Marc stared at me dumbfounded. “Girlfriend? I mean I assumed you guys were buddies but wow.”
I narrowed my eyes at him. “That’s all you honestly heard?”
“I dunno about this Jason, but I’ll try. Although I doubt anyone will rally behind me.”
“Oh, they will,” I replied confidently, already formulating a plan.
After heaving a sigh, Marc snapped his fingers as if noticing something. “What about the investigation? Won’t they get suspicious that you both leave spontaneously?”
“They might but someone can get me off.”
Marc nodded, taking everything in, in large gulps. “So, your mother knows?”
I snorted. “Of course, she does.”
“She doesn’t, does she?” Marc asked with a knowing smile. “I’ll pick out a nice tux for your funeral, don’t worry.”
I rolled my eyes at him before turning my attention back to the group of students. This was foreign to me, asking them for favors, I wasn’t exactly sure what to say. I merely started off with a nervous grin and ran my hand through my hair briefly.
“I’d like for you all to do me a huge favor,” I said clearly, my words meeting silence.
Everyone looked on at me in shock, probably surprised I was asking them to do something for me because I never had before. I never had to, but now, I was willing to grovel at this point for their help, my plan could easily fall through the cracks and I needed all the help I could get as reinforcements. Before I could beg and plead a chorus of ‘of course’s met my ears. My face gradually transformed into a smile at their eagerness. They looked about ready to burst into a well-choreographed dance scene in a movie.
“I need you all to come here tomorrow at about this time,” I began cautiously, gauging their reactions. “Make sure you drive if you can and dress inconspicuously.”
“What are we going to do?” a very curious, very brave soul asked.
I smiled knowingly. I was expecting that, if not verbally I was sure they would’ve thought about it. “I’ll tell you tomorrow, just make sure you all drive to some extent…if you can,” I added quietly as an afterthought.
I watched as they nodded confirming their presence tomorrow. I subtly sighed in relief, noticing that they all realized simultaneously that they should probably leave now, they all gathered their things and slowly trudged by me, some nudging me with promises not to fail the tasks at hand. Some were even hurriedly texting, no doubt alerting anyone else that wasn’t here.
More quickly than I’d imagined the hallway was back to being partially deserted. Marc stood with his hands in his pockets awkwardly watching Avery and I. It was only awkward though because Avery was livid, her breaths coming out in sharp exhales. I sighed inwardly, I now had to deal with two temperamental women. Wasn’t I the lucky one?
Chapter
XXX
“Jason, I seriously can’t believe you,” Avery scolded in a loud whisper. She wasn’t as upset as she wanted to be because Marc was here, I could tell, she kept eyeing him inquiringly and then shot a glare at me.
“Sweetheart, listen—”
All fight melted from Avery’s demeanor in an instant, she stared at me open-mouthed, dumbfounded. I stared at her, equally silent, surprised at the term of endearment that casually slipped from my tongue. I didn’t dare check what expression Marc held on his face. I was positive that he’d make me want to drop through these floors of concrete and into hiding.
Avery broke the silence first, her words holding surprise. “Sweetheart. You called me sweetheart.”
I rocked back and forth on my heels, sticking my hands into my pocket awkwardly. “Yeah,” I admitted slowly, checking to see if she was okay with it.
Avery gave a chuckle in disbelief; it was like a sharp exhale of air that sounded melodious. “I don’t—I mean…I wasn’t expecting that.”
My eyes somehow found Marc’s in all of this, who appeared to be struggling to maintain his composure. I shook my head at him, and he lost it, doubling over with laughter almost maniacally. I chuckled at him while he held the wall for support. Avery, on the other hand, was rolling her eyes with her hands clasped behind her.
“You…guys…you’re hilarious!” Marc choked out between fits of laughter.
I stared at him in surprise, brows furrowed. “How so?”
“You guys are literally the epitome of a rom-com and here she is surprised that you called her sweetheart and you look just about ready to take it back.”
