✨ [PARIS UP ABOVE] ✨
✨ IMPORTANT A/N AT END ✨
E B O N Y
I quickly left the house that morning, not even bothering to stay for breakfast as I was on a mission.
My plan was to talk to Jackson, get the money, and then- well, run. Literally if it meant I had too.
The thought of it was what kept me tossing and turning all night long, waking up at three in the morning to hear Gale home with another female, and then falling back asleep with tear stained cheeks as I thought about my mother.
I couldn't let it go, and now was my time to finally do something about my life.
I roamed the streets, looking out for a familiar tall guy with a dark aura, and a bunch of tattoos. I never actually noticed them until yesterday, which was odd considering he does have a lot of them.
As I searched the streets, and walked past bars and cafes, I was soon stopped by a girl as my shoulder bumped into hers.
"Hey! Watch where your going!" She yelled at me, as I looked up at her and began to apologize. "I-I'm sorry, I should've-"
"Wait. Your Ebony right?" The Asian girl said, pointing at me as if I wasn't just standing right in front of her.
And with a hesitant nod, I began to wonder how she knew my name. "I have a friend who's taken a liking too you, I assume. Come, let's talk." She grabbed my arm, and I widened my eyes in shock but also a little bit of fright as I didn't know what her intentions were.
"I like your style." She said, looking me up and down as I nodded with a small, "Thanks?" In questioning.
As we walked, I couldn't help but notice how familiar she looked. From her long jet black hair, to her high cheekbones and rather slim figure.
"Have we met before?" She asked me, as I shrugged and shook my head. "I-I don't believe so." As I said that, she then stopped and extended her hand to me.
"Well, here we are meeting on 'professional terms'." I squeezed her hand gently as she smiled. "Hello, My name is Paris, and you are?" She asked, obviously knowing but I still went along. "Ebony." I said softly, as she nodded.
"Enchante Ebony. It is nice to meet you." She shook my hand and pulled away, before grabbing my arm again and leading me somewhere.
"I'd like to get to know you better, and maybe even become friends if that's alright with you." She briefly caught my eyes with a side glance as I nodded and let out a shaky breath. "Uh, sure. If you really want too." I was uncertain about this girl.
Very uncertain. She said she had a friend who took interest in me, assumption wise, but I still couldn't figure out who this friend could be.
Coincidentally we ended up back at the cafe that Jackson took me too yesterday, and I remembered my plan for the day with him. If he was here, that would make my day much easier.
As we stepped inside, I scanned the cafe, and to my luck, there he was, sitting in the back with some guy who looked to be in his late twenties atleast.
They also looked to be having an intense conversation.
"Sit." Paris said, smiling as I followed her and took a seat right in front of the stage. She sighed and glanced up at the microphone and then looked back at me.
"So, where do you go to school?" The question was like any other question, but I found myself finally finding out where I knew her from.
"Lake view-"
"I knew it!" She squealed! "I knew you were familiar, your that girl that always walks around with your head down and you never talk to anyone. I don't even see you at lunch." I didn't know whether to feel creeped out that she knew so much about me, when the only time I remembered her was when I bumped into her a while back.
"Oh, yeah." My mouth couldn't really form any other words to say, and my mind was just stuck on Jackson as he got up to leave.
"My friend, kind of has something with you and I want to know what it is if you don't mind me asking." I furrowed my eyebrows, basically asking who her friend was.
"His names' Jackson?" She asked, and my eyes slightly widened as I was about to ask her to repeat what she just said.
But then someone said my name. "Ebony?" And I knew the familiar voice from behind me. I turned and watched as Jackson looked between Paris and I, a slightly confused expression on his face as I gulped.
"I-I actually was just coming to see you." I remember Paris is still here and I glance back at her as she gives me a soft smile, and then winks. "We can finish our conversation later." She says, standing up to leave as I feel a little bad for having her leave.
But then again, her question was odd. Jackson has a liking to me?
I quickly shook the thought away as I noticed Jackson about to take a seat in Paris' recent spot. I extended my leg, and tried my best to stop him from sitting there by putting the top of my foot on the seat, as I couldn't quite reach all the way. "I don't think we should talk here."
Something deep inside of me felt like I was being watched. And with the many people scrambling around the cafe, it wasn't stupid of me to think so as I glanced around the small area.
Jackson stands up as I do the same, and make my way out of the cafe. We begin to walk, and silence surrounds us I play with my hands as many doubts come to my mind.
What if he doesn't have the money? I ask myself, as I feel my heart pound against my chest at the thought.
But I soon get taken out of my thoughts as Jackson speaks. "So.." he says with a low breath, and I finally gather enough courage as I stop in front of him and try to think of a way to say what I have to say, without him thinking of me a certain way.
"What I'm about to tell you may sound odd, but please do not judge me immediately." My eyes searched his own, as he nodded and eyed me.
I gulped, and looked away as I rummaged through my brain for words to explain to him why I needed the money first of all. "I thought long and hard about my decision. And I imagined what my life would be like, and how much greater it will be with this." I scanned Jacksons face then, looking for any change in emotion to tell me that what I was saying was affecting him.
But he just stared at me.
So then I said clear as day what I've intended to say since the beginning. "I want the money." The words were somehow foreign coming from my lips, but I watched as Jacksons eyebrows came down and he asked me "Why."
Of course I knew this was a question he would ask, considering I didn't have to give him an explanation the first time around but this time I would have too.
