in the hallway and walked into the ladies locker room.
"Go out with me." He spoke, just as the door was about to close about to close the door behind me. I stood still next to the door as it closed and replayed the words he said over and over again. Does he even know what he just said right now?
         Does he actually think I would ever in a million years want to even be in the same country as him, let alone on a date, something as intimate as that? I open the door and looked at him, I watched him fidget in his shoes, I walked up to him and just slapped him across his face, he had the audacity to ask me out?
"What did you just say?" Unable to actually believe he wanted to ask me out on a date.
"Like you said there's a lot I don't know about you, let me take you out after you get dressed." He said not even flinching from my slap, he didn't even look angry, he just smiled, happily at me, his eyes searching my face.
"Why would I even consider this?" I whisper angrily not wanting any prying ears to listen in on us.
"Come on." He groans, slouching closer to me making me feel nervous.
"No," I say bluntly, his smile never falters and he just steps closer to me.
"Wait, come on, just say yes." He says a little louder, I walk away and back into the locker room, I forcefully try to close the door but something stops the door. I look back out of the creak and he's standing right in front of me now, the only thing stopping him from being face to face with him is this door.
"I never wanted to see you again, let alone go out with you." I said, telling him the truth and a small piece of how I feel.
"All you have to do is say yes." He said looking down at me, I look him in the eyes and for once I see something other than anger, sadness, or just nothing at all, it looked like excitement, and that was all I needed to fall off the cliff, landing straight on him. I look at him and lick my lips feeling them suddenly dry up. Take a leap of faith no? I meet his eyes and slowly nod my head.
"Alright ." He said with a smile, Jackson was actually smiling. That took me a bit to register but I smiled back at him, maybe it would be okay, and if not, then I guess putting myself through hell will be an expense I allowed myself to pay.
"I'm taking longer than 5 minutes," I said closing the door and leaning up against it thinking about what I just fell into, but I couldn't see anything wrong because just in this moment I thought it was possible for him to change.
"I like a girl who likes to get dolled up." He shouted back, I silently laughed to myself. I wasn't getting dolled up, I just wanted to take a shower, I'm all sweaty, and I really can't tolerate being sweaty for a long period. Maybe getting to know Jackson will be life changing and if not, then at least I was willing to do something I knew was risky and intense.
Going out with Jackson, this isn't one to forget, is it?

What are some really good teen fiction or Romance book I could buy in a store, not online?

Love, Haley