Chapter 40
Justin’s Point of View:
I must have given away the fact that I was pissed and had the urge to kill someone because Kelsey noticed the moment I sat inside the car.
“Are you okay?” She questioned, worry and confusion tinted in her words.
I locked my jaw tight, trying to contain my anger inside so I wouldn’t lash out on her. Licking my lips, I turned the key into the ignition, pulling out of the driveway. “I’m fine.”
From the corner of my eye, I could see Kelsey shift uncomfortably, wanting to ask another question but she bit her tongue, not wanting to upset me.
Good girl. I inwardly thought while turning the corner, feeling my veins pump with venom.
Hanging my left arm off the steering wheel’s top, a sudden want overtook me as I leaned over to the side, digging into the glove compartment for the one thing I urged for at the moment.
Grabbing a pack of smokes, I moved back in my seat, glancing up between the box and the streets, making sure I wasn’t stupid enough to crash before fishing out a stick and my lighter out of my jacket before discarding the box to the side and lighting up the buzz.
I took a long drag of it, letting the feeling of haze take over me as it relaxed my muscles. I let out a groan of easement. It’s been a while since I’ve had a good smoke. Cracking the window open the moment I realized the air was wafted with smoke, I continued driving.
Kelsey watched from beside me intently. Her lips pulled to the side, her perfectly threaded eyebrows pulled as one in the middle. She looked as if she was contemplating something.
Sighing, I swerved the car to a stop. “What is it?” I spat.
Kelsey seemed startled by my outburst as she stared at me with wide eyes. “Nothing…”
“Don’t bullshit me, Kels.” I muttered, taking another take of my cigarette, keeping the smoke in for a while before ghosting it out.
“I’m n--”
“I said,” I began once more, my voice sour and stern. “Don’t bullshit me.” My eyes were dark as they stared into her light ones.
Gulping, she licked her lips. “I--just--” She paused, sighing frustratingly. “You seem…-”
“Just spill it out, Kelsey.” I hissed, trying hard not to let the monster in me take control.
“You seem tense, okay? Like something’s wrong with you.” Kelsey spoke all in one breath.
I pressed my lips together, staring ahead of me, noticing the countless cars driving by, the clouds above slowly moving around, the sun decaying in the sky; the darkness close to eloping the firmament above us.
The air grew thick almost instantly as the memories flooded my mind, bringing me back to the house, just before we left.
“It won’t be long before I have your girl screaming my name for more.” Jason whispered in my ear tauntingly.
My hands balled into fists as my side. It didn’t take long before I grabbed fist full’s of his shirt and pinned him against the wall harshly, his back coming in hard contact. “If I were you, I’d watch what you say.” I spat, my face just inches away from his.
Jason, instead, merely chuckled. “Your threats mean nothing to me, Bieber.”
“They should.” I hissed. “If you want to stay alive, I mean.” I grinned. “You seem to underestimate me, McCann. I’m not afraid to blow your brains out right here, right now.”
“You wouldn’t.”
I cocked a brow up. “Wanna bet?”
Jason kept silent, his eyes watching mine.
“If you even try to go near her or even put your filthy hands on her, I will make sure that you experience a slow and painful death and when I’m done with you, there is no evidence left behind.” I sneered. “It’s not like you got anything to live for anyways.” I cocked my head to the side, knowing I was hitting a soft spot in him. “I mean, your parents and brother are dead right?” I smiled when he didn’t say anything. “What? Cat got your tongue, McCann? Did I hit a soft spot right there?” I grinned devilishly.
Jason’s jaw locked tight, his eyes shading those of death. He used all his strength to push me back, making me stumble a bit but I regained my composure almost instantly. “If anyone underestimates anyone here, it’s you when it comes to me.” Jason roared.
“I’m not afraid of you.” I spat.
“You should.” Jason sickly smiled. “Because you know, I’m not afraid to blow your girl to pieces.”
I froze, narrowing my eyes at him.
“Remember back in the good ol’ days when you and I were pals?” Jason continued to provoke me.
“We were never friends.” I spat.
“Why? …Oh, I remember…” Jason snapped his fingers in fake surprise laced with mockery. “Because your family disowned your pathetic ass? Man,” He shook his head. “I thought you were over that?”
I locked my jaw tight. “Shut up!” I spat venomously.
“What? Did I hit a soft spot there?” Jason teased menacingly, using my own words against me. “Or maybe it’s not your family that’s the problem…” He paused. “Could it possibly be the fact that it’s because of me, your precious sister, Jazzy, died?”
Just then, it felt like the whole world around me came to a slow stop, nothing but Jason and I present, every feeling known to man pulsing through me rapidly, my cheeks flushing with anger as Jason took me back to the one day I hoped to forget. “Shut up!” I barked once more, my face hot.
“What?” Jason threw his hands in the air. “Can’t stand the past, Bieber?” He bellowed, his voice echoing throughout the room. “How does it feel?”
“Fuck you.” I spat and in seconds, I pulled my fist back before slamming it into his face, grabbing him by the collar of his shirt and punching him again while holding him against the wall. "I let it go before McCann.” I whispered deadly. “But now?” I gritted my teeth together. “My patience is running real thin and I'm just about tempted to kill you.”
“You wouldn’t dare.” He hissed. “I wasn’t afraid to kill Jazzy then and I sure as hell am not afraid to kill your precious girlfriend either.” He sneered.
“Touch Kelsey and I’ll be sure to cut you up and feed you to the dogs.” I hissed, letting my words fall freely and slow enough for each word to taunt Jason heavily. “Got that?”
Jason pushed me back, his face burning with anger. “Remember Bieber, I’m not afraid of a little competition.”
“This ain’t Las Vegas, bud.” I smirked. “I run the show in this town.”
“Not for long.”
“We’ll see about that.” I made my way to the door. “Oh and McCann?” I turned my head to look at him. “Bring up Jazzy again and you’ll see a side of me, you’ve never seen before. I can promise you that.”
Kelsey’s hand overlapped mine, bringing me back from flashback central. I sighed. “You’re right.” I muttered lowly.
Kelsey stared at me with wide eyes. “I am?”
I nodded, licking my dry lips. “There is something wrong with me.” I looked at her. “But it’s nothing you have to worry about, okay?” My face softened as I stared at her. Leaning over, I brushed my fingers against her cheekbone. “I’m going to take care of it.”
Kelsey’s Point of View:
“You have nothing to worry about.” Jason whispered faintly as if, if he were to speak any louder, I’d break.
I meekly nodded my head, smiling warily. “Okay.”
Gulping, Justin licked his lips, revving his car up before pulling onto the road once more where he continued driving to my house.
I knew there was more to the story and that something else was bugging him but I decided it’d be best if I just kept my mouth shut. There are just some things that aren’t my business.
It didn’t take much longer before Justin turned onto my block and stopped just a few houses away from mine.
Unbuckling my seat belt, I turned towards Justin. “Thank you.” I smiled.
