Chapter 1

We are young – F.U.N

Music that sounded like a stressed student’s heart combined with screeching, light that enforced the headache that thumped in my brain to grow to a migraine and the creepiest guys ever to walk the earth. This – ladies and gentleman, was where I was currently stuck at. And, if I could ignore all those aspects mentioned before, it was still not a pleasant environment I had been placed in. And do you know why I had downed three shots of tequila already only to become more stressed?

A certain thing called Angeles.

A little piece of advice – never mess with gangs. I had messed with one and even worse, I had messed with their stupid leader. The alpha, the big kahuna. The deadliest being in the whole world, his name only spoken when you wanted a death wish: Angeles. He had been named accordance to his gang, it only making him seem more lethal. Nice going Jenny, way to mess with the devil himself.

I pulled the hood further over my head, hoping to hide my features from anyone who might try and kill me. Which was very much possible with the situation I had placed myself in at the moment. Wearing a cream coloured flapper dress that just-just didn’t show my bum along with the highest heels in the world, I kind of stood out. The silly excuse of a jacket hung over my shoulders but did little to hide the sheer amount of skin I was showing.

I’m just glad Serena had allowed the jacket because besides the outfit being complete inappropriate, I was freezing. We were at a rooftop party, the theme having been THROUGH THE DECADES. Most people had dressed up as 60s and 70 characters but nope – my bestie had forced me into a flapper dress complete with a head set and fake pearls. A smile appeared on my face at the thought of old me hearing she had to wear plastic jewellery. Poor innocent fool.

I glanced over at Serena, she drunkenly laughing along to some guy’s supposed funny joke. She was placed on his lap, her one arm sloppily hanging on her. Her head was hiding his face but I guessed he looked like all the other guys my bestie hooked up with: typical frat boy.

She was definitely intoxicated with the way her one heel had fallen off of her foot and the way she was allowing the guy to place his hand right up her thigh.

O goodness… where did I find this girl? Couldn’t I have picked some nerdy kid who would help me pass first year English? Nope – I found Serena Andrews: party goer supreme. The amount of parties, clubs and what have you’s she got invited to, was beyond amazing. And being her best friend of the year, I was sometimes subjected to being dragged along.

Usually I got out of it but like tonight – she wasn’t taking no for an answer. And after that terrible Psych exam from this morning it didn’t take much to convince me. Was I regretting the decision now? Very much.

Glancing over at the girl once more I saw she busy using her tongue to fish out the guys tonsils. Rolling my eyes, I turn around. I was going to have to wear earphones tonight. Usually I’d also be like her. Drunk of her arse and flirting and kissing random guys.

Want to guess who had ruined that for me?

Angeles.

Thank you, you colossal asshole. You had ruined my life.

One more sigh and I was moving towards the bar, ordering another round of shots for myself. One for every syllable of that horrendous name.

XXX

Gives you hell – All American Rejects

You know that scene from Mr. and Mrs. Smith with the epic elevator thing? Meeting Angeles was kind of like that. Except you know – I wasn’t bloody Mrs. Smith. I was still the rich innocent idiot back then, excited for a brilliant costume party and too trusting for my own good.

I had gotten to the elevator first, and was a nervous wreck. I didn’t look too modest in the clothing I had on. Not in the least. It had been my former friend, Katelyn’s idea to dress me up as a slutty angel. What is this with me and friends dressing me up as a prossy? She had planned for me to meet Toby Geller, an amazing guy (according to her) who she convinced me was worth the clothing choice. So there I was, wearing a sequined black crop top with a matching tutu, standing in an elevator with feathery wings digging into my back.

I had gotten to the elevator first, and was a nervous wreck. I didn’t look too modest in the clothing I had on. Not in the least. It had been my former friend, Katelyn’s idea to dress me up as a slutty angel. What is this with me and friends dressing me up as a prossy? She had planned for me to meet Toby Geller, an amazing guy (according to her) who she convinced me was worth the clothing choice. So there I was, wearing a sequined black crop top with a matching tutu, standing in an elevator with feathery wings digging into my back.

