Me: Are you going to spend the night tonight?
Dean: Wow Arabella could you be more desperate? ;)
Dean: Not tonight, I have some business to take care of.
I was hoping he wouldn't say that. Not because I was desperate to see him again, but because I was starting to think that random text message I got was not so random.
"So Ary, what's going on between you and that Reece kid?" My mom's sweet voice pulled me away from my phone. We were both chilling in the living room. I was working on homework and she was snuggled up with a good book.
It was weird to see her so casual. Her perfect blond hair cascaded down her shoulder. She was wearing a hoodie from her old college and baggy pants. She wore glasses instead of her usual contacts.
My mom was a doctor so that meant she always either wore scrubs or a professional outfit with a lab coat. Her hair was often tied up and I barely saw it down, even at home.
She looked younger today.
"Reece? Nothing. We're just friends," I explained, glancing at her. She had a small smile playing on her lips. "I promise mom, nothing's going on between us."
She closed her book and sat beside me. I pushed my homework onto the coffee table and faced her.
She absentmindedly grabbed a strand of my hair, which was nearly identical to hers, and started twirling it. "We never really talked about what happened between you and Dean, and even Andrew." She paused and looked me in the eyes. "You never really talk about it and I know I don't like pushing you, but it's not good to keep it in."
I sighed, deciding to tell her. She was my mother after all. "Well, I'm still hurt about Andrew. I can't believe he actually used me like that. He wasn't who I thought he was, and it sucks. I can't believe I was so desperate over him." Tears welled in my eyes as I remembered the incident, surprising me. I thought I was done crying over that scumbag. And I sure as hell didn't expect to be so hurt over it. "I liked him for so long. Seeing him talk about me like that... all the nice things he did for me, it all seemed like a lie."
She pulled me into her shoulder and stroked my hair as I silently cried. I thought I was over Andrew, but I guess not. I didn't even like him anymore, but he caused me more pain than I realized.
"I know it's hard for you to trust after that," she cooed in my ear.
Then I started crying harder. "It is. Especially with Dean, mom. I like him so much, but he keeps secrets. How am I supposed to trust him when he isn't completely honest with me?"
She held me at arms' length and looked me dead in the eyes. "Sometimes secrets are kept to protect you. I'm not saying he has to lie all the time, but he has the right to not tell you something if it involves him."
"But what if it's something big?" I whispered.
"If he truly loves you, he'd tell you."
Woah woah woah! Back up! Love? Who said anything about love?
"So are you two on better terms?" She raised her eyebrows, giving me a knowing smile that only moms could give.
"Kinda," I mumbled, sniffling up the last of my tears. "We're talking now, so it's an improvement."
She nodded and brushed my hair out of my face. "Look, he's a nice boy. I'm sorry all this drama with Andrew happened. It hurts me to see you so cautious. I hope Dean proves you can trust him."
"Me too," I mumbled under my breath.
She gave me a kiss on the cheek and moved back to her spot on the recliner. "Ary, you should talk to your friends. I'm always here, but I can't always tell you what you need to hear."
I gave her a small smile and grabbed my homework from the table, focusing on my assignment.
One thing was certain, whether that text was meant for a random number or not, I was going.
Best case scenario, I'd get whatever answers I needed.
Worst case scenario, I'd leave after realizing it was the wrong number.
I needed to sneak out though. It was a Sunday night and my parents sure as hell wouldn't let me go to a random park at eleven at night. It wouldn't be too hard, considering I still had the ladder outside my window. That thing was handier than I ever thought it could be.
"Earth to Ary," my brother yelled, making me jump. He burst out laughing and I glared. "You've been spaced out for the past five minutes."
"Geez! And? At least I have the capability of thinking," I snapped.
He grinned and took a seat next to me, leaning back. "I can't even deny it. Anyway, whatcha doing?"
"Homework."
"Ah, I wouldn't know that either."
"Obviously," I snorted. All Justin did was play video games and hang out with his girlfriend. "You know you'll get kicked off the team if your grades drop, right?"
His happy face fell and was replaced by horror. "What? That's a thing?"
I rolled my eyes and shoved his side. "You're dumber than I thought."
He groaned and got up, presumably to ask my dad if it was true. I'm surprised he didn't know beforehand. I'm sure Coach told them.
