“Judging from the main portions of the history of the world, so far, Justice is always in jeopardy.” - Walt Whitman
“Yeah, definitely two friends.” he said with a hint of amusement.
“Hm, I guess that put us in a tie.” I said
“Huh?”
“Well, you have two friends and so do I.” I pointed out, “It's a tie.”
“Hm, interesting.” he says.
Then we both fell into, surprisingly, a comfortable silence. Well until a certain host had to ruined that silence.
“Well, I think we've gone further than we planned.” Amanda says.
I hear Stranger chuckle, “I guess...”
“So... what now?” I ask, still wanting to get this over with already.
“Well, you-”
“What were you in high school?” he cut in to whatever Amanda was to say.
“What do you mean what was I?”
“I mean, I know you are popular-”
“Not by choice.” I added.
“Not by choice,” he repeats with a chuckle, “so what were you suppose to be?”
“Hm...” I wondered, “Now that I think about it, I'm not really sure.”
“Missing your identity, are we now, dudette?” he teased.
I laughed, “I guess I am.” I thought of it again, “I just thought, well, more of accepted the fact that I was born to be-”
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-Popular.
I spit the word as if it’s the most disgusting thing discovered after the fruit durian.
And much like the said fruit, as much as it is delicious and has perks, what I had to pay for or even to do in exchange to be part of the crowd was something I'd never ever be willing to give into, ever!
Like I said, my brother was popular and he'd be damned if I was not to be with him.
Don't get me wrong, I tried to stay away. Henry was a witness to that.
With how many times I defied my mother and brother... I did all the unthinkable.
High school was all fail, obviously, with Xandr already running the house and the business while he was in college- well, that didn't do me any good. Especially after I secretly transferred school on my senior year, which even then as a dork, even maybe an outcast, no thanks to Emily, I wasn’t excempted from the popular crowd.
“Hey, new girl wait up!” I rolled my eyes hearing what seem to be my new name since I moved to my new school.
“Yeah?” I asked.
“I’m Kevin.” He said.
“Uhm yeah, I’m-“
“Justice, I heard.” He says with a smrik, “So Justice, seeing that you don’t seem to have anyone with you, I’m guessing that you haven’t made a friend aside from that guy who came with you on your first day?”
“Oh, yeah, well, he’s in scholarship at my old school and it would be such a waste if he lets it go just because I asked him to.”
“Hm interesting…” he nods and looked me from head to toe and back.
I rolled my eyes again and frowned. “Listen, I really need to go-“
“Hey, maybe I can drop you home?”
“No thanks, I have my car-“
“Then you can drop me off.” He says, “I remembered one of my boys borrowed my car and now…” he shrugged, “I’m all alone.”
I raised a brow and looked him over, assessing him. Which I think he liked.
“One of your boys huh?” I asked.
He smirked, “Yeah.” He says, “You know, being the baseball team’s captain’s job stretches even outside the court.”
“Uhuh… yeah.” I said and gave him a fake smile, “So basketball huh?”
“Yup.” He popped, “best sprot invented don’t you agree?”
“It has its moments.” I said.
He raised a brow, as if not believing what he was hearing, “Has its moments?” he stifles a laugh, “Sweetheart, basketball is more than a moment, its a legend.”
Yeah...” I scrunched my nose as he gave me a know it all look, which I returned with a shake of a head, “No, sorry, I don’t think so.”
He gave a sarcastic chuckle, “What?”
“Yeah,” I said “You see, I came from a long line of football players and basketball? Its just really pass time.”
He frowned and in an instant glared at me, “You dare to say that to my face new girl.”
“I believe I just did.” I smirked.
“Look here, you may be pretty and all that red head, but in this school, no one disrespects me.”
I stifled a laugh as I reached for his collar, playfully fixing it, “The thing is, I don’t really care who you are and what you do.” I then dusted imaginary flakes off his shoulder, “One thing I do care about is getting you out of my face.”
I pushed him out of my way and walked pass him, with a glare.
I shook my head in fury toward my car and slammed my bag on the hood.
“Tough week, huh?” I turned around and saw a guy with golden brown hair standing by a car. I frowned seeing he has a varsity jacket on him.