We had rode in silence, him breathing heavily and me thinking of interesting things to talk with Toby.

And then, then the damn thing stopped with a screech that sent ice through my veins.

“Fuck!” the man in front of me swore, kicking the door so that it rattled. My eyes had widened at the cuss but maybe it was also because my heart was starting to beat like a hummingbird’s. I was not good with confined spaces and if it wasn’t that there were no stairs, I wouldn’t be stuck in here. Sliding down to the ground, I kept my eyes locked onto the man who was swearing like a sailor while assaulting the door. With another swear and kick, the man whipped around, catching my eyes. I had locked eyes with the angriest man I’ve ever seen. Gritted teeth and a jaw set so tightly you’d think it was glued on. His eyes were so, so dark, the bluest storm I’ve ever seen.

“What are you looking at?” he growled, me immediately diverting my eyes. The man sighed, sliding down next to me, “Why you dressed like that?” he asked, looking me up and down, inspecting every inch of my body.

“The costume party?” I said, a bit confused but overall didn’t realise the actual danger of the moment. Like Mr. bloody wasn’t actually dressed up.

He gave me a slight smirk, his eyes once again trailing my body. “Angel huh?” I nodded, tightening the grip I held on my legs. We had better get out of here soon.

“You alright?” he asked, his voice starting to fade away. I gazed at him, seeing how he was chewing on his bottom lip, a lip ring making my heart flutter. He arched an eyebrow, waiting for a response.

“I’m not good with small spaces” I mumbled, my voice sounding shaky.

“Don’t worry, we’ll get out of this thing soon” he said, tapping the wall next to him. The noise echoed in the small space, it claiming residence in my brain.

“What’s your name?” I asked, trying to get my mind off the idea that the walls were shrinking in.

“Sam” the man sighed, glaring at the door as if it would will it to open.

“I’m Jenny, it’s nice to meet you” I said, giving the man a light smile.

“You too angel” he smirked, “How you feelin’?”

“How long do you think we’re going to be stuck in here for?” I sighed, placing my head between my legs in order to calm down. Sam could think what he wanted, I just wanted out.

“Won’t be long” he said and then I felt something slightly warm on my shoulder, his hand squeezing the flesh reassuringly.

“Take deep breaths alright? In… out… in… out” I copied his directions, my heartbeat slowly going back to normal. When I lifted my head I couldn’t help but sigh in relief as I felt the stupid box moving once more.

“Come on, stand-up” he smiled, jumping up. He held out his hand, me taking it and letting him pull me up slowly. I moved as if I was in slow-motion, still a bit shaky.

“Thanks” I smiled at the guy, hearing the commotion from outside the elevator, relief spreading through me.

“Sorry about this angel”

I haven’t even registered his words before his arm laced around my neck, something cold pressing onto the side of my head. The door opened with a ding and I stood gaping at the six policemen all standing to attention in front of us. All of them had their guns raised, me just wanting to faint from the sheer amount of luck I had this night.

“Drop the weapon or I shoot this girl’s brains out” the man behind me growled, me gulping and feeling tears dripping down my cheeks.

“Angeles, let the girl go” one of the police men said, his voice just barely shaking.

“I said drop them” the man threatened and a click filtered into my ear. Shit… shit… shit…

I pinched my eyes closed, saying a silent prayer. I heard things being placed to the floor and then a cooling breath touched my ears, tingling it.

“Thanks love, hope we can do this again” He pinched my bum, heat filling my cheeks as I was finally released from the guys hold and pushed towards the police. I stumbled into the middle of two, barely hitting them. Once more I was pushed and when I finally opened my eyes I saw all six of the men rushing after that devil of a man, gunshots making me want to puke.

