Chasing The Monster

Chapter 8

I looked behind me at Landon who was looking at me.

"What the hell is happening right now?" I mouthed and he shrugged in response.

"I'm pretty sure you heard me. Mate," Jacob added the corner of his upper lip lifting in annoyance. Ivy looked away from Jacob and at everyone else. A couple of quiet seconds passed and I prayed he wouldn't march over to Jacob and punch him.

I knew very well Jacob has no clue what he's doing when it comes to fighting. Landon kicked his ass in the car last night.

Ivy threw his head back and began laughing, but his laughter ended shortly after. His smile still lingering on his face as he took a step towards Jacob. "And who the fuck are you?" He snorted. He continued to approach Jacob and I jumped between them before I could process what I had actually done.

I put my hands on his chest and pushed him backwards.

"I'm Iris, this is Jacob, that's Landon. They're my friends. We'll be out of your hair by the time the day is over, okay? We came with Tessa and we're gonna be leaving with her too... please don't kick Jacob's ass," I said still holding my hands up from when I had pushed him.

He stared down at me and nodded slowly.

"Well Jacob, learn to hold your tongue because I don't like when people talk back to me, you're lucky your very," he paused. "Beautiful, friend here told me not to kick your ass. Because trust me I would have," he added the last part louder than the rest, while opening his arms as if he wanted a hug and plastered a smile onto his face after he spoke.

He smiles a lot for being an asshole.

"Okay yeah, we get it, Iris's hot. Even I felt uncomfortable from seeing how your perverted ass was watching her," Jacob rolled his eyes and stood straighter. Ivy took another step towards Jacob and I pushed him gently.

"Hey hey, remember what we agreed to?" I pointed between us and he clenched and unclenched his jaw.

"Guys let's take a breather," Anton suggested holding up a finger.

"Shut the hell up, Anton," Phoebe scoffed.

"Don't talk to him like that!" Grace snapped and Phoebe smiled.

"Yeah," Phoebe dragged out. "I almost forgot you've had a massive crush on him since like, year three,"

Grace opened her eyes wide and Anton kept quiet. Landon did too.

"Why are you guys fighting?!" Tessa interrupted loudly walking into the crossfire of the arguing while I backed away from everyone else.

"I'm so done with this bitch," Grace said when she stopped next to me while frustratedly brushing a braid behind her ear. I expected her to just stay with me, instead she had only come over to tell me that because a second later she walked back to Phoebe and punched her in the face.

Gasps rose from everyone including me, and Jacob smiled. Landon's eyes were about to drop out of his skull. Elias covered his mouth and ran over to break up the fight while yelling things like 'ok yeah guys' and 'can we please just calm down'.

"This is a toxic group of friends," Jacob murmured from next to me. I jumped and turned to face him.

"Jacob you couldn't have just kept quiet. If you did Anton wouldn't have jumped in to save your ass," I sighed and Jacob shrugged. "No Jacob really," I put a hand on his shoulder and he looked at me.

"These aren't our friends," I said poking him in the chest repeatedly. "So you respect them-"

"Ok ok, I get it. I'm sorry," Jacob apologized quickly and held his hands up in surrender. "Just... he didn't have to make you feel uncomfortable the way he did. He was like checking you out. And it was really weird. Is this seriously what kids our age are doing?"

I frowned and placed a hand on Jacob's shoulder. "You didn't have to, but thanks anyways." I smiled warmly and he gave me a small smile. Everyone finally stopped arguing and Grace walked to me.

"Let's get Starbucks," she suggested and Jacob and I looked at each other. Grace put both of her hands on her hips and smiled at us. I honestly never thought she was able to throw hands like the way she did.

Elias helped Phoebe up onto her feet again and she kept a hand over her cheek bone.

"Typical ratchet bitch shit right? Where the fuck did you grow up Grace, the hood?" Elias folded his arms and Phoebe held herself up on the playset.

Landon slowly walked over and pushed his hands into his pockets. "Are you alright?" He said quietly.

Grace who was smiling and looking between Jacob and I had the smile easily erased off of her face. She slowly turned around to face Phoebe when I quickly grabbed her arm and pulled her away from everyone else, Jacob and Landon following us. We stumbled from how hard I had to pull her away from everyone else and I began pushing her in front of me, Landon next to me.

"Yeah yeah yeah. Let's get Starbucks," Jacob caught up to us and furrowed his eyebrows at me.

I furrowed my eyebrows at Jacob because. What the hell is Starbucks?

"Ugh," Grace said continuing with us. She walked in the middle.

"Yeah so... what's Starbucks?" I asked quietly.

"And we don't have any money," Jacob added stepping over the short ledge onto the sidewalk. We mimicked his movements and continued along the pavement.

"You guys don't know what Starbucks is?!" Grace laughed and we all nodded.

"Well prepare to be mind blown," I liked that she didn't even ask why we don't know what Starbucks is.

We continued down the sidewalk and passed many tiny shops with a variety of things in the windows. From clothes to guitars. We passed a weird antique store, where the shop clerk had a glass eye.

As we passed the store where many old time looking TVs were put out in the window all broadcasting the same channel, Jacob tripped on his shoelaces and took a good fall onto the ground. Grace, Landon, and I stopped walking and looked back at Jacob. He sat up off of his chest and glanced up at us.

"I'm ok," He threw a thumbs up at us and we nodded in sync. He began tying his shoelaces and I turned to watch the TV. Even though I couldn't hear it I could read the news channel's subtitles.

The lady on the TV wore a violet blouse and had her hair tied back in a tight bun. She wore long diamond earrings and lipstick that matched her shirt. The woman used her wrinkled almond coloured hands to straighten out the stack of paper in front of her as she spoke.

"One of Arlen's police's biggest embarassement was arresting Jason Thomson for the embezzlement of $380,000 ten years ago. The true thief was Holmer Thomson, his twin brother. Police made an error and arrested the brother thinking he was Holmer.

They mixed Jason's actual life with Holmer's and allowed newspapers all across Arlen to publish that Holmer was married and had children, when in reality it was his brother's life. Police had only gone and took Jason into custody from what bank surveillance cameras said,

After serving seven out of the thirty year sentence Jason Thomson, the innocent man and a recent widower has been set free from jail just last evening,"