Your Breaking Heart Can Rule

Chapter 4 ︱ Party crasher

Who would have thought that the troubled social misfit would be here at a party out of all places and here right before her?

Jezebel tilted her head confusedly at him. Not sure what to make out of this situation. Should she be worried that he was here or weirded out because he's talking to her? She fought off this weird feeling and set it aside as she replaced it with her dignified expression.

"What are you doing here? I never see you around in parties," Jezebel began.

He didn't care for social events. She heard the deal was that parties were nothing but a waste of time, according to him. And he wouldn't attend to one.

Not until this moment where Mackinley was present at a party.

He laughed as he approached a step forward to her. "I don't need an invitation. I overheard your little conversation with your pals, and I know I have to see that in person."

She cautiously stepped a foot back away from him. "See what in person?" 

"You're looking for somebody." He raised his eyebrows high, and his eyes were hinting at something. "And I want the fun of it."

"Don't you have something else better to do?"

"And miss out on the action? There's no time than now to watch you see what you'd do."

His strange eagerness was something Jezebel couldn't comprehend. Was he here to make fun of her? She didn't want to have the time to put up with him. "Look, I'm here on a serious mission, and this is a one-woman mission. So go do something else or bounce off this party since you clearly don't care about being here."

Jezebel widened her eyes noticeably and plastered on a customary to-go smile that's just there to be polite enough. "And I mean well."

"Dummy," Mackinley said. "You think I come here to socialize? I want the main exclusive of catching a bad guy."

"Have I asked for your help?" Now this was too unbelievable for her. She barely acknowledged his presence around school yet he would now choose to approach her. "Anyway, I don't have time. I need to move on."

"Then it'd be easier for me to tag along. I know you're looking for that guy your friend likes. It's a big party, and you know what they say, two eyes are better than one. Then again, it's actually four eyes because you have two and I have two."

She sighed roughly. Considering the option that she'd prefer to find him fast and get to the bottom of things, he might be useful during the search. She narrowed her eyes at him. "There wouldn't be a catch, would there?"

"Catch?" Mackinley drifted his gaze as though he stalled their time to think about it. He moved his gaze back shortly. "I'll let you know if I think of one."

To think she would let him join her on this pursuit was nonsensical. Laughable. Accepting help from an visually impaired seventy-one-year-old grandma would've been better than him. But she had to take the circumspect with what's more important.

"Alright, fine, you can come with me." Jezebel allowed and made an exception, but she pointed her finger sternly. "But you better actually help and not just look."

"Partners?" he asked, extending his hand out to her.

Her eyes focused on his hand. She was looking at trouble; she'd never agree to this but getting to the bottom of the truth for Olivia was more important, so this would be another temporary part he'd play for her. She shook on it.

"Partners one more time," she agreed.

They went around the yard to look for the guy. Jezebel filled him in about what she knew little about Aubrey and what he looked like. She told him that something wasn't right even if she didn't have concrete evidence for it, but confronting him would figure out if what he felt towards Olivia.