XXX

We are young – F.U.N

I shuddered at the memory, taking a big gulp from the glass in my hand. Serena had concocted the drink for me and although I had NO IDEA what was in it, it sent a shivering burning feeling through me. It tasted like poison but I welcomed the taste as I downed the glass. Placing it down on the counter I spun around, rubbing my eye as I moved to the dance floor.

Damn, the drink worked quick…

Frankie Sherwood spotted me, waving me closer whilst dancing with a guy without a shirt on. She was wearing a bright green sports-bra adjoining with pink leggings and wrist-and-head bands.

“Hey babe” she grinned, holding out her hands for a quick hug, her butt still against the guy. He only gave me a curt nod, sucking on the girl’s neck.

“Hi” I smiled, starting to move my hips around. She gave me a smirk, nodding towards someone behind me. The next thing I knew, arms surrounded my torso, my body against someone else’s. Frankie winked at me, me just rolling my eyes at her but leaning into the guy as we moved to the beat of the music.

I could only imagine what Angeles would do if he saw me doing this. The guy would probably have a bullet in his head before the song ended. No Jenny! No more Angeles.

The guy slowly spun me around, gazing down at me. He was cute… well, cute enough.

“Hey” he slurred, lifting up an eyebrow.

“Hi” I grinned, trying to not roll my eyes at the fact that the guy had been straddling me the whole time and now decided to say hello.

“You’re really pretty hey” he complimented, his eyes basically just trained on my chest. Angeles never did that. That was one thing about him. He was the devil himself but treated girls with respect when ogling them. When speaking to you, his eyes were locked on yours, reading every thought that would come into my brain. Sometimes he’s gaze would shift to my lips but that was only right before he kissed me. It was like a tell-tale sign. Also the fact that – even thought he’d never admit it – his cheeks slightly flushed. Like he was putting all his emotion into every kiss. It was scary and fascinating.

Angeles was unpredictable with everything he did except when kissing someone. You know it was coming, knew exactly how he reacted to matters when it involved lips. It was like clockwork.

XXX

Gives you hell – All American Rejects

The next time I had seen “Sam” was the next morning. Like – I hadn’t properly recovered from the assault yet and there he was, just standing and waiting for me. I had ended up going back up to the party, wanting to forget about the entire thing. And I somewhat did that, downing shot after shot and slurring a conversation with Toby.

Toby was by-the-way, the most boring individual I had ever met. The whole night he just spoke about imported wines and how he was going to let me drink some of them. He actually explained how each tasted, as if I knew what the difference was between a wine coming from the Eastern side of France to the western side of France. Like I actually cared about it. In the end, I just blew him off and went dancing.

Now, it was four A.M in the morning and I was stumbling into the streets of L.A. I really just wanted to go to bed, sleep the day away and then maybe go horse riding, dependent on how my head would feel later.

You know, that was the plan until a strong grip yanked me into an alley.

“Hey Angel” the devil smirked, leaning his body against mine. I pushed him away, my heart immediately doing flips.

“Leave me alone” I stumbled over the words, moving back into the open street. The man was quick to follow me, walking along side of me.

“So, where you going?”

“I told you to leave me alone” I snapped, trying to speed up but my heels were killing me.

“Yeah, but we had so much fun in the elevator”

“Fun? You call being held at gunpoint fun!?” my eyes fell onto his, him analysing mine.

He shrugged, “It was needed”

“Needed!? You- you… leave me alone!”

He grabbed hold of my wrist, pulling me to a stop. I tried yanking him away but damn, he had an iron grip.

“I’ll scream” I said, watching as his eyes left my own and fell onto my lips. Before I know what was happening, my lips were on his. His was soft but forceful. I was sad to admit that it was one of the best kisses I’ve ever had, sparks erupting and my belly becoming warm. I soon pushed him off of me, wiping my mouth with the back of my hand.

“How dare you!” I growled, feeling the anxiety build up once more.

“You’re a good kisser” he shrugged, letting go of my wrist. I immediately started to walk away again, but like before he followed.

“What do you want from me?”

