Welcome to Society

Chapter 13: "Oh fuck it."

Jacey Summers

"Um..." I fumbled for words, not really knowing how to explain my current predicament. I stepped out of the closet, and walked across the room. "Technically, Meghan pushed me in." Not trying to place blame, at all.

"I'm sorry." I started. "I should have just told you I was in here, and then you wouldn't be so mad or have that look in your eye. You know, the I'm gonna-kill-you look? Yeah your giving it me right n-"

"All I care about right now, is keeping you safe." He interrupted.

"Keeping me sa-"

"And to do that, I need you to do as I say."

"I swear Zack, if you interrupt me one m-"

"You'll do what? Right now, you want answers and I have them, so who do you think has then upper hand?"

Smug bastard. I want to wipe that look right off his gorgeous face.

"I'll listen to exactly what you say, and be extra nice to you. That's what I was going to say." I said while grinding my back teeth.

The smirk plastered on his face grew, and the sneer on my lips did the same. He sat down in his bed, and patted the spot next to him.

"Okay, here it goes. When I was sixteen, I was a nerd. I studied every night, I didn't go to parties, I was the golden child. But little did anyone know, I saw everything they did, heard everything they said. The only person who genuinely seemed nice in that God-awful school, was a girl called Hilary." He took a deep breath and looked at his lap, where his hands lay , and moved one to intertwine with mine. I didn't say anything, because I wanted him to continue with his story, and let's be honest, I was enjoying his touch.

"I started to develop feelings for her, and eventually asked her out, which was a big deal for me at the time. She said yes and we started dating. I hung out with the popular kids and wondered why I'd thought they were bad people. We were together for eight months when I started to notice her mysterious disappearances. She-" His voice cracked. I stoked his hand with my thumb in encouragement to continue. He looked at me with a cold expression.

"She'd been cheating on me with Mason Patterson. Captain of the football team. And she told me she was a virgin." He laughed bitterly. "After that I started drinking, and smoking and everything imaginable that would make a parent cringe. I got in with the wrong crowd, took drugs and then,
Derek convinced me to sell for him."

He looked at me expectantly but I kept my face blank, I'd learned to do from times when Jackson would come home with bruises and cuts from fights when he was in high school. He thought he was a hard ass. And I guess he was, he never lost.

His eyebrows furrowed. "I don't do them anymore." He mumbled.

"What?" I asked confused. "The drugs. I don't do them anymore." He replied, I nodded absentmindedly.

"Do you have any questions?" He asked.

"Yeah." I said. "What the hell does this have to do with me?" He raised an eyebrow, as if amused.

"I left all those people behind. But getting out of the business isn't that easy. He wanted something from me, and is now using you to get it."

"But why me?" What was so significant about me?

He sighed exasperatedly. "I don't know if you've noticed, but there's something between us, and whatever it is, it makes me care for you, and Derek's using that to manipulate me." He got up and pulled me with him, setting his arms on my shoulders.

"But it's dangerous for me to keep you in my life. I've tried avoiding you, not hard enough obviously, but that's going to change. You won't see me very much, at school or here. I can't let anything happen to you." I stood, too shocked to say anything.

"You should go." I turned around, eyes watering slightly, I had started to care for him too. I started to walk towards the door when I felt a hand around my wrist. "Oh, fuck it." I heard.

I was twisted around to face him, and I felt him crash his lips into mine. So much passion and fire went into it, and I completely forgot that this was my first kiss, and that I was probably doing everything wrong. When he pulled away looking conflicted, I realised that he meant it as a parting moment. So I made the decision for him, and turned and walked out of the door, regretting every step as I took it.

***
I know this is a very short chapter, but I've been studying like crazy for a science exam recently, but I should be able to write some longer ones soon.

I highly recommend watching the new season of Catfish if you haven't already, it's awesome.

I'm going to a theme park tomorrow, and I'm so excited!

Okay, until next time best friends

~Steph~