I forced myself to finish my homework so I'd have time to prepare for tonight. I hadn't gotten any other cryptic texts and I couldn't call the number because it was blocked.
Dinner was hell. I was anxious as is, and I had to deal with my parents staring at me. I'm sure I was being paranoid but it felt like they already knew what I was planning on doing.
After our meal, I excused myself and ran upstairs. After closing the door, I began pacing to get rid of the anxious energy I had.
To distract myself, I called Dylan. "Hey ugly."
"Bella? Everything okay?"
I furrowed my brows, wondering why it was so concerning for me to call randomly. Then I heard giggling in the background.
"I'm a little busy right now," he huffed. I realized he sounded out of breath and nearly threw up in my mouth.
"Ew ew ew. Why would you even pick up the phone in the middle of that? You know, please continue," I shrieked before hanging up.
Who the hell picks up the phone during sex?
I proceeded to call my best second option, Jaz. She picked up right away. "Hey, babe! What's happening?"
"Nothing much, just super bored. You have any drama for me?" I desperately asked.
If she was suspicious, she didn't show. She was eager to rant, telling me about Taylor and her recent rumors. I guess this was her way of coping with the fact that her crush would never like her back.
"Why Taylor? Out of all the people in our school, why her?" I asked the burning question.
She paused for a long time before answering, "Honestly, she's hot as hell. She has this bad bitch energy around her and damn, it's attractive. I get why all the guys are obsessed with her." I hummed in agreement. There was a reason Taylor got all the boys at school. The worst part was, no one even hated her. We were all jealous because we wanted to be her.
Even me sometimes. A lot of times. Pre-Dean times.
We chatted about dumb things for a while but she had to finish her homework, so I reluctantly let her go.
10:30 rolled around and I figured it was about time to get ready.
First, I went downstairs with my cup to fill up water. In reality, I was checking to see if my parents were asleep. I didn't see either of them in the open areas, so I figured they were at least in their room.
I changed into a black tank top, jeans, and jacket for the weather. I needed to be inconspicuous, just in case the message wasn't meant for me. After lacing up my black Doc Martens, I grabbed my phone and keys. As soon as I slid open my window, I was met with the cool November air. I shivered and slowly crawled down the ladder, closing my window as I went.
My feet finally felt the grass underneath and I sighed with relief. It was eerily quiet tonight and my anxiety was coming back in full force. I didn't even know why I was going. My gut was telling me the text was for me, but it was also telling me not to go.
As soon as I sat in my car, I opened my phone and looked at the text one more time.
Unknown: You want answers. Find them tomorrow night at 11. Beachwood Park.
I zoomed out of my driveway. I didn't want to risk my parents hearing my engine and coming outside to check.
I parked a little further from the park. I didn't want to draw unnecessary attention. I stuffed my cold hands in my jacket pockets and began walking the five minutes to the destination. I shivered as I walked, regretting not taking my car. My teeth were chattering, even though the jacket should have been enough.
The small park finally came into view and I silently cursed the secret messenger for choosing an outside area. As I drew near, I noticed several people talking in hushed voices. The conversation looked intense, like something I shouldn't interrupt.
Instead, I snuck behind a large tree so I wouldn't be seen. The dark clothes were coming in handy.
The orange lamppost barely gave off any light and I struggled to make out the faces. From what I could tell, there were five men and one woman.
"Boss, I don't think he's coming," one of them spoke apprehensively.
He? Maybe I wasn't the intended recipient of the text.
"Shut up," another one forcefully snarled. "He'll be here." He looked like the biggest out of all of them. He stood up straight, his posture making him intimidating.
I guess I dressed for the occasion because all of the people were also wearing all black. The main difference was they were all wearing leather jackets and looked way more badass than me.
"Alright fuckers, let's get this over with," a familiar voice called and I froze.
I slowly turned to see Dean smoking a cigarette as he casually approached the group. The people all tensed at his arrival, meaning he was the expected company. He was dressed similarly, except he had a white shirt under his jacket.
He looked hot.
Wrong time.
Suddenly I was sure that text was meant for me. There was no way this was some freak coincidence. I was going to get the answers I craved tonight.
"Dean," one of them growled.
