Saving Us ✔

7.

"McKenna! Hey, over here!" Jackson waves at me from his usual spot in the kitchen and I push my way through the group of people in front of me to get to him. 

"Hey, Jack." As soon as I'm beside him, Jackson hands me a beer and puts an arm lazily around my shoulder. He gives me a dazzling smile, and though I'm sure his smile makes a lot of girls weak in the knees, it doesn't have that effect on me. 

Ever since the night that Axel and I came to Jackson's and I smoked for the first time, I've been frequenting the house quite often. Axel and I come together sometimes, but this isn't one of those times. At first I felt uncomfortable and weird coming here alone, but now I feel as if Jackson and I are somewhat friends, and there are a few others here that I've talked to multiple times. 

Jackson's house is intimidating, there seems to always be a party happening and there are always a handful of people strung out in the different rooms. I'll never admit this to Axel, but he was right about this not being a place where I belong. 

I stand out like a sore thumb, and I know it. I don't come here to get drunk, I hardly ever take more than one sip of the beers and drinks Jack gives me when I'm here. I don't come here to swallow a handful of pills or to snort them off the tables like most people here do, and I don't come here to sell or buy drugs.

Instead, I come here to smoke weed. The calm that came over me the first time I smoked here, was everything I had been looking for. My stress faded away, my mind cleared, and I was able to just enjoy the moment. 

Over the past few weeks, whenever I get stressed, have an argument with my parents, or am overwhelmed by the hurricane of emotions inside of me, I get in my car and come here to smoke with Jack and whoever else is around. 

When Axel is here with me, I try to keep an eye on him to make sure that he isn't drinking too much or driving home under the influence of anything. I know Axel has a drug addiction, but surprisingly I haven't seen him get high here. I know he knows that I keep an eye on him, just like I know he keeps an eye on Jackson around me. 

Axel has tried to tell me multiple times that Jackson is dangerous, but he seems like a nice guy to me. I'm not blind, I know that Jackson is a drug dealer, but personally, he hasn't been anything but nice to me. Sure, sometimes he stares at me and makes me a little uncomfortable, but other than the arm over my shoulders thing, he has never touched me. 

I know that Jackson checking me out and flirting with me bothers Axel, and even though I wish it were out of jealousy, I know it's just Axel being protective of me - as a friend. 

My parents have been really busy with conferences, presentations, and surgeries over the past few weeks so I haven't seen either of them for more than ten minutes in that time. 

Duke hasn't come up in our short encounters, their minds only focusing on work, and for that I'm grateful. Sure it would be nice to get some attention, being their child and all, but I'm used to it by now. 

"McKenna, you want to go out back?" Jack's question pulls me out of my thoughts and I nod, sitting the beer bottle on the kitchen table and following him out the back door and to the porch where a group of people are already seated. 

After passing a bong around for...I honestly don't know how long, I say my goodbyes and head towards my car. Sitting in the drivers seat with the air conditioner blasting, I check my phone before heading home.

I have two missed calls from my dad, and then a text. 

Dad: Call me when you can. We need to talk. 

They know. 

Oh God, they know. 

My hands start to shake as I sit my phone down and try to get my breathing under control.