I scratched the back of my neck sheepishly. “It’s different for us, we haven’t even been on a real date.”
Marc gave us alternating looks of surprise before breaking into a grin once more. “That’s a shocker, you both look about ready for a long-term commitment.”
I rolled my eyes at him before turning my attention to Avery, hoping he hadn’t scared her off because it was too soon, she wasn’t ready for talk like that. Instead of looking particularly upset, she looked thoughtful. It was odd, she was staring at Marc as if he’d just given her some irrefutable enlightenment. Instantaneously, her ocher gaze burned holes into mine and for the first time, I wasn’t surprised. I smirked at her, a relaxed not-so-secretive one that my best friend was privy to see.
Avery’s smile gradually deepened, until the gleam of her teeth contrasted with the bronze glow of her skin. “I like sweetheart,” she decided.
“Okay…sweetheart.”
At that, Marc broke down into guffaws, trying to form words of ridicule in between the choking sounds coming from his mouth. I decided to ignore him and, instead, headed over to Avery who was shaking her head at him in amusement. I enjoyed seeing how expressive her eyes were especially because of what we would have to do so soon.
“I take it that’s your way of distracting me?” she asked, a brow raised skeptically.
I shrugged. “Not really, it just came out but I’m glad it worked,” I admitted with a sneaky grin.
“I still can’t believe you’re endangering innocent people though,” Avery commented in a harsh whisper.
Shaking my head, I pulled her closer so she could hear my faint reply, “They won’t get hurt. Elijah isn’t that stupid.”
“But what if he is? What if he goes ballistics that you tricked him? I don’t want to take that chance.”
“Nothing is going to happen,” I supplied, a whole lot less confident than before. “Trust me.”
Avery glared at me dubiously before Marc cleared his throat, we both stepped away from each other and glanced in his direction—he had his phone facing us, showing some message far too small to read from where we were. “Sorry to be interrupting your love fest but your mother has some rather exciting news.”
All air left my throat in an audible whoosh while I tried to decipher what good news she could’ve meant. The euphoria I was feeling was so overwhelming, it felt as if it was crushing my lungs with a tightened fist. All I could give Marc was a small smile and a hand gesture to lead the way, my movements felt sluggish and heavy as if I was moving cinder blocks and not my body.
Avery’s cool hand found mine amid of the chaotic jumbles of my brain. When her fingers laced through mine, I felt solid—whole. It turns out my mother and sister were on the floor above where we were. When I saw them something resembling a sigh of relief escaped me. They both had their hands clasped over their chests and their eyes were darting everywhere excitedly. Once they met my gaze their faces transformed into gigantic smiles, ones that looked out of place on their exhaustion riddled faces.
“Jason,” my mother breathed, her hands clasped firmly beneath her chin. “The surgery was a success; they’ve managed to remove the bullet without any mishap…but…”
My brows suddenly smashed together in resignation. ‘Buts’ were not welcomed right now; bad news always came after ‘buts’ and I was afraid to hear it. “But what?” I asked, my voice sounding detached.
“But,” my mother continued, lowering her gaze to the ground. “The bullet was really
close to his spine so some paralysis may have occurred. They’re not too sure.”
I bit down roughly on my lip, already surmising I was at fault. More ‘what ifs’ surmounted all other thought from my brain. I was angry. If anyone should’ve been hit it should’ve been me. My father had so much strength, so much undeniable power, that the possibility of him being crippled made me feel crippled myself, hopeless, helpless. I pried my hand from Avery’s grasp and ran it over my face, so angry at no one but myself. And that anger made me less apprehensive to tell them our plan to leave. I started speaking without pause.
“You’re not going,” my mother said as soon as I finished telling her the intricate details of my plan.
I struggled not to get angry, it wasn’t her fault we were in this situation after all, it was mine and I just needed to convince her that it was a good idea. “Should I just let him attack someone else?”
“My answer is final,” she said without even batting an eyelash. “You aren’t going.”
