The Bodyguard

10.

short lil filler chapter, next chapter will
be much longer with more drama as well ;)

Jasper awoke with the ring of a distant memory in his head. His body was cold, traces of the nightmare still showing throughout his body. It didn't take him long to realize someone was standing over him where he lie on the bed. Their shadow blocking most of the sunlight.

"Get up," Leslie threw a shirt at him from the floor. "Shower too, the press conference is in 30."

"How'd you get into my room?" Jasper mumbled tiredly, also visibly annoyed at the prospect of having to interact with someone this early.

"It doesn't matter," his sister responded plainly. "If you're not up in the next five minutes, mom won't have a chance to hurt you, because I'll do it first."

"Fuck, off." Jasper said, flinging the sheets from his body which was still covered in goosebumps, courtesy of a dream that would undoubtedly keep him awake tonight. "I'm getting up. Leave."

"After the conference, we have two more press runs to do, then mom has a speech to give at a college tonight." Leslie gave a quick run down of their itinerary, ignoring the glare her younger brother was sending. "Bryce is in D.C too, so things may get a bit crazy. Have you been taking your guard with you when you leave?"

Jasper inwardly groaned at the mention of Ace. He'd almost forgotten that he would be subjected to taking a babysitter with him wherever he went.

"You mean against my will? Yes."

"Stop being dramatic," Leslie scoffed, flipping her hair over her shoulder. She was already dressed for the day in a black dress with red heels, and the lipstick to match. "Meet us in the lobby, you have 25 minutes now by the way."

Jasper reached for his pillow to throw at her, but not before she made a quick dash for the door. It shut moments later, allowing him to fall back onto the bed and asses the consequences if he didn't show up.

Deciding he'd rather get up, than deal with a scolding from his mom, he managed to look put together in a record amount of time.

His hair was still slightly damp and messy, so he raked his fingers through it a couple of times in an attempt to make it look presentable. Dressed in a plain white button down, and black pants, he was putting studs in his ear, when a knock on his door momentarily startled him.

"I'm fucking ready, Leslie," he grumbled as he opened the door to his room, only to be faced with someone who was definitely not Leslie.

He couldn't help the eye roll that made its way to his face at the sight of Ace who'd looked worlds away from how he did when he was standing in that same spot last night.

"If you need help following a schedule then you could've just told me. I'd be more than happy to print out an itinerary for you."

"Don't fucking patronize me," Jasper muttered, as he pushed past the guard with his shoulder and made his way to the elevators.

Ace smiled slyly and followed after the hotheaded blond, once they were in the elevator, he spoke again.

"You know there is this thing called a joke?" Ace asked sarcastically. "You should look into it, considering I don't think you've ever laughed before."

Jasper sent him a sharp glare, "I'm sorry. It seems to be slipping my memory, was making small talk part of the job description?"

"Not necessarily," He shrugged. "But considering we'll be seeing each other everyday for the next 8 months, I figured it would lighten the mood."

"Hm, and what makes you think I want to talk to you?"

"Do you have any friends, Jasper?" Ace asked, tilting his head to one side and watched as the look on Jasper's face turned cold, caught off guard by the question. "Considering I've only ever seen you interact with you family, I would advise against hating the only prospect of friendship you have."

"Fuck you," the blond sneered in response.

"Ah, there it is," Ace smirked, as if he'd already anticipated Jasper's response. "For someone who attended an Ivy League, I'd assume you'd have a more, what's the word? Sophisticated vocabulary."

Ace watched as the tips of Jasper's ears turned hot. His face showed anger, but more annoyance than anything. It was early and Jasper was already fed up with the guard's sarcasm and witty responses. Was he really expected to endure this for the whole day? Let alone the next 8 months?

"Do you really you're good enough for my self worth to be diminished at the prospect of us not being friends?" Jasper tilted his head, feigning confusion. "Either your ego is insanely big, or you have a very skewed idea of how important you are."

Ace clenched his jaw, his eyes meeting Jasper's a few inches below him. The blond adjusted the cuffs on his sleeve, a sly smirk making its way to his lips.

"I'm going to go with the latter," he says as the elevator door opens to the hotel lobby. "In case you ever need to be humbled, let me know."

Jasper successfully managed to get Ace to meet his gaze. His jaw was hardened but the guard kept it trained on Jasper's icy eyes. His voice was barely a whisper but it was loud enough for Ace to hear his harsh words all the same.

"I'll be there to remind you just how worthless you are."