The Helio Trilogy: Volumes 1-3

by Valerie Roeseler

  I spin around to get back in the car, but I'm too slow. I'm slammed into the back window. A strong body pins me to the car, holding my right arm on the roof. Another hand grips my left arm, restraining it to the driver window. As the man in the blue shirt slithers a hand down the front of my shorts, rage builds inside of me. I may look weak, but I'm not about to let this happen to me.

  He brushes my hair from the right side of my face, revealing my neck, then snarls in my ear, “Hold still, or we kill your boyfriend.”

  “Fuck you,” I growl through gritted teeth. I strain to get away from their grips on me with as much strength as I can muster.

  “Wrong answer,” he barks. He rips my hair back and slams my face off the window. The glass shatters. My head spins unsteadily as I try to refocus. I force myself to stay awake and not black out. A grunt comes from the other man pinning me down as my left hand is released. My vision starts coming back to me. I spot an aluminum baseball bat in the back seat of Jack's car. The thug with busy hands uses his legs to spread my feet apart. Knowing his focus is on my legs, I reach into the car with my free hand and grip the baseball bat. He senses my struggle to get away and tightens his grip. Using my hips, I push back. It forces him to stumble backward and let go of my other arm on the roof.

  With the same motion as a backhand slap across the face, I swing the bat behind me, connecting with his ear and cheekbone. My body twists with the swing, and I'm able to see Jack again. Two men are on the ground while he fights with the third in the black shirt. The guttural growl coming from the guy I knocked out brings my attention back. I grip the bat in my right hand and wait for him to charge me again. Jack drops his opponent with a kick to the chest before heading towards me to stop my attacker. Unflinching, I stop the brute’s attack with another swing of the bat across his face. He crashes to the ground. The hollow thunk of the bat against his skull is a solid indication he won't be getting up anytime soon.

  Turning back to Jack, I notice his last opponent is up again and making a beeline for Jack. Jack takes wide steps around him, putting the stranger’s back to me. I leap onto his back, slipping the bat over his head as I lock my legs around the front of his body. The bat slides to the crook of my elbows, and I pull back on his throat until I can grip the back of his head and lock my fingers together. He spins side to side, trying to shake me off, but my grip holds strong. He storms backward, slamming me into the brick exterior of the building, yet he's weakening. The blow to the wall isn't as hard as I expect. I hold my grip tight.

  Seconds tick by with Mr. Black clawing at my arms and legs to let go. I lock eyes with Jack. He seems to be yelling at me, but I can't hear him over the high pitch ringing in my ears. Then, Mr. Black’s arms go slack, his knees buckling beneath him. As his body falls face first to the ground, my legs untwine from around his waist. I let the baseball bat fall back into my right hand and land on my feet in a crouch over his still body.

  Jack seems flustered as he stands back, surprised at witnessing me handle my own. “You ok?”

  “Yeah,” I huff out of breath as I stand up straight, adrenaline coursing through me.

  “Let’s get out of here.” He reaches out for the bat. I let him take it. Then, he grips my hand to lead me back to the car at a jog.

  Chapter 3

  No words pass between us until we're off enemy territory. “Jack?”

  “Hmm?” he hums with his mouth closed in concentration.

  “Did you know those guys?”

  Jack nods. “They work for an old friend of mine. As I said, there was a fallin’ out.”

  I understand he doesn’t want to talk about it from his tone, but I need answers. “Well, I’m glad you had that bat in your car. I don’t think I would’ve gotten away from those guys if you didn’t.”

  “I told you to get out of there, Ivy. What the fuck happened?” he interrogates with anger.

  “I dropped the keys in the floorboard. Then, I saw you had everything under control, and I thought everything was ok!” I defend.

  “You should have run when you saw them coming back.” He gives me a sidelong glance from the driver’s seat.

  “I tried! They were fast, and I didn’t have a chance to even open the door! They slammed me into the car before I could even pull the handle!”

  Jack's silent as he calms down. “I’m sorry, Ivy. I couldn’t get to you. Every time I turned to help you, one or the other would block me. I was trying to fight my way towards you. I could only get to one of them that attacked you.”

