Chapter 9
JACE
***
It was crunch time. The others had left not too long ago after throwing around ideas of how to deal with the Mandy debacle and it was just her and I left.
My parents had gone off to one of dad’s Hollywood shindigs after I convinced them that I was okay. But now it was time to take her home. Something I was not looking forward to.
“I want to keep you baby.” I sounded like an obsessed stalker. I wrapped my arms around her tight as we laid across my bed fully clothed. She snorted into my chest before pulling her head back.
“What do you mean ‘keep me’? I’m already yours remember.” Her little face is so precious. How was it possible to love someone this much? The thought of taking her home and driving away without her made me sick to my stomach, but I knew my earlier plan to keep her here with me wouldn’t go over too well with her parents.
I’ve had more freedom in my life. We were from two different schools of thought I guess you can say. As far as I’m concerned the fact that she’s wearing my ring meant that the choice of whether we lived together now or not should be ours. But on farther thought I was pretty sure her father wouldn’t see it that way.
I find myself in a truly fucked up position. I like and respect her parents, they’ve not stood in our way in anything which is a minor miracle given the fact that things between us had escalated so quickly. Because of that respect I couldn’t just trample all over their wishes and I’m pretty sure without asking that they weren’t ready for her to move out from under their care.
“I don’t like being away from you. I think I might be obsessed.” I made light of my feelings to ease the band that was starting to tighten around my chest. This had nothing to do with her attack, or Mandy’s bullshit. This had to do with me not knowing how to handle her being out of my sight.
“Silly, it’s only while we sleep you’ll see me at school tomorrow, it won’t be that bad.” That’s what she thinks. I laid deep in thought for the next five minutes before coming to grips with reality.
“Fine, do you wanna go get something to eat or you want me to make something here before I take you home?” I looked down at her again. I’m always looking at her, horny toad.
She stretched her arms above her head and rolled over, her shirt pulling up to reveal her flat stomach. My dick took notice and I rearranged him in my jeans. Not that I wasn’t gonna jump her again before I took her home but I could at least feed her ass first.
“I’m not hungry, I’m full.” I dragged her up from the bed.
“Sian I watched you downstairs, you had a slice of apple and a carrot stick. You’re eating.”
“But I told you, I don’t want to eat too much now since I can’t really exercise.”
“And I told you that shit is dead. I read your medication labels, all that shit said take with a meal let’s go.”
“Do you always have to be such a bossy jerk?”
“Sucks to be you, hop on.” She grinned when I leaned over for her to climb onto my back.
I carted her downstairs like that and sat her short ass on the counter. She trapped me between her thighs when I moved to walk away, her arms coming around my neck, her head leaning against mine.
“What is it baby?” I like when she gets like this, all clingy and shit.
“Oh nothing I just wanna hold you for a minute.” I relaxed back into her and let her do her thing.
“Jace?”
“Yeah sweetheart.”
“Doesn’t it scare you?”
“Doesn’t what scare me?” I turned around so I could see her. I didn’t like the tone in her voice, like she had something heavy on her mind.
“Us, this, the way everything seemed to happen so fast. What if we don’t last?” I put my finger across her lips to stop her.
“That’s not gonna happen babe.”
“How can you be so sure?” I pulled her down and into my arms, holding her as close as humanly possible. “I know because I’ve had relationships before, and though they may all seem real at the time, not once have I ever seen my future as clearly as I do with you. Not once have I ever looked at someone and knew that they would be next to me for the rest of my life. My heart never tore a little at the thought of not having them there with me all the time. You’re the first, the only one to ever do that to me, and I’m smart enough to know what that shit means.”
She sniffed into my chest. “If you start that crying shit I’ma beat your ass.” I hate her fucking tears like poison. She grinned and my little threat seemed to stem the flow for now. I tapped her ass and sat her on a stool before going back to fixing her dinner.
***
CARISSA
***
She’s at it again. I heard the rumors around school the next day. How she’d tried to frame Jace and Sian. Why won’t she stop? Why couldn’t the adults see through her lies and schemes? I hate this feeling of impending doom, like there was a dark cloud hanging over everyone’s head and she was the one pulling the strings. I wish she’d died. Then everyone wouldn’t be so tense.
I’m a nervous wreck waiting for the other shoe to drop. I can’t eat, can’t sleep and I think my hair’s starting to fall out. I want to be angry, in fact I am. But I have to keep my anger well hidden because no one knows that I know. Mom has been so happy lately, like her old self again. But what will happen once Mandy gets out of the hospital? Will she leave my family alone? Somehow I don’t think so.