Jenalyn: Daring to Defy (#1)[Complete]

Chapter 58: Jenalyn

Friday, 11:19 P.M.

Evelyn is passed out on the couch beside me. This is the first night in a week straight that Dane didn't have her out all night making runs. I carefully remove myself from under her, laying her head on the arm of the couch before grabbing the rest of the blunt we had rolled earlier and tiptoeing to the balcony.

"Since when do you come out here?" Rob asks, startling me. He sits on the furthest edge of the balcony hidden in the shadow of the huge tree outside Dane's apartment.

I pull the sliding glass door shut quietly, cautious of Evelyn knocked out in the living room. "Since I figured out Dane never bothers to set up any bugs out here, probably..." I say with a quiet laugh, squinting to see through the shadow to see the chair beside him.

Rob laughs too and uses his cellphone to help guide me to the chair. It still weirds me out when we have these odd moments of being... civil? They're usually quick and easy to brush past- but as I lower myself into the chair and pull a lighter from my pocket, I can start to feel the nerves begin to surface and my mind begin to work overtime to figure out a way to keep it at bay.

"I still can't believe you get away with that shit, man.." Rob says as he dabs out a cigarette on the wooden table separating our seats. "That is not how Dane used to run shit..." He laughs again as he goes to stand up and head inside- but even through my nerves I can't help myself from offering him the blunt.

"I know. You used to hate me for it..." I laugh too- only mine comes off a bit more nervous than his. "Well, I mean- I don't know." 

I try to recover, pretending I have to relight the blunt after he hands it to me- but Rob lets out a laugh I know means he's entertained by my nerves.

"I didn't hate you," he laughs, turning off his phone and dropping it on the table between us. "But you have to understand... I have a job in all of this- just like you. Same shit at stake for you, is the same shit at stake for me. You see Dane will take any life..."

I nod my head, though I want to protest and let Rob know Dane would never kill me. Thinking on the last few weeks though... I just can't bring myself to do it. He doesn't love me anymore, and he doesn't care about me. He just wants to own me.

"Well you sure acted like you hated me..." I try to recover once again.

Rob is silent for a moment as he takes the blunt and hits it, inhaling deep and holding it in. "Yeah- I know. I apologize about all that-" he says, "It wasn't right, the way I acted but... I gotta do what I gotta do- you know? That guy owns me as much as he own you, kiddo."

He hands the blunt to me, and I make sure he catches glimpse of the flat eyed face I shoot him.

"One, I'm not a kiddo." I say, matter of factly as I take the blunt from him and take a bigger than usual hit. "-and two, he doesn't own me." I say, only to falter off for a moment as I contemplate my next words. "I just... I thought he loved me for a while I guess."

Rob is silent for a few moments after my words weigh down the air between us. I dab out the roach as soon as it's decently small enough, and try my best to sound casual as I change the topic of discussion.

"Anyway-" I say, standing to my feet to head back to the door. "I know you got a job to do- so I thought I'd tell you... I have a meeting I was supposed to attend for this contest deal. Harlee is supposed to be there, and I get a cash prize... If anything, I'd really like to go to that. It's just a one time thing. A meet-and-greet."

Rob doesn't say anything, but his aknowledging my statement shows on his face. I walk all the way to the screen door before I turn around and let a part of the statement I intended to be in my head slip out of my lips.

"So you can go run and tell Dane that. Let him figure out if we can make it happen. He can have the cash." I add.