Justin nodded, staring vacantly ahead of him. “No problem.” He mumbled.
I pressed my lips together, not knowing if I should say something or just leave.
Noticing my unknowing state, Justin looked at me, his eyes boring into mine with solemnity. “I love you, you know that… right?” He questioned uneasily.
I furrowed my eyebrows. “Yeah and I love you too.” I stared at him sadly, feeling my stomach churn.
“C’mere.” He gestured with his head.
I bit my lip before leaning over, closer to him.
Cupping my cheek in his hand, he moved in closer to me until our lips met as one.
I sighed into the kiss, deepening it a bit as my hand fell loosely onto his cheek as well.
Grasping onto my hips, Justin hovered over me a bit so that my back pressed up against the door.
I moaned into the kiss, running my fingers through his hair.
Pulling away before it got any heavier, Justin licked his lips, savoring the taste. “I’ll see you tomorrow?”
I nodded, kissing him once more before opening the door and walking out. Closing it, I waved just as I turned and walked away.
Justin waited until I was inside my house before driving away.
“Mom! Dad! I’m home!” I called out while kicking off my shoes.
I walked into the living room where I expected to see them watching TV but instead, I was surprised to see them standing with their arms crossed against their chests, anger evident in their faces with a surprise guest beside them.
“Carly?” I asked, shocked.
Busted.
Justin’s Point of View:
“He’s got to go.”
The moment I got home from dropping off Kelsey, I called Bruce down to discuss Jason.
“Fuck, Bieber, enough with the bullshit with McCann. We need him for the bombs--” Bruce began to state before I cut him off.
“Forget the mother fucking bombs!” I barked sharply.
Bruce stared at me, shocked at my outburst.
My chest was moving up and down angrily. “I don’t care about them. All I care about is getting rid of him and fast.”
“We can’t just kill him off, Bieber, that’s not how it works.”
“We kill our enemies, yes? The guys that threaten the ones we love?” I waited as Bruce stared at me. “Am I right?” I spat.
Bruce sighed, nodding. “Yes, yes but damn it, Justin! We can’t just fucking kill him!”
“I believe we can.” I hissed.
“No, we can’t.” Bruce shook his head. “The cops will be all over the case wanting to know how the infamous Jason McCann died. It’s too risky, we can’t do this.”
“I killed Parker and there was no complications--”
“You seem to forget your little girlfriend was a witness.” Bruce sneered.
I gritted my teeth together. “You know what?” I stared at him with fire burning in my eyes. “Forget you. I’ll just do it myself. It’s nothing I haven’t done before.”
“You can’t kill him all on your own, Bieber.” Bruce hissed. “Stop thinking with your ass and start thinking with your brain!”
“I am and right now my brain is telling me to murder that piece of shit.” I spoke through clenched teeth.
“You’re just asking to get your ass thrown in jail.”
“If it’s because I killed that good for nothing piece of shit then so be it.” I turned to walk away.
“Listen Bieber, I know you care about that girl man, but it’s not worth it. No girl is.” Bruce called after me.
I stopped dead in my tracks. “Don’t talk about her like that.”
“I’m just saying bro, you’re risking a hell of a lot of shit by doing this.”
“I’m not doing this just for Kelsey, Bruce. I’m doing this for myself. I’m doing this for closure.” I paused, licking my lips. “I’m doing this for Jazzy.”
At the mention of her name, Bruce froze. As the words sunk in, he let out a sharp, shaky breath. “You haven’t mentioned her in a while…” Bruce murmured.
“Yeah, well, I didn’t think about it much until Jason brought it up tonight on top of threatening to do the same thing he did with her to Kelsey.”
“Shit,” Bruce spat, running his hands through his hair.
“Exactly.” I muttered. “You out of everyone here knows just why I need to do this.”
“I know man, trust me, you’re right, I do know but…” He shook his head once more. “Jazzy wouldn’t want you to risk your life like this man.”
“You don’t know what Jazzy would’ve wanted and neither do I. She’s dead, remember? She’s not here to speak for herself which is why I have to do this now.”
“You could have done it a long time ago but you chose not to.”
“Yeah because I knew that if I did then and Jazzy were still alive, she’d hate me for it.”
“Then why do it now?” Bruce questioned, uncertain.
“Because man,” I paused. “Jazzy always told me that if I found the right one, to never let her go, no matter what and here, right now, Kelsey’s the one and I’m not letting Jason or anyone get in the way of her safety.”
Bruce merely stared at me, at a loss for words.
He knew I was right, he just didn’t want to admit it.
Giving him one last look that told him that I was going to go through with it, I walked away but not before hearing Bruce string together a series of curse words and punch a hole in the wall.
-----
Chapter 41
Kelsey’s Point of View:
Jesus, Mary and Joseph… what have I gotten myself into this time?
“What are you doing here?” I questioned Carly nervously, my parent’s hard stares burning holes through my body from the intensity they shared.
“I thought I’d come by and see how you were doing but it seems like you were on your way to my house to do Italian homework?” She stared at me incredulously.
“Yeah…” I awkwardly shuffled on my feet. “I did but you weren’t home…”
“It’s been almost two hours Kelsey.” My father spat harshly, his lips pressed firmly together. “Would you like to tell us where you were for those two hours when you were supposedly doing homework?”
I felt my throat burn, my feet glued to the ground and my stomach churning painfully. “I--”
“And don’t lie to us.” My mother spoke up this time, the tone in her voice cutting through the thick air violently.
My eyes flashed to Carly as she merely stood there, unmoving. I furrowed my eyebrows in confusion.
Something was not right here.
“What’s going on?” I voiced my thoughts, taken back by the whole situation.
Carly licked her lips, avoiding my gaze while my parents continued to stare at me with disbelief.
“Tell us the truth Kelsey.” Dad spoke up again. “And stop trying to change the subject.”
“I’m not. I’m really confused right now…” I mumbled, shifting on my feet and looking all around the room. It was then that I spotted Dennis on the stairs with sincerity twinkling in his eyes.
I scrunched my face together, trying to decipher what his emotions were trying to tell me. To make things easier, Dennis mouthed the words Justin and Carly and almost instantly I knew what he meant.
Locking my jaw tight, I strictly nodded my head towards Dennis, shifting my eyes to Carly, giving her the most utmost look of disgust that I could muster.
“Kelsey… we’re waiting…” My dad tapped his shoe endlessly and impatiently against the hardwood floors.
“Why should I tell you anything?” I looked at him. “I’m sure Carly told you all you needed to know.”
Her head snapped up when the words escaped my lips and Dennis’ message was all clear to me now.
“Kelsey--”
“How could you?” I spat. “You were my best friend!”
“I am your best friend!” She cried back.
“No!” I sneered. “You’re not because if you were, you wouldn’t have done this to me.” I shook my head. “I hate you.”
“Kelsey!” My mom shrieked, disapproved of the words I had used but I didn’t care at this point.
