The World How I See It

Chapter Seven

Jessie looked down at her hands and fidgeted slightly, "I just... Came here to..." She raised her gaze slightly and it rested on his arms. She blinked as she took in the bandages that were turning bloody and her mouth dropped slightly.

"What happened?!"

David looked down and he shook his head, "Nothing. Now why did you come to my house?"

Her eyes remained on his arm and she slowly blinked out of her daze. She bit her lip knowing exactly what happened and she searched her mind for a reason why she had come. She looked to the side and spotted her backpack that she had neglected to take in. She grabbed it and dug inside, bringing out sheets of paper. "I came to bring you notes and homework." She shoved them out of the window and he caught them before they could fall or blow away.

He stared down at her neat handwriting over faded paper that must have been the ones in the back of her binder, finally running out of the pretty paper. He wanted to smile and open her door so he could draw her into his arms. He wanted to kiss her like the night of the party and thank her for being so thoughtful, but he forced himself to keep his angry and tough demeanor. He was, after all, stupid in her eyes.

"Why bother? It's not like I'm going to get any smarter by reading them. I'm dumb, remember?" Jessie looked down at her hands again and he took some of the papers, ready to tear them apart. A honk from a car behind him made him jump and he turned around to see his mom's car pulled up to the side of the curb.

He cursed and began to walk over to her, "Mom! What are you doing home so early?" Susan shut off the engine and she grabbed her purse, climbing out of the car.

"Yeah. I know." She walked around the car to David and leaned up to kiss his cheek, "Nice welcome for your mother." She looked past him and saw Jessie stepping out of her car, looking awkward as she glanced nervously in David's direction.

David glanced behind him and he groaned, "Shit."

Susan gasped and smacked David upside his head. David yelped and Susan wagged a finger at him, "I'll have none of that language around me."

"Mom... I'm eighteen!" He grumbled as he walked towards Jessie and growled, "Leave." He walked past her and walked to the house. Jessie watched him leave and she felt the terrible feeling return.

Susan scoffed and walked up to Jessie with an exhausted smile, "I don't know what I'm going to do with that boy. He thinks that just because he's technically an adult that he can do what ever pleases him."

Jessie was silent and Susan cleared her throat, "So, Jessie. Have you eaten yet?"

Jessie turned her attention back to Susan and she shook her head, "No Ma'am."

Susan smiled and grabbed Jessie's arm, "Good. Then you can have dinner with us." She began to lead Jessie into the house and Jessie opened her mouth to protest but she stopped when she realized that it would be a perfect opportunity to spend more time with David. The idea excited her and she nodded quickly as if she had forgotten the events from earlier.

Susan let her arm go in the living room and gestured to the many empty chairs around them, "Sit, sit. Make yourself at home." She disappeared into another room and Jessie was left alone with pictures hanging and sitting everywhere.

Jessie noticed how much the home was different from hers. Hers was too modern and inhabited with things that didn't feel like a home you would want to come to from a hard day to. A maze of endless rooms with a T.V in every room you could think of. She despised it. She didn't have much desire for technology. At home she would be busy with homework, sketching, or something with the family; the way her mother liked it.

She felt that David's home was something a person would love to call home. If nobody else would, she would one day say it. She blushed at the thought.

To distract herself from anymore uncalled for thoughts, she looked at one of the pictures and she noticed a small boy that favored David. She smiled when she saw that it was in fact him. A tall bulky man was behind him with a hand placed on David's small head. David squinted at the camera with a large smile. She looked at the man again and saw how much they looked alike.

"Dad." She turned around to find a small girl looking up at the picture beside her. Jessie blinked down at her, surprised how easily she had snuck. "I never met him though."

Jessie gave a small nod, "Are you David's little sister?" Jessie had heard the tragic story of David's dad. He died from a random rogue attack and left his now widowed mate to grieve with the loss of her mate. It wasn't long after though that she became pregnant. A gift from her dead mate. She smiled sweetly at Shannon and she didn't return the smile.

"Yes." They both looked to the side at the stairs. They heard heavy footsteps and Jessie swallowed, becoming nervous.

"Shannon! Did you touch my cards again?" David stopped at the bottom as he saw Jessie before the grand picture wall that he hated. Too many memories that he couldn't remember and quite frankly didn't want to remember.

He stared at Jessie with his mouth slightly hanging open. He cleared his throat and quickly changed his expression to annoyance, "What are you doing here... Again? I thought I told you to leave. What excuse could you possibly have for being in my house?" He crossed his arms over his chest and slowly walked toward her. He stopped a few feet from her but he could still smell her intoxicating scent that turned him on.

She crossed her arms over her chest and opened her mouth to say a remark before a door opened and they all looked and saw Susan stick her head out of the open door with a smile. "Dinner will be ready in five minutes." She turned to David then and she pointed a finger at him, "Be good." Susan shut the door and David turned his attention back to Jessie.

"Oh. So my mom hooked you in with promises of food that you could easily get at your own home?"

Jessie narrowed her eyes, "I hadn't eaten yet so you can't blame me if I was hungry and wanted to eat."

"I sort of can. You could easily have turned her down." Jessie looked down at the wood floor as she realized that he was completely right.

David took several steps forward and finally turned to his little sister who had been watching and listening, "Go to your room."

Shannon protested but she obeyed when she realized she wasn't going to get anywhere fast by arguing with David. When David heard her door softly close, he closed the distance between himself and Jessie.

He leaned close to her ear and whispered, "That night... You asked me if I could feel it too." Jessie swallowed hard and she shrugged casually. David chuckled, "Maybe I do feel it." He reached forward and took a piece of her blond hair, twirling it around on his finger, "Or maybe I'm just playing with your heart." Her heart beat rapidly in her ear and her eyes widened. She felt like crying now.

"You... You can't do that."

David laughed, "I can do whatever I please. It's not like you can stop me. Your heart tells me that." He let go of her hair and she felt his hand suddenly press against the space where her heart was.

She pushed his hand away and backed away from him, "I think you're getting just a little too close..." Her cheeks were crimson red and she almost wanted him to touch her again. It wasn't like her to get worked up about things again. She should have been disgusted, but something about him made her go wild inside.

"So you're serious? You're basically only trying to hurt me?" Jessie watched David closely.

He merely shrugged, "I told you. You never know."

Jessie suddenly had to choke back tears as she flipped him off with her curse word finger and nearly yelled, "Well guess what?! You can't have it! Screw you, David!" She turned away and ran out the front door. She made it to her car and she saw David step out onto the porch to watch her.

He bit his lip wanting to apologize and make her stop the tears that were spilling from her eyes at the moment. He wouldn't, though. Not yet.