Wanted

•Choose•

       {•Unedited•}
                         ~Atticus's POV~

       The rest of the ride to her hometown was quiet except for Bex soft mumbles and whispering the lyrics to certain songs. The way the sun was shining on her skin made it look like her green eyes were glowing. When I had my arm on the divider she would make patterns on forearm with her polished nails. Although I'm usually not a fan of physical contact, it was relaxing.
     "Are you sure you want to meet her? She can be a little much," she says once we get in front the house. We unbuckle ourselves, turning our bodies to better face one another. The makeup on her forehead has creased slightly from earlier activities and her lipstick as worn off half way. Not only that but her eyes are bright red.
    "Did you sleep at all when you got home?"
    "I tried," she says, playing with the stray strands of hair. Her hair is definitely my favorite thing about her. The way it cascades around her flatters her face beautifully. It's dark color of brown makes her eyes pop out more. The wild curls remind me of her personality, crazy and slightly unstable, but beautiful none the less. My favorite thing about it though is the fact that she hates it. "Now answer my question."
        "I'm only a little nervous because she's your best friend, but like you said, there's no pressure. Her dad won't hold me at gun point?" She shakes her head, a small smile creeping it's way into her face. Moments like this, when we're not yelling down each other's throats, makes me realize why I'm falling for her so fast.
    "She isn't the one whose dad has guns," she says with a smile. You are. The cop in me is screaming that this is horrible idea. I wish I could be professional and keep her at a distance like originally planned. "Let's go." She leans in, pecking my lips quickly before opening the door.
    I follow after her, locking the door. The neighborhood is nice and shades by tall trees between each house. Leaves lay on the ground, crumbling loudly. I take her hand, resting myself to see if I would actually be able to do this again. She doesn't hesitate with lacing her much smaller fingers with mine.
    "Is she like Alaric?" I ask. She nods, looking up at me nervously. "Just preparing myself." She tightens her grip on my hand as she leads the way to the side gate. Walking behind her, I can't help but notice the seductive way her hips sway with each step. In my head I've already pinned her against the fence. 
    "Look who fucking showed up!" A short African girl says excitedly. Bex let's go of my hand and wraps her arms around her friend. "And she brought a friend. Wow." My face heats up as she eyes me up and down, eyes wide.
    Bex clears her throat, nudging the girl with her elbow. "This is Connie, Connie this is Atticus." I offer my hand out to her. She takes it, her hand shaky. "Where's your dad?" Just as he says that a tall man who looks similar to Connie.
    He practically lifts her off the floor. If I'm being honest, she looks more happy to see him than she did her dad that night. He sets her down and gives me a once over.
    "Who the fuck is this?" He asks, pointing to me, his whole posture changing. Immediately, I wish I hadn't come.
   "This is Atticus, my friend. He's my roommates brother," she tells him, her voice a tone I've never heard her use before. With me it's teasing, with my sister or Alaric she's friendly, with her dad she's pissed and hurt, with them it's...comfortable?
     "Oh, I'm sorry," he says, shaking my hand. His grip is much tighter than it needs to be. I can tell he's only half believing her. He lets go of my hand and starts talking to his daughter. Bex looks ok at me with bright eyes. She looks content, like she's where she's supposed to be.
"He can be a little aggressive."
••••••

