Chapter 14: Chapter 14

I woke up in my bed, bolting upright at a peculiar sound. The night hadn't closed over the house entirely yet, but still set off a darkening glow nonetheless – but the fact that I had woken up suddenly made me lay back down with an over exasperated sigh.

Something pinched my waist; looking down, I saw it was just my jeans. After arriving home from school, I decided getting dressed wouldn't kill anyone – just Jesse, but it wasn't as if I was worried about him. It was kind of depressing that I was dressed to go on a date – ...I mean a carnival with a friend – but instead of going out, I was lying in bed, awaiting a peaceful sleep. Which was coming by more difficult than I thought.

I closed my eyes again, letting out a small exhale of breath.

Until I heard the strange and now annoying sound again.

Of all places in the room, it was coming from the window. And I admit, I felt my heart quicken in pace at the thought that someone was trying to break in through my window. I mean, attacking them with a bat wouldn't be a problem, but I was too young to go to jail for murder – or considering the placement of my room and how far it was from the ground, second-degree murder if my actions weren't considered self-defense.

As I approached the window, I saw leaves fall in front of it. Taking a guess and casting off the noise as that, I opened the window and brushed some strayed off leaves away from the ledge, looking up to find where it had come from.

Only until a hand caught mine.

But my scream was blocked off with another.

I was propelled backwards, onto the cold wood of my floor – with someone heavy landing on top of me. I looked up at the face – but then changed my entire expression directed at the culprit with more hate than I had for anything in my entire life – maybe even past that if it were possible.

His blue eyes shined bright in the dark light, and even though I felt the compelling urge to swoon, I brought my hands up and tried to push him off. "Get out!"

He smiled, more amused than ever for a strange reason. "You want to make me, doll face?"

"I don't make trash, I burn it."

He scoffed. "That comeback is old."

"So is your mom, but you still listen to her."

His expression fell – and apparently so did his hair, coming quite close enough to brush against my forehead. "I just came to make sure you weren't ditching me. We had a plan, and I intend on keeping it that way."

I tried to push him off again, but this time with more force. "I'm not going. Now get out before I call the cops."

Roughly, maybe even dangerously, he quickly grabbed my hands that were shoving him and slammed them to the floor beside my head – pinning them. With his hands in mine, I tried to claw at him – aiming for anything that would knock him off.

"You're going whether I have to drag you out of your house and handcuff your hand to mine."

I gulped, imagining how Hellish that would be. "And what if I really don't want to go?"

His eyes left mine and drifted around the room, only to stop at the bed. "Well, if you want to stay here instead then by all means..."

It was useless to struggle under his grip, but it didn't mean I'd stop trying. I brought my knee up and jerked forward, but only wound up in him falling over – landing me on top of him. I would have jumped off as quickly as I could, but his hands were still holding onto mine.

"Let go," I ordered angrily, pulling with all I had.

A smile found it's way on his lips, but his eyes were only gazing at how I was hovering over him. "No," he said playfully yet terrifyingly hazardous. I gasped when he pulled suddenly on his hands, jerking me forward – toward him. My nose grazed his, and it painfully tugged at my head that this was not the position I wanted to be in. But rather throwing him back out the window and watching him fall, with a goofy smile on my face.

Something made us both freeze: a knock on the door and my dad's voice. "Carson?"

Jesse most likely froze up, because if he were caught then my dad would grab a chainsaw and go all out – and of course be on his bad side, which countered him acting goody two shoes around him for nothing. I on the other hand was terrified because if my dad did walked in on this, I'd be killed. Not literally, but the way I was sitting on Jesse was not the best scene for a dad to walk in on when it's already growing dark – and of course the adding of the window wide open and the door being locked.

Jesse didn't release my hands promptly, but hesitated and finally released me. I struggled to get up, maneuvering around the bed and finally getting to the door. Although, I had to give a second thought about my outfit – I was dressed to go out, and with the window open...it wouldn't be a nice sight.

I opened the door, making it a point to stick my head out only – a yawn escaped my lips when I saw my dad standing there.

"I heard something." Was all he said, squinting his eyes suspiciously.

A novelty reply came back that would save me, and quickly since his suspicion wasn't helping at all. "I fell off the bed."

