I wake up to something heavy falling over my stomach. My eyelids flutter open and I look down to see Jacksons arm wrapping tightly around me. His warm chest is pressing against my back and a smile makes its way onto my face, a fuzzy feeling filling my insides.
Jackson groans in his sleep and nuzzles his head in my neck. His hair tickles the soft skin and I let out a little laugh.
"Mmm... You laughing at me?" His voice is muffled in my hair and I can hear the smile in his voice.
In one swift motion he switches position so I'm lying underneath him. His fingers comb through my knotty hair and my eyes flutter shut, my body exhilarating at his touch.
"No, I wasn't." I open my eyes and stare at him, a small smile still on my face.
His brown curls fall in his eyes and I brush them away with my fingertips, letting then brush all the way through to his neck. He smiles and give me a slow gentle kiss and my eyes fall shut again. When his lips leave mine my eyes open and look up to find Jackson smiling.
A streak of sunlight shines through the window and leaves a bright gleam on his face. The beam glimmers in his right eye and the color shifts from green to gold.
The sun is illuminating everything about him, like it's kissing him with joy.
He looks like an angel, I think.
Jackson cups my cheeks and a small smile still teases his lips.
"What did I do to have you here with me?" His voice is a mere whisper but it shatters everything. My smile falls along with his wings and the bliss is gone, replaced with a cold gust of wind blowing through me.
"I need to go," I say. My eyes look away from his face and to the windows. The sun is still shining but the golden beam is no longer directed at Jackson. Birds chirp and the sky is clear of any skies. But it's not the same.
Nothing gold can stay. The quote rusher through my mind and the illusion changes. Jackson is no angel. The moment was just golden.
I close my eyes and I feel something hot trailing down my face.
"Hey, whats wrong? Adeline, talk to me? What's wrong?" Jackson dries away the tear with his hand and he continues to stroke my face. I slap his hand away and forcefully push him off of me. I stand up abruptly and my naked body is now on display. I pull on the first item of clothing I find which happens to be Jacksons shirt. The material is soft against my skin and I would have ripped it off if I could find my own shirt.
I pull on my pants and shoes, find my phone and storm out of the room and down the stairs. I hear Jackson swearing and he storms after me.
"Adeline! Wait, what's happening?" He grips my wrist and I stop.
This is all too much. Deja vu clings to every moment and I need to get away.
"Let go of me," I say. My voice is steady but I can feel my heart in my throat.
"What happened?" Jackson is staring down at me and I'm staring down at the floor.
"I need to go."
"Why?"
When I don't answer he steps forward and cups my cheek. I'm tempted to let the warm feelings of his touch envelop me, and for a moment I do. I close my eyes and another tear falls to the ground.
Then I slap his hands away one more time and take a step back. My tear stricken eyes look at him and all I see is a confused broken boy.
I let out a deep breath. "Just take me home."
Jackson stands still for a moment before he nods. "Fine."
And then he's running up the stairs and I let out another breath. I step outside and walk to his truck. I run my fingers over the shiny surface and close my eyes. My mind takes me back to last night when the sky was as dark as the black polish and the stars were dusting us with their magic. And Jackson was kissing me with his.
I hear the car beep and my eyes open again, almost blinded by the sun. Jackson opens the door for me and I get in, avoiding eye contact at all costs.
The ride is silent and I pretend to be busy on my phone. I have six missed calls from Hailee and twenty-three from Tyler. Twenty-three. How is that even possible?
Me: Hey, sorry I didn't answer .
Hails: WHERE THE HELL HAVE YOU BEEN?!
Me: Jeez, calm it with the caps lock.. I'll tell u l8r...
Hails: U okay?
Me: Idk.
Hails: I'll be @ ur place in and hour<3
Me: tnx... love u<3
Hails: love u 2<33
Jackson is giving me long glances and I can just tell he's itching to say something.
"What did I do?" He breaks the silence after five more minutes.