“Get out of my house.” I pointed towards the door. “And delete my number from your phone. I’m done with you.”
“You’re going to end our friendship over some guy?!” She spat incredulously, shocked at my actions.
I laughed humorlessly. “This has nothing to do with Justin. This has to do with the fact that you went behind my back and snitched on me.”
“Kelsey McAdams!” My mom yelled now. “Don’t you dare yell at Carly for trying to protect you!”
“Trying to protect me?” I cried out. “You think she’s trying to protect me?! Protect me from what?”
“From a criminal!” My dad spat, his voice heavy with disappointment. “How could you do this to us, to yourself?”
“Justin is not a criminal! You don’t even know him and neither do you!” I pointed towards Carly.
“I know enough to know he’s dangerous!” Carly, distressed, cried out.
“And how would you possibly know that?” I spat, my eyes slicing through hers.
“Because people said--”
“People.” I laughed, shaking my head. “They don’t even know who he is! No one does. Just because he doesn’t go around having conversations with everyone and isn’t buddy, buddy with all the football players doesn’t mean he’s this big, bad, tough guy.”
“They see things Kelsey, they know what he does. We all do!” She threw her hands in the air.
“Are you with him every day? Did you grow up with him? How do you know what people are saying aren’t just lies? You know how desperate people are to talk shit about other people!”
“Kelsey!” My mom scolded.
“What?” I screamed.
“Language!”
“I don’t give a shit!”
“Don’t talk to your mother like that!” My dad butted in as usual.
I rolled my eyes. “I know who he is and what he’s about and everything that people said about him are just plain old lies!”
“So it’s true…” My mom whispered in disbelief. “You have honestly been seeing this boy behind our backs?”
I turned to her. “Mom…”
“After all the times we caught you sneaking in and getting home late, it’s because you’ve been with a criminal…” My dad shook his head.
“No, it’s not that… I just,” I sighed. “Please, just hear me out.”
“You lied to us, Kelsey.” My dad spat. “We’ve asked you numerous times where you have been and we’ve given you chances, time and time again, to tell us the truth but instead you just lied straight to our faces. How do we know you won’t just lie to us now?”
“If I would have told you, you would have gotten angry with me and wouldn’t have let me see him--”
“Damn right we wouldn’t have!” Dad barked. “You are sixteen years old, Kelsey. You are sneaking out, lying to us… ever since you’ve been with this boy you’ve done a completely one eighty from how you used to be.”
“What? Confined, bored, and not being able to live my life the way I want to?” I scoffed, crossing my arms against my chest.
“No. You were respectful and didn’t go around being deceitful to us. You had simplicity and knew right from wrong. You’ve recently met this boy and he’s already had an impact on you--and not a good one.”
“It was my choice to lie to you, not his. He’s not me, dad. He doesn’t control me. I do what I do because I want to.”
“So it was your choice to go around acting like a whore?” He sneered causing gasps to erupt from everyone including me.
“Paul…” Mom whispered, her hand falling to his shoulder.
He, however, shrugged her touch off, continuing to stare at me with pure disappointment. “I am truly and honorably disappointed with you Kelsey. After all your mother and I have done for you… you do this to repay us. I can’t even look at you right now.” He shook his head, looking away. “Go on up to your room and don’t come down until you’re told to do so.”
My face fell as so did my heart. I could hear it breaking into a million pieces while the tears engulfed my eyes.
Looking around the room, I gulped. “Mom?”
“Just go, Kelsey.” She whispered.
I felt my heart break even more as I nodded my head, beginning my journey to the stairs but not before stopping by Carly. “Thanks, best friend.” I mumbled in disgust before shoving past her and disappearing upstairs towards my room.
Justin’s Point of View:
I paced the floors in my room, running my hands harshly through my hair, the anger still running through my veins, the anticipation to rip Justin’s heart from his chest still present.
Jason had gone too far tonight, threatening Kelsey and bringing up the past. He was going to pay for what he did all those years ago.
I owed it to Jazzy, my family and me. I had to do this as my farewell to her death.
I turned my head around once I heard the door open to see John walk in. “What do you want?”
“Don’t do it.”
I laughed humorlessly. “Let me guess… Bruce told you?”
“No, I heard you instead and I’m telling you man, don’t do this. Focus on Luke, focus on the problem at hand and not about the past.”
“The past always had a way with coming back to bite me in the ass.” I looked at me. “You know that. It’s nothing I can’t handle but this… this is personal.” I shook my head. “This has to do with my sister bro. You knew how much she meant to me and that bastard ended her life without a second thought.”
John looked at me sadly, not knowing what to say.
“You weren’t there when I tried to run back into the warehouse to save her and have the fireman hold me back and say there were no more survivors. You weren’t there when they told me that Jazzy had died in the explosion…” I shook my head, the memories coming back almost instantly.
I walked out of the burning building, coughing, my arm hovered over my mouth, dust covering my body from head to toe.
“Whoa, whoa, whoa. Hold up there buddy.” A man in a uniform took me by the arm, pulling me over to a spread out gurney, making me sit on it. “Are you okay?”
“I’m fine. My body just hurts from everything that fell on top of me.” I mumbled, coughing once more.
“Alright. Do you have any chest pains? Headaches?”
I cleared my throat. “Yes.”
“It’s nothing to worry about. You said that a few things fell on you?”
“Yeah.”
“That’s what’s causing the pain. The huge impact resulted in the pain in your chest and the sound from the explosion radiated in your ears, ringing inside your head.
“Will it go away?” My voice was hoarse.
“Most definitely by tomorrow.”
“Thanks doc.”
He chuckled. “No problem. That’s what I’m here for.”
“Mr. Bieber,” I looked up to see an officer heading towards me, a stern look on their face. I inwardly rolled my eyes. They always tried to look tough but neither had a impact on me.
“What?”
“We have a few questions for you.”
“He just got out of an exploded building,” The doctor that had taken care of me spoke up. “He is in no way capable of answering questions right now. On my behalf, you’re going to have to wait until tomorrow otherwise I can contact the office and let them know you had gone against medical sentencing.”
Taking in what doc had just said, they turned to me. “We will see you soon, Bieber.”
I smirked. “See ya.” When they left, I turned towards doc. “Thanks for that.”
He waved a hand dismissively. “It’s nothing. I was being honest when I said they couldn’t question you. You really aren’t allowed to have a huge discussion after what just happened.”
I nodded my head in understanding, watching as he packed his things, mumbled a few words to his collage before walking away.
“What the fuck happened back there?” Bruce spat, coughing as well as he made his way over to me.
“I don’t know man. I was told to meet someone in there when I turn around and see that fucking Jazzy followed me…” I froze, my eyes widening in realization. “Wait, where’s Jazzy?!”
“You said she was with you in the warehouse?” Bruce furrowed his eyebrows.
Panic immediately set in as I stood up causing the pounding in my head to accelerate greatly. I groaned, pressing a hand to my forehead.