But it was still hard to do so, and my hands began to shake with nerves again as I thought about the right thing to say. "I-I just thought about it over night and-" my words were a mere jumble of words as Jackson finally spoke up again.
"I will give you the money if you give me an honest reason why." It was simple to him, I realized. But I knew what telling him my life story would entail, and how easy it would be for me to be crushed again by the world when trusting someone so easily becomes a habit of mine once again.
So with a sigh, I told him that I couldn't tell him my exact reason why, hoping he'd atleast just throw the bag at me or something from out of thin air. But then, I saw the change in his eyes before he said the words that would crush me.
"I don't have it." And my heart dropped, along with my face as I shook my head and gulped down a sob. "B-But-" he continued to speak as I knew he was lying, as he wanted answers that I couldn't give him.
"It was a one time offer, and as I remember you did refuse it the first time around." His face never changed, not even a crack of pity for me as he just stared at me and I felt utterly embarassed that I actually thought things would go smooth, and my life would finally be okay.
Hope. That's what hope did to me, and that's what it'll always do. Crush me.
I bit my lip to stop the already raging tears from falling out of my eyes as Jackson came closer, and set his rough hands on my shoulders. "Just tell me the truth." He almost, almost pleaded with me. But I couldn't stand in front of him any longer without wanting to fall down on my face and start crying like a baby.
So to avoid that, I pulled away from him and shook my head, as I tried to bring comfort to him, without bringing comfort to myself- like always. As a single tear slipped from my eye, I told him what he told me. "Like you said, it was a one time offer." And I pulled away from him, as I turned and walked away from him.
A part of me thought he would have followed me, and asked me more questions. But he didn't, and I was half thankful for that, but also hurt someway somehow.
I couldn't stop the flood of tears then, as my heart started to beat wildly, and my lungs began to close.
My vision began to blur, and I reached out for something, anything to keep myself up. But I fell, to the concrete ground and began to sob.
It was a loud cry. One that I knew would alert anyone around, and if they had a heart, would ask if I was okay.
But no one came. No one saw me, no one came around, no cars even drove by.
No one cared.
---
J A C K S O N
I didn't know why, but I was aggravated. Not with Ebony, but at myself.
How could i- I stopped myself as I realized that I didn't know why exactly I was angry with myself.
Was it because I literally just watched this girl beg me to give her money that's intentionally meant for her. Knowing something is going on in her life, I told her I didn't have it and lied to her, then snatched her hope away with a single sentence, watching again as she walked away from me with those eyes that made me want to shoot myself in the same spot I got shot in by the Darwins, because I made her look at me that way, again.
Like I was the one who had been hurting her.
I pushed open the bar door, and stalked to the back. Not even hearing anyone calling my name, but just wanting to take a hot shower and rinse away the emotions that tried to surface.
"Jackson." Jerrys voice was the only one I heard as I put my hand on the bedroom door, stopping with a clenched fist as I turned to him slowly.
"What." I said lowly, as he took a step forward, and looked me over. "We have to talk-"
"Later." I pushed open the door and made my way straight to the bathroom. Just as I was about to close the bathroom door behind me, Jerry's hand came out and blocked it as he eyed me. "Your not going to like what I say to you if you don't listen to me." His eyes were different this time, as I bit my cheek and shrugged, annoyed now as I stepped out of the bathroom.
"Okay, tell me. What is it?" He crossed his arms. "Markus told me about your little plan." I scoffed and shook my head. "And that's what you had to tell me? Wow, thanks for wasting a minute of my time." I began to walk around him again, but he pushed me back then.
If the bed wasn't behind me I would've fell onto the floor, and that would've made me even more pissed. "Something's going on, and your pissed I can see. But what you and Markus thought would work, trying to save his son, is not going to go through-"
"What makes you think I even want to save those kids huh Jerry? What if I'm just in it to kill the Darwins and then walk away?" He was the one trembling with anger now as he took a dangerous step closer.
"Jackson something is going on with you. Because I know no matter what you say, or what you do to prove me wrong, you'd never let someone innocent be hurt and tortured the way that David was-"
"Don't you ever mention him!" I screamed as my chest heaved up and down as I glared at Jerry, and he did the same to me.
"The Darwins aren't the same people they were six years ago Jackson." He searched my eyes as I only held aggression in them. "They've changed their game. Who they prey on, and what their tactics are."
"Jerry unless your about to tell me they have nuclear weapons now, and their working with the president, then don't bother trying to scare me with bullshit lies." I wasn't in the mood to stay here any longer as I began to make my way to the door, but just as I opened it to see Markus standing there with a look of anger on his face, what Jerry said next angered me even more.
"Their going after Ebony."
---
I just want to say thank you so so so much for reading and I hope you continue to enjoy this story! I really am grateful that you guys are loving it just as much as I am loving writing it!
The votes and comments mean a lot to me, and I really do appreciate them!
But guys, I NEED HELP! I need help casting characters. So far I only need a male character for Markus, I have a few guys in mind- (but what I'm really looking for is a like late twenties, maybe early thirty year old guy- from down south, [likes Texas, Louisiana, etc] or who looks like he's southern. Lol. And has long hair OR a Man Bun 👅) 😂 so if your down, drop some names of some guys you might know.
But please continue to show support to this story by voting and commenting and I'll see you in the next chapter!
-Ellipticall