Chapter 16 SUSPICIOUS
“Nice throw, Rosie.”
I’d recognize that voice anywhere.
Axel brushed past us and gave me a wink. His wink felt like a bullet to my chest, it made my blood rush to my cheeks and boy, I felt like dying. A good feeling of course… I didn’t even know what I was rambling about in my head, I was too distracted by the fact that Axel- my love- had just winked at me.
His arm touched mine. I almost died.
“See you tomorrow, nerd!” He called out as he exited the building.
He didn’t say ‘nerd’ like the others though, it sounded almost like a compliment, and he also smiled when he said it, so it must’ve meant something!
“I’m guessing the book didn’t hit him,” Jaxon said, but I was too busy staring at the door Axel had left through.
I just nodded, still dreaming about Axel.
Jaxon cleared his throat, “What did he mean by ‘see you tomorrow’?” He was clearly bitter about it.
I bit my lip, but finally decided to tell him, “I got another DR…”
His mouth fell to the floor.
“Just kidding,” I laughed.
He patted his chest, pretending to have recovered from shock, “got me scared for a moment!”
“I actually got two more DR’s.”
This time, he was truly in shock.
“Yep,” I said, popping the ‘p’.
“How are you not freaking out about this?!” His voice was as high as Mariah Carey’s.
The true reason I was so comfortable was because it was just another excuse to be in the same room as Axel, and to possibly talk to him again too. I just shrugged in reply.
“THE NERD GOT IN TROUBLE!” Layla’s voice rang through the hall.
I closed my eyes and took in a deep breath. I didn’t feel like dealing with her, especially today. Today was not my day. I was ticked off enough.
Layla stood there with her arms folded across her chest in her cheerleader uniform. Her sidekicks were right behind her, ready to back her up. It was such a stereotypical scene. Her dark chocolate brown eyes were cold, with a hint of something else I couldn’t pin point. She smiled cruelly at me, before her eyes moved to Jaxon who was next to me.
Something stirred within her.
One of the twins appeared behind us. The gentle look on his face made me recognize it was Dustin. He looked between Jaxon and Layla.
“Rosaline, let me take you home,” he grabbed my wrist and tugged me along with him. His tone told me not to refuse. He was the perfect excuse to get out of there.
“I need to talk to you,” I heard Jaxon say to Layla coldly, “privately.”
“Dustin, what’s going on?” I asked in him a hushed tone.
He pursed his lips, “not my story to tell.”
Once we reached the exit, I tried pulling my wrist away, “my house is really close, I can walk.”
“Do you walk when you’re with Jaxon?”
I nodded, “we always walk home together.”
He nodded, “well I guess I’ll see you tomorrow then.” He gave me a smile and a small wave before walking in the opposite direction as me.
I suddenly realized Cleo was waiting for me at home.
Since she was so involved in my school life, she had probably already found out about the other two DR’s I had received. I was already grounded anyway, which made matters worse.
“WAIT!” I tried sprinting towards Dustin, but ended up tripping on my shoelaces and falling. I got up quickly and sprang towards him, “WAIT! DUSTIN!”
He stopped before he got into his car, “what’s up?”
“I don’t want to go home, can you take me with you?” I pleaded.
He didn’t ask any further questions, “hop in!”
~*~
--- Jaxon’s P.O.V.---
I ushered Layla into an empty classroom and locked the door. She turned to me, glaring at me with her chocolate brown eyes. She placed both her hands on my chest and pushed me into the desks.
I stumbled a bit, but didn’t feel any pain. I stalked towards her until her back hit the wall. She was so… fragile. Yet, when she was angry she scared the daylights out of my poor soul. How could such a beautiful woman torment another innocent being?
“You always defend her!” Her jaw was clenched, she wanted to rip my heart out, “you don’t know what pain she’s caused me!”
“I don’t know what pain she’s caused you, because she’s never caused you any pain.” You had to be tough to get your way with her, or to get something into her thick skull. The girl was feisty.
“Is that so?” She turned cold once again, “you have no idea what she’s done to me.”
“She couldn’t hurt a fly, even if she wanted to.”