  “I’m alright,” I mumble.

  “No. You’re not.”

  “I’m fine.”

  “You’re bleeding,” he notes without looking at me.

  I look at the scratches on my arms and legs. They're deeper than I first thought, but the sting is minimal with the adrenaline still pumping through my veins. “It’s fine, Jack. I'm a big girl. I know how to take care of myself.”

  “I can see that!” he yells, then his eyes soften with his tone. “I was surprised at how well you handled yourself, but that’s not the point. The point is, you shouldn’t have had to. I let my guard down and didn’t expect him to come back.”

  “Why would they attack me if their beef's with you?”

  Jack's saved from my questioning with the ringing of his phone. “It’s Eric,” he states before answering. “Hey. We had a little run in with some of Beleth’s goons.” Jack glances over at me before jerking his eyes back to the road. “We’re ok. Ivy’s a little banged up. We’re on our way back. We’ll talk later.” He pauses. “Later.” Jack hangs up and drops his phone in the console.

  “Who's Beleth?” I urge. Jack reaches over the console to hold my hand. He's quiet and appears to be thinking of what he should or shouldn’t tell me. “Jack?”

  He heaves a heavy sigh. “Beleth's a...leader of sorts to a handful of…followers.”

  “You mean a gang?”

  “Sort of.”

  “And you know these people?”

  “Beleth and I used to be friends back in the day. We had a fallin’ out.”

  “Well, it seems to me he knew you would be there. Why's he looking for you?”

  “I can’t tell you.”

  “Bullshit,” I retort.

  “I don’t want to get you involved with this. It’s best if you don’t know the details.”

  “Bullshit, Jack! I was almost raped! I’m already involved! I deserve to know what's going on!”

  Jack inhales long and deep through his nose before releasing it to answer me. “Back in the day, Beleth and I were good friends. But, we had a fallin’ out. Beleth started hanging around some sketchy friends that lived for corruption. He started influencing people to commit crimes just to see how far he could push people. He has a talent for convincing people to do things they normally wouldn’t do. He can be very persuasive. I didn’t want anything to do with it. It became…his friends against my friends. He assists others higher on the totem pole by leading people to corruption while my friends and I have made it our mission to stop him. He’s become even higher in that totem pole since then. He has his eyes on a particular prize at the moment, and I'm trying my best to keep it from him. I know all of this is confusing and vague, but it’s all I can tell you right now.”

  I sit in silence for a moment, trying to decipher all he's telling me. It corresponds with legends of mafia crime syndicates. Jack tries to apologize again, “I’m sorry about all of this. I wanted you to be able to relax and have fun. It would've been a perfect night if those guys hadn’t shown up.” Jack smiles at me, and all of my apprehension melts away.

  I smile back. “Jack? Did you plan a date with me without asking?”

  “No,” he says feigning ignorance. “Just trying to get to know you is all.”

  “Well, besides the end of the night, I had a lot of fun. Thank you.”

  Jack kisses my knuckles, sending a warm tingle through my body. “No problem, Sunshine.” We pull into my driveway, and Jack lets the e
ngine idle with a low rumble. “I’m going to meet Eric. Alice should be home, though.”

  “I guess I’ll see you later?” I suggest.

  “You can count on it.” I sit still a moment, debating whether to kiss him or not. In the end, I decide it would be best to let it go.

  I get out of the car, and as I close the door, I hear Jack mumble, “Goodnight, Sunshine.”

  The door is already closed, so I wave to him as I head inside. Alice jumps off the couch in the living room as I enter the house and runs to meet me in the foyer. “Are you ok?” She hugs me tight.

  “I’m fine, Alice. Everything's fine.”

  “Are you sure?”

  “Yeah.” She steps back and looks me over. “I’m going to jump in the shower. Those guys reeked like burning sewage.” I give a small chuckle to ease her apprehension.

  She smiles uneasy, “Ok.”

