by Remi Rose
I’d be risking too much by doing that.
“I thought things were good between Nate and I. He was different towards me. He opened up, told me every secret he had, and I finally thought I knew the real Nate. . Not the typical asshole that he shows to everyone else.” She frowns as tears slowly stream down her face and into her lap.
“But then like a light switch, he changed.”
It was difficult to see her in so much pain.
“How did he change?” I whisper wanting to reach out and grasp her hand for support.
“He started noticing other girls. Flirting with them like I wasn’t even there.” She sobbed. “It started out harmless, then suddenly, it was like he was doing it on purpose. Trying to get a rise out of me.”
She began to wipe her face but everytime she did, her makeup smeared even more.
“Did anything happen?” I ask peering into her red eyes that appear almost swollen shut from her intense crying. “With the girls I mean?”
“Who the hell knows.” She drops her shoulders in a rough sigh. “It doesn’t even matter anymore. I’m sure he’s already sticking his dick into someone else.”
The sneer across her face was evident but a part of me felt sort of relieved. I knew Nate wasn’t boyfriend material, especially when it happened to be with my best friend. Maybe now, we could start over.
“Nate doesn’t deserve you.” I slowly extend my arm out and grab her hand. “If anyone should be crying, it’s him.”
She gazes down at our entwined fingers and slightly chuckles.
“Why are you being so nice to me?” She lifts her head and catches my eyes. “I’ve been the world's worst best friend.”
My lips thin and I squeeze her hand.
“You have.” I grin and notice a modest smile appear on Josie’s lips.
“Seriously Becca.” She chuckles. “I haven’t talked to you in months. I can’t even remember the last time I heard your voice.” Her smile drops and I notice more tears form in her eyes. “I pushed you away and ruined our friendship.”
Everything she said was true. Our friendship was nonexistent but sitting here I felt as though we never skipped a beat.
“Shit happens.” I repeat her words from earlier and I feel the slight flutter of my heart bump against my breastbone.
Her eyes connected with mine again, and this time they weren’t filled with sorrow.
They displayed hope.
“I’m sorry.” She confesses. “I’m sorry for everything.” She compresses her hand against mine and scoots over closer to me.
I wanted to forgive her.
I needed to.
I missed my best friend. I missed our late nights watching crime shows, I missed confiding in her and I just missed her in general. Her quirky ways and how she was always able to make me laugh even if I didn’t want to.
I wanted to start over fresh.
I wanted my best friend back.
“I forgive you.” I nod feeling her hand release mine and immediately circle around my neck. She squeezed me tight, embracing me like she hasn’t seen me in years.
Pulling away, she smoothes down her auburn hair and pushes the strands behind her ears.
“I should probably get back to class before Mr. Moore sends out a search party.” She chuckles rising to her feet as do I.
“Yeah, me too.” I nod.
“If you… if you want, you can come over to my house after school and we can hang out? Catch up a bit?” She begins to wet a paper towel and starts dabbing at her face.
“Yeah, that sounds nice.” I smile.
“Good, I’m sure you have lots to inform me on.” She wiggles her eyebrows, but I instantly feel my stomach twist.
“You have no idea.”
CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
Becca
Staring mindlessly at the clock on my nightstand, I contemplate whether to change out of this ridiculous outfit and jump into bed. I didn’t want to be one of those girls who waited hours upon hours for the guy to show up, because fuck that. My hair was curled to perfection, my makeup was done flawlessly and the outfit I chose was a bit more scandalous than I was used too.
And instead of having Jack’s eyes and hands all over me, I was stuck in my room with hopes that he wouldn’t abandon me.
Again.
Pushing myself off the bed, I start to reach for the zipper on the back of my dress and begin to pull it down when I hear my phone vibrate.
Jack: Look out your window.
Walking over to the window, I slowly peel back the curtains and see a white truck parked a few houses down with the headlights still on. With force, I close the curtains and quickly type back.
Me: Sorry, I’m in bed now. I’m sure that teacher you went out with will be happy to go on a date with you.
Satisfied with my response, I peek through the window again and find that his truck is now off.
Jack: I’ll wait here all fucking night then...and once you do come out, which I know you will, you’ll pay for that.
Laughing, I decide that I don’t want my hair and makeup to go to waste, so I throw on my jean jacket to cover up.
Me: We don’t need you straining yourself old man, I’ll be out in a sec.
Checking myself in the mirror one last time, I pat down the black dress I’m wearing. Two small straps fall over my shoulders and connect with a sweetheart neckline. It cascades down my waist, and turns into a flowy skirt that stops mid-thigh. Even though it wasn’t exactly my style, I had to admit, it looked pretty good on me.
Tiptoeing out of my room, I softly shut my door and head down stairs. My footsteps are quiet and I purposefully avoid any creaks in the steps that might get me caught. Luckily Aunt Claire was asleep in her room, so the further I got from the bedrooms, the less worried I became.
Once I was near the front door, I grabbed my pair of chucks and strapped them on before rushing out of the house. As soon as I stepped outside, the cool breeze smacked my face as I ran across the wet lawn towards Jack’s truck. Quickly circling around to the passenger side, I open the door and hop inside.