“What do you care?” I snapped.
“Hey whoah, no harm no foul.” He says raising his arms up in defeat.
I stared at him and shrugged, he was right, he had nothing to do with whatever that jerk did to piss me off, it was unfair to pull him into my bad mood.
“I’m sorry, i’m just...” i rolled my eyes and groaned, “Yeah, tough week. By the way I'm-“
“The new girl.” He said, “Everyone’s talking about you.”
“What do you mean?” I asked.
“The queen bee of St. James is known even outside her realm.” He teased.
I gave another groan and sat on the hood of my car.
“Nice wheels you got there.”
I looked up at him and grinned, “Thanks, my best friend and I built it from scratch.”
He raised a brow, “No way...”
“Yep, I’m a little grease monkey.” I said, “Been tuning up my dad’s car since I was fourteen.”
“Wow, a handy daughter.” He says walking around my car checking it out. “Really impressive.”
“Well, i would say thanks but i don’t know your name.” I said.
“Oh, sorry, uhm, it’s-“
“Hey Li!” we turned toward the voice and saw some boys heading our way.
I shook my head seeing how they were eyeing and pointing at me.
“You better go,” I hear the boy named Li whispered. “You didn’t like Kevin, you wouldn’t like these group either.”
I grinned at him and lent out my hand, “It was nice meeting you Li.” I said.
He grinned and shook my hand, “Right back at you new girl.”
I chuckled and ran to the driver side of my car and stepped inside, at the same time that the boys arrived and walked up to Li, their eyes on my car. I smiled at Li again and waved as I drove pass by him and stopped in front if him, pulled my window down and lent out a hand.
"Jas." i said.
"Nice to meet you Jas" i chuckled.
"See you around jock."
"You too dork."
i smiled and drove out into the streets toward home.
Those were the good days, before Emily began the torment and the bullying. I didn’t mind at the start, except that day.
I hurriedly rushed to my locker and opened it to grab my things inside when the door was slammed shut.
“Well, well, well, look what we got here ladies.” Emily says as she leaned on my locker door, blocking the way and crossing her arms over his chest. “St. James’ number one slut.”
I shrugged, “Please step out of the way Emily, I’m sort of in a hurry.”
“Oh, you hear that ladies?” she says with a pout, a bunch of cheerleaders around me had their eyes on me laughing. “She’s telling us she’s in a hurry, as if we care.”
“Emily, I have no time for this.” I gently push her aside and that’s when she exaggerated things.
She drop herself on the floor and looked up at me with tears in her eyes.
“All I want to be is your friend Jas.” She cried, “Why are you so mean? Is it because Li wouldn’t even give you a second look?”
“Shut up Emily.” I said as I grab my back pack from my locker. “I have no time for your bull. Why can’t you just stop tormenting me and get a life? No one believes your trash acting, not even your friends!”
“Why you-“
“What’s going on here?”
I looked up and saw Li rush toward Emily and helped her up.
I was just asking her if she wanted to go out with the girls and-“
“Shut up with the lies already!” I snapped at her. “If you’re gonna lie at least make it believable! You want to tell Li to get away from me then be it, I pushed you and I’m a whore, that’s what you want to hear right?”
“Jas…”
I looked around and saw my best friend in all his glory and in my former school’s uniform.
“Are you ok?”
I quickly pushed his question aside, “How is he?”
He frowned and shook his head.
I frowned, “No…”
“Jas-“
“No!” I ran off toward the exit and toward my car, I ran pass students and hear Henry running behind me calling my name.
“Jas watch out!”
I stopped in the middle of the parking lot, right in the way of an incoming pick up.
“Justice!” i hear Henry calling me. At that moment i didn't care if my cover was blown, who would know my real name. All I wanted is to get out of here and maybe just die.
Suddenly I was pushed aside and I was down on the cold pavement looking up the sky, my whole body was shaking and numb. Rain began to pour as someone knelt beside me.
I can see his mouth opening, I was sure that he was calling my name, but I couldn’t hear anything. Then it began to rain, my face was soon wet with rain drops while he just knelt there holding my hand, before Henry joined him.
