"Are you sure you don't wanna go," Caleb asks buttoning his shirt. I shake my head no and just hold onto Harry. Today is Mrs.Conwell's funeral and Caleb keeps asking me if I want to go. While I want to pay my respects to Mrs.Conwell, I know that if I go then I'll just break down, and I really don't need for her friends and family to see me like that. I know that it sounds selfish of me but it's the truth.
Caleb sighs and walks over to me in the kitchen doorway. He puts his hand on my shoulder. "Jace, you know you can talk to me right." I nod to him. "I know." His takes his hand off my shoulder and kisses the top of my head. "Alright, I'll see you when I get back." He walks out the door and I lock it behind him.
I slide down the door and sit on the floor, Harry still cuddled close to my chest. My thoughts go back to Mrs.Conwell and my eyes water. Detective Johnson told Caleb that her face was beat beyond recognition and it looked like she had been laying there for about 10 minutes. I just don't understand how someone could have been there 10 minutes before me and beat Mrs.Conwell to death. Not to mention that they checked the records and no one was scheduled to see her. I guess that just means that someone broke in.
I pull my knees closer to my chest and cry softly. Mrs.Conwell didn't deserve a death like that. She deserved something calm and peaceful, like her. Instead, she probably spent the last few seconds of her life screaming in terror. My phone rings and pulls me out of my thoughts. I press the phone to my ear as Ali's voice rings out.
"Jace! I'm so sorry that I couldn't answer you. How is everything." I cry softly into the phone and I can tell that Ali is getting worried. "Jace, what's wrong."
I manage to stop cry so that I can form a coherent sentence. "A close friend of the family died the other day," I say sniffling quietly. "Oh Jace, I'm so sorry." I tell Ali what happened as I cry into the phone. "Jace, it'll be okay. She's in a better place now," Ali says. I nod even though I know she can't see me.
I take deep breaths a try to calm down. The last thing I want is for Ali to be worried about me. Once I'm calm, Ali tries to distract my mind, telling me about everything that's happened while she's in Virginia. It works too because soon I'm laughing and smiling again. I can always count on Ali to make me feel better whenever I'm sad. We stay on the phone for hours laughing and talking, but eventually, she has to hang up. I turn my phone off and I realize that I'm all alone again.
I stand up off the ground, wiping any lingering dust off of my pants. I open the front door after putting Harry back in my room, making sure to lock the door behind me. I just need to take a breath of fresh air.
I'm walking towards the diner, when I notice a few boys walking across the street from me. To my horror, I notice Evan walking with the boys as they laugh and joke around. Before they can notice me, I run inside of the diner and hide behind the door. The boys walk past without noticing me and I sigh.
"Jace, what are you doing here? Isn't it your day off?" I turn around to see Bonnie behind the counter. In my rush to escape the boys, I didn't even notice her standing there. "Um," I stutter. "I just wanted to say hi?" It's more of a question than anything and Bonnie doesn't buy it. She notices the boys outside and looks at me pointedly.
"Those guys giving you trouble?" I shrug. "They're just some dicks from my school. It's nothing to worry about." I sit at the counter in front of Bonnie and she frowns. "If those guys ever miss with you, tell me and I'll teach them a lesson." I laugh and the door to the diner opens. I don't pay much attention to it because I know that it's probably a customer. Bonnie looks up. "Hi, welcome to Melrose. How can I help you?"
"I'll just take a strawberry shortcake and some coffee please." I recognize that voice. My eyes widen and my heart beats a little faster. I turn around to see Adam behind me. He walks up to the counter and sits down next to me. Bonnie must notice my nervousness because she looks at me worriedly, then looks back at Adam. "Would you like a booth?" Adam shakes his head and smirks.
"No, I'll only be here for a moment. I'm fine right here." Bonnie nods and puts her hand on top of mine. As soon as the warmth is there, it's gone again as Bonnie leaves to go get Adam's order. I'm stuck out here with Adam all alone. I'm about to get get and leave when I feel a hand on my leg. I look over at Adam and he smirks at me.
