Twisted

Chapter Twelve

Chapter Twelve

Erik's POV

I almost had to stop myself from killing the boy right then and there. So, he was the one who had shot Megan? He certainly can't get away with this. Oh, no.

I watched as Megan's mouth fell open. Something flickered in her eyes, though I couldn't place whether it was fear or anger. Knowing her personality, I figured the latter.

"I didn't want to shoot you." said Chase, trying and failing miserably at making amends. I think that is the closest thing he has ever uttered that has ever come close to an apology. I was rather surprised at this new development. He had always been brave, even if he was an idiot. He was never nice, though. He had faced too many cruelties in the world to be remotely near being nice. However, it seemed that I was witnessing this very phenomenon with my own eyes.

Chase's face was still fixed with a hard stare. I watched as it crumpled, bit by bit, undoubtedly by Megan's beauty and kind face.

Curse that kid.

I shook myself. A strange feeling ran through me. Was I...jealous? No, no way. I've never been jealous. And, it would be absolutely proposterous for I, a twenty-three year old man, was jealous of a fifteen year old boy.

So what if he's good looking. I shouldn't care if a good looking person talks to Megan. Yet, I did.

It was the strangest thing.

"Oh, so that makes it okay. Because you didn't want to shoot me. Okay. I totally forgive you." The sarcasm was evident in Megan's statement. She mock-saluted Chase, and I could visibly see the anger boiling up inside him.

"I swear! They made me do it!" he sounded somewhat like a whiny toddler.

"No one can just make you shoot someone in the freaking shoulder!" Megan shot back, a defiant glare fixed on Chase.

"Maybe they can!"

"Maybe they can't!"

"You don't know why I did it, anyway! I wouldn't expect you to understand, having had a perfect life." Chase almost snarled at Megan.

At this, Megan stopped dead. A dangerous, cold look entered her ice-blue eyes. She chuckled softly. If I didn't know better, I'd say she was insane.

"Say that again." Megan said, her voice deceivingly quiet.

A confused look entered Chase's eyes, but he quickly changed it to a steady glare. "I said, you have had a perfect life."

Megan's eyes narrowed. "My life is far from perfect."

"I doubt it."

A crazy glint appeared in her eyes. "My life? Perfect? Ha. I wish." She took a step forward, and Chase took a shaky step back. Her voice quivering like a tightrope, Megan started her punctuated life story.

"I grew up without a mom." She said steadily enough. "She died giving birth to me. I have no memories whatsoever." she paused for a moment. "My dad-" she was cut off by her sob. She continued nonetheless. "He-he was my everything. I know it sounds like something from a badly scripted movie, but he was everything. My strength, my support, my home. Home was wherever he was. Even if that meant in the streets of New York, because we never could afford anything." She paused once more to draw in a breath, and it was evident she was holding back tears. Chase was seemingly unmoved by this, until her next statement. "He committed suicide when I was thirteen." Chase's face adapted a shocked expression, as did mine. He was supposed to have died from natural causes... "No one knows that I know that it was suicide. Everyone told me he had had a heart attack, and I pretended to accept these lies. But I knew better." She was trembling now, and moisture threatened to spill over her eyelashes. "I saw the signs. I-" Megan's voice broke again. Still, she persevered. "I have a note. His note. He had written it, and I found it laying by my bag that contained all of my valuable things. It was confusing, and had a lot of numbers on it. On the back, there were specific instructions to not tell anyone about it. So I haven't-until now. I was too afraid. It told me to stay with my friend, Alice. So I did. But, everyday, I looked at his thin handwriting. It kind of gave me something to hold onto." At this, her small frame was wracked with sobs.