“Jas!” he says, “Are you ok?”
I turned to Henry and stared at him.
“Justice, listen to me…” Henry says, “he would want you to be safe, I know it wasn’t the perfect place for me to tell you, but I don’t know how you’ll react when you get home…”
Slowly his voice drowned and I remembered why I was running away.
He was gone.
Dead.
And I wasn’t even able to say good bye.
I felt my eyes sting and soon, my face was wet with tears, and I was shaking twice as much.
Li shook his head and picked me up.
We ran to Henry’s car and he set me down at the passenger seat and locked the belt in.
“I’m sorry…” he said, “I don’t know what happened between you and Emily but I am sorry Jas. He must have been a great man to have a daughter like you.”
I just stared at him as he gave my hand a squeeze and left, closing the door behind him.
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“Let me get this straight,” I hear Stranger break through my thoughts.
I quickly wiped away the tears that somehow found its way out of me and hoped that it didn’t ruin my make up.
“You were popular but you were bullied?” he asked.
Of course, I didn’t tell him the whole story, just the gist of the hell hole I was in.
“Yeah.” I said, “But I don’t think that being popular has anything to do with it.”
“Yeah, it was because of that guy, Mr. Varsity”
“Is it?” I asked with a frown.
“That evil ex was warning you to stay away from him through bullying, so yes, I think it’s his fault.”
“But he’s my friend-“
“Is he really?”
“Yeah.” I said.
“Well, what news do you have of him now?” he asked.
I swallowed the lump on my throat. Of course I knew where he was, the thing was he doesn’t know who I was. Not after all the things that I had to do to creat my whole new identity.
“I know he’s pursuing his dream.” I said carefully. “That he seemed to have grown to so much better than when I first met him. Yeah, he became a bit cold hearted and tends to pull away from people, but he’s still that guy I met and saved me a lot of times in high school.”
“Wow…” he says.
“What?” I asked.
“You are in love with this guy, aren’t you?” he said.
“What?!” I asked.
“You are in love with him!” he said.
“No I’m not.” I snapped, “Haven’t you been listening? He was the only guy who acted like I wasn’t a piece of meat. He was respectful and trustworthy.”
“See? I bet you can’t say a single negative thing about him.”
“Yes I can!
“Prove it.” he said.
“Well, he’s a manwhore…” I said, my voice turned a few volumes down.
“But?”
I rolled my eyes, “What makes you think there’s a but?”
“There’s always a but.” He whined.
“No there-“
“Yes there is and I won’t stop bugging you about it until you tell me what that is.”
I shrugged and ran my hand through my hair, frustrated.
“But what?” he repeated.
So I sighed and closed my eyes, “But that’s only because he can’t trust anyone after what happened to him in the past.”
“See?” he laughs, “You are acting on his defense even if its you who pointed out his flaw!”
“That’s because it’s the truth.” I snapped. “Even after everything happened, he was a constant person in my life and without meeting him, he changed my brother’s view of things…”
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“What were you thinking?” Xandr shouted at me in his office at one of the companies that he was running. “Socializing with those people? You should be thankful that that's the only thing that happened to you.” He stopped from his circling in front of me and faced me with his hands on his hips. “What if they found out who you were and had you kidnapped?”
I rolled my eyes at him and shrugged, “I wasn't in that kind of danger.”
“Well you could have been!”
“They aren't like that Xandr,” I said, “I don't think high school students are capable of kidnapping, I mean, seriously?”
“Well, it doesn't have to be them.” he snaps again and resumes his angry pacing. “The fact that no one sees you at St. James meant that you were no longer within the security it provides and that means you are an easy target, and with our companies still unstable with dad’s sudden...”
I frowned at the mention of dad. It has been three months since he died and Ximm was busier than ever. Mother had moved out of the house and moved to Washibgton, away from responsibilities, away from us.
Xandr sighed and moved toward me. Kneeling in front of me and took my hand.
“Justice, I know we aren’t actually the perfect family, even before all these...” he shrugged, “but I can’t lose you too.”
I looked up at him in surprise. I’ve never heard him talk so weak. Not even when dad handed him the company half way of his senior year, with our dad’s people doubting his ability, he was strong and unbreakable.
