"Do you want to go to my grandma's funeral?" Jordan asked, surprising us both. Why was she asking me?
"You're asking me?" I voiced my thoughts as my eyebrows rose. Why me? "Wouldn't you want to ask one of your friends?"
"You helped me when I needed it the most," she glanced down. "Dallas wasn't there for me when I needed him, but you were. You... You always seem to be there when I need you, Jesse. My grandma always wanted to formally meet you. Now she can... Kind of. So... Will you go?"
"Sure, Emery," I smiled, not thinking twice about the answer I was giving her as I put an arm over her shoulders. "Sure."
She told me I was there for her, she said I was always there for her... Jordan finally realized something about me that I've been trying to show her for ages. I could tell this was only the beginning.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
"It's strange being here, isn't it?" I asked, walking up to Jordan who was eyeing the church carefully. She didn't want to go in. I wouldn't blame her. "This is the one place that I'd always avoid back when we lived her."
"Why would you avoid it?" Jordan asked, turning her head to look at me. "Do you not believe in God or something?"
I shook my head and pushed my hands into my pockets. Frowning, I said, "I definitely believe in God. Or, at least, I used to... Back when I was little, my dad would force me to go every Sunday. I wouldn't ever admit it to anyone else, but I really did like to go. But after what happened with Hunter, and a few other things..." my voice trailed off, deceiving me a little. My eyes landed on Jordan before I continued. "All I seemed to do was pray. I prayed so much... but nothing ever changed. And here we are now, both on the run from a psychopath."
"Thanks for reminding me," Jordan grumbled, crossing her arms tightly over her chest. "That sure made me feel a lot better..."
"Sorry," I smiled sheepishly.
Jordan took a deep breath before saying, "Don't worry about it," and holding on to the sleeve of the nice coat I decided to wear. We walked into the church, Jordan leading me.
"Oh, Jordan!" Someone cried before arms were being thrown around Jordan's neck, causing her to drop my sleeve. "Jordan, honey, are you alright?"
"I'm fine, Mom," Jordan excused, and I looked towards the woman to see it was, in fact, Mrs. Emery. Her eyes were red and she looked as though she had been crying for days. When she turned toward me, I almost froze in fear.
If Jordan's mom remembered me, I don't think she'd be too happy about her bringing a guy who used to make her life miserable.
"Who's this?" Mrs. Emery asked. "Is this the friend you brought?"
"Yeah," Jordan answered simply, slightly shrugging. "This is Jesse. You remember him, don't you?"
"Oh, yes!" She smiled, making my pain ease a little. We had met before, but not in the best way. I'm sure she knew how I felt about her daughter, though. "Of course I remember the boy who drove Jordan crazy for almost four years."
I took her hand, laughing when she did. "It's nice to see you again, Mrs. Emery."
She ran away, and the service was going to start soon. Jordan led us to our seats, which were right in the middle, at the end of the row. I was sitting at the very end and she sat next to me.
Jordan began looking at everyone who came to see the funeral. She was trying her best not to cry, even though she wanted to. She needed to. It would make her feel better, but she kept them locked away.
"We are gathered here to saw farewell to Elaine Peterson, who has gone to the hands of God," the priest stood at the front, speaking loudly so everyone could here. Jordan reached over and grabbed my hand, squeezing it tightly.
The priest continued speaking about how she was now well and content where she was, but I was hardly listening. My eyes were focused on Jordan, watching as she stared towards the casket which contained someone important to her, someone she'd never see again.
I couldn't even imagine what she was feeling. If I had lost someone that important to me, I didn't know what I'd do. Imagining being at a funeral for my mother, Marnie or... Jordan. The thought made me feel nauseous.
"We will catch the man that has ended her life," the priest now said, catching my attention. "All we know so far is from a witness. She saw a man with two different coloured eyes, one blue and one green, running from her house covered in blood the morning of the attack. I assure that we will find this man and bring him to justice..."
My body was so stiff, I thought I would burst. Jordan was tense, and I knew that we were both thinking of the exact same thing. But how? How would Hunter have known about Jordan's grandmother? There had to have been something she was keeping from me.
