✔︎ | Gold Digger

Chapter 8 - A Cinderella Story

Chapter 8 –  A Cinderella Story

Jessie

I don't know what I'm doing until I jump into the car with Toby and Patrick, and we drive back down the laneway. They're too surprised that I was with Ryker to say anything until we pull out on the road, and Toby freaks out.

"Jessie!" He gasps, "You were staying at Ryker's house? I thought we were friends."

"But we are friends," I whine, trying to sound more apologetic. "It wasn't my choice to stay there. He made me." Both boys look extremely shocked so I quickly add, "he didn't hurt me or anything. In fact, he was rather really nice to me. And his family is awesome! Did you know that? He has a little brother too, and he bakes cookies with his nieces!"

"Are you siding with him?" Patrick asks in his dramatic voice, and I touch his shoulder lightly.

"No, if you guys don't want me to ever see him again, I won't. I'm just saying, I think I can reason with him. I can get him to stop terrorizing you guys. And let me tell you, he's never going to leave me alone. Ever. I don't know what he wants from me, but honestly, there's nothing I can do."

"You can tell the principal that he's harassing you," Toby suggests, trying to help out his boyfriend. Patrick nods, turning around to look at me from the passengers seat.

"Jessie, I'm telling you, you can't be with him; not only for our sakes, but also for yours. He may seem nice, but he is anything other than nice. He's an evil son of a bitch that has a problem with gays, and I just can't see my friend with him. Come on, do something about it," Patrick pleads, and since him and Toby have been great friends to me already, I have to nod and agree with them.

"I'll try my best to avoid him, but if he ever does anything to hurt you again, I will make sure he pays!" I hit my fist in my hand to make myself scarier than I am, but Patrick just groans.

"No, please don't!" He begs, "it'll make things even worse, Jessie."

"I'm not sure if I'll be able to stop myself." I say, and the car goes silent. Suddenly I throw my arms around the seat and Patrick in front of me, hugging him tightly. "I'm really sorry, Patrick, and Toby. I never meant for any of this to happen."

"I know," Toby mumbles, "but why the hell was he so upset with you?"

"Probably because I wanted to leave," I say, "just out of the blue, giving him no explanation. He's a total control freak and he wants to know everything!"

Toby and Patrick look at each other, and Patrick clears his throat. "So, uh, Jess," he says quietly, "you don't, you know, like him do you?"

"No way in hell!" I burst out and they laugh hysterically. "First of all gross. And second, just because he's nice to me doesn't mean he's not a total asshat. I saw what he and his friend were doing to you, and that is plain wrong! And what he did to your sister Toby, I can barely live with that thought!"

"Okay, good," Patrick sighs, turning on the radio as we drive down the street. "So where to?"

"My house," I mumble, and they don't put up a fight. Who knows what they were planning on doing before I called them up and made them help me with my problems. "I need to get things for school."

"Oh, there's no school," Toby says. "And there probably won't be tomorrow either. The electricity doesn't work there and they're trying to fix it."

"Oh," is all I answer with, and the ride is completely silent until I get back to my place. I thank the boys for dealing with me and being so nice, and get out of the car with my bag, walking up the steps with my crutches and into the house. My mom is most likely home this morning, and I'm hoping Mr. Thompson is not. I haven't seen him after he pushed me down the stairs.