"Stop here," I say. I see my house a few houses down and get him to drop me off here, to avoid Tyler seeing him. Seeing us together.
Jackson does as I say but as I'm about to open the door he locks it from his side. I turn to glare at him.
"Seriously Jackson? Let me out."
"What did I do wrong? Was it last night? Did I say something?"
He seriously has to ask?
"No, it's not about last nig-
"Then what is it?!"
"You killed someone!"
It's like I just fired off a bomb. It's deadly silent and I'm afraid of what'll happen next. After what seems like a decade of silence I hear the click of the door unlocking. Jackson is staring straight ahead, his fists clenched around the steering wheel, face neutral.
When I realize he's not going to say anything I swallow the lump in my throat and push the door open. I close it with a slam and I've barely taken a step back when Jackson speeds off, leaving me half-broken. Is it wrong that I wanted him to fight for me, even if I'm pushing him away?
"Where the hell have you been?!"
Those are the first words I hear when I enter the kitchen. Tyler is stood towering over me, trying to be all intimidating.
"Get out of my way Tyler."
"Get out- get out of your way? Get out of your way?!" Tyler is almost livid and I would've laughed or at least poked fun at the vein popping out of his forehead if I wasn't so tired.
"Yes, get out of my way." I try to walk around him but he sidesteps whenever I do.
"That's not your shirt. Have you been seeing Jackson?"
"No." Now I'm the one mad and I'm giving him a deathly glare.
"Then where were you?" Tyler crosses his hands over his chest.
"None of your business."
"Adeline."
"Tyler."
I don't know how long we just stare at each other, as if staring will make the other person obey. We both flinch and look away when the doorbell rings.
"I'll get it..." Tyler moves around me and heads for the door and I hurriedly catch up to him.
"No I'll get it!" I shove him into the wall but Tyler shoves me back and looks at me as if I'm acting weird.
"Whats wrong with you?" he asks and I glare, deciding he'll just have to actually face Hailee sooner or later anyways.
The door opens and Hailee and Tyler both freeze. Tyler looks most shocked, his mouth halfway gaping. Hailee looks like she's about to break down again.
"Hailee..."
Hailee clenches her teeth, takes a deep breath, and then-
The sound of her slap is immediately followed by Tylers moans of pain, both his hands cradling his left cheek. My eyes almost pop out of my skull and I almost laugh.
She lets out a big breath of relief. "There, that felt good." Hailee turns to me and give me a smile and I return the gesture.
"Come on. You're gonna die when I tell you what I've been up to." I grab her arm and start dragging her up the stairs when Tyler speaks.
"What have you been up to Adeline?!"
"None of your business Tyler!"
"So." Hailee jumps on my bed. "What's wrong?"
I sigh as I fall backwards on my bed beside her. "Where do I even start?"
"The beginning." Hailee takes my hand and give it a squeeze of comfort.
"Well, I shouldn't even be telling you any of it. But, there's this guy."
"Isn't there always," she snorts.
I choke out a laugh and nudge her with my elbow.
"Shut up... Anyways. His name is Jackson-"
"Hold up. Jackson as in Jackson Park?" Her voice is filled with excitement but I don't know what for.
"He never actually told me his last name, but I guess so, yeah. Why?"
Hailee flips to her stomach and I turn to my side, looking at her.
"I heard he's bad news."
I snort and roll my eyes. "Yeah, he is."
"He's hot though. Like, really hot." She gives me a dreamy look and I shove her again.
"Aren't you supposed to be heartbroken? And besides, that's irrelevant to what he did."
"What did he do?"
I open my mouth to answer but the words get caught in my throat. The mood falls and I feel my eyes well up. Hailee notices my discomfort and her eyes immediately show concern.
"It's okay. You can tell me anything." She sits up and I sit up with her, our backs now resting against the headboard. I let my head rest on her shoulder and a few tears stroll down.
"He... He killed someone."