“Whoa, are you okay?” Bruce questioned as he held onto my shoulders.
“Yeah, I’m good. I just gotta go find Jazzy.” Pushing his hands off me, I began to walk towards the chaos at hand. “Jazzy?” I called out loudly. “Jaz? Where are you?”
I waited for any sort of answer but instead, all I got in return, was silence. I frantically looked around, hoping to see Jazzy sitting somewhere getting checked out. “Jazzy!” I cried out, desperate to find my sister.
I gave up trying to look for her out here and decided it’d be best to check the warehouse just in case she was stuck in there. Pushing past everyone that got in my way, I continued to call Jazzy’s name, praying that she could hear me while I looked all around me.
“Sir!” Someone called out but I ignored them.
“Sir!” A hand grabbed my upper arm, bringing me to a halt. “You can’t go in there.”
“I have to find my sister!” I spat harshly, trying to pry my arm away from his grasp but it didn’t work. The prick was too strong for me.
“I’m sorry but that isn’t a good idea…” He mumbled sincerely, his eyes flashing with sadness and immediately, I knew something was wrong.
“I have to find my sister…I know she’s in there somewhere. If you just give me a few minutes, I’ll be out of your way fast. Please…”
“I’m sorry to have to be the one to tell you this sir, but, our team already searched the whole warehouse… there were no more survivors. I’m sorry for your loss.”
As the words set into my head, my stomach dropped to the ground. Everything around me coming to a halt.
“No.” I muttered, shaking my head. “No. She has to be in there. She was with me. I was… right there. I saw her before the… no.” I shook my head.
“I’m sorry…”
“NO!” I roared, ripping my arm from his grasp. “She’s in there. How the fuck did I make it out and she didn’t? She was a foot away from me!”
“The impact was too much for her fragile body to handle. The amount of shillings that had fell on her burned her to no extent.”
From the corner of my eye, I saw Bruce’s mouth drop, his eyes wide in horror.
I shook my head, taking a step back. “No… no…” I shook my head again, the tears engulfing my eyes, blurring my vision.
Bruce took a step towards me but stopped the moment he saw the state I was in.
“She was everything to me… I tried so hard to protect her, to keep her away from the things I did. She should have been at home, sleeping not d-dea…” I bit my lip, not being able to say the words out loud.
“She can’t be gone…” I whispered. “I love her. She’s my sister. She’s my life… I… I tried to protect her.”
Bruce’s eyes blurred as he stared at my frantic nature.
“I… I promised her that I’d make sure she was safe. I told her I wouldn’t let anyone hurt her.” I balled my hands into fists. “I promised!” I screamed. “And I let her down…” My voice fell to a desperate whisper.
The salty substance continued to stroll down my cheeks, slicing through my flesh like a knife. My body gave out and in one swift motion; my knees came in contact with the ground as I doubled over in disbelief.
My sister was dead.
And it was my entire fault.
I blinked, bringing myself back to reality as I stared at John. “You don’t know what it was like to be told that your own sister died. You don’t know what it’s like to have to look your parents in the eye and tell them that their daughter had died and you certainly don’t know what it’s like to hear your father tell you that you were dead to them.” I locked my jaw tight. “I lost more than my sister that night, John. I lost my family and that son of a bitch deserves to die for costing me all that.”
John’s face softened as he let out a sharp breath, scratching the back of his head. “That’s some deep shit man.”
“Jazzy deserves justice for her death. Jason deserves to rot in hell for all the damage he’s done.” I spat.
“I know man and trust me, I’d help you. You know I would especially now that I know exactly what the bastard had done to you and your family… but, Bruce is right man. You are risking way too much.”
“I don’t care--”
“But Kelsey might.”
I froze.
“Have you even stopped to think about what she would think or even do if her boyfriend went to jail?” He spoke monotonously.
I gritted my teeth. “She’d understand.”
John shook his head. “Don’t be so naïve, Justin. She’d probably understand why you did it but she wouldn’t be able to wrap her mind around the fact that you would be so careless as to get arrested.”
“I won’t fucking get arrested man.” I spat. “I didn’t then and I won’t now. Besides, with McCann out of the way things would be much, much better and the feds might even thank me.” I shrugged nonchalantly.
“Yeah, they’d probably give you an award, thank you and then take you away for murder.” John rolled his eyes. “Again, don’t be so naïve. You’re smarter than this, You know the risks and the possible scenarios that could go down if you go along with whatever it is that you’re planning.”
“I know what I’m doing.” I reassured.
John ran his hands frustratingly through his hair. “You’re letting the anger inside of you talk. Don’t think with your anger man, think with your mind… your heart, what you truly know is right is somewhere deep down inside of there.”
“What are you? Dr. Phil?” I spat with a slight chuckle.
“No but I am your best friend and you know that if what I thought you were doing was right, I wouldn’t be here right now trying to change your mind. Listen to me man, this is a bad idea. Just forget Jason for now and focus on Luke.”
I looked away. “Whatever man.”
“You know I’m right so just listen to me. Do the right thing for once.” Sighing, he patted my back before pulling away and opening and closing the door after he left.
I scowled, shaking my head.
Just as I was about to head to the bathroom to take a shower, my cell phone rang. Furrowing my eyebrows, I wondered who it could be. Sliding my phone out, I saw Kelsey’s name shine on the screen. “Hello?” I said once I unlocked and answered it. I lay down on my bed, looking up at the ceiling.
“J-Justin?” I heard Kelsey sniffle from the other end.
My heart dropped and immediately I sprang up in bed. “Baby? What’s wrong?”
“M-My parents Justin… they found out.”
My eyes widened. “What do you mean they found out?”
“C-Carly told them everything.” She sniffled again and I could only imagine the state she was in right now. Suddenly, I felt the urge to hold her in my arms and never let her go.
“How the fuck did she--” I paused, trying to wrap my head around this.
“After you dropped me off, I went inside and I saw both my parents and Carly standing in the living room. My parents were mad and demanded to know the ‘truth’. Something inside of me told me that it was about you… then I looked up and saw Dennis. He mouthed to me your name and then said Carly. I told my parents that Carly probably already told them everything and her head snapped up, that’s when I knew Dennis was telling me Carly was the one behind this.”
I balled my hands into fists. Mentally cursing the day Carly was conceived, that two faced lying bitch. “And?” I urged her to continue with a strained voice.
Was it bad that I wanted to kill a bitch?
“My parents were yelling at me and I just… I don’t know what to do anymore Justin. Carly lied to them about you, saying you were some criminal--”
“I am a criminal babe.” I chuckled lightly, trying to brighten the mood.
“But they don’t have to know that besides Carly doesn’t even know what you do. She took her analogies from the people in school and fed my parents their bullshit and you know the shit they say and how they exaggerate everything.”
“Jesus Christ,” I muttered, pulling at the ends of my hair. “What else did they say?”
“They figured out that, that was the reason why I got home late all those times they caught me…” She went silent for a moment and all I could hear was the static coming through the phone.