I bit down on my lip but decided not to argue any further, she didn’t look about ready to change her mind and neither was I. “Okay fine. Marc invited us over to take a shower and recuperate.”
My mother’s gaze darted to Marc’s. “Marc?”
Marc stared helplessly at me before nodding slowly. “Uh…yeah.”
I hoped she didn’t pick up on his hesitation. Thankfully she didn’t. “Okay, you guys go ahead. And Jason, I’m glad you understand.”
Cringing, I nodded, gesturing for Marc to lead the way. I grabbed Avery’s hand and lead her out before my mother’s maternal instinct started kicking in. We carefully maneuvered down the stairs on edge, now facing the obvious repercussions of my decision. I had planned to leave tomorrow when I could get spare hoodies for Avery and myself. Now, the stairs seemed to creak a lot more under our weight and the lights seemed dimmer, buzzing loudly and erratically.
“Okay, smart one. What now?” Marc asked cynically, stepping into the hallways that seemed safer because it was abuzz with chatter.
I half shrugged, nervously gnawing on my lip, checking to see if any of Elijah’s goons had slipped past security, it was probable—after all they were crafty. “Um, you know what? Marc meet us out back with your car in about five minutes.”
Marc raised a brow at me before conceding, he nodded quickly and headed in the direction of the main exit. I pulled Avery along with me in the opposite direction. I checked to ensure no one was looking our way, they weren’t. Everyone was going about their daily business. Finally, I had obtained obscurity. I used my forearm to push open the door that led down to the emergency exit and led Avery down, allowing our eyes to adjust to the smoldering darkness. You know, it would’ve been pretty comical if Elijah was in here, patiently waiting to bring us to meet our demise. Actually, the more I thought about it, the more I realized that it wouldn’t have been all that funny.
Avery’s free hand found my lower chin in the process and she held on tight. I could tell she was a little frightened. “The type of rush I’m feeling isn’t exactly the best,” Avery whispered.
“It’ll be fine,” I said, a little too quickly, making me sound unconvincing.
Avery sighed and dropped her hand. “I wish you’d stop staying that.” I snorted; I wish I would too but easier said than done. “How do you even know about this place?”
“When I was younger, I came here a lot. I had broken body parts, sprained wrists and ankles—the works.”
Avery laughed. “You’re a maniac.”
“Yeah, I guess so but whenever it’d get too smoldering, I’d just come out here and set off a crap-ton of alarms—”
“What?” Avery whispered loudly and I could just imagine her wringing her neck because of how quickly she’d turned around in surprise.
I chuckled and squeezed her hand reassuringly. “Calm down, the alarms go off after you open the door to go outside.” I could feel her sigh of relief. “Which we’re gonna do now.”
“What—Jason, I don’t feel too good about this,” she said too quickly, gripping my shirt.
Placing my lips on her forehead. “It’ll be fine and hey—maybe the chaos will distract Elijah and his goons.”
“Okay, I trust you,” she said clearly.
I paused for a moment, letting that sink in. I wanted her to trust me, yeah, but it was weird hearing her say it and sounding so sincere. I nodded slowly, letting that sink in. I smiled; it made my job of protecting her a whole lot more challenging. That was because, now, she was expecting me to, and nothing is worse than crushed expectations. I counted to five slowly and squeezed her hand reassuringly before pulling open the door of the emergency exit. I knew the alarms would be blaring full blast, I pulled Avery out into the afternoon air, careful to hold my head down. I could faintly hear the obnoxious blare and immediately felt remorse for any patient I was antagonizing.
Marc was waiting a couple meters away, looking startled at the screeching coming from behind us. I opened the back door for Avery before climbing into the front myself. When Marc didn’t move, I inclined my head to him impatiently.
“Will you just go?”
Marc sighed and complied, putting the car into drive and basically flooring it. “Next time, could you two do without trying to get us arrested?”
Before I could respond, Avery did, smiling at him. “Just doing what we can to keep you safe, buddy.”
Marc glared at her in the rearview mirror. “Yeah I can just feel the love radiating from you right now.”
