moonlight.

12

☾

CHAPTER TWELVE

HAVEN SAT AT the picnic table near the cliff side, waiting for derek to show. she had been waiting for nearly half an hour and was beginning to grow impatient. she assumed he was running late and was on his way.

she waited another half an hour for him, her patience running low. to say she was upset was a clear understatement. she thought it maybe had something to do with last night.

she let out a sigh before standing up and leaving the area. she felt a mixture of hurt and humiliation but quickly buried it, trying to ignore it. a sigh slipped past her lips as she shoved her hands into the pockets of her jacket.

her head hung low as she walked, her mind in a million of places. but she was yanked out of her thoughts when she bumped into someone and her heart accelerated with fear and her defense instinct kicked in.

she relaxed when she looked into the blue eyes that belonged to jackson. he flashed her a small smile, looking down at her.

her eyes studied the way he looked. his forehead had a line of sweat and his eyes appeared to look exhausted. he was dressed in a pair of basketball shorts and a plain black t–shirt, looking like he was on a run.

"are you okay?" he asked, seeing the vacancy in her eyes. she appeared to look lost. but not in her surroundings though.

she slowly nodded. "yeah. just clearing my head."

"well i'm about to walk the rest of the rail if you would like to join me?" he asked her unsurely, a hopeful look in his eyes as he stared down at her.

"uh are you sure? i mean, if you really want me t–"

"i don't mind. i could really use the company." he cut her off mid sentence, giving her a warm smile. something he never gives to anyone. not even lydia, his own girlfriend.

the first few moments of walking together were a comfortable silence. haven kept her eyes glued to the ground, trying to keep derek out of her mind. but it was incredibly hard. all she could see was him.

"how are you liking beacon hills so far?" he broke the silence, glancing down at her.

she shrugged. "it's alright. better than other places i used to be in."

"what do you mean other places?" he asked, turning to look at her.

she froze, quickly looking for an excuse but her mind couldn't think of one. her mind was too preoccupied with derek. and it annoyed her greatly.

she sighed, shaking her head. "i'm a foster kid. been moving around a lot."

jackson looked at her, being the first person to know how it feels like to be moved around. seeing as he used to be a foster kid too. he gave her a slight frown, breaking his look on her.

"i used to be a foster kid too. i know how it feels." he said quietly.

she gave him a surprised look. "you were?"

he chuckled at her shocked expression. "yeah. i try not to think about it too much."

"i wish i can try and not think about it. but i've always been the new girl or foster girl. i mean, i try and keep it all to myself but somehow it manages to get out." she explained, crossing her arms over her chest as the wind seemed to pick up slightly. "just makes me angry to know that my story is being a foster kid and i get judged for it."

"you know, it's okay to be scared and angry. but don't let it define who you are." his words hit something within her and she looked at him. "you're more than what you seem to be."

"for a cocky jock, you sure know what to say." she chuckled, smiling as she looked away.

"you think i'm cocky?" he raised his eyebrows, feeling slightly amused.

"that's the vibe i got from you when i first met you and watched you play at practice." she truthfully told him.

"well i am the best player considering i am captain." he told her and she laughed, tucking her hair behind her ear.

"scott is getting to be quite the player himself. is that why you flipped out on him yesterday at school?" she asked him.

he glanced at her, clenching his jaw slightly. "it sucks, you know? being amazing at something that helps you and someone comes along out of nowhere and everyone starts paying attention to them. praising them more than you."

haven stared at him sympathetically as they came to a halt in their footsteps. "just because someone is good at something doesn't mean they're better. or that you're terrible. you can't let it bother you because it will make you a terrible player."

"for an intimidating foster kid, you sure know what to say." he mocked her playfully and she chuckled, shoving him back slightly and rolling her eyes.

"you jerk!"

he laughed, staring at her and for the first time in years, he felt free and genuinely happy. she stared at him for a few moments before clearing her throat and turning away.

he licked his lips as he shook his head, shoving his hands in his pockets. "so you coming to the game tonight?"

"i–i don't know. i wasn't planning on it. i would rather stay at home and not worry about anything. hanging around high schoolers? not my thing." she told him.

"c'mon! please? it's the first game of the season and i would really love for you to come. for me?" he asked, giving her a puppy dog look and she huffed, not hiding the smile on her face.

"i'll think about it." she gave in slightly but she really didn't want to go. she was planning on searching for derek so she could fight him for standing her up today.

"will i guess i'll warn you now–lydia and allison are gonna convince you to come to the game tonight. and knowing lydia, she does not take no for an answer." he explained to her, a sly smirk curling onto his defined features.

"guess she'll have to take no for an answer then and deal with it." she shrugged, giving him a friendly smile before walking away.

jackson stood there for a moment, a huge smile on his face before he shook his head and walked away.