Perfect Redemption

Twenty Four: In Which It Is In His Nature To Fall In Love

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[ J A X ' S P O V ]

I love my dad. I really do. Deep down inside my cold black heart, I do.

    He is a good guy, or as good as good guys can get. Although he has made mistakes in the past, at least he's trying to atone for them. Trying to outweigh the balance of right and wrong. Trying to take an effort and make things right again.

    Baxton Deneris is a good guy.

    But, as good guys get, he can also be a real pain in the fucking ass.

    "Oh, stop scowling at the damn paparazzi, Jackson. You're only going to make it worse." Baxton's bored tone snaps me back to reality. "They'll always be there. Just try to ignore them."

    We're both sitting outside of a restaurant. My dad thought it was a good idea not to have brunch indoors today, probably because he knew that the paparazzi were going to be here trying to snap glimpses of their favorite celebrity. So naturally, he would try to take advantage of that situation.

    I roll my eyes in irritation. Everything about this moment gets me really agitated. The constant glare of flashes going off make me want to gauge my eyeballs out. And it doesn't help that I seem to be the only one that is affected by the lack of privacy we seem to be having. Baxton looks like he's having the time of his life. He has his leg propped up over the other, a huge smile on his face, waving at the paparazzi like he's the goddamned queen of England.

    "How the hell can I ignore them when they're right at my face?" I manage a hiss, glaring at one of the paparazzi who leans way too far over the bushes bordering the restaurant and tries to snap a picture of me. I flip him off, hoping he would back off, but he continues clicking away with his camera.

    Fuck them. Seriously, fuck them.

    "I told you we were having brunch today. You should have expected something like this to happen," Baxton says nonchalantly without tearing his gaze from the paparazzi.

    "No, I thought we would be eating indoors so this wouldn't happen." I manage a groan. "Seriously, this should be violation of space. Or something. We can sue, you know. All of them."

    "You're a fucking moron sometimes, Jackson," he says, shaking his head. "Suing ain't going to solve anything. It will only give them another scandal to leak to the world." "And besides, this is kind of fun." He continues waving to his adoring crowd.

    "Only you would think that, Baxton," I say, flipping over the menu. "I thought you said I was supposed to lay low for a while. You know..." My voice lowers. "Because of Blaire and I?"

    "Yeah, I told the both of you to lay low. That means I don't want to see any more of those almost-fucking-each-other-to-death pictures," Baxton finally tears his gaze from the cameras and calls for the waiter with one swift gesture of his hand. "You and her can't be spotted together, at least for a week or two. But you and me, on the other hand? No problem. It's great for press. The media loves us, particularly when we're together. "

    "You just want to be relevant again for your new TV show." I say, leaning back against my chair, folding my arms across my chest and casting my dad a bored stare as he orders for the both of us. When the waitress leaves, I continue on. "You know, the one with the vampires."

    "The show is called Pretty Wicked."

    "Whatever." I wave him off. "It's Pretty Stupid."