Toxic Love

Chapter 6

ROSE

It's finally the weekend. Thank God.
Time to relax after my first week of classes. It's so hard to concentrate with everything else on my mind.
By everything else, I mean Ace.
I'm laying flat on my bed, my back to the mattress, my head dangling over the side with my phone in front of my face, scrolling through anything and everything to get my mind off of life.
I scroll through my contacts and my thumb hovers over Mom's name. I haven't talked to her in a while. I mean we've been texting. I've been telling her about classes and the school, and she would reply with either another word of advice on how to get to the top of the class(which I already am), or ways to improve my diet. She thinks that since we haven't seen each other in over a week, that I probably already look like a hippopotamus.
   Sometimes I Wonder how different things would be if she loved me like my mother not just my tutor, trainer or bank.
I keep scrolling.
Then the doorbell rings.
Ooh that must be my pizza.
I hop out of bed and jog down the stairs to find Cam opening the door.
I stop in my tracks.
You've gotta be kidding me.
"Hey, what's up guys!" Cam greets Ace.
And the two guys from the cafe the other day.
Ace and Cam do that handshake bro hug thing that guys always do and Cam does the same with the others.
I slowly back up the stairs, hoping they haven't noticed me yet.
"Rose!" Cam exclaims when he sees me.
I cringe and mentally attack him.
Ace looks up the stairs where I am and his face morphs into shock and twinge of amusement.
I force a smile on my face as I walk down the stairs.
The two other guys faces showing a sign of recognition as they remember me as the girl from the cafe. The girl Ace kissed in public. I'm not sure if I like that title.
"Come meet my friends. I met them at this great party the other night." Cam explains.
This can't be happening, but an annoying ass voice in my head tells me it is.
I reach the bottom of the stairs and the two boys both step up and take turns shaking my hand.
The blonde one introduces himself as Jake and the brown hair one is Dustin. They're both really nice and easy on the eyes.
Then Ace steps up. His smile in place. Melting me.
Oh god.
He holds out his hand. "Ace Carter."
I'm lost in his eyes as they stay locked on mine.
It takes me a second to hold out my own and take his hand in mine. It's as if a wave of electricity travels through my body at the contact. His hand is so rough and warm. So nice.
"Rose." I simply say. Swallowing the huge lump in my throat.
Didn't expect that.
"Wanna come with?" Cam interrupts our moment.
I drop my hand and look at him. "Where?" I ask.
"Going out to get drinks at a bar across town." Ace answers.
I can feel his green eyed gaze burning through the side of my head. Dammit, it would be easier to hate him if he was ugly.
I scrunch my eyebrows. "Last I remembered, you're only 20." I direct at Cam.
He rolls his eyes. "Yeah well..." then he mutters something under his breath.
I squint my eyes. "What?"
He looks at Ace, as if asking for help.
Ace smirks and takes something out of his pocket and holds them out for me to see.
"Fake IDs?!" I gasp.
Ace has an amused smile on his face. Somehow finding this situation funny.
"Give me a sec guys." Cam grabs my arm and leads me into the kitchen.
"Look Rose-." He whispers.
"You're using fake IDs now?" I whisper angrily back.
He runs a hand through his dark hair, frustrated.
"Rose. We're not home anymore."
"Oh so that means you can go out to bars and lie about your identity?" I point my hand out the door.
He sighs. "Exactly."
"Are you serious?" I whisper.
"Let me finish." Cam looks into my eyes, suddenly all serious. "We were never allowed to have any kind of fun back home. It was all homework, dieting, exercising, keeping up appearances." He explains and glances out the kitchen door. "I wanna do something for myself, Rose. Not for mom, not for dad, not for my teachers....for me." His intense eyes digging into mine.
My eyes gloss over as his does.
"Yeah I know. It's stupid, but I- I wanna have fun." He sighs. "For once in my life."
I don't say anything as he reaches up and wipes the tear that escaped my eye. He sighs deeply and hangs his head. "If you really don't want me to go I could tell them to go on without me."
I don't respond. All I can think is: he's right.
I sigh deeply. "Fine." I say.
He lifts a brow in question. "Fine what?"
I smirk. "I'm going with you."
  He smiles, "Don't make me regret it." I reply to his smile.
    He laughs, and with that we're out the door.