Something told me there was more to this story that she wasn’t telling me. “Babe?”
“Hm?”
“What else did they say?”
“Uhm… nothing…”
“Don’t lie to me.” I sighed.
“Really Justin--”
“Kelsey.” I sternly spoke. “Just tell me.”
“Mydadcalledmeawhore.” She laced all the words together, making me not able to understand a word she said.
“Can you repeat that but slower this time?”
I heard Kelsey shuffle in the background than everything got quiet again. “My dad called me a whore.”
It took a few minutes to let the words sink in. “He what?” I barked, the anger from before coming back within seconds.
“Please don’t make me say it again…” She whimpered.
I shook my head. “He has no right to call you that! We didn’t even do anything. How the fuck are you a w--this is bullshit.” I spat. “Are you fucking kidding me?” I hissed, not being able to believe that her own father would say something so disgusting to his daughter.
“No…” She whispered.
I sighed once more. “Don’t worry baby, I’ll handle this. Okay?”
“Justin, what are you going to do?” I could sense the worry in Kelsey’s voice.
“Nothing. Just relax and calm down, okay? I don’t want you crying anymore. It kills me knowing I’m not able to hold you and soothe you myself.”
“Okay…”
“Good girl. I gotta go now, okay? But call me later if you want to talk. I love you.” I got up from the bed, walking over to my closet where I pulled out a leather jacket.
“Love you too.” And with that, the line went dead.
Pushing my phone back into my pocket, I slid on my jacket before leaving the room and going down the stairs. “I’ll be back in a few minutes.”
All the guys sprang to their feet, Bruce and John being the first. “Where are you going, Bieber?”
“Somewhere. Don’t worry, McCann’s gonna be safe. This has got nothing to do with him.” I reassured them and left without another look back.
I started my car and pulled out of the driveway, a lit cigarette hanging from the side of my lip. I took it between my fingers, letting out a perfect ring of smoke while changing lanes and twisting around a curb, driving down Bentley Lane.
I knew this town like the back of my hand so it didn’t take long before I arrived at my wanted destination. Killing the ignition, I stepped out of my car, making sure to slam the door shut after. Walking up the pathway that led to the front door, I didn’t hesitate to pound my knuckles against the door. “Open up!” I barked.
In a matter of seconds, the door flung open to reveal the girl I’ve wanted to see ever since I got off the phone with my girl. “Hello, Carly.” Her name rolled off my tongue in such disgust, I felt like throwing up just saying it.
Her eyes widened. “What are you doing here?” She hissed. “How’d you even know where I live?!”
I smirked, chuckling devilishly. “I have my ways, babe, you ain’t gotta worry about that.” I shifted on my feet before shuffling closer to Carly, my breath fanning her face. “But, I heard what you did and I gotta say Carly, I don’t really appreciate it much.”
“Wow, she already told you?” Carly scoffed with a shake of her head. “She really is so far up your ass…” She muttered distastefully. “You got her wrapped around your little finger,” She stared up at me with narrowed eyes, her head cocked to the side. “How do you feel about that? It must feel good knowing you have this much control over her.”
My face hardened. “Don’t fucking talk about her like that, bitch.” I spat. “You don’t know anything about me or my relationship with Kelsey so why don’t you fuck off?”
“I know that you’re a good for nothing criminal.”
“Then you should know I won’t hesitate to kill your ass.”
“You wouldn’t dare touch me.”
“Oh, I would and if you think I’m kidding, keep testing me and you’ll be lying in your own puddle of blood.” I spoke menacingly.
“You know, you’re just proving me right.” She laughed humorlessly. “You are a criminal who doesn’t care about anyone or anything but himself.”
“You claim to know so much… so why are you still letting shit fly out of your mouth?” I got so close in her face that I was able to feel her body tremble in front of me. “If you were smart and really knew what I did and what I was capable of, you wouldn‘t be talking so much.” My eyes stuck daggers into hers. “I also don’t like it when people fuck with the people I care about especially when they make them cry.” I emphasized. “You got a lot of nerve telling Kelsey’s parents and you want to call yourself her best friend?” I shook my head. “You’re far from it.”
“I am her best friend!”
“Correction,” I grinned mischievously. “Was her best friend. You’re nothing to her now and if I were you, I’d stay the hell away from her. Got that?”
Carly didn’t say anything this time. Instead, she merely nodded her head, her lips pressed firmly together.
I smiled. “Good girl.” Turning, I walked away from her while pulling my phone out and dialing a familiar number.
“Hello?”
“I handled everything babe.”
“Justin, what did you do?” Kelsey questioned worriedly.
I shrugged despite the fact that she couldn’t see me. “Let’s just say you don’t have to worry about Carly anymore.”
---------------
Chapter 42
Kelsey’s Point of View:
According to Dennis, Carly had come over to talk to me when my parents opened the door expecting to see me with her but were surprised when Carly asked about me. They told her that I said I was going over her house to do homework and she told them that I never showed up. My parents were confused and wondered where I was. They were going to call me when Carly stopped them, figuring where I really was and told them for my quote on quote ‘own good’.
Minutes later, I arrived and that’s when all chaos broke out.
That bitch was lucky I didn’t punch her when I had the chance.
I mean, what “best friend” does that?
Who rats on their best friend to their parents about something they didn’t even know about themselves?
She swore Justin was a bad person and some criminal but did she actually know that for sure? No. So she had no right to just accuse him of things and feed my parents bullshit.
I knew Justin and what he was really capable of. Was he dangerous? Yes but only to his enemies. Did he have anger issues? Sure but that didn’t make him a bad person.
I just don’t understand why this had to happen. Everything was finally moving into place, Justin and I were in a good place, my parents had finally just gotten off my back about everything and here I was now, back to square one.
It’s like fate didn’t want me to be happy.
Sighing, I fumbled onto my stomach, pondering my feet back and forth as I bubbled my lips, making a rumbling sound.
I couldn’t help but think back to when my dad called me a whore. I know he didn’t mean it because really, I didn’t do anything for him to call me that but it still hurt to hear it come out of his mouth. I had never seen him so angry with me… I mean, I screwed up a few times these past couple of months but they were nothing compared to tonight when my parents found out the real reason on why I had been late coming home and sneaking out.
Can they seriously blame me for keeping this a secret? They would have killed me if they found out the reason why I had come home at three in the morning was because I was hanging at a guys house. I might as well have killed myself to save the trouble.
Sighing, I was just about to take a nap when my phone buzzed several times, indicating I was getting a call. Shuffling onto my back, I slid my finger across the screen, pressing it to my ear. “Hello?”
“I handled everything babe.” Justin’s voice filled my eardrum.
I sat up in bed. “Justin, what did you do?” I questioned worriedly.
There was a pause before Justin spoke up once more. “Let’s just say you don’t have to worry about Carly anymore.”
My stomach churned at the words, my eyes widening instantly. “What do you mean ‘I don’t have to worry about Carly anymore’?”