“You came.” I breathe, focusing on how fucking handsome he looks right now. Even though the lights were off inside the truck, I could still make out his tied back hair and the casual outfit that made my stomach do flips.
“I told you I would.” He maneuvers his eyes down my body, soaking all of me in like it’s his first time seeing me. With one hand resting on the steering wheel, the other is balled into a fist on his lap.
“How do I look?” I ask biting down on my lip before shrugging off my jacket. The minute the material slides off my shoulders, I hear a small intake of breath escape Jack.
As I wait for his response, I feel his fingers brush under my chin and lift my head till I’m facing him. “So fucking beautiful.”
My heart skipped in my chest as our eyes lovingly took in one another. It wasn’t long before my hungry gaze skated down to his lips, demanding a taste.
“You don’t look too bad yourself.” I grin leaning over the center console until my lips are hovering over his.
“You tryna kill me?” He growls while his fingers slip from under my chin and grab onto the back of my neck, tangling his fingers through my hair.
“Why?” I ask moving my hand to rest on his upper thigh, squeezing hard until I feel his body tense. “Is seeing me in this dress gonna give you a heart attack, old man?”
Yanking on my hair just enough to elicit a moan from me, he chuckles darkly. “Do I look like an old man to you?”
Licking my lips, I greedily take him in. “No.”
He roughly grabs my hand that's sitting on his thigh and drags it over to his cock that’s rock hard under his jeans.
“Do I feel like an old man to you?” He snarls over my lips, thrusting himself into my hand.
“Fuck no.” I groan, and fall forward till our lips connect in a whirlwind of fury. Teeth clashing and breaths heavy, we absorb each other until there is absolutely n
othing left.
And this is how it was with us, always.
Intense passion that made my skin tremor every time he was near me.
We were explosive, and too damn stupid to realize how wrong this was.
As our kissing increased, becoming more chaotic, I pressed my hand down harder onto his cock until a loud groan flew out of his mouth.
“As much as I want to tear that dress off of you and fuck you right here.” He sighs between kisses. “I have somewhere to take you.” Pulling away from my mouth, he rests his forehead against mine.
“Where are you taking me?” I smile, beyond curious to see what he had up his sleeve.
“It’s a surprise.” He whispers while gently rubbing a finger across my bottom lip. On instinct, my tongue darts out and my mouth clamps over his finger, digging my teeth softly onto his flesh.
“I wouldn’t be all that opposed to staying right here for a bit.” I tease, dragging my teeth down his finger and watching as his eyes turn as black as the night sky.
Pulling his finger out of my mouth, he swiftly twists the key in the ignition, and starts up the truck.
“Not happening.” He grunts, throwing the gear into drive. “Getting caught by a nosy neighbor isn't on the itinerary tonight.”
Throwing myself back into the seat, I smile. “Damn.” I joke, strapping the seatbelt over my body.
We head down the quiet road past my house then make a turn towards town.
“You hungry?” He asks while staring ahead.
“Extremely.” I mumble under my breath, dropping my eyes down his body. With a black tee stuck to his form like a second skin, I forcibly glue myself into the seat so I don’t sink my greedy claws into him.
I wanted him more than I wanted anything in my life. He made me wild with need, and filled an emptiness in my heart that I never knew existed.
“For food.” He mutters, giving me a side glance. “Not my cock.”
“Kind of.” I replied with heated cheeks after the word cock flew out of his mouth.
Nodding, his arm maneuvered behind him, messing with something in the back seat.
“I hope you like sandwiches.”
Twisting my head to look in the back, I notice a small picnic basket sitting on the floor board.
“Did you make us food?” I ask surprised, feeling my heart swell in my chest from the gesture.
“Yah, I thought this would be better than going out somewhere.” His shoulders shrug nonchalantly.
Staring at him in awe, I never expected Jack to have a romantic side. Everything between us was sexual up to this point, and seeing this side of him was what I’ve been longing for.
I wanted a deeper connection.
I wanted to know everything about him, especially his past and the secrets that he buried deep inside so no one would find.
“I didn’t know you could cook.” I grin, imagining him in his kitchen preparing everything.
“There are a lot of things I can do.” He returns a sly smirk my way.
“I don’t doubt that.” I agree, shifting my body in the seat as I think about all the possibilities of what he can do.
About ten minutes pass as we continue driving, then suddenly Jack takes a sharp right down a gravel road that's surrounded in trees. Peering out the window, I try to figure out where we are and what we're doing here until I’m officially stumped.
“Any particular reason why we’re driving down a sketchy road in the middle of nowhere?” I turn my head and glance at Jack with a worried expression fitted across my face.
Laughing, he keeps his eyes focused on the road. Lounging back, he grips the wheel with one hand and the other swipes at his lower lip.
“You’ll see soon enough.” His words were vague, but seconds later, I noticed a large archway in the distance. Old and rusted out, it reads “Wonderland Park” with the letter p hanging on by a thread.
“What is this place?” I ask as we drive through the arch.
“An abandoned amusement park.”
Why was he taking me here?