  While taking a shower, I notice the scratches on my arms and legs are already closing up. Maybe they weren’t as deep as they looked in the car. My entire body’s drained of energy, and I don’t remember getting into bed.

  Over the next week, Jack and I start hanging out more and more. He walks me to class and hangs out while I study. Eric, Jack, Alice and I become a tight troop—I start referring to us as The Fearsome Foursome. We play video games, go out to eat, or have fast food and watch movies. Jack listens to me play guitar on my bed when Eric and Alice want to be alone or have other plans. Every time, he lays back on my pillow with his hands behind his head. His shirt rides up an inch or two, revealing the ‘V’ of muscles framing his hips and making me ache for him more than I should.

  I love being around Jack. We try to keep our relationship status as ‘just friends,' but the platonic way we've been touching each other is beginning to blur the lines between friendship and relationship. My attraction to him intensifies every day, and I try my best to keep my thoughts from going there. He favors being a wise-guy, he's intelligent and witty, and never tries to push for more between us. Which I appreciate, but loath all the same. I sense another brick fall away from my metaphorical wall and notice there are more missing than I realized.

  Late Friday afternoon, Jack drives me home from class, and I become aware it's been one week to the day since we met. Yet, it seems as if I've known him a lot longer. He follows me into my room, and I throw my backpack in the chair by my desk. Jack stares at the bong I'd left out unintentionally. “Sorry,” I apologize and snatch it from the desk to hide in the closet.

  “Why do you do that shit?” he questions in a disgusted tone as he plops down on my bed.

  I shrug my shoulders, “It calms me down.”

  “No. It’s a crutch,” he corrects.

  “For what?” I glare.

  Jack sighs. “I know you better than you think I do.”

  “Uh-huh.” I roll my eyes at him and cross my arms over my chest.

  He doesn’t look up at me. “I know you’re hiding something. You don’t have to tell me either. That’s ok. But, I see you. I’m not stupid. When things get exciting or intense or if there are too many people around, you leave and come back high.” He reaches out and pulls my hands away from me. “Why are you so afraid to feel anything?”

  I don’t speak at first. “I know it’s stupid.” I look at my feet to avoid the humiliation I know is coming. “But, I’m afraid if I feel anything good…it’ll be taken away. It sort of became a habit since I was seventeen.”

  “Hey,” Jack squeezes my hands to get my attention. “The more you do that shit, the more you lose yourself. You’re not feeling or experiencing life as you should. You don’t need it. If I promise you that I won’t let anything ever happen to you, would you stop smoking?”

  “How can you promise that?” I prod, remembering the night of the concert. He isn’t making sense, but then again, neither am I.

  “Let’s just say, you’ve become important to me, and I’m not about to lose you…for any reason,” he confesses, and my heart wants to leap out of my chest.

  I let go of his hands and begin to pace my room. The lines are blurring again. Dammit, Jack! You can’t say things like that to me! It makes me feel things for you I need to stay away from. I don’t want to get hurt. Smoking keeps me sane! If I don’t dull my senses, my mind fabricates a paranoia and anxiety that I’m forgetting something, and someone's watching me…waiting for me…coming for me. Listen to me! I’m psychotic!

  I glance over at Jack. He sits in patient silence on my bed while watching me pace, and I continue my inner dialogue.

  On the other hand, I’ve only felt I didn’t have to smoke when we're alone. You snuff out my anxiety. A sense of calm comes over me…except for the intense attraction I feel for you. But, even pot doesn’t keep those feelings at bay. I don’t know. Can I stop smoking or will I turn into a psychotic nut job? I don’t want to smoke anymore.

  I cease my pacing and sigh. “Alright, Jack. I’ll give it a shot.” I pull out all of my paraphernalia along with my stash and shove it into a tote I never use. I hold the bag out to him, “Here. Take it to a dumpster somewhere. I don’t know if I could do it myself.”

  Jack takes the bag from me, rising from the bed. “I’m proud of you, Sunshine.” He kisses me on top of the head and leaves to dispose of my support system, being hell-bent I can do without.

  I hope so because when I start getting all schizophrenic, you’re going to wonder why you ever wanted me around.

