Shit.
"Your room?" Dylan asked Jake. I could see his veins popping out of his neck already.
"Yeah? I gotta change my tie, leave," Jake said as he opened the door.
Dylan smirked at him. "Gladly. So where is Jamie's room?" he asked.
My body was heating up and my heart was pounding so fast I wouldn't be surprised if Dylan heard it.
"Across the hall," Jamie said, still holding the door open for us to leave. Dylan ruffled Jake's hair and followed his direction.
"Get in," he ordered as he opened the door to my room. Now I was scared of him, especially with his redenned face, and the fact we were alone.
I stepped inside my bedroom and Dylan closed the door behind us. Before I knew it Dylan pinned me against the wall his fist right next to my face. I gasped and gulped, surprised at his reaction, but he did not flinch.
"I don't think you're taking me or the deal seriously, Jamie," he said through gritted teeth. "I think you forgot that I owned you since I had gotten so soft on you," he continued. I couldn't move a muscle.
"I would discipline you, but this isn't the right time or place for it," he said. I was still panting in fear.
"And you'd better not be at the memorial tomorrow. I need you at my house tomorrow by four, and this time you should listen to me," he said.
"O-or what?" I spat out. It actually took a lot of me to say those words.
"See this?" he said. He pulled at my lip and I screamed in pain before he clasped my mouth with his hand. He was insane.
"That's not even a third of what I'd do to you," he hissed. My lip was throbbing from his touch.
A knock on the door startled us both and Dylan let go of me, letting me gasp for air.
"Who is it?" I asked in a cracked voice.
"It's me," Jake said. "Mom says let Dylan have dessert."
Dylan sighed. "We'll be down in a minute," he yelled.
"Your moron family just saved you, you know that?" he whispered to me before opening the door. He stormed past Jamie to the living room.
"What's his deal?" Jake asked as I left the room.
"Let's just go," I told him.
*
It was nearly eleven on a school night and the Reeds still hadn't left. Dad and Mr. Reed were on the balcony for a couple of cigars while Mom and Mrs. Reed watched a TV show together in the living room. Jake was playing on his phone while Meredith, who I assumed was forced to leave her phone at home, was staring blankly at the TV, drifiting off every five minutes.
Dylan, on the other hand, right after dessert to finish his "homework". I didn't know what was going on in his head.
"So Meredith," I said to the extremely bored girl. She didn't look like Dylan very much. They probably shared the same dark hair and that was it; at least I hoped that was it. I wondered if he tormented her as well.
"Are you excited about the camping trip this weekend?" I asked her. It was the only thing I could come up with.
She shrugged. "I've never been camping before so I am a bit," she said. I didn't expect that. I liked her.
"Jake, are you excited?" I asked my brother, who was still engrossed in his video game. He didn't even look up.
"O-kay," I said and Meredith giggled. "He's probably excited it's past his curfew," I reasoned with a chuckle.
My mom and Mrs. Reed finally got up from the couch as my Dad and Mr. Reed went back in the house from the balcony where they had been smoking; the exact same spot where I first ran into Dylan.
They were finally leaving, and Meredith looked so relieved; which was too bad since we were just getting to know each other. Jake looked happy they were leaving as well. Ecstatic, even.
I said my goodbye's and left with Jake to our rooms, while my parents continued their goodbye's and camping plans with the Reeds in the driveway.
"Finally!" Jake exclaimed. I chuckled as I loosened my tie.
"Let's just go to sleep."
*
I poked at my burger with my fork. I had never expected to hate the school's burger, but ever since the incident with Dylan, everything was expectable.
I looked at Travis' table. I wished I were with them; any company was better than Dylan's.
"Why aren't you eating your lunch?" Dylan asked as he pointed at my untouched tray.
"I don't really like it anymore," I said with a shrug.
"Ask Sarah and the two twats over," he said directing his chin towards the table behind us.
"What about Naomi? She's with them," I asked sincerely.
"Feck her."
Alright.
I walked to Sarah's table, and she grinned at me widely.
"Hey, you!" she exclaimed. Her reaction surprised me; in a good way.
"Hey Sarah, so uh, do you guys want to join our table for lunch?" I asked. I couldn't tell Naomi she wasn't invited, besides, she'd probably stay away from Dylan anyway.
She shrugged. "Sure, why not!"
The girls walked to our table, but Naomi said she was going to the library to check something out. I felt bad for saying this but that was a relief.
Dylan was already engaged in a conversation with Sarah, and Tracy and Kelly were busy talking to each other about some teacher they hated.
"Sorry, ladies, but I'm gonna have to excuse myself for a couple of minutes," he said.
"Jamie, we're still up for today at four, right?" he asked me as he stood up.
I gulped and nodded.
"Oh, the memorial? I'm going too," Sarah said. Dylan gave her a quick smile before leaving. I was going to the memorial; I didn't care what that would cost me.
"Same here," I said with a smile, making sure I was out of earshot.
"Do you want to go together?" she asked. I nodded.
"Yeah I'll go with you after school," I said. She smiled.
"So how did you know Tucker?" she asked me. Oh God.
"I, uh, I just talked to him once. He was a nice guy from when I spoke to him," I told her with a smile. She nodded.
"My brother was a close friend of his. And I'm friends with Alex so I ran into Tucker a couple of times," she said. My heart froze at "I ran into".
The bell rang and I quickly packed my stuff for American History. I said a hasty "Bye" to Sarah before heading to the hallway. I didn't know where Dylan was; he said he was going to return but he probably changed his mind when he heard the bell.
I walked into class and Mr. Marslow had already written "Pop Quiz" on the board.
"Don't bother revising," he said as the class groaned at the board. "It's actually from today's chapter which, by the way, you were all supposed to read. Pick up a quiz from the desk, lets go," he said as he sat in his chair.
Dylan was still a no-show. I walked up to the desk and grabbed a quiz. I had read this chapter yesterday before dinner even began so I knew the answers to the questions. I answered without any pauses and waited a couple of seconds.
The door opened dramatically and Dylan barged in, out of breath, and his uniform was messed up and his face was red. I hadn't seen him like this before.
"Sorry," he said as he cleared his throat and walked to his desk.
"Mr. Reed, your quiz?" Mr. Marslow said as he tapped on the desk. Dylan looked confused until he read the words on the board and took the quiz reluctantly.
He sat behind me and shortly after he poked me in the back.
"Switch papers," he whispered to me.
Was he insane? I looked at Marslow and shook my head to Dylan. We were dead if he caught us. If it were Ms. Paisley's class I would've done it just to get him off my back but this was Mr. Marslow, an ex-military officer.
I felt a kick to my back under the seat.
"Do it," he whispered again. I gulped and quickly lowered my quiz to him by the wall and he quickly grabbed it, handing me his paper. I realized he had written his name on the paper so I had to follow the same handwriting.
It was so hard trying to copy his handwriting but I managed to do it, at least I tried. Mr. Marslow stopped us just as I finished writing the answer to the last question. We handed in our papers and Dylan smirked at me.
"Atta boy," he said. I looked away. "Four o'clock. Don't forget," he whispered to me.