Captured.

~Chapter Thirty-One~

The next morning, Jonah comes down in ripped jeans, a white t-shirt with a few wear holes, and a black leather jacket that I’ve never seen before. His hair is slicked back a sort of limp pompadour. Basically, he resembles a Greaser from The Outsiders.

I’m staring at him. mid-bite, while Caleb topples out of his chair laughing.

“Oh, my God,” Caleb howls, banging his fist on the floor, halfway in the fetal position. “Jonah, Halloween was last month!”

“Shut up!” he snaps, popping out his collar, which only makes Caleb’s laughter heighten. Tears are slowly beginning to work their way down his face. “I can’t breath!” he cries, and Jonah kicks him in the side before taking a seat across from me.

“What, are you wearing?” I ask as I continue to stare at him in confusion.

“What? The chicks dig this,” he says as he moves to further slick his hair back.

“In what decade? Because it’s certainly not the one we live in!” I say, and Caleb just cackles at that.

“The girls always fall for the bad boys,” he says matter-of-factly. “Everyone knows that.”

“Wait, wait, wait,” I say, holding my hand out for him to hold his thoughts. “Let me just takes a wild guess. Conrad told you that.”

“Yeah, how’d you know?” 

“Lucky guess,” I say as I close my eyes and rub my temples.

“What did I say now?” Conrad asks as he hobbles in. 

Five days later, though his chest is sill tightly wrapped in bandages, Conrad is up and walking with the help of a pair of crutches. 

He looks from me to Jonah, and his face immediately puffs up before he bursts into laughter. He sort of curls into himself and in the process, loses his balance as his crutches fall, landing on his side. He says, “Ow,” between every laugh, as Caleb, who is also still laughing, moves to help him up again. 

That’s when Ryan decides to make an appearance, and with one look at Jonah, his lips begin to quiver, before he lets out an uncharacteristic snort.

“Alright, that’s it!” Jonah pushes past everyone and heads upstairs to change. Caleb and Conrad are crying now, and Ryan is biting down hard on his fist. 

I just look on, not sure what to make of the situation.

Poor Jonah. 

“Guys, it’s not funny,” I say as I smack Caleb in the shoulder. 

“Yes, it is,” Caleb insists, his laughter finally begins to slow. “He’s being ridiculous.”

“Says the guy who throws a rock at his mate and kidnapped her,” I point out.

At that, his laughter diminishes and his eyes dart over to mine. I can hear Conrad cough, “Burn!” not too subtly into his fist.

“I’m never going to live that down, am I?” He sighs.

“Nope,” I say, popping the ‘p.’

At that, Jonah comes in grumbling. He’s opted out of his previous attire, switching to a pair of dark wash jeans, and a black fitted tee. He’s irritably messing with his hair that’s been roughly washed of all the products.

I shake my head at him as I walk over and tug him to my eye level. Then I mess up his hair.

“SIS!” He snaps, retracting out of my grasp and shooting eyeball daggers at me.