He chuckled. “I mean, as in, she won’t be anymore trouble to you or your parents. She’s keeping her mouth shut from now on, I made sure of it.”
“Justin…” I sighed. “What exactly did you do?”
“I paid her a little visit…” He trailed off casually.
I could hear the rumble of his car as he started it. “And?” I emphasized, wanting him to elaborate.
“I told her that if she opened up her mouth again and fed your parents bullshit, there will be problems.”
I closed my eyes shut, pinching the bridge of my nose with my free hand. “And how exactly did you do it?” I sighed, knowing how he was when he got angry.
“I got in her face.”
I could imagine him shrugging to himself. I rolled my eyes. “You mean you threatened her.”
A fake gasp emitted from his lips. “Now, why would you think such a thing?”
“Because I know you. Now what did you really do?”
“I already told you babe.” He spoke nonchalantly, like this was any other normal conversation between us.
I sighed again. “How do you expect her to believe you’re not some bad guy if you go around threatening her?”
“I thought you’d be happy?” He grumbled, irritation laced with his words.
“Why would I be happy about something like that?” I hissed.
I mean, I know I’m angry with Carly but he didn’t have to go as far as to threaten her.
“Because I took the time out of my night to find her ass and make sure she never made you cry again.” He spat into the phone.
I cringed, looking away. “I appreciate your kind gesture Justin but, there are other civil ways to do things other than bullying people.”
There was silence coming from the other end of the phone.
I bit down on my lip, hoping I didn’t upset him. The last thing I wanted was for us to be on bad terms… again.
“Whatever. Just make sure your window is unlocked.”
My eyebrows shut up. “What? Why?”
“You’ll see.”
The dial tone was heard moments after indicating he had hung up his phone.
I groaned in complete irritation with the mess my life had become. Rolling out of bed, I made sure to unlock the window when I heard my name being called from downstairs. I bit my lip, scared of what they wanted to talk to me about now. Even though I already had a hunch on what it could be about.
Carefully and slowly making my way to the door, I opened it. “Yeah?” I called out.
“Come on downstairs! Your father and I would like to have a word with you.”
I bit the inside of my cheek. “Okay! Be down in a sec.” I shouted back, earning a quick okay before I closed the door and made my way downstairs.
I turned the corner to see both my parents sitting down on the couch with their fingers laced together on their thighs, their heads held upright, eyes boring into mine heavily.
I shuffled on my feet uncomfortably.
“Take a seat, Kelsey.” My mom gestured towards the couch opposite the one they sat in.
I did as I was told, folding my feet under my butt as I stared at them with curious eyes.
Neither of them said a word as they continued to stare at me.
Not wanting to break eye contact and seem disrespectful, I kept my gaze firmly planted on theirs.
Finally being the first to talk, my mom cleared her throat. “Your father and I have been discussing this for quite some time and well, we have come to the decision that we’d like to hear your side of the story.”
I nodded my head, giving them both a grim smile. “Okay--”
“But we want the truth this time, Kelsey. No more lies.” She said sternly earning another nod from me.
“I know.” I whispered, licking my lips and gulping down the anticipation building up inside of me. “It started at the party, you know… the one I got caught coming back late from?”
“You said you were coming back from Carly’s after she needed comfort…” My mom pressed her lips together, staring at me with a blank expression.
I twisted my face up in a grimace. “I know… I lied.”
They nodded for me to continued, a look of discomfort in their eyes.
“I snuck out with Carly that night because, to be honest, I wanted to have some fun. I’m always stuck home or doing homework and I just… wanted to be different for a change. Feel like any other normal teenager.” I shrugged, looking down at my hands. “Anyways, Carly ran off to God knows where and I went around looking for her when I fell.”
I knew I was lying again but I couldn’t exactly tell them the full truth about what had happened with Justin. That would ruin everything.
“No one was really around to help and I was getting a huge throbbing pain in my ankle and at the time, I couldn’t move. I felt almost as if I were paralyzed. I asked for someone to help me when Justin came over and asked if I was alright. I told him what happened and he picked me up, bringing me over to one of the logs to sit on where he examined my foot. He told me I was alright and that I almost sprained my ankle but the worst I did was bruised it a bit.” I licked my lips. “Throughout the night, he stayed with me to make sure I didn’t fall again and we just.. Hung out for the rest of the party and then I got hungry so we got a bite to eat and then he offered me a ride home and that’s when eventually you guys found me coming in late.”
I looked into my parents eyes after I finished telling them the story, silently praying that they’d believe me.
After what felt like forever, they nodded their heads. “Well… that was… thoughtful of him.” My mom said, her lips pursed.
“I know what Carly said to you was most likely absurd and crazy and I can assure you, they are not true. Justin isn’t some bad criminal who goes around doing whatever it was she said he did or does. He helped me that night and from then on, we became friends. Nothing more, nothing less until recently and I was going to tell you guys eventually but Carly had to feed you lies instead.” I rolled my eyes.
“What do you mean ‘until recently’?” My father spoke for the first tiem since I sat down, his eyebrows raised.
“We’re sorta… together?”
“Over my dead body!”
“Paul…” My mother soothed. “Give her a moment to explain herself.”
I smiled softly, knowing that despite how controlling my mother can be, she was still the one who gave birth to me and always had my back. “I’m telling you guys the truth. Justin isn’t a criminal. He’s just misunderstood. He had his certain group and friends and people automatically think just because he doesn’t go around talking to the whole school and having--excuse my language--sexual intercourse with almost every girl that throws themselves at him, he automatically has some big secret and he’s this dangerous guy,” I rolled my eyes. “When in reality, he’s nothing but a human. A normal teenager like me and everyone else.”
“What I just don’t understand is why you lied to us…” Mom shook her head, a look of disappointment in her eyes. “The last thing I want is for my daughter to be hiding things from me. You used to tell me everything.”
I frowned. “That was until I grew up mom.”
“You’re still our little girl sweetie and you always will be. No matter how much older you get.” She reassured before tucking a strand of hair behind her ear.
“I know but I knew that if I told you I was with some guy, you would practically disown me.” I muttered, looking away.
“Kelsey Anne McAdams, we would never do such a thing.” She spat in disbelief. “We all make mistakes, we all do things we sometimes regret but that doesn’t mean because you did something you wouldn’t normally do, we’d disconnect you from us. You’re still our daughter no matter what and we love you.”
I couldn’t help but let a smile fall on my lips and before I could control myself, the tears came bursting from my eyes like a waterfall. “I love you guys so much.” I cried. “And I’m sorry for lying, I just… at the time, I thought it was the right thing to do. I just didn’t want to upset you guys but I know now that I should just tell you how it is, no matter what the consequences.”
“Oh honey,” My mom opened up her arms wide. “Come here.”
I stood up instantly, waking over to her and wrapping my arms around her as she pulled me into a hug.
