I'm Innocent - Jake T. Austin

15: Restless

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15: Restless

I push the frame of my glasses against the bridge of my nose and see my reflection in the mirror. It feels good to have glasses again; no more stressing with the pain of contacts - well, for now, at least, since Adriana isn't with me. My phone vibrates against the wooden table, and glancing at it, I see Talon has texted me.

*I'll be there in a few minutes, four eyes!* I slip my phone into my pocket, checking my outfit one last time. Since Adriana isn't here, I'm able to dress as I please, so I took into account the clothes I wanted to wear before I packed for New York and stuffed it inside the dresses and clothes Adriana wanted me to wear. Converse, jeans, loose maroon shirt, grey hoodie - plus some bangles on my wrists and hoops on my ears - just so I can still 'obey' Adriana. I didn't put anything on my face, deciding that makeup won't work well with me since I can't even differentiate what a blending brush is from an eyeshadow brush to how to put eyeliner on and the difference between pencils and liquid.

I hear a knock on the door, interrupting my thought process, causing me to walk towards the entrance. Is Adriana here already? Talon just texted me that he's on his way. It'll take him a few minutes to get here. That, and he usually waits in his car when it comes to picking me up; it isn't like him to go up here. I think of the possibility of Adriana going home early. It's either there was an emergency, or something bad happened with her friends. If she sees me in this, she'll know I brought multiple outfits that she wouldn't accept. She'll also realize I'm going out; she's going to make me change - most likely - and bombard me with makeup. Instead of over-processing the scenario in my head, I decide to twist the doorknob and open it, preparing for the worst, "Four eyes!"

A breath that I didn't know I was holding escapes my lips, "Oh my god." "What?" Talon smiles, entering and throwing himself onto my bed. I follow behind, "I thought you were my sister - if she saw me like this, she would go -" but before I can complete my sentence, he finishes it for me, "Ballistic."

"Exactly."

"No worries. I'm just glad you're going tonight," he pulls out his cellphone, tapping at it as he speaks to me. "It's not like I have a choice," I roll my eyes, before applying a layer of Chapstick on my lips. "You did have a choice," he sits up, "And you still do. It's just - the other choice would cause you to go deaf," his voice nonchalantly states as he smirks at me. I suppress my smile, realizing how he still remembers Adriana's earsplitting voice when she's enraged. Adriana doesn't really show her anger because she usually transforms her acrimony into sassy, satirical remarks, but if one ever got her passed her boiling point, I wouldn't even know how to stop her. "Well, at least she loved one of us when we were kids," I shrug my shoulders, sitting at the edge of the bed, sarcasm in my words. He chuckles, "I'm telling you it was my cheeks," he pinches both sides, stretching them out. I shake my head, "Are we gonna sit here all night or actually go to the party?" He lifts his eyebrow, "Eager?" I stand up, resting my hand on his shoulder, "You got to live on edge, Eagle shit."

We exit out of my hotel room, then go to his car parked a building away from Four Seasons. As soon as we enter his vehicle, I notice a leather suitcase in the front seat. I lift it up, putting it on my lap, before sliding my seatbelt. "Here," he pulls the case away from me, "Let me put this in the back." I follow his gesture, seeing that there are leather-covered boxes in the back along with the suitcase. I'm assuming this is what Jake wanted Talon to bring. "Those are insulated ice containers," Talon revs up the engine, causing me to face forward, "I forgot to bring them last week, so some of the drinks weren't cooled." I nod, "Right," I roll my eyes. I understand the need for cold drinks, but that's the point of not putting out the drinks that aren't being used yet - so no cans are waisted.