"My my my, you haven't changed a bit. You would think that in a year, you would stop being so weak. But nope, you're just as pathetic as ever." His hand runs up my leg and he stands up. He takes my arm and pulls me towards the bathroom. I yell and begin to hit him but he isn't fazed at all. "Let me go," I yell hitting and kicking him.
Adam throws me inside of the bathroom and pins me to the wall. "Shut. Up," he growls. His fist connects with my stomach and I double over in pain. Adam pulls my hair, and forced me to lay on the floor. Before I can even blink my pants are off and I'm only left in my shirt and underwear. Adam leans over me and smirks. "Try not to scream." Before he can do anything, the bathroom door opens and Bonnie punches Adam in the jaw.
Adam holds his jaw and tries to hit Bonnie back but she just grabs his shirt and makes him stand up. He foot goes into his crotch and he cries out in pain. Bonnie punches him again and drags him out to the front of the diner. She opens the door and literally kicks him out, her foot connecting with his back.
Adam falls onto the pavement and he groans. "If I ever find you messing with Jace again, your dick won't be the only thing that hurts," Bonnie yells and glares at him. Adam glares back at her before running off. Bonnie smiles at me kindly and helps me towards the counter.
"Are you okay," she asks and I nod. "Geez that guy was a real creep. Tell me if he messes with you again."
I should feel happy to have a badass friend like Bonnie, but I'm just filled with suffocating sadness. This is the second time that I've had to rely on a girl to help me with my problems. But I just smile and tell Bonnie thank you and she smiles kindly.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++
I sit in my room, playing on my phone. Caleb is downstairs making dinner. He hasn't had to work as many late shifts since I'm helping him with the bills. I'm still a little upset about having to only give him half of my paycheck for the bill, but he insisted that I keep half of my check.
A loud bang echos through the entire house and I jump. I hear Caleb yelling downstairs and something breaks. I quickly run downstairs. Did someone throw a brick at the window again. We had just got it fixed and can afford to pay for another one. I get downstairs to see Caleb in the middle of the living room.
His knees are on the floor and his arms are wrapped tightly around himself. I wonder if he's hurt but I don't see any injuries on him. A broken plate sits next to Caleb but it doesn't seem to have cut him. Standing in front of the door is a man. He looks pretty young, probably about in his late 30's, early 40's. I run over to Caleb and kneel down next to him.
Caleb's eyes are trained on the ground and I can tell that he's holding back tears. He looks absolutely terrified. I look at the man. He smirks at Caleb's groveling form and looks at me. Before I can say anything, he speaks. "It's nice to finally see you Jace."
"How do you know my name," I ask. Instead of answering, the man looks at Caleb. "Why don't you tell him how we met Caleb?" Caleb begins to shake violently, his eyes still on the floor. The man sighs and shakes his head. "I guess I should leave you some time to recuperate." He turns to leave and looks back at me.
"It was nice seeing you Jace. I hope that we can meet again soon." The man leaves, closing the door behind him. I turn back to Caleb. His eyes are still on the floor and he doesn't look at me, even when I call his name. I have never seen Caleb like this and I don't know what to do.
Without thinking, I pull Caleb close to me, holding his head against my chest. I use Caleb's method of calming me down and tell him to listen to my heartbeat. "Caleb," I say. My voice is steady, surprising me. "Caleb, calm down. Listen to my heartbeat and calm down." This seems to work and he's breathing normally again. His shaking stops too.
"Are you okay," I ask when he looks at me. He nods but it seems hesitant. We sit there quietly and I let him calm down. "Caleb, who was that guy," I ask. Caleb's shaking returns full force and I mentally slap myself for even asking. I'm so stupid. I should have waited. Regardless of his shaking, Caleb answers me.
"That guy, was dad's friend who molested me."
YOU ARE READING
Dancing With The Devil
Teen Fiction(Sequel to The White Rabbit) It's been a year since Jace and his older brother Caleb put their father in jail. Since then, Jace has tried to make his life as normal as possible. But when demons from the past come to light, how does Jace handle this...