I forgot about that right then, because Jordan now had tears pouring out of her eyes as she stood up and walked passed me. She was jogging towards the exit, and I stood up seconds later. Jordan was faster than me, but I managed to catch her right before she completely left the church.
"Let go of me, Jesse," Jordan choked through her tears as she tried tearing her arm out of my grasp. "I need to get out of here... I can't go in there and face what I know is my fault-"
She stopped talking abruptly as I pulled her into my chest. Jordan tried fighting it, but soon gave in as she sobbed loudly, just like she had days earlier when she first found out her grandma had passed away.
"It's all my fault!" Jordan screamed, crying into my chest. "It's all my fault she's dead! If I didn't go and visit her, she would still be alive! It's all my fault, Jesse, it's all my fault!"
If she was blaming it on her for visiting her grandmother, something had to have happened there. I didn't push on about the subject, she was in enough pain as it is.
"No it's not," I told her, running my fingers through her hair. My arms were still wrapped around her tightly. "This isn't your fault, Jordan. It isn't. Don't blame yourself for something that Hunter did. I'm so sorry, Jordan, for bringing you into everything with Hunter... If it wasn't for me, your grandma would still be alive right now. I'm so sorry..."
"Jesse," Jordan sobbed, returning the hug. Her arms wrapped around my neck as she squeezed me tightly. "Don't blame yourself, okay? It wasn't your fault... I just can't believe that Hunter would do something so horrible to an old woman!"
"He's evil," I informed her, pulling her away from me just so I could look at her. "He won't stop until he gets what he wants."
"We have to tell the police," Jordan cried, trying to untangle herself from my arms. "We can catch him! We can stop him from whatever he wants, Jesse! We can get him thrown into jail!"
"It isn't that easy," I shook my head. "Hunter's been in jail before. Loads of times. For murder charges, rape charges, robbery..."
"Then why is she out?" Jordan sounded absolutely horrified, and I had to calm her down. This clearly wasn't working.
"Remember how I told you he had people under him willing to do anything for him?" I frowned, remembering what he had told me while I was in the gang. Because I was his right-hand man, Hunter told me everything. He frightened me when I knew what he was capable of, but now that he actually wanted to kill me, I was completely terrified. "Yeah, they really are willing to do anything for him. They'd go and confess to doing the crime that he was convicted for, and Hunter was off scotch free, and then the people who got him thrown in jail..."
"What?" Jordan swallowed, her eyes widening greatly. "What happens to them?"
"They die," I whispered. "Hunter kills them."
"So he's basically untouchable?" Jordan started pushing herself away from me again. I didn't want to tell her, but I had to. Now that she was trying to get away from me, I needed her to be with me even more than usual.
"Yes," I replied, clutching on to her arms even tighter than I had before. She pressed her head against my chest, and gave up from trying to get out. "I'm so sorry Jordan... I'm so sorry. If I could, I'd go back in time and erase the first time you even met me."
The words hurt as they came out of my mouth, because I didn't want that to happen. I couldn't imagine my life without her. My life was pretty much meaningless without her; it still is. But with Jordan, I feel like there's more for me. When I'm around her, I feel like I'm something. That's why I can't let her go.
"No!" Jordan cried out, then looking down in embarrassment. She caught me off guard, but I managed to still hold on to her tightly. "I... I mean... you're a good source of entertainment... Why would I want to get rid of you?"
She pulled away a little, looking up at me. I couldn't help the smile forming on my lips when she said she said that. "And why would I want to get rid of you?"
Jordan's eyes were staring into mine, and I didn't dare look away. I was mesmerized. She looked deep in thought before she wrapped her arms around my neck and hugged me tightly.
With all of her sudden actions, she continued catching me off guard. There was something new happening in our relationship, and I couldn't wait to figure out what it was. Jordan seemed less aggravated when she was around me, and we've been acting like we're friends.
Since we were at the dock when she was helping me clean my injuries, I noticed something different. We had a normal conversation, like two friends would've, and being her friend is a lot better than being her enemy.
But no matter what, I would rather continue being her enemy for the rest of her life, if she would've never met Hunter.