“I love you so much sweetheart.” She mumbled into my hair, her own tears coming out. “I don’t ever want you to lie to me again, okay?” She pulled away, wiping the tears from my cheeks. “From now on, I want you to tell me the truth and we will handle everything together like a family.”
I nodded, smiling. “Deal.” I sniffled, hugging my mom once more before turning to my dad. It didn’t take long before I burst into tears and fell into his arms as well. “I’m sorry for everything daddy.”
His fingers raked through my hair, pulling me closer. “It’s alright, sweetheart. I forgive you.” He rubbed a hand on my back.
If it’s anything my dad hates, it’s when I cry.
“And I’m sorry about what I had said earlier. I was way out of line. I just let my anger get the best of me and I wasn’t thinking straight… I love you with my entire heart baby girl.”
“I love you too daddy.” I squeezed him tight before pulling away. “And I forgive you.”
“No more lies after this, right?” My mom asked with a pointed look on her face.
I nodded without hesitation. “No more lies. I promise.”
They nodded their heads, pulling me into a group hug as we all sat like that for what felt like hours before breaking us apart.
“Alright sport, go on up to bed, you have school tomorrow.” My dad patted my back gently as I stood up, wiping the remains of my tears away.
“Okay.” I smiled, giving them both a kiss on the cheek. “I’ll see you guys tomorrow?”
They nodded.
I smiled, turning on my feet to go on up to my room when my dad’s voice stopped me short.
“And Kelsey?”
I turned my head, my hand on the railing. “Yeah?”
“We’d like to meet this boyfriend of yours.”
Justin’s Point of View:
It didn’t take long until I had reached Kelsey’s house after getting off the phone with her. I cut the engine off before opening and closing the door to the car.
Walking across the street, I rounded her house to the back where the all too familiar pipe came to view. Grabbing onto it, I climbed up all the way to Kelsey’s room where just like I had asked, the window was open. Pushing it up slowly, I tossed my leg over the ledge, lifting myself up before bringing my other leg around and hoping off so that I now stood in her room. I closed the window before taking a look around.
Everything looked the same. Not a thing out of place.
I smirked, about to go over to her bed when I heard commotion coming from downstairs. I furrowed my eyebrows, making sure not to make any sort of sound as I made my way to the door, listening in on what was going on.
“I love you guys so much.” Someone cried. “And I’m sorry for lying, I just… at the time, I thought it was the right thing to do. I just didn’t want to upset you guys but I know now that I should just tell you how it is, no matter what the consequences.” After a while of trying to figure out who it was, I figured it out to be Kelsey.
I moved in closer, trying to decipher what they were talking about.
“Oh honey,” Another female voice spoke up of whom I presumed to me Kelsey‘s mom. “Come here.”
My stomach twisted painfully, memories of when I was a kid flashing through my head, back when my mom used to comfort me almost the same exact way.
“I don’t ever want you to lie to me again, okay?” I heard movement before she spoke up once more. “From now on, I want you to tell me the truth and we will handle everything together like a family.”
I could hear Kelsey sniffle before she burst into tears once more and I swear I could of felt my heart leap out of my chest.
“I’m sorry for everything daddy.” Kelsey spoke all the words I never had the guts to say. I cringed at the thought of my own father.
As the conversation died down, all I heard were bits and pieces.
“No more lies after this, right?”
“No more lies. I promise.”
“Alright sport, go on up to bed, you have school tomorrow.”
“I’ll see you guys tomorrow?”
“And Kelsey?”
“Yeah?”
“We’d like to meet this boyfriend of yours.”
My eyes widened as I stepped even closer, trying to listen in on what they were saying about me when I stumbled and hit myself against the door causing it to fly open and bang into the dresser.
I inwardly cursed my life.
“What was that?” I heard someone ask.
“It’s probably my textbooks. I was studying before you called me down.” Kelsey said after a while.
They seemed to have believed it because they muttered their goodbyes and I heard footsteps nearing closer to the door.
I stepped to the side, shielding myself just in case when Kelsey herself walked into the room, closing the door behind her and locking it. Turning, her eyes widened as she gasped. “You idiot!” She spat in a whisper. “What are you doing here?!”
“I told you to leave the window open!”
“Yeah, well I didn’t exactly think you’d sneak in!” She shrieked, a bewildered expression overtaking her features. “You’re lucky my parents didn’t come up here instead!”
“I’m sorry! I didn’t mean to bump into the door!” I whispered back loudly.
“You were eavesdropping?!” She cried out, her eyes wide as I whistled innocently, looking around her room.
“You’ve got a nice room…”
“Justin!” She spat, hitting my arm.
“What?”
“Ugh, you’re unbelievable!”
I smirked. “Thank you.”
She rolled her eyes. “Stop taking that as a compliment.” She grumbled, walking away from me.
I followed after her, wrapping my arms from behind, pulling her to my chest. “Aw, don’t be mad.” I cooed into her ear softly.
“I’m not mad.” She mumbled, looking inside her drawers as she pulled out a pair of sweats and a tank top.
I chuckled softly. “Yes, you are…” I kissed the skin of her neck gently.
“No,” She paused, turning around in my arms so that we were face to face. “I’m not.”
“Mhm,” I smirked. “Whatever you say but I gotta admit,” I grinned. “You are hella sexy when you’re angry.” I winked.
Laughing, she pushed at my chest, releasing herself from my hold. “Whatever.” Walking into the bathroom, she shut the door behind her and just as I was about to walk inside there with her, I heard the click of the lock.
“Hey! No fair!”
“Too bad!” She called back with a giggle.
I rolled my eyes. “Bitch.” I mumbled.
“I heard that!” She shot back.
I laughed. “You were meant to!”
“Mhm.” She mocked.
I decided to take it upon myself to look around the room while I waited for her. Several photos caught my attention and I found myself staring at the various amounts of family photos she had.
One consisted of Kelsey at a young age with two braids and a bear in her hand. Another was of Kelsey, Dennis and her parents at what looked like the Bahamas‘, their skin glistening in the sun and I couldn’t help but bite my lip at the sight of Kelsey in a baiting suit.
Leaning over, I pressed my finger tips to the picture, remembering back when my parents would take, Jaxson, Jazzy and I to Canada to visit my grandparents every summer. We would always have a blast, playing hockey and basketball while eating ice cream. My mom would cook a huge dinner with my grandma while my grandpa worked in the backyard.
Every year was the same, every year was more amazing than the last but this year? This year was anything but.
This year, everything has changed.
“What are you doing?”
I jumped, looking over to see Kelsey already dressed in her pajamas, looking at me with curious eyes.
“Oh, I… ugh,” I scratched the back of my neck, “Just looking at your pictures.”
She walked over to me, smiling at the one where she was holding the bear. “These were taken so long ago…” She mumbled, smiling softly to herself. “I was like, five, in this picture.
“What about this one?” I grinned, pointing to the one where she was in her baiting suit.
I noticed her blush as she bit back a smile. “I was thirteen.”
