The Journey Towards Yourself

Chapter 8

"You know I could give you a ride." Jackson offers me. I shake my head. I did not want to spend any more time with him than I was supposed to.

"Thank you but I'll pass on that offer." A smile tugged at his lips. He knew that I wasn't fond of him, but pushed his luck with me even farther.

"Come on babe. A little ride wouldn't hurt, and I know you are just killing to get some time alone with me." I wanted to pull that smirk right off his face and stomp on it, but that wasn't possible so I just stuck my nose in the air and turned around. I can just wait in the lobby with Carlene.

When I pushed open the double doors to the wide-open room, Carlene waves me over. She scoots over on her bench to make room for my bag and I. Coming through the door is Jackson. Sadly, he sees Carlene and I and makes his way across the lobby.

"Hello ladies. I overheard your car wouldn't be here for another 25 minutes," he turns to Carlene and gives her that award winning smirk, "please let me offer you a ride."

It is like boys around the city here have a special hypnotizing power with their smiles. First Derrick and now Jackson. Thinking about Derrick gave me tiny little butterflies in my stomach. I wish I had that individual therapy session this morning so I could've seen him again.

Carlene was under his spell and took the hand he handed to her.

"For the second time, we are fine." I tell him. He looks me in the eye.

"Maybe you are, but Ms. Donning's here looks like she wants a ride. So you can either accompany us or not." Carlene shrugs her shoulders and proceeds with Jackson.

Hesitantly I follow, not because I want to, but because I don't want to wait here by myself.

As Jackson goes out the front doors I catch up with Carlene. "Aren't we going to get in trouble for doing this?" I ask curiously. She laughs at me, "Of course not, trust me. The nurses think we have to many problems as is, we never get in trouble."

Well that explains a lot about the cafeteria. There are probably two to three fights in the cafeteria every meal. You would be lying if you said you didn't enjoy watching fights be picked and punches thrown, as long as your not the one getting hit, but yet no one ever gets punished for these fights.

Jackson pulls up to the front of the building in a beautiful jet-black Lamborghini. Carlene and I turn to face each other in awe. Jackson jumps out and comes to the other side to open the door for us.

"Shot gun!" Carlene remarks. Jackson opens the door for her and I. Inside his car was quite amazing. There were red leather stripes running up and down the interior and silver accents here and there. It all came together to make a sweet ride.

"So how did you get such a nice convertible? It's pretty sick." Carlene flirts. Jackson turns to face me in the back giving me an "I told you I'm irresistible" look.

"I have my ways." He retorts to her as equally and maybe a little more flirtatious than she was to him. Carlene smiles at him. Poor girl doesn't know how big of jerk he is to me.

This time I chip in. "What I want to know, is how you get to drive and we don't." He snorts and it wasn't an attractive snort. It was like a pig with the flu.

"Ah Gwen. You see my dad doesn't give a care in the world."

"You're dad doesn't have anything to do with you driving while in rehab. It's the institutions rules."

"Not if your father set the rules."

Wait. His father is Jonathan Burden. The owner of Oak Avenue Rehab Center. I just can't put two and two together, can I? I should of known of course. Jackson's last name is Burden that should have been a dead giveaway of who his father is.