Paper Planes

XI

A/N: I'd like to dedicate this chapter to my best friend & editor FLgurl ! She has always been so supportive of me with everything I write, and she is the reason I even decided to publish this story in the first place! She convinced me to go out of my comfort zone & share this story with you guys. She's the first person to read every chapter and she makes sure its good-to-go before I publish! Thank you for being the absolute best, girl. I love you to death and I appreciate you more than you know!

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"Do you want to know why I use a knife? Guns are too quick. You can't savor all the... little emotions. In... you see, in their last moments, people show you who they really are. So in a way, I knew your friends better than you ever did. Would you like to know which of them were cowards?"
—Heath Ledger

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"That'll be two dollars and eight cents."

Jackson thrust his hand into his front pocket, fishing out the old matted wallet as he pried it open with his slender fingers, retrieving a five and handing it to the woman.

"Keep the change." He grinned. The blonde's expression brightened as she took the bill from his grasp, a blush creeping onto her cheeks as she pocketed the change.

"Thanks." She mused, handing him his finished coffee as he nodded curtly.

Just as he put the straw to his lips, his phone vibrated against his leg, the coffee spilling from the side of his mouth as he awkwardly answered the phone.

"Baby?" Livy cooed, Jackson's lips tugging into a smirk as he balanced the phone between his shoulder and ear, prying the cafe door open as he accidentally bumped shoulders with a lanky woman with a brunette bob.

"Hey, Livy. Everything okay?" Jackson wondered, the tone of his girlfriend's voice posing a bit of concern for him as he took a single sip from his iced coffee.

"Not exactly. Can you come over?" She requested. "Please?"

"Olivia, what's going on?" His voice darkened, halting in his steps as an uneasy feeling settled in his belly. Something was dreadfully wrong.

"N-Nothing. I'll tell you when you get here." She stammered, and the line suddenly went dead.

Jackson's heartbeat accelerated in his chest, his eyes focusing on the blank screen of his phone as he snapped it shut, sighing heavily before finishing off his drink and tossing the empty plastic in the waste bin.

What could possibly be wrong with Olivia?

He found himself outside of the familiar walnut tinted door, a bouquet of roses held tightly in his clutch as his heart thumped thickly in his throat. He'd been seeing Olivia Edison for eleven glorious months, and he was absolutely smitten with her. Ever since Ember left the orphanage, Olivia was the best thing to ever happen to him.

His knuckles collided with the wilting wood, his breath catching in his throat the moment the door swung open.

"Jackson." Livy breathed, a sympathetic expression plastered on her face as she chewed roughly on her bottom lip.

"What's going on, Liv?" He whispered, her blue gaze meeting the mess of flowers that sat in his clutch.

"You brought me flowers?" She blatantly ignored his question, his eyebrows furrowing in slight annoyance.

"Olivia Jane," Jackson pried, his once sparkling brown eyes darkening as he shoved past her, walking through the front door as she let out a yelp. "Tell me what's going on."