UNFAZED - Book Three In The Unknown Identity Series

Chapter 23 - Stupid Decision

Keith's POV

Driving home, I felt the weight of sorrow and pain being lifted from my chest. Being away from my past and what has happened within it has made me calm and collected, more so because I'm surrounded by people who know and care about me. I'm surrounded by people who have done everything in their will to help me. Jo-Je, Eli, Will, Jay, even David has helped me in some ways.

   But driving home and away from everything that happened within those wild and crazy days, is another step from moving on. Moving on from NanoTech, Walker, Bennett, and Adam. Though I will eventually move on from Adam and the fact that he's not here, he will always be with me.

   Through the hurt and pain, I found that somehow letting go was a relief.

***

   Jay's POV

   Coming back to the apartment complex, I felt the relief of tension within everyone that came with us here (Will, Keith, and myself). The elevator ride to the apartment itself felt short, not the normal, longing, ride it usually feels like, well at least to me.

The corridor lights illuminated the way to the apartment. No one was in sight, no person was to be seen roaming the halls at this late hour. Usually the halls are bustling with people coming in and out of their home, locking their locks and going their way. But there was none of that. It was as if we were in the Twilight Zone, no one around to call for help or to keep us company. It was nothing more than a ghost town.

It was Friday and on this day loud shouts and music blasting through some apartments usually could be heard, but it was completely silent. Silent to the point where you could hear a pin drop. The only sound was the souls of our shoes slapping against the warn, creaking oak wood floors, making me cringe every time I would mistakenly step on a shaky board.

Stepping inside the apartment though, it felt different, different in ways I can't explain. Everything was the same. The furniture left untouched and the curtains covering the windows, it's all the same. Though something feels off.

My eyes roam the space for something, anything to answer my question and sudden feeling of discomfort, but nothing comes to mind as my eyes search.

A sudden feeling of butterflies erupts within me when Keith takes hold of my hand, jarring me out of my thoughts; making me forget every single detail I was previously thinking about, leaving my mind empty and oblivious. Nothing but an empty, vacant, void.

Keith tugs me toward the hallway, bidding Will a low 'goodnight' and leaving him in the living room to ponder about in his thoughts that remain a mystery.

"I was thinking..." I turn my attention back to reality when his rich voice booms through the room, making warm inside, though I don't know why.

"What?"

"I was thinking, your words from earlier today really helped me understand what it feels like to let go. To move on. And if I'm going to move on, I think you should to."

I don't quite understand where he's going with this, a puzzled expression clear on my face. When he notices it, he elaborates on his point more, making it aa clear thought to process.

"I mean, when I say 'move on' I really mean from everything that has happened then that is keeping us from living in the present. We're so stuck living in the past that we don't see the real world in front of us anymore. We're always so deep in thought that often we miss the real beauty and importance of things, so if I'm going to move on from everything, I think you should to. We can do it together," he talked hold of my other free hand and sits on the bench that stands at the foot of the bed, pulling my with him making me sit adjacent to him.

"Now, I know it might not be easy for you to do this, but if we're going to move on and forget everything that is keeping us from the world, it must be done. To start, I think you and I should start by forgiving Bennett."

At this I stand up, exasperated by the sudden offer of forgiving the one person who made my life a living misery for me for nine months. He managed to turn the whole school against me in a matter of weeks, making them give me notes in my locker and leaving me to drown in my own tears as I would cry myself to sleep every night. I would always have nightmares, nightmares that still haunt me from all the hurtful and unnecessary things Bennett has done to torture me, and yet most of the teachers have remained oblivious to the fact of everything he was doing to me.

"There's no way in heck I'm going to forgive him," I spat, sounding more hasty than intended. "I'm sorry, but I can't forgive him, he's done too much damage that he doesn't deserve anything close to any forgiveness.

Keith lets out a sigh of frustration, running a hand through his already messy hair and down his face, annoyance clear in his expression. His eyes flicker to me, his dark brown irises making me weak to the knees as he keeps me under the unbreakable gaze, ''Please, if you won't do it for yourself, do it for me."

I don't answer, leaving his plea to linger in the space between us.

"Please," he urges again, refusing to take no for an answer.

I release a long breath of defeat, knowing that this might very well be the stupidest decision I've ever made in my life...well, maybe one of them.

"Fine, but don't expect me to be all buddy buddy with him, I don't trust him and I'm never ever going to let him into my life to only ruin it again." I say, crossing my arms over my chest.

"You don't need to," Keith stands inches away from me, tucking a ooze strand of my hair back, he gently places a lingering kiss on my lips.

"Thank you, for doing this."

I roll my eyes at him, "whatever."

I make my way to the bathroom, and from behind me Keith erupts into an endless fit of laughter.

"You're so cute when you're mad," he says between intakes of air and attempts to stop laughing, which he fails. I feel my cheeks starting to heat up which only leaves me with one thing to say.

"Shut up." Slamming the bathroom door and locking it behind me, I slide down the door and begin my own laughter.

Keith really knows how to make my problems go away.

And I will always love him for that.

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Hey There! SO GUESS WHAT! I'm super excited to announce that I have entered UNNAMED into the 2017 Watty's awards and I'm like really excited! Hopefully I will be one of the lucky winners! Anyway, thank you so much for reading! Oh and another thing, thank you so much for 100 followers! I'm so excited to finally hit triple digits and it's all thanks to you!😘😘😜

HAPPY READING

~AlexisJadeS22