“You pretend you know her best,” she pushed me away from her.
I knew my best friend inside and out, like the back of my hand. She was an ocean, and I believed I had explored all her depths.
“I don’t get you. You’re supposed to be on my side.”
“Not if you’re being immature like this,” I leaned against one of the tables.
She took slow steps towards me. With every step she took forward, I took one back. Her sharp features still looked stunning in the dark. From her high cheekbones, her prominent nose, to her red lips.
When my back hit the wall, I spun us around, so she was against the wall instead. She gripped my hair on the back of my head and pulled my face down so we were eye to eye. Her cherry scent was suffocating, yet satisfying.
“I’m only this way because of what she’s done to me, Jax.”
I did not have a single clue to what she was going on about. Last time I checked, Rosie had n ever done anything to Layla. I knew Rosie my entire life, and she had always been the sweetest soul ever.
With our bodies pressed up against each other, I felt the strong urge to press my lips against hers, but I held my pride. I hid it through my superb acting skills. Her gaze moved from my eyes, down to my lips. She stared at them for a few moments, before looking into my eyes again.
I could’ve sworn her brown eyes were a shade darker than they were before. She crushed her lips against mine. They weren’t as soft as they looked, but it was still damn satisfying to be kissing a girl desired by many.
She moaned against my mouth as I bit her lower lip.
It was clear she had lots of experience.
“I’ve wanted you so bad Jaxon. I’ve wanted you since the dance,” she breathed.
“I’ve been dying to feel you since sixth grade.”
~*~
--- Rosie’s P.O.V---
“Seriously?”
I nodded in reply.
We were parked in front of Kasay’s house, which by the way was the ugliest house I had ever seen. It was a two story pink house with a green roof. The lawn looked like a never-ending yard sale, from pink flamingoes, to Jesus statues scattered across the yard with piles of dog shit here and there.
Her mom was a severe Catholic, and her main hobby was damning anyone she didn’t like to hell. She carried around holy water in a little flask, and often used it as a weapon. She tried bargaining with a clerk from Walmart, and ended up in court for attacking the poor lady. Her mom also enjoyed balancing the bible translated in different languages on her head… she was a peculiar one.
Within the house was a scene from a horror movie. The floorboards creaked, candles lined the walls, and the furniture was from the 1940’s- not to mention, bug infested. The mother at least allowed Kasay to express herself by decorating her bedroom…
Kasay’s room was completely black. From the walls to the carpet, from the ceiling to the furniture. Hell, she even spray painted her toilet seat black.... unless she was lying and it was just really old stool.
“Are you sure she’ll like me? I mean- I’m a strange guy randomly talking to her- what if she thinks I’m a weirdo?!”
“She has no right to call you a weirdo, especially with the way she acts.”
“But what if-”
“Cut it out and grow a pair! Just come!” I got out of the car. My annoying ankle was still bandaged, though it no longer hurt, even when I fell. I walked up confidently to the front door and knocked on it.
Dustin stayed in the car, still too afraid to come out. He truly wanted to impress her.
The door swung open, revealing Kasay’s mother. She was a middle aged woman dressed in a nun robe… as in- a bath robe with the word ‘nun’ written on it…
“Hi!” I chirped cheerfully. It was best to get on her good side.
“What do you want?” She asked crankily.
“I’m here to see Kasay-”
“Request denied,” she slammed the door in my face.
I knocked on the door again, “Hi ma’am, I’m here take Kasay to bible study class.” I was getting good at lying.
“She’s being punished right now, come another day.” Once again, she slammed the door in my face.
I knocked once again, this time she was holding a bible in her hand, “listen here, Kasay has her own private bible study classes in here,” she jabbed a finger on her bible. When she looked back up, she observed my face. She recognized me, “YOU!” She gasped. “YOU GOT KASAY EXPELLED!”
“WHAT?! NO!”
“SATAN!” she started shrieking, “SATAN’S CHILD!” She hissed like a cat.
With that, she slammed the door in my face, and I heard a series of locks behind the door. What the hell just happened? I stared at the door, still registering what just happened. A bathroom sink was thrown out of the second floor shattered window, and landed close to me. Luckily, I jumped out of the way in time. The sink broke and landed on a statue of the virgin Mary.
