the criminal // S.M.

25 // ohana

Skylars POV

The sun shone through the open window, prying my eyes open. For a split second I was confused, but then I remembered what had happened the night before and the muscular arm draped over my naked back and the bare chest my head laid on made since.

I didn't want to move from this position quite yet, but footsteps were approaching outside the door. The only other two people who were in the house were the other Jack, and Shawn. Both would be super awkward, one a little bit more than the other.

In a panic, I tried to nudge Jack awake, but it was to no use. However when I tried to shimmy out of his grasp and take shelter under the covers, he woke up with a startle and nearly feel out of the bed.

"What are you doing?" He whispered harshly.

"Someone's com —" was all that escaped my mouth before the door opened and I ducked under the blanket.

"Jack? You alright buddy?" I could tell from the voice and the weirdly phrased question it was Shawn. I mentally patted myself on the back for my keen sense of hearing and being able to detect footsteps from so far away.

"Yeah, yeah I'm cool. What do you need?" Jack's morning voice was raspy.

"You said Mia's room was the last one in that hall downstairs right? Cause I just checked and she isn't in there, or anywhere for that matter." I could hear faint scratching and I just knew he was itching the back of his head; something he did often when he was nervous.

"Oh, right, yeah early this morning she came and told me she was going out to get a bite to eat cause she couldn't sleep." Gilinsky lied right through his teeth.

"Do you guys not have food here?"

"She said she had a thing for McDonald's hashbrowns. It was weird."

I pulled at one of his leg hairs, and his whole body squirmed. I had to try my hardest not to laugh.

"Oh, okay. Well if you see her can you tell her I need to talk to her? Thanks." The door shut.

"Hashbrowns, really?" I joked, coming from out of the covers.

"It was the first thing that came to mind!" He laughed. I climbed out of the bed, covering myself with my hand and gathered my clothes which were scattered all over the floor. I had to climb back out the window to get my cigarettes and my t-shirt, and then climb along the house and down to the front door, where I walked in as if nothing had happened.

Shawn, who was sitting at the kitchen counter with Johnson, saw me and immediately walked over to me.

"Hey Mia, can we talk?" He whispered.

I nodded and together we walked to where my room was. He shut the door behind us and I just knew the conversation we were about to have wasn't about to be good.

He sat down next to me on the bed. He noticed my bare arms, and studied them for a moment. I prayed he wouldn't say anything about the scars, or newly opened ones. Instead he focused more on the single word "Ohana" etched in my skin along my forearm.

"You never told me you had a tattoo"

"Yeah I have a couple. I got this one right after my parents went to jail. Ohana means family, and family means no one gets left behind. Funny how things work out huh? Now I don't even have a family anymore" I rubbed the black ink while he kept looking at my arm, with out a doubt looking at my cuts.

"Look, Mia, I know this whole this has been hard on you, but sneaking out doesn't do any good. You really scared me." His voice was full of sympathy, and it made me feel a twinge of guilt. I could tell he was genuine which only made things worse.

"I didn't sneak out, I told Jack where I was going. I just had to clear my head." I told him, not looking up. I wasn't completely lying; that was what I was doing, at first anyway. Nonetheless, no matter what I told myself it didn't make his eyes on me any less painful.

"I know what you are going through-"

I wasn't sure if it was the fear of the fact that a decent human seamed to actually like me and cared about me, or the confusion this statement caused, but something inside me shifted. I didn't know how to handle it, so I did the only thing I knew how to do — I let my anger take over.

"Are you serious? You don't know shit! Don't try to make me feel better, I don't want sympathy! Especially not yours."

He starred at me, bewildered by this sudden outburst. He stumbled and stuttered trying to piece together words, but couldn't.

I brought myself to my feet, but kept my back to him.

"Sorry," He said quietly and looked down, licking his lips.

I stood there for a moment, wanting to turn around and give him a hug and apologize, but I couldn't come up with words to say. Instead I turned on my heel and walked out of the room.

Nice going Skylar, way to ruin the only good thing you had going for yourself.