“Damn and you had a body like that?” I pointed, shaking my head. “That’s hot.”
She laughed, shaking her head. “You’re being silly.”
“No, I’m telling you the truth.” I grinned.
She smiled sadly at me, her eyes staring into mine as she leaned over, running her fingers through my hair before caressing my cheek with her thumb. “You miss them, don’t you?”
I melted under her touch. “What do you mean?”
“Your family…” She trailed off. “I know Bruce isn’t your dad and John isn’t your brother…” She softly smiled.
I chuckled. “You’re right, they’re not…”
“What happened?”
I knew who she referred to and there was no denying or shoving it in the past any further. It was about time, I finally told someone the truth.
……………
“After Jazzy died, my dad lost it. He blamed everything on me and to be quite honest. I didn’t blame him because technically it was my entire fault.”
“No, it wasn’t and neither was it Jazzy’s. If anyone was to blame, it was Jason for pressing the button that blew up the warehouse.” Kelsey reassured.
We were sprawled out on her bed, my arm around her shoulders, her head on my chest.
“I know it was the bastard’s fault for what happened but it was my fault hat Jazzy was even there in the first place. I should have made sure she didn’t see me when I left and I should have taken her out of the warehouse the second I realized she was in there with me.”
Kelsey shook her head. “You’re too hard on yourself.”
“I’m realistic with myself. I don’t feed myself lies to make myself feel better.”
“No, you feed yourself insults to bring yourself down.” She looked up at me. “Every time you mess up, you beat yourself up over it and that’s not what you’re supposed to do. Everything happens for a reason. Mistakes happen so you can learn from them and move on. Do you really think of Jazzy were alive today, she’d want you to be doing this to yourself constantly?”
I didn’t hesitate to shake my head.
“Exactly.” Kelsey sighed. “We all make mistakes, we’re human Justin. We can’t undo the things we’ve done that we wish we could erase and we certainly can’t go back in time and do things differently. We’re supposed to forgive, forget and move on.”
“What if Dennis--God forbid--died because of you? What would you do, huh?” I looked down at her.
“I would hate myself for it.”
“Exac--”
“But I knew he wouldn’t want me to punish myself. I knew he’d want me to move on.”
I pursed my lips, looking away.
“You don’t know a thing, if you don’t try.” She pressed her hand to my cheek, turning me so that I faced her. “Try forgiving yourself for a day. You’ll see just how much relief you get from it.”
I shrugged.
Sighing, Kelsey took her hand away, laying it back against my chest. “You’re so stubborn sometimes, you know that?”
I chuckled. “I get that from my mom.”
Kelsey smiled at this. “Really?”
I nodded. “Mhm. She was always the one to want everything her way. It was either that or the highway as she referred to it.”
Kelsey nuzzled herself closer to my body warmth. “Tell me more about her.”
I licked my lips, looking up at the ceiling. “She was adventurous, always going on these crazy trips with my aunt.” I shook my head, smiling. “She always swore that she’d climb Mount Everest someday.”
“Did she?”
“No! She’d be caught dead before she climbed a mountain that big. As much as she thought she was a pro at what she did, she’d never be able to.”
Kelsey laughed.
“She also cooked a lot.”
“Yeah?”
“Yeah.” I smiled. “She’d always make Sunday dinner and we’d have it at my grandparents’ house. She’d make everything from lasagna to baked potatoes to steak, chicken, rice and beans… you name it, she made it.”
“She must have been a good cook then.”
“Hell yeah. That was something she was definitely a pro at even though she did occasionally burn things…”
Kelsey giggled. “She reminds me of me.”
“You cook?” I looked down at her with raised eyebrows, amusement in my eyes.
She shook her head. “No but I know how to burn food.”
Laughing, I kissed her forehead. “You’ll get it someday, baby.”
“I hope so.” She murmured. “What about your dad? What’s he like?”
I frowned at the thought but answered her question anyway. “He was badass.” I grinned, looking down at her.
“Oh really?” She questioned.
I nodded my head. “Really. He always got into bar fights and has a million tattoos.”
“Reminds me of you.”
I shrugged. “Yeah, I guess you can say I got my anger side from him. He taught me all the things I know today. Of course, I learned most of it myself like how to use a gun and all but he taught me how to use my fists instead.”
Kelsey continued to listen, her index finger tracing hearts on my skin.
“Besides all that though, he loved to fish.”
“Really? My dad loves to do that too.” Kelsey smiled.
“Who knows? Maybe they fished together once.” I nudged her playfully.
“Maybe.” She grinned. “Anyways, continue…”
“He always used to take me with him all the time when I was a kid. We’d go to the fish store and buy ourselves some bait and then after, we’d go on the dock and just spend all day there, catching whatever we could. Even when we caught nothing, we’d go to the store and buy something just so we’d have something to show my mom when we got home.”
“Did she ever find out you guys didn’t catch it?”
“She always figured but never said anything because she didn’t want me to know she knew.”
“That’s cute.” Kelsey gushed.
“Very.” I teased, squeezing her against my side gently before releasing her.
“What about… Jazzy?”
“Jazzy was a girl version of me.” I laughed at the thought. “She had a mean right hook and could murder anyone that got in her way but despite that, she was very smart and pretty and trust me, I am not just saying that because I’m her brother. I always had to fight off assholes that tried to get inside her pants. She’d hate me for it but sooner or later, she thanked me because she knew that all I was doing was keeping her safe.” I paused, collecting my thoughts together. “She was everything to me.”
Kelsey’s eyes bored into my flesh as she stared sadly.
“I did anything and everything for that girl… she had a bright future ahead of her.”
Kelsey pursed her lips, wanting to change the subject for me so that I wouldn’t dwell on the past much longer. “What about Jaxon? What’s he like?”
I shook my head, snapping out of it. “He’s a wimp.”
“Justin!”
“What? It’s the truth. He’s nothing like me or my dad. He’s more like my grandpa in the sense that he’s sensitive. You say one thing to him that comes out the wrong way and he’d get upset. That’s why I always had to be careful around him because I knew that one little thing could set him off and with my anger, it wasn’t always the best thing.”
Kelsey nodded in understanding. “Sounds to me like your family is one helluva fun time.”
“Oh yeah, they’re a blast.” I sarcastically muttered with a roll of my eyes.
“Be nice.” Kelsey laughed. After a moment of silence, she spoke up once more “I want to meet them some time.”
“Yeah?” I craned my neck so that it was easier to look down at her.
She nodded timidly.
I looked away, pondering the thought. “Maybe someday, you will.”
“Okay.” Kelsey smiled, nuzzling her head in my neck.
I couldn’t help but think about what it would be like to see my family again. It’s been a while since I’ve last spoken to my parents or remotely even had a decent sit down with them. I also haven’t seen my grandparents in a long time and I’d lie if I said I didn’t miss them.
Brooding about it even further, I had come to my final conclusion. “What do you say we go Saturday?”
Kelsey smiled.