Dean seemed oddly relaxed about the whole situation. "Hey guys, it's good to see you again."
Again? He knew them?
Well, obviously. He wouldn't meet a random group of strangers at an obscure location at night. Not to mention, they knew his name.
"You too," the girl spoke this time. Her flirty tone made my heart wrench. I'm sure if her hair wasn't tucked into a beanie, she'd twirl it as she spoke.
He barely acknowledged her, which made me feel a little better. Just a little.
It was obvious Dean was in no mood to beat around the bush. "Why'd you guys call me here?"
A new voice spoke up this time. "Boss, we need you back. Everything's falling apart. Don's gang is gaining too much power."
Gang?!?! So it was true?
Wait, did he just call Dean his boss?
"I don't care," he spat. "Didn't he tell you I wasn't interested?"
I was confused at who he was referring to until another familiar voice spoke up. "Listen buddy, this isn't only about your life. If they gain power, they'll recruit or kill all of us," Reece spoke, sounding just as authoritative as the others. I was used to his sweet tone, I didn't even know he was capable of talking like this.
"And? I appointed a new leader so I wouldn't have to deal with this."
Leader? Dean wasn't only in a gang, but he was the leader?
Why was it that I was hearing the facts, but it was so hard for me to grasp? Dean was actually in a gang, with Reece, and he was the leader? So almost everything he told me was true?
"Come on Dean, you know he's a terrible leader. We need you! I need you!" the girl spoke again, her voice sounding seductive at the last part. From the looks of it, the other men were unimpressed at her lame attempt to flirt.
I wanted to throw up.
"I don't care. Overthrow him or something," Dean snapped. A small smile came to my face, knowing he wasn't flirting back.
I mentally smacked myself for having the wrong priorities. Here I was, listening to him admit he was a gang leader, and all I could think about was the fact that he wasn't flirting with this girl?
"You know we can't," one of the men spoke, sounding annoyed. "Only you can appoint someone new. It doesn't matter though, because you're the only one who can handle Don."
"Guys, I'm not going back. I have a better life here."
"Come on, better than me?" The girl put her hand on Dean's bicep. He tensed but didn't push her off.
Why wasn't he pushing her off?
He opened his mouth to speak but he was interrupted.
A loud bang came from behind me. My ears rang for a moment but then the sound came rushing back. As I turned around to see the source, searing pain ripped through my arm.
"Fuck! Don's men. How did they find us? Do you see what you guys did?" Dean yelled. Ignoring the pain, I watched with wide eyes as they all carried something shiny in their hands.
Guns.
They were loading bullets when more shots fired from behind me. They immediately sprung into action, firing back.
I put my back to the tree trunk, sliding down into a sitting position. The pain was only getting worse and I had a hunch that I was just shot. I couldn't find myself to check though. It would hurt way more if I could see the blood.
I didn't know what to do. I didn't want to call for Dean because he'd know I was eavesdropping. There's no doubt he'd kill me if the bullet wound didn't. Besides, I'd distract him and he could get hurt too.
Obviously, I couldn't call the police. I wasn't about to throw them in jail.
Instead, I just sat there, flinching every time a gun was fired. I was panicking on the inside even though my face looked blank.
Why did I come here? Dean's really in a gang. I'm so stupid, I could have gotten killed. Why did I listen to a stupid text?
I'm going to bleed out here and die without telling my parents I loved them. My friends won't know I loved them. I didn't even forgive Andrew. I mean, I'm not ready for that but I don't want him to have a guilty conscience forever!
I didn't have a heart to heart with Justin and give him dumb girl advice. I never encouraged him to be himself and not a parent-pleaser.
Oh God, who's going to find my car? My baby?
I just wanted one more vibe time, and I'd even let Jaz stay for it. I wanted one more hangout with the gang, with all of us playing Mario Kart.
I moved my arm to grab my phone from my pocket, but a new type of pain ripped through me. I clamped my mouth shut to stop myself from screaming. Tears of pain streamed down my face.
"Dean, they have too many men, we need to leave," the girl yelled, sounding completely badass. Her voice had a certain authoritative tone to it, very different from the whining she was doing earlier.
"No," Dean growled, sounding even more authoritative. At that moment, I could picture him being a leader. "If we back down now, they'll see us as weak. Until one of us gets hurt, we're staying."