Kasay’s crazy mother started screaming from the second floor, “YOU DEVIL WORSHIPPER! YOU TRIED KILLING MARY!”
I scurried away quickly before she was able to kill me, I whispered a quick, “I’m so sorry,” to the broken statue of Mary as respect.
“Did I just really witness that?” Dustin was visibly shaken by the drama he had witnessed.
“She’s kinda’ insane.”
“So… Kasay’s stuck in there?”
I nodded, and thought about what she said. Did I really get her expelled? If I hadn’t been friends with her, Layla probably never would’ve noticed her, and she wouldn’t have gotten in so much trouble to the point she got expelled.
“Did I really cause it?” I whispered to myself more than anything.
“Cause what?” Dustin asked, visibly worried.
“Her to get expelled-”
I didn’t even get to finish my sentence, he interrupted me first, “NO! Of course not!”
I covered my face with my hands and let a few tears fall, “ she said it was…” Maybe Ricky was right… I should’ve just saved everyone the trouble and slit my wrists.
He reached over to my face and tucked a strand piece of hair behind my ear gently, “it wasn’t your fault, Rosie…”
“How do you know?”
“I just do.”
~*~
“Rosaline Arlene Winnefred,” my stepmother greeted coldly the moment I stepped into the house. She was waiting for me.
“Where were you? The school’s security cameras said you left at approximately 3:48 PM sharp-”
I couldn’t take it. I truly couldn’t take it anymore. I couldn’t take being pushed around by her. “YOU’RE NOT MY MOM, GET OUT OF MY LIFE!” She tried grabbing my wrist with her sharp nails, but I pulled it away, not caring if her nails dug into my skin or not. I didn’t realize I had started crying until the tears blurred my vision. “STOP PRETENDING YOU CARE, BECAUSE YOU DON’T!”I screamed, running upstairs.
Once I got inside, I locked the door behind me. I ran to the shower, stripped all my clothes off and turned on the scalding hot water. What the hell was wrong with me? I groaned and banged my head against the wall tiles in my bathroom.
I calmed myself to the thought that if Axel could get through the hurdles his stepfather threw at him… then I could too.
~*~
I went extreme extents to avoid facing my stepmother. I got out of bed at 4:30AM, and got ready by 5. Before leaving, I grabbed a couple of pop tarts from the kitchen. I had missed dinner the night before, so I was starving. I managed to get a hold of her purse which was filled with cash, so I snatched a few hundred dollars from it.
I didn’t count it as stealing; it belonged to my father anyway. If I didn’t spend it, she’d spend it on her ridiculously expensive brand named purses and manicure.
Luckily, Jaxon’s parents were out of town, so I managed to sneak in. To my surprise, he was already awake.
“From my guess young lady, you are here because you are avoiding Cleo,” he faked a British accent. I stuck two pop tarts in his toaster.
“You are right, sir. What are you doing up so early?”
“Gotta’ wake up early to practice my acting.”
Jaxon was dressed in a pair of dark jeans and a bright orange t-shirt. His hair was of course, styled with gel… I sniffed the air and gave him a funny look. “Why do you smell like…” I couldn’t pin point the smell.
He sniffed himself, “like what?”
“A bit like… fruit punch?”
“Oh, it’s my new fruit punch cologne!” He said, overly enthusiastic.
I gasped jokingly, “you didn’t tell me you were gay!”
“I’m not!”
“Who’s the girl? Or guy for that matter?” I winked.
He started blushing. HO HO HO!
“Start spilling young man!” I put my hot pop tarts into a plate.
His cheerful expression turned into a pained one.
“Uh, Jaxon?” I called out, but he didn’t even look up at me, “what’s wrong?”
He hadn’t acted this way since he was a kid, right before he admitted to his mom that he used her toothbrush to scrub a stray dog’s mouth.
“It’s nothing, really.”
I decided not to push him any further. I knew the best thing to do at the moment was to shut up. He did something he wasn’t proud of, and I didn’t want to stress him further.
I had my own shit to figure out.