The Town (Book 1, Lonstino & Greenwood Series)

Chapter 12 - Heart to Heart

JADEN

It's infuriating when women do that. When they keep quiet and all these thoughts swirl in my head. I'm good at avoiding talking about my life, about any relationship. I rather have someone yelling at my face, bugging me with questions, because I can at least tell them to shut up and yes, it makes me come across as a dick, but at least they stop. Once you answer one it leads to another.

"The day I arrived in Lonstino and you brought me to the café I saw the way you looked at her. I could see that she means a lot to you," Ximena says.

Is it that obvious? No woman can ever compare to her. She knows all the shit I've been through and has always stuck with me.

"Jess and I used to date. And I know your next question will be about how we are not together anymore. She deserves a better guy than me, without issues and a rotten past," I say in one breath.

"Jaden... I think you are a good guy, a hard worker and people trust you. I think any woman would be glad to have a man like that by their side. Your past shouldn't matter."

Another deep sigh escapes me and I turn my attention to the crashing waves. It's in moments like these that I miss a cigarette, a habit that I gave up years ago. I find it a miracle that no one has told her about who I used to be.

"Ximena, I'm an ex-convict. I've dealt and used drugs, robbed to keep my habit and have a count on attempted murder."

Ximena doesn't react, her face is completely neutral and this is driving me crazy.

"Just like Jess... Please say something, anything! You must have an opinion on this," I hold her arms and make her look at me in the face.

"You paid for your crimes and turned your life around. You can't drag that with you forever and not allow yourself to be happy. Jess doesn't deserve a better guy if what she wants is you."

"It doesn't make you uncomfortable that I almost killed someone?" I ask incredulously.

"No, unless you are planning to do it now to me," she laughs and it irritates the hell out of me. "I know it's a life changing event. How old were you when this happened?" She asks in a serious tone again.

"I had just turned nineteen."

"That's barely a young adult. What happened then?"

"I ran away and lived on the streets in Greenwood. A gang used me to deliver drugs in exchange for sleeping on a ratty mattress at their club. I guess it was inevitable that I ended up using them and getting in debt. I had alienated anyone in my life by this point, even when my friends and their families kept trying to contact me. One night, I was feeling desperate to find money to avoid getting a bullet to my head and pay what I owed, so I went inside a house to find something to steal. No one was home, which was good because I intended to go in and out, without hurting anyone. After living for so long in misery, I was so surprised that people lived lavish lives and took my sweet time going through each room and picking small things that I could put in my pockets. I went to the master bedroom and in the bottom of a closet, I found a jewelry box. Just when I got enough stuff and was getting ready to leave, someone opened the door. I panicked, pulled the trigger and shot a man on his arm. Not fatally, but tell that to a judge."

Ximena has a concerned look but has not interrupted me once. So I decide to tell her the rest of the story.

"I got arrested and the news spread all over Lonstino like a wildfire. It was humbling to see my friends and their parents in the courtroom. When the judge read my sentence, Jess had her hand on my shoulder and I felt so ashamed about everything. That day I got sentenced to three years in jail, which I believe was lower than what I should have gotten, but my lawyer was Greg's dad and he put up a hell of a fight. On my fourth day at the penitentiary, an inmate tried to have his way with me in the showers and I punched him. The bathroom became a fight ring and out of nowhere a knife appeared and he stabbed me twice. The men all scurried away while I bled and started passing out. The last thing I heard was someone saying 'it doesn't matter, it's only a fucking kid'. The next thing I know is waking up in a hospital with Charlie's mom sitting next to me. She told me I had a serious surgery as my guts were punctured and had several blood transfusions."