No one argued with him and kept shooting. Even though I could no longer see their faces, it was obvious they all respected him. It was weird, especially because I was sure some of those men were older than him. Either way, they all seemed to accept him as their leader.
A seventeen-year-old leader. Huh.
I closed my eyes, trying to block out the noise. My ears were still ringing from the initial shot.
Using my uninjured hand, I pat down my arm to find the pain. Maybe I wasn't shot and just injured by something else, or even just had phantom pain. It all hurt equally bad, but when I drew away, my hand was sticky.
My eyes widened at the red substance covering my hand. There was so much blood. I was definitely shot.
Oh crap.
I started feeling dizzy, but my heart was alert. The reality of being shot was setting in.
My ears were pounding and I barely realized the gunshots stopped until one of Dean's members spoke. "Boss, I think we're in the clear for now. We should go before they bring backup."
I closed my eyes and leaned my head against the tree trunk. It was over. My head was still pounding, but feeling lighter at the same time.
"Uh, Dean?" Reece called, sounding very nervous. "We have an issue."
"What?" Dean growled, annoyed.
I wasn't sure what was happening because they didn't talk anymore, but I couldn't bring myself to open my eyes. Instead, I focused on my breathing.
"Shit," Dean cursed, sounding much closer now. "Arabella, open your eyes."
I furrowed my brows. Why did it seem like he was talking to me?
A cold hand cupped my face and I opened my eyes, regardless of how hard the action was. Dean's hardened green eyes were boring into mine.
"What are you doing here?" he lowly asked.
My eyes flickered behind him to see Reece. He had a guilty look on his face.
"Dean," I smiled, attempting to grab his face. The pain ripped through my arm and I whimpered. Regardless, I finished my thought. "Your eyes look pretty."
No, that's not what I meant to say!
"Did you get shot? Are you crazy?" he whispered frantically, looking at my arm. "Why didn't you scream?"
"Your lips look so kissable," I grinned. His brows furrowed as I closed my eyes. "I'm a little tired. It's late and I have school tomorrow."
"No, Bella, I need you to keep your eyes open," he ordered in the same authoritative tone and I did as he said. "You're shot, I need to take you to the hospital." He looked panicked, which should have worried me. If he was freaking out, I should have been too.
But my mind was fuzzy and I couldn't focus. It felt like I gulped down six glasses of my parents' most expensive wine.
"Oopsies," I giggled, looking back at Reece. "I'm supposed to hate you right now. Bad Dean, stay away from me." I winked, letting him know I was kidding.
"Okay, I'm going to pick you up," Dean told me slowly. I nodded and almost lifted my arms up for him to carry me, but remembered my wound at the last second.
He skillfully slid his hands under me and lifted me up bridal style, avoiding my bleeding arm. He mumbled something to Reece, who looked over to the other members of the gang.
My face turned red, remembering they were here and witnessing all of his. "Hi guys," I grinned regardless. They all looked stone-faced and I snuggled into Dean's chest.
Tough crowd.
"Dean," I muttered into his chest. He didn't stop walking and I was very aware I was getting blood all over his shirt. "Can you kiss me?"
"Where's your car?"
I rolled my eyes and answered him, letting him know I walked a little bit. He groaned and muttered some profanities before walking in the direction.
It was quiet after, and I listened to his heavy breathing. Based on the tenseness of his body, he was angry.
Without even asking for permission, he fished out my keys from my pocket and I attempted to smack him. It was unsuccessful though, and I missed him completely.
He put me in the passenger side of my car. Before he could close the door, I grabbed him by his jacket.
"Dean, I might be dying so it's your last time to kiss me."
He rolled his eyes. "You're not dying, Arabella." Regardless of his annoyance, he leaned in and kissed me. It was a short one, but still sweet.
Definitely not last kiss worthy though.
He closed my door and I leaned against the window.
I couldn't die now, especially after that kiss. I wanted our last kiss to be special, longer, more tongue.
So, I'd live just to get that. I owed it to myself.
And with that final thought, I closed my eyes and let the coolness take over my body.
~
Dun dun dun!
I won't be able to update for a few days because I'm swamped with finals and lowkey panicking :):):)