by Bella King
I rushed in the opposite direction toward my first class, intending on being frightfully early just to avoid Jacob. He was hot on my trail, but I confused him by doubling back. In the sea of students, I clung to wall, slipping past Jacob unnoticed.
I made it to my classroom, slinking inside and letting out the breath I had been holding in. What a way to start the morning. School shouldn’t be this stressful.
I sunk down into my chair and waited for the teacher to arrive. The few students that were already in the class were already opening their binders and putting the date on a fresh piece of notepaper. Only the top students arrived this early. These were people that wanted nothing to do with drama or fun, simply set on surviving and graduating so that they could move on with their lives.
I had a similar mindset as them, but I didn’t completely fit in with this crowd. I was a bit too sociable for that, choosing to make a few friends here and there to keep me sane. I couldn’t shut myself from society just because I wanted to have a future outside of Lakeshaw.
I stared at the blank white wall until the teacher walked in and began class. Everything after that was a blur of monotone words and chalkboard squeaks.
Chapter 5
You can’t outrun fate.
“You didn’t stop when I called you out,” Jacob said from beside me when I exited the classroom.
I nearly jumped out of my skin. I let out a gasp. “Jesus, you scared me,” I said, holding my heart.
Jacob smirked. “You’re adorable,” he said, an edge of sarcasm infiltrating his voice. “But why didn’t you stop?”
“I didn’t hear you,” I lied.
Jacob wrinkled his nose at me. “I doubt that. You’d have to be deaf, and clearly, you’re not. Why didn’t you stop when I called you?”
“I had class,” I answered simply, hooking my thumbs under the straps of my bookbag nervously.
Jacob glared at me, his sharp eyes studying my face and body. He took me in and sized me up while I did the same to him. He was challenging me with his glare, and I didn’t intend on faltering beneath it. I was a strong woman.
Jacob was over six feet tall, with thick wavy brown hair that flopped over in front of his eyes. His jaw looked like someone had filed it into a perfect angle, sharp and dramatic, accentuating his sunken cheeks. He wore a light stubble on his chin, but only one day’s worth of it.
I wondered why it was men that always had perfect eyebrows. I doubted that Jacob did anything to his, but there wasn’t a damn hair out of place. They seemed to have a life of their own, moving around dramatically on his forehead as he spoke.
“What’s your name?” Jacob asked, tilting his head to the side and flashed me a perfect white smile. He was cocky and overconfident in his actions. I could see that he knew he was in a position of power.
“Elise,” I replied coldly, making no attempt to shake his hand or greet him in any way.
“You should already know who I am,” Jacob said with confidence. “But in case you don’t, my name is Jacob.”
“I know who you are,” I said dryly.
He nodded. “Good. I think we’re going to get to know each other well. In fact, I think you can do me a favor today. Just something small,” he said, making his eyes slits and darting them left and right as though he was about to tell me a secret.
“I don’t know about that,” I said. “I need to get to class.”
“Hold up,” Jacob said loudly, slamming his hand against the wall in front of me to keep me from walking away. “I haven’t told you what I want from you, goth girl.”
“Elise,” I reminded him.
Jacob chuckled. “You’re a defiant one, but you’re going to learn your place here at Lakeshaw. I’m giving you a break because you’re new.”
“I don’t need a break,” I spat back, pushing at his arm. It wouldn’t budge. He was a strongly built man, probably well over 200 pounds, and any effort I made to defy him physically would be an overwhelming loss.
Jacob smirked at my attempt to push past him. “You’re really a firecracker, Elise. Let me tell you what I want from you. I need you,” he said, jabbing a finger into my chest, “to get me a pack of cigarettes. We have a little fund here that everyone contributes to.”
I rolled my eyes. “I don’t have money for cigs.”
Jacob pouted at me. “Aww,” he said mockingly. “Well, I guess you’re just going to have to find a way to make some money. I can think of a few ways,” he said, placing a finger on my jaw and dragging it to my chin.
I slapped his hand away and ducked beneath him, bolting away from his as fast as my feet could carry me. He didn’t follow me. Instead, he turned and watched me run. I could hear his cocky chuckle as I ran, like I was a mouse that he could easily catch if he so fancied.
Jacob scared me, but I was going to do my best to defy him. I wasn’t going to look for a way to make money just to contribute to his collection of cigarettes. I never saw him smoking them, but he definitely sold them with a huge markup around the school.
I hurried from class to class for the rest of the day, paranoid that Jacob would be waiting for me outside the classroom every time I stepped out. I woman shouldn’t have to live in fear of a man, but that was my life now, at least until I gave him what he wanted.
The only issue I had with that was that I knew that one pack wouldn’t be enough. I felt like he was testing me to see if I would make a good minion for him, running about, collection things for him to sell. I had sticky fingers, so if I really wanted to get a hold of some cigarettes, it would be easy for me to do, but I wasn’t going to give him that pleasure. He would get nothing from me.
I spotted Jacob once more before the final bell rang, talking to some student who wasn’t wearing shoes. It seemed Jacob knew everyone around here. I didn’t know what they were doing, but I didn’t want to find out. I hurried on to my next class, careful not to be seen.
