And His Jacket Smelled of Cigarettes

34 · Realizations

     I stood on the porch, my elbows on the railing, shivering from standing outside for so long without a jacket. I could see my breath, and I blew a thick cloud in front of me, thinking about Athan.

     "Why are you so stubborn?" I said out loud. I wasn't sure how to approach him anymore. Every time I say anything to him to try and make amends, he just pushes me away farther than before.

     What was I supposed to do?

     I care about him but he doesn't listen! He just... doesn't want to accept that I still care because his *
brother is involved with all of this. Donn... How did I manage to get myself so caught up in this mess?

     Sighing, I stood up straight and walked over to the door, grasping the handle; my gaze moving one last time toward the forest where I had seen Athan disappear. Just as I was about to open the door, a sudden, distant noise echoed from behind me and bounced off the side of the house, but it seemed to be cut short. I took my hand off the knob and looked around, wondering what it might have been. Athan popped into my head, but I shook it off. He can take care of himself. Not a second later, yet another noise caught my attention: this time, a clash coming from inside of the house.

     I threw open the door and rushed inside, frantically looking around.

     "Shay?" I yelled, being greeted with dead silence. Lowering my voice this time, I stepped further into the home, staying up against the walls. Something wasn't right.

     "Duke?" I said softly, coming to a stop beside a room. I figured this room in particular was his, due to the fact that his name was plastered to the door in big, metal letters. The door was open a crack, and I pushed it slowly, expecting Duke to be sitting inside on his bed, staring back at me; maybe doing some stupid, eccentric pose to try and impress me.

     But... the room was completely empty.

     No bed, no tables, nothing on the walls or on the floor. A completely bare room stretched before me, and I felt my heart sink. What the hell is going on?

     "Jennifer," a voice said from behind me, making me jump out of my skin. I whirled around to see Duke standing with his arms crossed, a seemingly unamused look on his face. Standing next to him made me realize how short he was, since he was only a couple inches off from being eye level with me.

     "What the fuck is going on?" I snapped, taking a step toward him, my left hand gesturing to the inside of "his" room.

     "I won't be needing this place anymore," he sighed, tapping the side of his chin, "it was a rather drab set up, anyhow. I will be happier once I am truly home."

     "And where is Shay?" Duke took a step toward me, making me start backing into the empty room.

     "She went home."

     "Wh... home? What the hell do you mean 'home'?" I snapped again, feeling betrayed and confused. Would Shay really leave me at a time like this? Duke's smile returned, and he kept walking toward me, my feet still stepping backward to stay away from him.

     "You know, home. Out of here," he backed me against the wall of the room, putting his hands on the wall on both sides of me, his voice quiet and smooth, "far, far away."

     "Get the fuck away from me."

     "Please, Jennifer. This is the last time I get to be with you. Truly... be with you..." Duke moved forward and pressed his lips against mine and I instantly struggled,  pushing my hands against his chest. This fucking creep!

     "Get off of me! What the hell are you talking about!?" I put my hands on his face and pushed as hard as I could, my hand sliding up to his forehead,  moving the hair off of his eyes. For the first time, I was able to see their true color: a deep, dark crimson.
    
     "What is it? Never seen eyes like mine before? I understand. Don't stare too long, though, you might get lost in them." Duke tried to steal a kiss from me again but I turned my head, getting a laugh out of him.

     "Where. The fuck. Is Athan."

     "He's being taken care of. I know how much you didn't like him, so you won't have to worry anymore. Can I at least get a kiss for that?"

     "Where did you take him? Why aren't you telling me anything, you bastard!" Taking a chance, I squatted down and slipped between his arms and made a break for the door, but somehow he caught my wrist, and yanked me back. Hard. I let out a yelp, and Duke brought me close to him, his arms wrapped around me.

     "I don't want to hurt you, Jennifer. I just want all of this time to be worth the trouble..." He tried to kiss me for the third time, but I dodged it once more, his lips laying a peck on my cheek.

     "If it's a kiss you want, you're never getting it willingly." I scrunched my nose, my voice low, almost like a growl. Duke let me go finally, pouting.

     "You really are a mess, Jennifer. It pisses me off." He put his fingers in his mouth and whistled, throwing me off guard.

     "W-what are you--" I cut myself off, hearing footsteps coming toward us from numerous directions. I looked back at Duke, and backed away from him, feeling the fear building in the pit of my stomach.

     "You'll thank me later, Jennifer." Duke bowed to me, several people bursting into the room simultaneously; some through the door, some through the only window. I watched as he turned and left, his hands clasped behind his back. The people latched onto my arms and legs, pressing into my injuries, and lifted me into the air like I was weightless. They were all dressed in black, with hoods that covered the top halves of their faces. I screamed and thrashed, fighting as hard as I could with the strength I still had, but I knew it was futile.

     Whether I liked it or not, Duke had me cornered, and I was diving even deeper into this mess of a situation.