Fine Line

chapter three

War Begins

"You really should lock your window, Chloe," Jaden muttered from my window as he lifted it up, kicking one leg over the ledge from the tree and pushing the rest of himself into my room.

"What the fuck are you doing here? Again?"

"Woah, woah, woah. That's pretty intense language for a lady."

"Oh, I haven't even started yet," I scoffed. "What do you want?"

"Relax. I came to pick up the jacket that you held on to so generously for me. Now, if you don't mind, I'll take that back and go. Sound good? Good."

He was drunk again. Or, at least his voice slurred as though he was drunk again. Where did he even find the alcohol to drink? Surely his father would notice his drinks missing. And no store would sell him it considering he was sixteen. Unless he had some fake ID, which wouldn't be surprising.

"Good," he grinned, moving around the room to the dark red jacket that was laid across my pillow. "I hope this doesn't cause you inconvenience. I really don't want to deprive of this wonderful thing, but it's mine and I don't think you should be getting too attached."

"Don't worry about that," I replied impatiently.

He made no response to my comment and put the jacket on as soon as he picked it up, covering the tattoos that I had still yet to get a good look at. There weren't many, but there were enough for a sixteen-year-old boy to wear on his arm.

Jaden rolled the sleeves up to his elbows, revealing the tattoos on his right arm once again, and the veins that displayed themselves as he tensed his arm slightly. From where I stood, I could make out thorns and roses from his wrist up to his elbow, but I couldn't see whether they went further up or ended there.

"Didn't know you could get tattoos this young," I said, filling the silence between us as he looked around my room, making no move to leave as he promised he would.

"I know a guy," Jaden replied dismissively, telling me not to question it further. And I didn't; but I did wonder what his parents thought of them, or if they even cared at all. Surely his father would, he seemed to be very strict about their appearance. I knew nothing of his mother to make an educated guess on her opinion.

One good thing that came out of my comment, though, was that he was finally making his way back across my room towards the window. "Chloe," he said, pausing at the window with one leg resting on the tree branch and the other on my carpeted floor. I hummed in response, wishing he would leave already. "Please lock your fucking window. Anyone could get through with it open like this."

"You mean creeps like you?" I retorted, but Jaden only smirked and turned to continue down the tree to the ground. I walked over to the window quickly before I missed him, calling out: "And my name's Valerie, asshat!"

♡♡

"You're strange," I said as I took the empty seat next to Jaden in science. I heard him groan slightly under his breath as he heard my voice. "You really should cut down on the drinking."

"What do you want, fuckface?" He turned to face me, annoyance glimmering in his eyes.

It was funny. Despite myself, I hadn't been able to get Jaden's smirk out of my head after he left last night, and now I had chosen to sit beside him during one our few lessons together. The thing that made it slightly amusing, though, was that he was now the one annoyed.

Last night, and last Friday, it had been me that was annoyed with the boy next to me. He, on the other hand, was drunk and enjoying whatever moments we were spending together. But now the roles have changed. He was sober and annoyed that I was choosing to speak to him.