Hailee stiffens and I let out a small sob.
"And then he blackmailed me... He pinned it on me and my fingerprints are on the murder-weapon that he has and he told me to not tell anyone and then he dragged me into a lot of bad stuff and it all happened the night before-
"Wow, slow down. Breath Adeline. You need to take deep breaths."
Tears are falling like it's a rainstorm and Hailee is hugging me and stroking my hair until I've calmed down.
"That's not the worst part either..." I whisper, afraid of what I'm about to admit next.
Hailee keeps stroking my hair and hugging me in an awkward position.
"I slept with him last night..."
I hear her take in a sharp breath of air and her body stiffens. she releases me from the hug and I almost expect her to look at me horrified. But all that meets my eyes is concern and worry.
"Why?" she asks.
I shake my head in almost a panicked manner and tears keep running like a river. I let out a sob and Hailee hugs me again while I try to take deep breaths.
"I think I like him. Like, a lot... And it scares me so much Hailee. I don't know what to do. I know it's wrong. It's so fucking wrong it shouldn't even be possible. I've seen him without that badboy persona everyone expects of him and... I don't know. But I think I really like the person inside. Ugh, whats wrong with me? I don't even know him for gods sake! This is so stupid. I'm so stupid."
Hailee tightens her hug. "Shh... Don't cry. You're not stupid."
She keeps comforting me until my sobs are less frequent.
"Let's just go through what has happened and we'll solve one problem at a time. Okay?" Her voice is soft and gentle.
I nod and dry off the last of my tears.
"So you really slept with him last night?" she teases.
I let out a half-laugh shoving her shoulder. "Shut up."
Hailee lets out a little laugh too. "Well, how was it? I mean, was it worth it?"
I think about her question and my mind wanders to memories of last night. Was it really worth it?
"It was painful at first... But then it felt good. It felt right. It sounds cliche but it really was beautiful. I don't know. I felt beautiful. And when we kissed, I couldn't think of anything but him and how it made me feel." A small smile lingers on my lips as I recaption what happened, the butterflies almost fluttering again.
"But if he makes you feel so amazing, why does it have to be a bad thing?"
"It's just a messy situation I guess. Oh God, he must think I'm such a slut. I mean, I slept with him after just one kiss." I bury my head in my hands but Hailee uncovers my face.
"Hey, stop slut-shaming yourself. You're not a slut for wanting to have sex. But can we rewind for a moment."
I nod, not sure where she's headed with this.
"When did the murder happen? Like, how?"
"Well, it was really dark out. I was on my way home from your place and someone just ran me down, like literally. And then this guy and Jackson argued and one thing led to another and before I know it the other guy is lying on the pavement, a bloody knife beside him. Jackson... He picked up the knife and made it so that my fingerprints are all over it. Then he forced me back to his place and cleaned my wound, you know, the one on my chin that I had for days. It was the night before my mom..." My throat closes and I can't finish the sentence.
"Oh..." She falls silent for a moment.
"Yeah... I'm really sorry for lying to you." My voice has grown quieter.
She shakes her head. "No, it's okay. But, eh, are you sure it was that night?"
I look at her with my eyebrows furrowed in confusion. "Eh yeah, it's kind of hard to forget something like that," I say.
"No, I know. But, it's just that there was never any talk about a murder."
"Really? I thought it was all over the news."
Hailee shakes her head again. "It wasn't. There wasn't even a mention of anything like it."
Now I'm even more confused. There must have been an article or something.
"Do you think there's a possibility that the guy might, you know..." Her voice is hesitant, as if treading on unsafe ground.
"Might what? What are you insinuating Hails?"
"That he might still be alive."
---
A/N:
Hey lovelies! I honestly feel like the last chapters have been very sloppy. Sorry about that :/ I'm just really busy and stressed about school and stuff. I'll try to set of more time for writing though.
And, thank you for 1.5K! I really appreciate every comment, vote and read <3
xoxo