pull me back | a drag me down spin off

【twenty nine】

As I make my way over to the beach house, a wave of sadness washes over me. I thought talking things out with Mom would be beneficial and therapeutic. It was the complete opposite. My fears have only multiplied. I know what she is saying is true, but I can't wrap my head around the harsh reality of it all.

My main focus is talking to Jesse, and continuing to try to get information out of him. The way he was acting last night scared me. We can't talk about this now. That's what he wrote on the piece of paper. Why did he write that? Was he scared that Riker and Theo were listening to him?

As I pull along the sidewalk, I see that Jesse's car is parked in the driveway. I think he's the only one home, which is what I want right now. Using the key Riker gave me, I unlock the door and step inside. The house is silent, and the stillness of it is making me nervous.

"Jesse?" I call out to him, looking toward the stairs.

Moments later, he comes out of his room and makes eye contact with me. "Hey Grace."

"Are you busy at the moment?" I cross my arms over my chest.

"No." He walks down the wooden steps and makes his way to the kitchen. "Why? What's up?"

"I wanted to continue our conversation from last night." I clear my throat.

"There really isn't much else to say." He shrugs and opens the refrigerator.

"Are you kidding? There's so much to say." I furrow my eyebrows and step closer to him.

"I disagree." He keeps his answers vague. I watch as he takes fruit out of a container and begins to eat a strawberry. He notices my stare on him, so he holds one out to me. "Want one? They're fresh."

"No, what I want is for my cousin to stop being weird around me." I groan.

"Using the C word is pretty insane. I'm glad you're actually referring to me as that." He flashes me a small grin. I can see the truth behind his words, but something inside of me is screaming to keep my guard up.

"Well, you are my cousin. We've already established that." I rub my lips together.

He continues to eat his strawberry, seeming conflicted by my words. His dark eyes look down at the table.

"Everything in my life is so fucked up." I can feel my voice trembling.

He lifts his head and allows his eyes to look into mine. "Trust me, I know."

"That's the issue, I can't trust you. I want to, but I can't."

"Everything is going to be okay, Grace." He reassures me.

"Why couldn't we talk about anything last night? Why did you keep looking at your door?"

"I wasn't, I was just tired." He shrugs and places the fruit container back into the fridge.

"That's such a lie." I let out a frustrated sigh.

"You don't have to believe me."

"Good, because I don't. Just like everyone else in my life, you're keeping secrets from me." I hit him with the honest truth.

"I think I'm going to take a walk on the beach, if you want to join me." He changes the subject and heads for the sliding glass door.

"What?" I mumble, growing extremely confused.

Jesse doesn't answer me. He steps outside, and I quickly follow after him. He heads onto the sand and keeps walking forward. I slowly trail behind him, trying to keep up with his quick pace.