By seven everyone has already showed up and ate, now dancing on the grass to the music that's playing loudly for the whole neighborhood to hear. I wouldn't be surprised if there was a noice complaint. Bex has her head rested on my shoulder, her hand holding mine on my lap. It's a good feeling, to have someone this close.
"I miss it here," she says. I lean back a few inches to see her better. "Or at least this part."
"What part?"
"Family, Connie," she answers. "Having something familiar. Walking the streets, I feel out of place over there, not here." I've noticed people give her looks because of her appearance. To say the least, there isn't much diversity. They see one person with a lightly darker skin tone and think it's insane.
"Are you planning on coming back after school ends?" I ask. She nods, moving her head off my shoulder. Her eyes scam over the backyard, a small smile on her lips. Suddenly, her face falls blank, emotionless. Out of the corner of my eye I notice Connie rushing towards us.
"What the hell?" Bex says, hands shaking. Connie looks behind herself. In the far back is a group of guys, most covered in tattoos. The closer they get the more I can tell where she might know them from.
"I'm sorry," Connie says. "I didn't know he would be here. Last I heard he was still with his mom is Texas." He? Whose he? Just as that question crosses my mind two men steps up behind Connie, one tapping on her shoulder. She gives them a bright smile.
"Look whose back," one of the guys says. Bex gives them in uncomfortable smile before tightening her grip on my arm. I think she didn't mean to do that because she looks down at her hand nervously. "I thought you went away for college."
"I did. I'm just visiting," she says. There's a small shake in her voice, but she manages to keep it strong for the most part. I don't know who they are, but I'm guessing they aren't good people by how she's acting.
"We've missed you around here," the other one says. To this one she doesn't say anything, just side eyes him. "Dance with me for a bit."
"I'm here with someone," she says, gesturing to me with her head. He sizes me up, the corners of his mouth threatening to turn upwards. As if something snaps in her she legs good my arm and gets up. "One dance won't hurt."
    "That's my girl," he says. Your what? He takes her hand in his, pulling her close to his side as they walk to where the others are dancing. Connie gives me a sympathetic smile before walking off with he guy at her heels. I get up, deciding it's probably better for me to walk around then to sit there like a weirdo.
     He presses Bex's back against him, his hands holding her hips. She sways back and forth, they're moves perfectly in synch. Watching them like this I feel as if it's something I shouldn't, like I shouldn't if came if she's going to be with him.
    But I also notice the way she's looking directly in front of her with a blank expression. Her hands are shaking on his. Her skin is about three shades lighter than it was before he showed up. The way her dress sways makes me want to cover her with a jacket.
    "Why the fuck would you bring a cop here?" I hear him say through clenched teeth, gripping her arm. I casually walk closer to them. If anything were to happen I'd hate to cause a scene where I know no one.
    "H-he's not a cop, Pablo," she says, her voice shaking. She's much quieter than him, but still has to yell for him to hear her which is enough for me. "I wouldn't bring a cop. I'm loyal to you guys," she says, playing with the buttons of his shirt. He side eyes me, his eyes cold.
    "You always have been a good girl," he says, running his thumb down her lips. Her eyes follow his hand, goosebumps covering her exposed arms and legs. "We're leaving in a little bit. You should come with us for the night and have a good time."
     "I already told you, I came here with someone; I can't be rude. Maybe next time in town," she says, batting her lashes at him. He wraps his arms around her waist, pulling her closer.
    "I've missed you, Hermosa." She reaches up a hand and traces the car on his lefty shoulder, taking in a sharp breath. "You know I'm still pissed about that." Her eyes widen and her hand drops.
   "I know. I'm sorry," she says, eyes lowering. The way she is right now, so submissive to him, makes me sick. I'm waiting for her to make a rude remark or say something inappropriate, but nothing comes. "I should get back to him."
    "I can call you sometime, right?" She nods, her neck stiff. He lets her go, walking over to where the group of guys he came with are standing. She releases a deep breath before looking around. I walk up behind her, placing my hand on her arm. She snaps around, color still drained.
    "C-can we leave?" She asks. I nod, not wanting to question her by the sound of her voice. I follow her back to the table we were at to grab her bag. She quickly says goodbye to certain people before practically running out of there.
    I unlock the truck when she's there first, seeming that she's in a hurry. The streets here are much quieter than they are at home. There you could at least here cars at night, but here it's nothing but the sound of distance crickets and owls.
    When I get in the truck I try to keep my eyes from looking at her but it's impossible. When I try, the majority of her body is turned away from me, facing the window. Not knowing what's wrong, I reach over, attempting to grab her leg. She moves them further away, not looking back at me.
    "Please don't touch me right now," she says, her voice thick with emotion. I take my hand back and choose to just start driving.
    "You didn't eat much. Do you want to stop somewhere?" Nothing. I turn the music down all the way, not wanting to miss it if she whispers something. "D-do you want to tell me what's wrong? I didn't do anything, did I?"