Coming to a stop, I peer out the window and notice a chain link fence blocking us from going any further. A no trespassing sign hangs from the middle, but clearly Jack wasn’t one to follow rules.
Shutting off the car, he reaches in the back to grab the basket and opens the car door.
“You comin’?” He glances my way before hopping out of the car noticing I still had my seat belt on.
Realizing I haven’t moved since we’ve stopped, I swiftly unbuckle myself and open the door. Circling around the truck where he stands, I push my arms through the holes of my jacket and tighten it around me.
“It’s kind of spooky out here.” I look around me only seeing the dark shadows of trees and hearing the occasional hoot of an owl. It was eerily quiet out here, the perfect place for a murder to take place or for a psycho to hide out.
“Are you afraid of the dark?” He asks while reaching into the basket and pulling out a lantern.
“Out here I am.” I scoot closer to him, then suddenly the light from the lantern flickers on.
The bright light eases most of the worry I have, but I still feel the need to stand close to him.
Just in case.
With the basket in one hand, he hands me the lantern and swiftly grasps my free hand.
“Don’t worry, O’Connor. I’m probably the most dangerous thing out here. ” He glances down at me with a devious grin that sends my pulse racing.
“I don’t know if that's a good or a bad thing” I joke, as he begins to pull us towards the chain.
Shrugging, he ducks under the chain, and holds it up for me to slip under.
“Good for you, bad for others.”
Holding out the lamp in front of us, the light illuminates our way down the gravel path as I’m walking shoulder to shoulder next to Jack.
“So, are you going to tell me why you picked to come here out of all the places we could go?” I question as my eyes remain on high alert.
“I used to come here as a kid.” He admits but what shocks me the most is the fact that he grew up here. Wes never mentioned that Jack used to live here. I just assumed they randomly chose Logansport to live.
“I didn’t know you were from around here.” I peer up at him from the side and I swear I feel his hand tense in mine.
My statement seems to have caught him off guard, but he quickly recovers.
“Yea, once I found out about Wes, we lived in California for a bit. Then one day, I got a job offer back home.”
“Are your parents still here?” I ask but the sensation I got was that it was a sore subject for him.
“Yes, but we don’t speak.”
His vague response was enough for me to drop the subject altogether and focus on what was in front of me. We were approaching what looked to be a carousel. Tall overgrown grass surrounded it, but its allure was compelling. Creepy, even, as we got closer.
Then suddenly, out of the corner of my eye, I noticed another abandoned ride. A Ferris wheel with vines entwined around the bars and rusted out seats that looked to be older than I was.
“I can’t believe they left all these rides here.”
Stopping just in front of the carousel, I lift the lantern and shine the light, giving me a better view. The assorted colors of blues and purples that covered the ride were dull and lifeless as my eyes studied the spinning top.
“It wasn’t always abandoned.” Jack announced beside me, causing my gaze to focus on his side profile.
“You used to come here?” I ask, feeling my heart fill.
“At night when it was closed I’d sneak in.” He admitted with a look of remembrance across his face. “During the day it was too busy, and I hated the fucking crowds of people.”
A light smile appears on his face as he sets the basket down next to his feet.
“What would you do here?” The question rolls off my tongue as I imagine a young Jack roaming around here at night.
; “Anything I wanted.” Pulling out a small blanket from the basket, he lays it across the tall grass before offering me his hand.
“Did you ever get caught?”
Placing my small hand in his, I had a feeling I knew the answer but still felt the need to ask.
“Never.” He winked before pulling me down onto the soft blanket so we were now sitting side by side.
“You came here alone as a kid?” I watch as he digs through the basket pulling out a plate of sandwiches and a couple bowls. “Weren’t you ever scared to be out here?”
It was creepy being out here with Jack, I could only imagine being out here alone.
“Growing up, being scared wasn’t an option.” He grunts, handing me a bottle of water. “At ten, I learned quickly that we didn’t live like most families do. Where most kids were enrolled in summer camps learning how to tie knots, I was shooting guns. And by fourteen, I knew exactly what artery to cut to kill a man.”
The pure horror and sorrow across my face burned through Jack as he nonchalantly tossed back his water. Sure, I believed that Jack had certain demons that he dealt with on a daily basis, but after discovering this, I didn’t know what to think.
“Jesus Jack, why would your parents teach you that?” I ask astonished that he acted like it was a completely normal thing.
“I’m not a victim, Becca.” He stops what he’s doing and turns half his body to peer at me. “I had a decent life growing up, privileged even. But, I chose a different path, a better one for my son and me.” Dropping his head, black hair falls around him. “My past is better off left dead and buried nine feet in the ground.”
I stare into his confident loving eyes, knowing that the man he was today, was the man I fell for. Despite the past that he tries to hide.
Still confused, my brows dip wanting to ask a million more questions of why he didn’t want to talk about his past with me. He should know by now that I’d understand. That whatever he’d say wouldn’t change my mind about him.
“If you think your past would push me away, it wouldn’t.” I crawl towards him in hopes he’d finally unload everything he’s hiding. His eyes darken as I swing a leg over his body and completely straddle him. “I want to understand you, Jack. And I can’t unless you let me in, fully.”