  Trying to sleep without relaxing the way I normally do turns out to be harder than I thought it would. I toss and turn for hours. My mind can’t shut itself off. I keep thinking about how everyone I've ever let past the wall I erected around myself has hurt me. My adoptive parents waited until I had turned sixteen to tell me I was adopted. My world crashed around me with that one sentence, "You were adopted as an infant." After that single statement, I lost complete meaning of self. I didn’t know who I was anymore, and every day I fought against the empty feeling inside.

  Gideon tried to be there for me after I found out, but I pushed him away until I found a way to cope. I started finding random beach parties to go to and drink myself into a stupor. Jack's right. I need to straighten my life out. I can’t do that if I keep ignoring everything. My thoughts tumble into the early hours of the morning as I fall asleep.

  Jack holds my hand as we lay in the grass. The stars above us are bright and provide enough light to see the tall grass billowing in the field around us. Believing I hear him speak, I turn my head to face him. “What?”

  His head lolls to the side to face me. “I’m here,” he whispers. Despite his words, I get the impression he's saying goodbye. His green eyes begin to illuminate brighter and brighter until a blinding white light takes over all I can see.

  I wake up to the sun shining through my eyelids, making their insides radiate pink as birds chirp their morning song outside my window. I stretch my limbs and open my eyes. A stillness settles over me, and I yawn from my restless slumber. Ugh. I need coffee. I throw the covers back and dress in frantic chaos. I want to get out of the house and try to keep my mind off of smoking pot.

  Venturing down the street to the coffee shop I'm thankful I wore my dark sunglasses to block the sun’s rays. I close my eyes and lift my face, relishing the warmth of the rising sun on my cheeks. Without warning, my heart starts to race, making it hard for me to breathe. Goosebumps travel down my body from the static in the air. I look over my shoulder with the sense I'm being followed. No one’s behind me. The streets are empty. I continue towards the coffee shop, picking up my pace. I hear the distinct sound of Jack’s muffler and slow down.

  Jack pulls up next to me with his window rolled down. “Where are you headed, Sunshine?” he chides.

  “Hey!” I yell as I scurry to his window and lean on the doorframe, crossing my forearms on the windowsill. His back window is fixed, and I wonder how much it set him back. “I’m just headed to the coffee shop.”

  “Want a ride?" he grins, wiggling his eyebrows
. He has his hat on backward, allowing me to see his gorgeous green eyes as they sparkle in the sun.

  “Yeah.” I'm relieved he came when he did.

  We enter the coffee shop, and Jack strolls out to the back deck to grab seats for us. I step up to the counter to order my iced coffee as the barista emerges from the back kitchen. He looks familiar, but I can’t place where I've seen him before.

  “What can I get for you?” The barista leans on the counter and smiles at me flirtatiously. He's all dimples with short brunette hair, dark brown eyes, and tall with a slender build.

  “Just a large iced coffee, please.”

  He rings up my order on the register, and I give him my card to pay. He turns his back to me to mix my drink, and I step aside to wait while I listen to the deep, dark Indie music coming from the surround sound system in the building.

  “Ivy!” The barista yells out. I step up to the counter and grab my drink from him.

  “Thanks,” I say as I wonder how he knows my name.

  “Ivy Harris, right?” he inquires.

  “Um… Yeah.” I don’t know who he is, but he looks familiar and seems to know who I am.

  “Trey,” he provides his name and waits for my recognition. He sees me draw a blank and continues, “We have Literature together.”

  Then, it clicks. “Oh! Yeah!”

  Trey gives a shy smile and has a hard time looking me in the eyes. “So, my brothers are throwing a party this weekend at The Green House. Do you know of it?”

  The Green House is a legend. It's always occupied by some fraternity I could never remember the name of. They have the craziest parties. It's called The Green House because the entire house, interior and exterior, is painted green. Students died to get invited. “Yeah, I know where it is. Those parties are the stuff of legends.”

  He laughs at my star-struck expression. “Well, would you want to come check it out? You could bring your girlfriends.”