"Why do I hear wind?"

"The fan is on."

He pursed his lips and nodded to himself. "Alright, then go back to bed."

I closed the door and heard his footsteps fading away toward his room, but before I heard his door shut he said something about how he needed to put a railing on my bed.

Turning, Jesse stood half-sitting on the ledge of the windowsill – and how his head hung low made me give him one second of a stare too long. I swallowed, making only his eyes move up. "You should go, before he comes back."

He leaned off the window, not making it too noticeable at how he was walking towards me instead. "You and I both know he won't come back."

"What're you trying to say?"

"Be bad for once in your life, Carson. Let's go, it's not as if he's going to kill you if he finds out anyway."

I crossed my arms. "You wouldn't know."

His hand appeared in front of me, almost pleading. "Please?"

"No."

Something held the door beside my head. "Please?"

"No."

A hand touched my cheek, trailing down my jaw. "Please?"

"Yes."

"Really?"

"No."

He sighed, frustrated as always when I was completely stubborn. "Why not?"

"Because I don't like you. I don't know how many times I have to say it to make you get it. What part of 'I hate you' do you not understand?"

He shifted. "The 'hate' part really. Everyone likes me, why is it that when it comes you, you're off in the corner drawing pictures of me dying?"

I shoved him back, away from me so that I could breathe regularly. "That's exactly what I'm talking about. You're a conceited jerk who only thinks about himself. Now get out."

He stuck his hands in his pockets and backed up toward the bed – sitting on it casually. "Not until you go with me."

"I'm not going."

He gave me a cold look – a rarity to see from him – and pushed himself off the bed again, but instead walked up to me and stood close enough to breathe on. "Just one time, I swear to Heaven and Hell – or whatever you believe in, that if you don't like it then we'll call it off. I'll tell everyone that you called it off if that helps. Just please."

I looked at him as if I barely noticed him. "Why are you breaking a sweat all for me, when there's other girls who'll jump on you if you say hi to them?"

He paused. "If I answer that you'll punch me. So I'm not going to."

Couldn't argue with that...but I still wondered regardless.

I thought about his words. Processing them.

Behind me, I locked the door again and went around him to the window. I climbed out, being careful as to not look down – for fear that I'll fall, at that thought, the ground seemed to be moving farther and farther down. I took a deep breath and glanced back inside the room, watching Jesse smiling from near the door. "Hurry up, or I swear I'll change my mind."

At that, he smiled wider and rushed to the window. I balanced myself on the bricks of the house and the trellis-looking fence against the side – over thinking about how I was planning on jumping down from here.

I glanced up at Jesse, who was shutting the window barely so I could sneak back in later – and easily held onto the bricks and got down enough to jump on his own. I gagged – he made it seem so simple.

One foot at a time, Carson. You don't want to shatter your skull or pop out a bone or anything...

That was helping.

I started to climb down, focusing on my footing. Until my hand slipped and a vine tore off, making me lean backwards. I would have been fine, but in a state of panic, my footing lost balance and I knew I'd fall whether I liked it or not.

Until I hit something. I glanced behind me – thankful I was still on two legs – and saw Jesse was holding onto me. "Wow, you're more of a klutz than I thought."

I pushed his arms away. "I'm fine, thanks for asking."

"I was about to ask," he said as I quietly made my way to the front of the house.

In front, I paused. "Where's your car?"

Jesse sighed, walking away from me and heading down the street. He murmured something to himself – but I heard it clearly. "And she has the nerve to ask."

On the corner of the block was a truck, it was obviously a dark shade of gray, but the little light made it seem black – stealth. I looked up at him when I was at the passenger side.

He rolled his eyes. "Mine is in the shop – they won't be done with it for a week."

As he got in, I started to really think about what I was doing.

I was going to a carnival with the boy I despised – the boy who tormented the hearts of many and moved on faster than I could blink. Yet here I was, sneaking out of my house with a hand on his car door.

What happened to independence?

What happened to the 'get away from me, or I'll taze you' attitude?

What happened to just saying no and walking away?

But then I knew, when we showed up at the carnival, it was a tad bit too late.

It was going to be a long night.