missing | gilinsky

26

"Where the hell do you think you're going?" Nate asks, storming into my room. I jump, swinging around in his direction. How did he know I was planning on going out? Was he spying on me? The door was closed so I don't even know how he would've seen me getting ready to leave.

"Ever head of knocking?" I raise an eyebrow at him.

"This is my apartment, I don't have to knock," he reminds me.

"Well I don't have to just sit here and do nothing," I say, unplugging my phone from it's charger.

"You're going to get lost and not be able to find your way back. No one is going to help you," Nate tells me. "You're going to wish you stayed here where it's safe."

"I think I can take care of myself."

"Maybe that was the case in Omaha, but this is New York we're talking," he warns, still blocking me from getting out. 

"Nate, you have no idea the shit that I've been through in the past two years. I came here to find my brother and that's what I'm going to do," I growl, pushing him out of the way. 

"Why isn't Hannah going with you?" He questions, continuing to follow me even when I'm out of the apartment. 

"She's sleeping."

"Wake her up then."

I laugh. Waking Hannah up would take fifteen minutes as it is and for her to get ready would take another half hour. I don't have time for that.

"You come with me then," I spit back. I don't really want him to come, but if it gets him off my back then whatever. We reach the door to the stairwell and I swing it open. Taking the stairs is way easier than taking the elevator in my opinion. I hate elevators. 

Nate gets a sour look on his face then stops walking. I want to keep going but I don't. A part of me knows he's right, a part of me is scared to go alone. But I have to do this. And as selfish as this sounds if I end up seeing Jack I don't want to have to share that moment with anyone else.

"I'll be back later, if Jack asks where I am don't tell him."

Nate scoffs. "I don't even know where you're going, how would I tell him?"

A nervous feeling sits in the pit of my stomach. Feeling around in my pocket I make sure I've got my phone on me. I'm safe. I'll be safe. 

"I'll be around," I say. I give Nate a curt nod before making my way down the stairs. When I finally reach the last floor I push open the exit and pound out onto the gravel of the parking lot. I hope I know what I'm getting myself into.

Jack

My right eye is swelled shut and there's an endless pool of blood swimming through my lips. I cant tell if it's from my actual lip or if it's dribbling down from my nose. Either way it feels good. It feels good to feel anything but nervous or sad. It feels good not to feel weak. 

"You wanna keep going?" Chris heaves, bounding on his toes. He's nursing a big knot on his left cheek and a busted lip.

When I walked to The Den I was expecting to see Justin. I was expecting to get drunk with him although I had said to hell with him when we were at Johnny's I knew he still would've taken me in. He gets told stuff like that all the time so he's used to it. I figured he would've thought I came back to apologize but really I was just gonna get him real drunk so when I started the fight he wouldn't be as in control as he would be if he was sober. But instead of him I found Chris, his stepbrother.