Perfectly Imperfect

Cuarenta y cuatro: Death Row

Jax hobbled the opposite direction we went, but by the time we got outside, his car was gone.

Probably went out a side door or something.

"So, where's somewhere we can go we won't get walked in on again," Joey rolled his eyes, arm still draped around my shoulder.

"That is," Corey cut in, "if you still want to tell us."

"Oh, she's telling us," Sam declared sternly.

She saw everyone's slightly judgmental expressions. "Sorry, but you're telling us so we can help, no matter what," she ruled.

"Yeah," Joey tacked on.

"Wait, help? What do you mean?" I asked with my eyebrows drawn together in concern.

Help? No help. They're not getting themselves involved in this.

"Well —"

"Don't worry about it," Corey cut Joey off. "Where're we going?"

Don't worry about it my butt.

"The park?" Sam offered, distracting me from my thoughts.

"No, too public," I declined with a scrunched up nose.

"The café?"

"Still too public, Joey," I responded.

"Maybe we could go to someone's place?" Corey suggested. "But not mine. It has Cameras," he justified. "My dad would MURDER me if he thought I was skipping the football practice I don't really have."

Everyone chuckled a bit at that.

"I don't have a key."

We all looked at Sam.

"Why wouldn't you have a key to your own house?" Joey questioned her.

"So I wouldn't be able to do exactly what we're doing right now. Skip class and hang out there all day."

"Oh," we all mumbled.

"Well, I guess we could go to my place, but it's a last resort. It's a pigsty," Joey added.

"Okay, well maybe we can just walk around town," Corey tried.

I grunted. "Well, it kinda hurts to walk, but..." my voice trailed off.

Corey grunted in acknowledgement, while the others looked at me thoughtfully. We stood there for a few more seconds brain storming, but nothing came up.

"My house it is, I guess," Joey shrugged. He looked at me, and his face softened a bit.

  Example of one of the things I didn't want happening. Oh well, too late to turn back now.

  "It's a ten minute walk," He told us, but really only looking at me.

  "I'll be fine," I waved off, getting out from under his arm. It was comforting and honestly kinda warmed my heart, but it started getting a little uncomfortable, making my entire upper body ache. I started slowly trying to walk ahead.

  "Are you sure?" Sam asked, concern lining her voice.

  "I'm totally sure. I —"

  I was cut off by a hiss that came out of my own mouth.

  I stepped on an uneven piece of sidewalk, and it made my leg jerk up in an awkward way. I rested my shoulder on a tree and held my side with the other arm.