Serena

T w e n t y-t h r e e

"But Tyler wouldn't fight fair," I think. He's proven himself to be conniving and said he'd send others to do his dirty work, ensuring that his hands say clan. "Just be careful, okay?" I say.

I want to tell him that if anything happened to him, especially at the hands by those that have already cause me so much pain, I'd probably fall apart all over again because somehow, the brown-eyed boy in front of me has become the glue I've needed to put myself back together. However, I won't let him know this, because who wants to be with a girl that has become so dependent on you?

His eyes cast downwards on me and he smirks, "I can take care of myself but to save an argument, I promise I'll be careful."

Unsatisfied with his answer, I prop myself up on one elbow and frown. "I'm serious Jake. You don't know what he's like. I think and can be really dangerous and I mean, he has a reason to be."

Jake purses his full lips and nods. "Okay, I believe you. If you tell me what their names are it will help me to keep tabs on them—make sure that they aren't around, you know?"

I tear my eyes away and slowly exhale. He's right of course, it couldn't hurt at this point. Swallowing, I bite the inside of my cheek and repeat the two names that have haunted me for over a year. "The one that was their tonight was Tyler Keene. From the very beginning the whole thing was his idea. The other one is Zack Cutter. Out of the two, he's the lesser evil in a sense. I mean he didn't really want to do it at first, Tyler kind of made him. And afterwards he took me home later and left a Gatorade bottle by my bed. I know it doesn't justify what he did because it was still wrong, but...I don't know. I guess I just hate him less than Tyler," I say, pausing.

Maybe hate isn't the correct word, because deep down I don't think I'm capable of ever hating anyone. Not Maci when she was bullying me every single day, not the doctor who misdiagnosed my mother leading to her untimely death, and not the two boys that took away my sense of security. If there is one thing I've learned in my short seventeen years of life is that bitterness—if left to fester inside you—will leave you with nothing other than an empty shell that only knows how to hate.

I pause, shrugging the shoulder that isn't supporting my weight, "One day I'd like to forgive them. Maybe it'd give me closure."

Jake's eyes soften as he brushes my hair behind my ear. Suddenly, he gives me a strange look, as if he's a blind man seeing the sun rise for the first time. Raising an eyebrow, I shake my head slightly in confusion. "What?"

A slow grin creeps onto his lips as if he's hiding something and he shrugs his toned shoulders. "Nothing, I just realized something."

Smirking, I toss up a hand when more than a few seconds pass by. "Well are you going to tell me?"

Slowly, he closes his eyes and adjusts himself on my pillow. "Maybe tomorrow Carter, let's get some sleep."

My mouth drops open and I let out an audible scoff of disbelief. He grins and I roll my eyes. Defeated, I lean over and shut off my lamp and find my place on his chest once again. He slowly trails his thumb up and down my arm and I remember just how exhausted I am. Within minutes, I fall asleep to the steady beat of his heart.

However, I'm not prepared for the hard shake my aunt gives me, waking me up only a few short hours later. Blinking, I rub my eyes and sit up, groggy and confused with what her problem is until I realize that Jake is slowly waking up next to me as well, his hair a tousled mess.

"Serena. Taylor. Carter. Care to explain why this young man is asleep with you in your bed?" she asks, tapping her foot swiftly in irritation. Her pale arms are crossed over her chest and she's wearing her scrubs, signaling she's about to go to work.