DON'T BREAK THE RULES

Chapter 11 - Eggs

A black hood covered his brown curls, shadowing his face as he glanced towards the apartment. He knew this was dangerous but it was the only revenge plot that would work. He had chosen this time because that was when Jamie was usually home by and he wanted to make sure Jamie was present when he did this. Ever since last week, when Jamie had suddenly banished him from the home wrongfully, Joe had not been able to stop thinking about him. Not in a lustful way, but with hatred, wanting to get him back for what he had done.

Joe had had enough to afford a motel for a few days, but finding work was tougher than he realized would have been. The fact that he had no motivation to search for a job also made it even worse; he continuously told himself he would hand resumed the next day, then the next day, and the next day became never.

However, Joe decided to not blame himself this once, to act on the feeling of betrayal he felt. There was no reason for him to be fired over breaking a simple rule that he could have solved on a click of a finger. He even avoided his regular bar in a week in hopes that avoiding Jamie would allow his anger to subside but every time he even took a sip of any drink, the first thing he exclaimed were curse words, wishing the worst upon Jamie. Even after a week, he felt as furious as he did the moment Jamie grabbed him and shoved him outside the home.

The only way he could possibly release this built up anger was by acting it and even though he had debated countless about this in his mind, it was the only way he thought to make Jamie squirm and regret what he had done. That was why through the shadows along the streets, Joe's silhouette bolted towards the building, dodging the light from the light posts with a carton of eggs squeezed under his arm. He wanted to use one of Jamie's weaknesses to his advantage and the first thing that crossed his mind was Jamie's cleanliness. Thus, a carton of eggs would not only be easy to launch but was not too costly while still being able to destroy Jamie's windows and door.

Joe glanced side to side, crossing the street and lunging onto the sidewalk. He eyed the side of the building, finding Jamie's window before calculating an angle based on his throwing strength. He was never an athlete therefore he was not that strong, and Jamie's window was the four window up. However with a little bit of oomph, anything was possible.

Joe prepared himself, grabbing one of the eggs and loosening his shoulders, wiggling his arm to his side before pulling it back over his head. He still contemplated if he should really do this, if it was considered a little immature to be throwing eggs at someone's property. But the moment he remembered the way Jamie had stomped around the apartment with his furrowed brows, his face tightened and he launched the egg.

He observed the trajectory of the egg, at first smiling as he watched it head towards the window, but his face wrinkled when he saw the egg lose its speed and curve down to the second window before collapsing onto it. He inhaled a sharp breath, glancing down the street to see if anyone had seen him. His first instinct was to dash back across the street, hiding behind a tree's shadow and peaking towards the window a few times to see if anyone looked.

He waited for half an hour and nobody glanced outside, which helped ease his panic slightly. However, the rage was still there, and he needed to get revenge on Jamie—that was what brought his back across the street, staring at the third window and preparing his next aim. Jamie deserved to clean that yolk from his window from how rude he had been. Joe exhaled a calming breath, furrowing his brows as he nodded his head, motivating himself that he could do it.

"You got this," he breathed quietly. "You got this."

After a few minutes, he finally released the egg, his arm swinging as fast as it could with as much strength. At first, he thought he had missed, but when it collapsed directly on the third window, he beamed. He couldn't stop himself from throwing another egg, then another one, hitting the second window again but ignoring it as he slammed another one against Jamie's window.

He had four left of his carton of eggs and stopped. This had been thrilling, knowing that Jamie would freak when he saw it, but it wouldn't do any good if he couldn't see his reaction. He had planned for him to run downstairs to catch him but he saw no movement from the window indicating that he would even be coming down. That was how Joe convinced himself to storm inside the apartment, rush up the stairs to the fourth floor and stand near Jamie's door.

Before he knew it, he threw the first egg at the door and the adrenaline that burst through his blood made him feel as if he was floating, giggling as he armed himself with another egg.

When he threw the second egg, that was when he heard, "What the hell?"

His feet stayed planted on the floor, Joe forcing his mind to fight the flight instinct and stay put, even though he could feel a sweat bead crawl along the side of his face. Jamie was taller than him and much toner, but regardless he shouldn't be scared. Even though this was considered vandalism and Jamie did have the right to use any force necessary....but so did he!

Joe narrowed his eyes, hearing the footsteps approach the door and when he heard the knob twist, he lifted his arm. The moment Jamie stepped outside of the apartment. Joe threw an egg at him, Jamie lifting his palm in time to stop it from hitting his face. Before he could say anything else, he felt Joe's last egg crack on his shoulder, the yolk starting to drip along his white shirt.

When Joe realized he no longer had any eggs, he cursed under his breath and threw the carton at Jamie, a bit embarrassed when it landed a few feet away from him, nowhere near Jamie. But he had something else waiting for Jamie, the grand finale, knowing that this would set him off.

"And this is for being an asshole!"

When Jamie finally moved his hand, his eyes widened when he saw the water balloon headed towards his face. Even with his speedy reflexes, he was unable to stop it from slamming into his nose, bursting the minute it did and splattering the water all over him.

"Here you go, you idiot!"

The scene was golden; Jamie standing there with his eyes lowered, not only having yolk on his hand and shirt but dripping wet. He wished he had a device to take a photograph of this humiliating moment, unable to stop himself from cackling as he pointed a finger towards Jamie and screamed, "Who owns who now, huh?"

The problem was that Joe hadn't thought of an escape plan. He assumed he would be outside but now he was instead the building, therefore his predications had shifted. Now it was either the elevator or the stairs, but he had knew for a fact he could not outrun Jamie. Even worse, the moment he met Jamie's gaze, Joe sensed doomsday.

He was a few feet ahead, bursting into a sprint towards the staircase, suddenly wishing he had never done this as he heard the footsteps following behind him. The fear had settled in his blood, thinking of all the ways Jamie would devour him as he attempted to speed up, the distance closing towards the door. However, right when his fingers were going to grip the knob, he felt a sudden tug from his hood, the collar of his sweater squeezing on his neck and propelling him backwards.

He fell onto the floor hard and landed on his butt, wincing when he felt a sharp pain. He patted the back of his pants, groaning under his breath but his attention was diverted when he heard a growl, a sudden shadow hovering above him.

"You think this is funny?"

Joe watched Jamie's fingers violently reach his collar before pulling him to his feet, slamming him against the wall. Jamie was panting as he squeezed his grip around Joe's chest, the death glare causing Joe's skin to immerse with goosebumps. Without even realizing, his breath fell stuck in his throat as Jamie leaned closer to him.

"You think I wanted to fire you?"

When Jamie said that, Joe's resistance suddenly softened, noticing something in his gaze that he hadn't before. Although they were enveloped with fury, there was hurt in his eyes. Even his fingers trembled as if he was resisting the urge to cry and Jamie glanced elsewhere for a second, shaking his head.

"You really had to embarrass me like this?" He hissed, releasing his grip from Joe as he motioned towards himself. Then, he lifted his finger and pointed towards his door. "Get inside." He instantly began stomping towards the door, but when he realized Joe wasn't following him, he spat, "Now."