As soon as the final bell rang, I was out the two front doors of Lakeshaw Academy. It was Friday, which meant I had the entire weekend to unwind. The rules around my curfew still stood on the weekend, but I could still have fun for most of the day. I planned to go to the forest and meditating by the river for a while to clear my head.
When I got outside, I made it a point to go straight into the forest without going home first. I needed to start my weekend early after the stress that I had been through and unpack the situation that had been handed to me.
I was shaken after what had happened between Jacob and me. Every little movement and glance from him had sent chills down my spine and caused me to feel a flutter in my stomach. I hated guys like that, but he was different from anyone I had ever encountered. As much as I wanted to defy him with every ounce in my body, I felt drawn to him at the same time, like a moth to a raging bonfire.
I would be ruined by a man like that. He was fucked up and violent, not to mention the ringleader to a huge operation of bullying and torment at Lakeshaw Academy. Half of the shit that went on behind the administration’s back could be solved simply by removing him.
Yet, Jacob kept his nose clean enough never to get into trouble for the things he was ultimately behind. The cigarette industry that he dominated at the school was just one of many things that he was on top of.
I looked around at the trees as they swayed in the light afternoon breeze. I felt more relaxed now that I was out in nature. I liked to think of myself as a witch with no supernatural powers. I belonged in nature, as did everyone. I think people don’t get enough of it.
I took in my surrounding as I trudged deeper into the woods. There was no trail to follow, but I knew my way to my favorite spot. It was so overrun with bushes and bramble that I doubted anyone would want to persevere through it just to get to the river. That was why I did.
I liked to be alone after school. Sometimes coming how to a houseful of women was overwhelming. I needed a bit of peace this Friday afternoon.
When I got to the river, I sat down on a smooth rock bes
ide the water and closed my eyes, letting the sounds of the water overtake my thoughts. Jacob sunk into the water, washing away before my closed eyes. A pack of cigarettes plopped into the water, becoming soggy and sinking down with him.
After that, it was all the stress that I had piled on top of myself throughout the week, running out of the rock like an oil spill, contaminating the water until it was a murky black like I was sure that my soul was.
The water seemed unsavable, but after a few minutes, it returned to its natural clear state, and I remained on the rock, peaceful and relaxed. I stayed there until the sun began to go down, at which time I knew that I would need to go home. I didn’t want to miss the curfew and risk getting caught. Cops liked to patrol this area due to how many delinquent young adults like me hung around it. They were just waiting to catch someone out past their curfew so they could justify their useless job.
I didn’t have very good experiences with the police in the past, but I knew they weren’t all bad. Some of them kept people like Jacob in check, but the ones that had arrested me and had me thrown in front of the judge was a rightful prick. People like him, I couldn’t respect. He had been very touchy-feely with me after discovering drugs in my stash of stolen goods, wanting to search me on the spot.
I had to call over a female cop to get this man’s greasy hands off my ass. Even she found his behavior distasteful, but nothing ever came of guys like that. They got away scot-free. I didn’t want to imagine what he could do to people who didn’t have the ability to fight back.
All that was behind me, though. My focus wasn’t on all the bullshit I had dealt with in the past. My focus was on getting through the shitstorm that faced me now. It wasn’t as easy as I had thought it would be when I had accepted parole in exchange for two years at Lakeshaw Academy. I didn’t think it would be easy, but this was far from my expectations.
As I left the river, my thoughts returned to Jacob. Was a crazy for trying to defy someone with that much power? Was he any different than the legal system that had been cruel to me without remorse? Was he just as impossible to fight against?
I wasn’t ready to make my final stand against him just yet, but I did want to buy some time until I had something that I could use against him. I didn’t think that would happen soon since he was so secretive about his illegal activities, but I knew that it was possible. He wasn’t a saint.
I got out of the woods, sticks clinging to my skirt and in my hair. I didn’t care that I looked like I had just rolled around on the forest floor. Nobody was around to see me. Everyone had gone home by now.
I looked at my watch, the only thing I had to tell time with. Phones weren’t allowed at Lakeshaw, but people still had them. I saw no need for one because I didn’t have anyone to text or call. My parents were long out of the picture now, because I didn’t want to stay in their lives after everything that had happened. Maybe one day we could be reunited when I was more stable. For now, I needed to go out and conquer the world on my own.
My eyes nearly popped from my skull when I saw what time it was. Nine-fucking-thirty. I switched from a casual walk to a full-on sprint to get home in time. Mary would be pissed if I missed curfew. I was more afraid of her than I was of Jacob.
My feet brought me home quickly. They were sore from all the running I had been doing lately, but I pushed them more. I needed to learn to run more if I was going to be rebelling against Jacob. My speed and small size were the only things that could keep me out of his deadly grip.
I slammed the door open, panting like I had just been chased by a mountain lion. I heard they came down into the town occasionally to eat someone.
Mary stood in the hallway, her hand planted on her hips. “Where the hell have you been?”
“The forest,” I said panting.
“You were supposed to help with dinner tonight.”
Fuck, I had forgotten about that. Life never give me a damn break. There was always some threat or obligation looming on the horizon.
