The bad boy knows how to love.

Welcome to Springfield

Jack and I continue our walk through the forest in the dark, between the tall trees towards what seems like a hill point.

I stay quiet despite the thousands of thoughts, mostly questions, running through my head.

For starters where are we walking? And should i really trust him?

Why does he seem to be completely different to how Anna described him?

And what does he want from me?

Lost in my thoughts, it takes me a moment to realise that we have reached our destination and are standing on top of a cliff overlooking the whole town and its surroundings. Its a beautiful view.

"Welcome to Springfield" Jack announces.

"Wow" I breathe out.

From here the small houses remind me of little lego blocks and the tiny specs of light escaping them give the illusion that the town has become polluted with fallen stars.I feel him looking over at me, seemingly satisfied with my reaction.

I wonder how many girls he has brought here before in an effort to wow them into sleeping with him.

"So, do you bring every new Springfield citizen here?" I ask jokingly.

"No. You're the first." He responds.

"I used to come here a lot with my dad. He could just sit here all night, staring down, smoking cigarettes. This town meant everything to him, it is where he grew up, where he met my mum. Where he raised me. He always had an intense need to protect it, and it's people. Even if that meant risking his own life." The last part he says quietly, as if it was meant only for himself.

I don't look into his eyes as he tells me this. For some reason I fear that when I look at him, I will see something that I'm not supposed to. Something he doesn't want me to see. Like fragility.

He hasn't directly told me his dad has passed, and despite knowing about it from Anna, i don't bring it up as i don't feel it is the right time to do so.

Instead i tell him about my parents, and my favourite childhood memories with my dad, i miss out anything about my sister of course. I open up to him about how I'm no longer as close to my family, hence why i am living with my aunt and he nods in understanding.

We laugh about the contrasts in our childhood memories, and the way he grew up around fighting, danger and motorbikes. Whilst i was surrounded by books, pretty dresses and tea parties.

"My dad and his best friend Tommy started this club thing with some other mates at the age of 17" Jack tells me.

"Some people say it was a gang, but I've never heard my dad refer to it as that. They were just looking for a loyal group of men to help them carry out their business."

"And what business was that?" I ask.

"Illegal stuff, nothing for your pretty face to worry about"

I try my best not to smile at the fact that he has just called me pretty and remind myself that he's probably just a player who talks to every girl like this. I focus on worrying about what illegal stuff he's involved in instead and why on earth, despite everything he is telling me, i still feel more comfortable around him than anyone else i have met here.

"As the years went by, they got involved in more serious and dangerous work, which meant more police involvement. They weren't the type of people looking for trouble you know, they just wanted to earn money, their own way, in peace. God knows none of them could see themselves in everyday jobs, as shopkeepers, doctors, bankers or anything else there is to do in this town" he silently laughs to himself.

"They were driven by too much rebellion, so they did the only thing they felt possible, and established their authority. They couldn't conform to this town, so they made the town conform to them. Or as Tommy likes to put it they made this town "their bitch"."

I smile at the word choice. "How did they get everyone to comply?"

"Well they never expected people to see them as morally good human beings, they never really wanted people to fear them either, they just had to make them understand that if they stay out of their business they can expect the same in return" Jack explains.

"Police started to become less and less involved in my dads business because people turned a blind eye to it, as a kind of "thank you" the guys protected the town. They dealt with any serious crime from outsiders, offered locals help with finance, and generally promised to protect this place"

I stayed quiet, processing everything he is telling me.

"The club was never a gang, they were never bad people and their intentions have always been good." he says quietly.

"Why are you telling me all this?" I ask, confused as to why he has opened up so much to me despite only meeting me yesterday. An annoying voice in my head pops in the theory that maybe this is his way of getting me to sleep with him. By basically telling me that he's the shit cause his family runs this town and has done for years. And this information will supposedly make me fall at his feet and want him. But i shut that voice out and listen to his response.

"You're new here so I wanted to give you a proper introduction. People are gonna talk, they will probably warn you about me. Especially your school mates, they love to talk about my bad reputation. But i want you to know the truth about what I do, before you make your mind up about me based on bullshit lies that someone like Dylan Crawford tells you."

I make a mental note to not bring up Dylan around him because apparently he's not friends with him either. I wonder what it is about Dylan that makes him so unlikeable? It can't possibly be his charming playful personality, (note the sarcasm).

I suddenly become aware of the time and ask him to take me back home. I make it back just a few minutes before Aunt Claire comes home. And we only exchange small talk before heading to bed. I can tell she has had an exhausting day and don't want to keep her up late.