“It’s just you and me now, baby sis.” He said, “Whatever that douche of a fiancé of yours say, it’s you and me in the end.”
I rolled my eyes, “He isn’t a douche, Xandr.”
“He is if he’s taking you away from me.”
I chuckled and shook my head. I pulled my hand out of his and reached for his face. “He can’t do that big brother. It will always be you and me first.”
“Promise?” he grinned.
“Yes...” I gave him a grin, “Well, except when I have kids, then you’d have to settle to share me with them.”
He laughs and shook his head, “I’m pretty sure I’ll be spoiling them more than you would.”
I groaned at the thought, “Xandr...”
He laughs, “Let’s not think of that for now,” he continues, “but please, promise me that you’d come back to St. James?”
“Only if you promise me that you wouldn’t punish Kent (the school I shared with Liam).” I sat back and crossed my arms over my chest.
He gives me a look, “Well, I can’t say I can do that.” I raised a brow, “Give me a month or two to fix it up again.”
“A month or two of what exactly?” I asked.
“Cost cutting.” He said, “Revenue isn’t that good. I swear, if it wasn’t dad’s alma matter I would be pulling out of the deal dad made with them.”
“They’re good people Xandr-“
“You can’t say that when you are all covered with catsup and mustard and...” he pulled out something from my hair, “tomatoes?”
I chuckled and nodded. “Ok, so there’s the cliché of b*tches and d*uches, but really, there are some good people there.”
He sighed, “Ok, ok...” he stood up and walked back to his table. “But I still have to punish them or something, then everything will be back to normal.”
I jumped up and ran to him for a hug, “Thank you, Xandr!”
“Anything for you princess.” He says, “And I think I better double check with the sport department, as it’s the only thing that is helping them raise money right now. And you dear sister...” he looks down at my clothes, “I think, knows this first hand?”
I looked down and saw that I was still wearing Liam’s varsity jacket.
I smiled up at him again, “Good people, big brother, good people.”
He chuckled and nodded as he pulled away from me. “I don’t think Dan would like you wearing other jacket than his.”
I rolled my eyes, “Liam was just being nice.”
“So this jock is a friend?”
“His sisters are, we’re...” he raised a brow, “we’re good friends.”
“Good friends, huh?” he chuckled, “Sucks to be him.” I gave him a questioned look, “Anyway,” he signs a paper and then toss it to the pile on the edge of his table and then stood up. “Let’s go.”
“Let’s go?” I asked.
“We’re going to the hospital to have that wrist of yours checked.” He said as he put on his coat, “Then we’ll be leaving town for a while.”
“Leaving?”
He nodded, “I think we both need a break.” He said, “A month or two at Greece would do us good, don’t you agree?”
“Greece?” I perked.
“Yep. And two weeks in Paris.”
“Paris?!” I squealed.
“So I’m assuming you are ok with this?”
I frowned, “What about school?”
“I’ve already spoken with the academy, they’ll be sending you school work through email and you’ll just have to hand it in when we come back which is a month before graduation.”
“Seriously?”
He looks at me with a smirk, “You’ll be leaving for college next year Justice, I want every moment with you before that as memorable as possible.”
“I’m not going anywhere.” I reminded him.
“We don’t know that.” He said, “Plus the wedding is on your first year in uni, I’m guessing Dan would want you to move in somewhere.”
He was right.
Dan proposed two month before dad died. He said it was so dad didn’t need to worry about me.
Yeah right. I thought. More like to make sure he has a cut on whatever I’ll be getting after he dies.
Apparently, my dad was smarter than he thought.
No, he didn’t make me sign a pre-nuptial. Instead, he had his will made up that Dan would not get anything from me. Anything.
That includes money, lands, properties, businesses- anything. Not even a grain of rice or a teaspoon of sugar. Everything will be for me, even the ones I’ll be earning.
Of course, as expected, that did not sound good for Dan. I guess everyone does have an evil side. Well, evil might be too much… no, evil is just an understatement.
Cause after finding out about what my dad wanted, he went crazy.