“I’ll help tomorrow,” I replied, slipping out of my shoes and kicking them into the corner with the others.
“No, Elise, you’re washing the dishes tonight because you can’t be bothered to contribute to anything else around here.”
I groaned. “They’re nasty.” She knew that I hated washing dishes, and this was my punishment. Normally, because I took out the trash, I didn’t have to, but this time I wasn’t being given any wiggle room. I knew that she was right.
“Get in the kitchen and make yourself useful before I think of a worse punishment for you,” Mary scolded.
I put my head down and walked to the kitchen in shame. There was no more food left for me, so I would have to throw together something for myself after I did the dishes. This was a shitty way to spend my Friday night.
Chapter 6
We drink to find our true selves.
The nice thing about the weekend was that I didn’t have to wake up at six in the morning and drag myself out of bed. Instead, I woke up at seven because my body was still programmed to wake up earlier. Even if I wanted to , I couldn’t sleep more than that.
I rolled out bed, hitting the ground with a thundering thud like I was a superhero landing on the pavement in front of a giant monster, my fist down in front of me. I stood up and walked to the bathroom while Sarah slept through my noise. She didn’t wake easily.
I rinsed myself off, brushing my teeth before downing a hot cup of coffee before I journey out for the day. I was going to do a little shopping at the grocery store, then got to the forest again in the afternoon. There was another section of the river that I wanted to explore.
I put on a pair of ripped black shorts that would make a churchgoer blush, paired it with a black tank top, and skipped out of the house. I took the long way to the grocery store, which was two miles away, to enjoy the morning sunshine. I felt a lot better today than I had the day before. Mood swings are a bitch.
I always liked how quiet Saturday morning were, but this one wasn’t as quiet as they usually were. I heard some shouting coming from a housing unit close by and decided to take a peek over there to see what was going on.
The housing units were set up in rows, looking more like rectangular slabs than houses. I weaved through the grid of them until I came upon the ruckus that was happening. There were two guys, shirts off, looking like they wanted to kill each other. I recognized one of them as part of Jacob’s crew.
“You want to go? Let’s go,” the taller of the two said, waving his hands to beckon the other guy closer.
The shorter one was standing still, but his hands were up in a position that he could throw punched from. Neither of them were swinging at the other yet.
A few people had already come out of their homes in confusion, trying to figure out who would be shouting this early on the weekend.
As I looked closer at the two men, I realized that they had probably been up all night drinking and that this was a consequence of a building drunken resentment toward each other. Alcohol was, of course, prohibited on the premise, but that didn’t stop people from drinking it. Even I had a bottle under my bed for emergencies. You never know when you need to throw back a few shots to wipe your brain after a long week.
“You coward. Fucking fight me,” the taller one growled.
Neither of them looked like they were going to do anything but threaten each other until the cops came to take them away. What a bunch of clowns. I shook my head at the scene in front of me. They had really woken up the entire neighborhood for this standoff.
I was about to turn away when I saw Jacob appear from between two buildings, charging toward the two drunken men with a furious scowl on his face. He was shirtless, wearing a pair of loose jeans as he hurried toward the two men. I could see all the tattoos that decorated his toned body. Jesus, why did he had to be so fucking hot?
The second the two men saw Jacob, they put their hands down, but it was too late. Jacob walked right up to one of them, pushing him to the d
irt. “What the fuck are you doing?” He yelled.
“This punk slept with my bitch,” the taller guy said, pointing a finger at the man that was still standing.
Jacob shook his head. “You’re drunk. Get the fuck inside before you get us all in trouble.”
“But,” the man protested.
“Inside, or I’ll smash what little brains you have out of your fucking head,” Jacob barked, standing with his fists balled so tight I could see his knuckled shining white in the morning light.
The man scrambled up to his feet and dashed back into the house, letting the screen door slam and shudder behind him. Jacob turned to the shorter guy, spotting me out of the corner of his eye as he turned. I ducked back behind one of the houses, but not before Jacob winked at me and threw a solid punch into the shorter man, knocking him out cold.
Jacob spit on the guy, brushing his knuckles on his bare chest. He left the unconscious man on the ground and walked off, swaggering back to his housing unit before the police arrived. He made no attempt to confront me.
I peeked back out from behind my hiding spot. I looked at the limp body in the dirt, waiting for it to stir back to life, but it didn’t. He lay there for a good minute before someone dared go and wake him. I saw him getting up, and that was enough for me to leave with a good conscience.
I booked it out of there, wanting to get far away from the housing complex before the blue flashing lights appeared to investigate the scene. Nobody would risk snitching on Jacob, so I’m sure nothing would come out of his brutal blow. Jacob was one crazy motherfucker.
I imagined if he tried to hit me like that, I would surely die. I wondered if it wasn’t just a better idea to get some cigarettes for him instead of standing up to him. After seeing how willing he was to knock someone out cold, I wasn’t so sure that I stood a chance against him.
There was a little more energy in my step as I walked down the less traveled road to the grocery store. Watching the drama unfold in my neighborhood woke me up better than any cup of coffee did. I was ready to start my Saturday.