“I want to apologise alright? The police were going to bloody kill me”

“So you used me as a shield” I grumbled, shooting a glare at him. His eyes were analysing me again, it frustrating me to no end. It was cold, I wanted to go home. Not be stuck talking to someone who wanted to shoot my brains out.

I watched as his eyebrows knitted together, him biting his lip. Goodness, he shouldn’t do that. One might mistake him as hot.

Okay, he was hot. The man was gorgeous with unruly raven hair, piercing blue eyes and a jawline that could cut glass. It wasn’t fair that his personality linked to psycho. Psychos shouldn’t be allowed to be smouldering.

“I’m sorry” he sighed, “I wouldn’t have done that. I really just needed to use the elevator. Would have used the stairs but there was none. And then the stupid thing stopped and I had no choice”

“No choice!? You could have let the police just take you!” I snapped. The guy let out a series of laughs, “You kidding right? Angel, they would kill me”

“Maybe you deserve it, and stop calling me that” I watched as his hands went into fists, his teeth clenching together. O goodness, he was going to shoot me now wasn’t he? Nice going Jenny. We were quiet for a moment, me seeing my neighbourhood coming in view. The houses were more like estates combined with gates and fountains. Each place came with a butler, more than three maids and the snobbiest, classiest people in the world. I was sadly one of those. His hand suddenly surrounded my wrist, halting us. I looked over at him wide-eyed, looking for that gun that will be a constant reminder of what had happened to me.

“I’m going to call you angel, you look like one and you won’t stop me from doing that. Also, maybe I do deserve to be locked up and killed but guess what – that’s not going to happen” he growled, looking deep into my eyes, “Now, I’m going to walk you home. You won’t call the police on me except if you want your butler or someone dead. And yeah – I know you probably have a Niles opening the door for you and a pool boy who is fucking your mom. And unless you want both of them alive still to help you live the life of the rich and famous, you’re going to shut up” he threatened, me gulping in air to try and keep calm. His eyes were filled with anger and something else, something I couldn’t read.

“Do you understand?”

I hastily nodded, feeling his hand let go of my wrist. As soon as I was released the stupidity kicked in. My legs moved without me controlling them, speeding down the street in order to get home. At that moment I seemed to forget he had a gun, he probably could follow me and kill my family and that, well – he was unbelievably hot. I just wanted to get rid of the lunatic.

Yet, before I could even make it across the street, arms wrapped around my waist, pulling me against his hard body. It felt nice, a smell of chestnut crawling up my nose.

“What did I say?” he snapped, his arms tightening.

“Please let me go, please!” I choked, trying to pry his arms off of me.

“No” he said firmly, “I’m walking you home” his arms moved a bit so that one was laced around mine. His hand grabbed mine, the feeling sadly nice. He had a firm hand, quite big that made mine look like a child’s. He pulled me forward, not saying anything until we reached the second house in the street. 

“What house you in?” he sighed, looking around all the mansions.

“Sixth” I mumbled.

He nodded, “Sorry about scaring you just then”

“Sorry about running” Did I just apologise for running away from him!? What was wrong with me!? He nodded once more, “How old are you?”

The question confused me, me biting my lip. Why’d he want to know about me? Was he planning to steal my identity or something? His grip tightened on my hand, me quicker to answer him as warmth pooled into my tummy.

“Nineteen”

“I’m twenty two” he responded, me stopping when I reached the gate. He halted, looking at the overly big house, letting out a low whistle.

“Damn, you’re rich”

“Please don’t abduct me, I can give you money right now for the ransom or whatever” I said, stumbling over the words as I fumbled with my small clutch. The man chuckled, “You’re a paranoid one aren’t you”

“You… you…”

“Bye Angel” he grinned and his eyes fell onto my lips once more. He pulled me towards him, my lips connecting with his for a second, sparks erupting, before letting me go. I was released from him, him already starting to move away. I watched him, awestruck – wishing to never see him again and well, that I’d see him everywhere.