At first, he made me feel guilty about my dad’s decision. Telling me that marriage was supposedly the epitome of trust and loyalty. That what my dad did was trample all over his man pride and question his ability.
Then, he changed. Aside from the fact that we no longer went anywhere but stayed at the mansion, if not it would be at the unit. He said it was so we can save fir the future seeing that the finance of our relationship was obviously good for one side alone.
I agreed. I even go as far as pointing this out to my dad and Alexandr, telling them how Dan was taking responsibility of our relationship, of me and of our future.
Well, so much for warming him up to the men in my life. Cause after a while he started to lock me up, while he goes out clubbing or to the bar with the boys making me wait for him until he comes home drunk and wasted. Drinking away the supposed humiliation that my dad set upon him.
Humiliation my ass.
Humiliation is not pushing through college applications cause he thought that he’d get a scholarship for football. Humiliation was when Xandr found him and a girl cozying up in my condo. What was humiliating was when he didn’t show up for our engagement party. Finally, humiliation was what I felt when he left me on the altar.
Quite frankly, I should have understood his intention when he didn’t show up for the engagement party cause his boys threw him a surprise party to celebrate our nuptial.
But I was stubborn and didn’t listen to dad or to Xandr, so there I was standing alone in the altar staring at the empty church which was covered with roses and tulips and other flowers that Henry had carefully chosen and exported from who knows where.
“Darling, let’s go home.” I hear Henry say.
I shook my head, “He’s coming Henry, I know he is.”
“Tease it had been six hours-“
I forced a smile, “You know Dan and his grand entrances-“
Henry just gave me a look, one that was filled with pity and sadness. One which I returned to him. I glanced at the door again, still hoping, maybe at the very last minute he’d show up with a valid reason of why he wasn’t able to make it on time. And tell her that he would marry me with out without guest cause the only ones who matter was us.
But nothing like that happened.
I was not meant for that fairytale ending.
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“Well, maybe because it’s not the end yet.”
“What?” I asked, surprised.
“You said that you aren’t meant to have a fairytale ending.” He said, “I don’t think that’s true.” I didn’t answer, instead I let him continue, “Every girl has a fairytale ending, even without the rainbows and the unicorns. Maybe you haven’t reached the end yet.”
I shook my head and stifled a laugh, “Way to ignite my false hopes.”
The audience gave a light laugh along with me.
“I’m serious.” He said. “I mean, its not the end until you say it is, and what about this high school crush of yours? If he’s so great why not go for him?”
“What?” I asked, “Are you crazy? I doubt that he even remembers me.”
“Well, from the things you have told me, I’d say that this guy still does.” He said. “I mean he treats you like a guy should, with respect and admiration. Yes, you may come pretty strong, you way too loud to be a lady and lord knows that you are far from proper, but still…” he paused, “you’re smart and caring, you got a great sense of humor and a heck of a pair of legs, I think he remembers you.”
I laughed along with the audience as he pointed out my legs which was the only thing he can see of me at the moment.
“That wasn’t your ending Dudette, believe me.” he said, “We may lose trust on people, but there’s that one person who will always be worth the risk. And it’s all up to you if you are willing to take that leap.”
I smiled to myself, “Thank you.”
“You are very much welcome.” He teased, “Man, you are such a girl.”
I laughed, “The last time I checked, I am. Which I’m thinking is a good thing for you as this is a dating game.”
“I guess you are right.”
“You know I am.” I said and sat up, finsing a new kind of confidence in myself, “I’m smart, you said so yourself.”
“So I did.”
I grinned, glad that none of us was ruining the moment with some sarcastic remark.
Well, until Amanda opened her big trap.
“So, how about you Stranger? Care to share your secret identity?”
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Hey everyone! I know, I know its been a looooooooooong looooooooooooooong looooooooooooooooong wait... and this chapter is dedicated to the fan i was chatting with last night who i forgot the name cause my chat box wouldn't connect me to wattpad for soem reason so right now there are 0 online people which had NEVER HAPPENED before... lol so i'll be looking for my mystery chatmate and dedicate this to you later tonight when i get back at the office! lol :)
hope you guys liked it!
xoxo
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