    "N-no," she stutters. Her voice sounds broken and lost. "You can stop somewhere if you want. I'm not hungry anymore." Although she stopped me before, I reach over and take her hand. She hesitantly laces her fingers with mine, sighing with her head rested back.
    I stop at the first fast food type place I see, figuring there is much here with this town being the size of a penny. She looks at herself in the mirror, gasping quietly when she sees her appearance. Looking at her with light hitting her face I hadn't noticed that she had been crying. She sounded sad, yes, but not like she was crying.
    "Damnit," she says to herself, wiping the makeup from under her eyes. I can't fight the smile that forms on my face as I watch her. She looks up as she rubs a few spots, trying to make herself look presentable again. I didn't know someone could still look so beautiful after crying. "What?" She asks when she noticed my staring.
     "If I told you what I was thinking you'd make fun of me," I say, opening the door. We both get out, the cold air hitting us once again. As much as I hate the summer, I'm not a fan of the fall either. I've always enjoyed the Spring, having the cold and hot mixed together.
     We get inside, the place looking run down but still taken care of. There seems to only be two workers still here. If it's late, I have no idea; I can't remember when I last checked the time. "You sure you don't want anything?" I ask. She shakes her head, forcing me a smile before walking away to sit down somewhere.
    The guy at the front takes my order before I walk back to her. She looks out the window with her knees bouncing up and down violently, biting on her panted nails. Her hands are shaking, the bracelet on her wrist threatening to fall down her arm.
    "I know you said you don't want me to talk about it, but you're seriously worrying me. If there something I should know about? Are you okay?" She stays quiet, tears brimming her eyes again. I don't like seeing her like this. I'd take any rude comment she has if it meant she wasn't crying. It's only first time I've seen it and I have a feeling it's the first of many times. She didn't start acting this way until she got up to dance with that guy. Theories of what could have happened between them spin in my head, leading me to ones that scare me. "You're...safe, right?"
     "For the most part," she says, licking her lips. "That guy at the party, the one I danced with, he's my ex. We were together for bout two years," she tells me. I grip my knees under the table, thinking of her with someone else having an affect on me.
    "Not to assume anything, but is he apart of the gang as well?" Taking me by surprise, she nods. I was expecting her to lie. "Did you two end badly?" She scoffs, looking down at her hands. Makeup as smeared a little more under her eyes from the few tears that have snuck out from her eyes.
    "We never really ended," she replies. "We met through my dad and a friend and it was fine for a few months until he started wanting things that I wasn't ready to give; sexual things.  We had conversations about it and I tried explaining why I wasn't comfortable with it, but nothing I said ever settled in his mind. One night I guess he got tired of waiting and...took what he wanted from me."
    Took what he wanted. Took. Stolen. If I'm reading this the right way, she's using that work to cover for another. He stole her virginity. She makes sure not to make eye contact with me, either looking towards the bathroom or the window.
    "After I thought I'd avoid him until he realized it was over, but he caught me in a corner one day at school and started threatening me. He said that if I left him or told anyone he would make sure my life was a living hell. He knows my entire family, has known me for years, and took pictures of me when he raped me; I was scared."
     She falls silent for a few seconds. "I shot him that night," she says, taking a deep breath. "That's what the scar on his shoulder was. I seen the gun and wanted him to stop, what would you expect me to do? He kept saying he owned me and threatening me with things, I had no choice. That wasn't the only time either. I threatened to go to Castel and that's when he stopped, but also didn't. As you seen...it still hasn't really stopped."
     Her voice is low and broken, making sure that no one can hear if someone were to come in. The guy at the front says my number. I get up, hardly having an appetite anymore. When I sit back down, she's already trying to fix the makeup under her eyes through her reflection in the window.
     "I'm sorry about all of this," she says, looking back at me. "I'm sure you weren't expecting things like this when I asked you to come. I wouldn't be surprised if you thought I was crazy."
    "I started to think you were crazy a long time ago."
     ••••••
         
       By the time we're leaving she's stopped crying completely. I can tell she's not in the same spirits as before, but I wasn't expecting anything else. Outside it's colder than it was when we first got here. There's no longer any cars except for mine and one other.
      Bex lets go of my hand at the sound of male voices the closer we get to the truck. Once close enough I immediately recognize her dad and the other guy that came to the dorm that night. There's two other guys standing beside them.
    "I was really hoping he was lying," the guy standing next to her dad says. She looks down, releasing a deep breath. "You need to talk to your father."
    "I need to do anything other than leave, Castel." So, he's Castel. The leader.
    "You're gonna do what I tell you to do. Talk to your dad," he says. Her eyes move over to her dad, her whole expression changing to one I can't read at all. I would say something I doubt that would make the situation better for her. I could walk away and call it in, not only would I have Santi, but also the leader.
    "Fine," she says, spitting it out like its poison on her tongue. She looks up at me briefly before walking pass her dad.
   ••••
                             ~Bex's PIV~