Devil's Pawn (Completed)

2.

"Um..."

He finally turned to me with his mouth agape like he had planned on talking but he didn't let the words come out, if they got lost on their way. He let his cigarette drop and he just stared at me. I didn't feel small under his gaze, just studied.  He twisted the top on his flask; I was kind of scared of the idea of being around him drunk, but I didn't speak against him. Instead I dropped my gaze. I tried to settle on the landscape surrounding us until he decided to speak. What did I expect to say to him once I followed him? What did she expect me to say to him? How could I change his mind? He's River Dallas. He's the known bad attitude of the school and the only child of the two people I know for a fact have more money than god. He was heir to their fortune and company when they decided to retire or kill over and for some reason he was so bitter and mean about it.

"She pay you?" he asked suddenly making me jump.

"N-no." I said meaning to be harsh. "I don't need your money." I added quietly.

"Yeah Joe Mitchell. Rich as shit." I was shocked he actually knew my name.

"I guess." I mumbled. "It's my parents' money, not mine." He pulled out another cigarette and lit it to my disgust.

"You don't talk a lot." he observed. I looked up at him and shrugged. "You're not as bad as they make you seem."

I chose to ignore his comment because what does that really mean? "Not as bad" I couldn't help but think of it as an insult.

"I like you." he said standing up. He walked towards me and I instinctively stepped away slowly. my breath hitched in my throat, and I watched him like he was a animal in the wild and I was a fresh piece of flesh. This is the only time he ever scared me, truly scared me. His eyebrows furrowed making him look boyish unlike the River I thought of in school. He moved slowly as if he was asking for permission and took my hand with the car keys in his.

"I only wanted the keys Joe." he spoke softly like he was talking to a fragile child.

I flinched and dropped them into his hand as I nodded. "Sorry." It was the second time he's called me Joe. I was glad he wasn't calling me a freak but Joe didn't sound right of his tongue.

"Jolie." I corrected softly.

He looked down to my face. "What was that Joe?" he had a small smile playing on his face that made me confused.

"I said my name is Jolie." I repeated.

"I see your lips moving but I just cant hear you Joe." he was teasing me. I felt myself smiling a bit away at the urge. We were not friends. He would not even be talking to me unless his mom sent me out here.

I rolled my eyes and spoke, "My name is Jolie."

"What?" he asked louder.

"Jolie!" I exclaimed breathless. "Call me Jolie."

"Okay Joey." he was smiling at me. His smile was cute. I decided I liked him better when he was smiling because it seemed every time he smiled, there was an invisible string, tugging at the corner of my lip.

"No Jolie. As in Angelina Jolie." I clarified it again for him.

"As in Joey from Full House? Okay." I wanted to stop my foot at his incessant annoyance. 

I growled in frustration,. He looked at me with wide eyes and once I realized what I was doing I covered it up with a cough and regained my composure.

"Let's go." he said grabbing my hand and pulling me down the cobblestone steps.

"Where are we going?" I asked looking at him like he gained two heads. He opened my door and signaled for me to go in and I did. But, and for the record I completely stand on, I only left with him because I told his mom I'd play babysitter.