I shake my head and jog back inside the house, shutting myself in the first room I come to. My breathing is fast and I'm scared I'm going to have an anxiety attack.
"Neil." is all I'm capable of saying. The one person who has managed to haunt me, and scar me for life, is back and is looking for me. Not only me, but also my best friend who is basically my sister. I wipe my eyes and let the red disappear.
When I walk out onto the back patio, jack walks right into me. I almost fall but thankfully his strong arms catch me.
"I was just about to go looking for you. Is everything alright." I force myself to smile. I trail my fingers up his chest as I bite my lip.
"I don't know, you tell me." Jack lips his lips, but Sammy yells.
"Grace left, I am not able to relieve myself, you cannot either." I giggle and lean my head against Jacks chest.
"Fuck off Sammy." Sammy snorts.
"I intend to!" Jack picks me up bridal style and walks us back to his room.
---------
Sex only offers a small distraction. The minute it's over, my mind goes back to it's usual hyper active imagination. I wake up beneath jack. It's a rare sight to see him like this. Peaceful, his jaw isn't set and his lips turn up in a slight smile. I run my fingers through his messy hair.
"It's morning already?" he says not moving away." I move closer into him. He strokes my hair and kisses the top of my head.
"You need to sleep here every night." I laugh and shake my head as we both separate. I start to get dressed in my clothes.
"No here." Jack throws one of his shirts at me. " I think you still have that over night suitcase in the closet. He yawns and rubs his face. Sure enough there is my little zebra suitcase, a fresh clean pair of underwear and some Adidas pants. When I walk out of the closet jack already has shorts and a shirt on.
"You could've left your shirt off." I say and he laughs.
"Yeah well I'd say the same to you, but three other guys live here and I don't want them seeing you naked." I shake my head at him as I throw my hair up into a messy bun.
Johnson made pancakes. I had two, but honestly I couldn't eat. Jack drove me to our apartment. He even walked me right up to my door. I didn't even stop to tell him I was safe, or I was okay. My biggest fear, would be walking inside and seeing Neil perched on the couch. Or a note from him, and grace missing. jack runs his thumb over my cheek.
"Grace can handle herself, be careful okay?" he leaves a soft lingering kiss on my lips and then I walk inside. I sigh of relief when I see grace at the table reading and eating cereal. I hug her. She laughs and shoves me off.
"God you get laid and then you become a hippie." I roll my eyes and drop my bag off in my room.
"Grace, is Neil a threat?" I say flatly. She is shocked by my upfront question. She taps her chin.
"Look, jack wouldn't tell us if it was just a little rumor. I'm not going to hide shit from you, because when shit hits the fan and you're clueless it isn't going to help anything. Jack has got men spread out everywhere, making sure to keep us safe." she gives me a reassuring smile and then returns to her book. I sigh and rub my temples.
"Now tell me, what are you going to do about nash?" She blinks and then she remembers.
"Shit, I don't want them knowing. Carter said they were oblivious to it all and they wanted to keep it that way." she sits there thinking, and I leave her to it.
---
I feel so odd when I talk to Cameron. We all planned to film the video. Grace wouldn't have let me do it if it wasn't something no actually needed to do. Fame was one way jack figured he could protect us, by putting us in the lime light it kept us safe and in the public eye all the time.
"Betthany, Neil is no where near us, calm down you're being a bit obsessive." I scowl at her.
"You don't understand." she sighs and throws her arms up.
"You're right I don't I'm sorry." I look back to my phone, the door bell rigs causing me to jump. Grace shakes her head and clicks her tongue.
Nash comes in strutting.
"Are you ready to lose dallas?" Nash taunts Cameron and Cameron just laughs. we all walk down to the grassy area outside.
"It's a great day to be alive." Nash says inhaling a bit dramatically. No it's not when you have a very evil man out to get you. grace looks at me and I know she knows exactly what I'm thinking.
I setup my camera and begin my intro. we use my phone for the timer, grace decides hers needs to be by her side. I don't complain.
In the end Nash and Grace did beat us. it's no big deal, but to Nash it was. I can tell grace wants to leave. I remember her whining
"He isn't sammy, it's all new and all about introductions, betthany he's a gentlemen! Yeah that's cute but-"
"But he's not a rough bad boy." I interrupt her. She sighs and nods.
"What about you and Cameron." I shrug.
"He's so different, he actually wants to get to know me, he asks my opinion on things and he just I don't know." she laughs and clicks her tongue.
"Id rather you be with Cameron any day, I don't think you should be involved with jack." I roll my eyes.
"How can you say that? he's been there from the start? He's been keeping me safe this whole time." grace clenches her jaw.
"He got us in this shit in the first place. It's not just him protecting you, it's all of us!" she shouts. I bury my hands in my face.
"I'm sorry bee, I didn't mean to get angry, I'm just a bit stressed." I wave her off.
"It's fine I understand."
Grace and Nash head back into the building. Cameron is talking but my eyes are focused on the road. I watch as a red 1969 Chevrolet chevelle drives by. I can see the outline of the man driving, and at that sight I faint.
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That car is pretty hot too bad a man with a bad personality and no morals drives it... Smh such a waste.
