DON'T BREAK THE RULES

Chapter 10 - Freaky Rules

Although there was such glee on Jamie's features, his bright blue eyes brightening as he glanced between the both of them, Fred had never felt such terror facing anybody else before. His stomach began to twist on its own and the only thing he could think of was danger. His fight and flight were in motion and he subtly eyed the front door, seeing that it was close enough for him to reach.

Jamie did not turn away, not even when both of them glanced at one another to think of a response, not even when Joe's gaze lowered to his glass of beer or when Fred scratched the side of his face, hoping to stall for a few more seconds.

And the worse part was that Joe was not the greatest liar and after a minute of thinking of which words to say, he cleared his throat and said, "Just...you know, talking about..." and then he blanked, not finding any excuse as to what else they could have been the topic of their chat.

Fred took the lead, thinking of a match he had watched on television a few days prior. "The Trésor Cup that Tiger Woods just won!" Fred chimed, patting Joe on the shoulder.

Jamie glanced towards Joe for a second, maintaining his grin before asking, "And when exactly did you watch that tournament, Joe?" Although he wasn't entirely certain, he was betting the odds that Joe didn't watch golf—to which he was right, Joe didn't even know the rules of golf.

Joe scratched the back of his ear, thinking of a date to lie about but it would definitely not align with the date that Tiger Woods really played. One of the rules was also not to lie, which was why he struggled to think of a truth that could be used instead of a outright lie.

Luckily, Fred wrapped an arm around his shoulders and faked a few chuckles. "For the four years that I've known Joe, he's never cared about golf but I always tell him about it."

Joe's ears perked, rapidly nodding his head. "Yeah, I've always wondered how—"

"I'm only staying a little longer," Jamie interrupted coldly and they both noticed the way his entire face had changed, no longer the act of kindness and instead replaced by a curled lip, as if he was disgusted by them. His gaze then locked with Fred, peering deeply into his eyes as if to let him know that he knew they had lied. Fred swallowed hard, feeling the hair on the nape of his neck perk. "If you see me walk out, that means I'm leaving. If you don't follow me out, you can spend the night here with your...friend."

He squinted his eyes for a second, holding Fred's for longer even though he had nothing else to say. Even though Fred was also older than Jamie, he felt chills simply being around him. It didn't help the fact that Jamie was not only tall but built, muscle groups outlined by his tight turtleneck. Once a minute passed, Jamie finally twirled on his heels and stepped away, raising his hands while he joined his friends again.

Fred finally exhaled a long breath, his throat suddenly loosening as he felt the tension drop and the danger lift itself off his shoulders. Although he knew Jamie's entire persona had been odd earlier, that had definitely sold it. The strangest part was that neither of them had heard his footsteps nor any sound that he was approaching; he had suddenly appeared out of nowhere.

Fred needed a few seconds to regain his composure, returning his booze on the table before putting one hand on his chest, feeling his racing heartbeat. "You need to leave that guy."

"Fred, come on—"

"Did you see the way he came out of thin air?"

After a cackle, Joe rolled his eyes. "He didn't come out of thin air, he walked over to us."

Fred was panting as his fingers squeezed his chest, attempting to calm his heartbeat. It had been quite some time a stranger had unsettled him in this way. "You should really be careful with that guy Joe," he whispered through heavy breaths, "he gives me the creeps." After a short pause, he glanced towards Jamie once more before adding, "I'll do some digging on him but you shouldn't live there."