“I love you irrevocably, Marc, just remember that,” Avery replied, batting her eyelashes at him sweetly.
“Hey, hey, hey,” I interjected, holding my hands up. “None of that.”
Marc chortled while Avery smirked at me. “You’re so cute when you’re jealous,” she said, almost cooing at me. “I only have eyes for you Jason. Remember that.”
I smiled and threw a kiss at her to which she pretended to savor. Marc rolled his eyes in an exaggerated manner and slowed down to some extent. I think he realized we weren’t being chased. The drive lapsed into silence, with me continually checking the rearview mirrors. Marc pulled up to his quite eccentric-looking house, painted in a bright teal color with white trimmings. I could see Avery was a bit surprised as she regarded the house with raised brows. Sure, the house didn’t fit, but neither did Marc or his family and that was just fine with me.
Avery exited the car and her hand lingered on the door, she stared at the house in thoughtful silence, almost in appreciative awe. “Marc, this is…this is different.”
Marc grunted noncommittally. “Yeah well…,” he said trailing off, leading the way up the path.
I followed in silence, amused at Avery’s surprise. She gaped open-mouthed at the garden which held a wild array of a variety of colorful flowers, the windows that looked too low to be appropriate for downstairs and the small grey bird bath that stood in the midst of all the chaotic wonder. As soon as Marc opened the door we hurried inside, the opportunity for indoor plumbing calling us seductively. The house was quiet and relaxing. I stepped out of my shoes and pushed them to the side, already shrugging my shirt over my head.
“Whoa there, tiger,” Avery muttered, slapping my back lightly. “No need to strip here. The bathroom isn’t that far.”
I pursed my lips at her. “You don’t actually know that.”
She pushed me lightly up the stairs. “Go, enjoy the luxury.”
“I’ll be back in five minutes so you can take a shower,” I reminded her quickly.
Avery nodded and sent me off with a final pat on the back. “Don’t worry about me, Marc here will keep me company.”
Marc scratched his head uncertainly before shooing me off too. I eyed them both strangely before shaking my head, there was nothing a relaxing shower couldn’t fix.
I almost slipped on the top stair from my haste to get down and relieve my angst about what had happened in my absence. The sight I saw as I got down to the bottom of the stairs
made me raise my brows considerably. Avery was perched on the arm of the sofa with her index finger near the bridge of Marc’s nose. Marc’s brows were scrunched up and a deep frown was etched onto his face—it almost looked as if he was going to bite her head off. The space between them was almost non-existent. I cleared my throat.
Comically, Avery pitched forward and tumbled to the floor in surprise. Marc scrambled back onto the sofa and was looking at everything except me. I folded my arms over my chest and looked at them questioningly.
“Ja—Jason,” Avery spluttered, scrambling to her feet. “Uh, you’re finished quickly.”
“It’s time for a shower, don’t you think?” I asked with a brow raised.
“What?”
I pointed to the stairs and she nodded absentmindedly, hurrying up the steps two at a time, not looking down at us.
“Dude are those my clothes?” Marc asked pointing at my chest.
“Dude,” I said, mimicking his tone. “Was that my girlfriend?”
Marc looked confused. “What are you talking about?” Slowly, his eyes widened, and he regarded me with a deep-set frown, he folded his arms over his chest, looking absolutely upset. “Nothing happened, Jason. I can’t believe you’d imply that.”
I faltered a bit and dropped my hands to my side. What was I thinking? I decided to sum it up to sleep deprivation. This was Marc, who I knew and trusted. I ran my hand over my face and groaned, I felt as if a truck ran me over multiple times. “Marc I’m sorry, I just—”
“It’s fine,” he interjected, holding up his hand. “I’m not upset. I just think her craziness is starting to rub off on you.”
“I said I was sorry,” I grumbled before taking in Marc’s pointed look. “What are you talking about?”
Marc checked the stairs for visible eavesdropping before speaking, his eyes wide. “She threatened me.”
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