[|]The moment I got home, I began to think of the outfit I was going to wear at the party. It was a cosplay party, very nerdy if one would look at it from an unpopular person's point of view. But I knew it wasn't going to be anything like that as I've seen pictures of the kind of revealing outfits these people wore to their parties and now, I had to wear something like that fit into their party niche.The only problem was that I had no money to get myself a real costume talk more of a cheap knockoff and no matter how tempting it was, I would never touch my college savings.I also didn't want to embarrass myself so I went to my desktop computer in the corner and looked up the easiest cosplay outfits. I found a ton but none looked like something I could use my clothes to pass on as the costumes.I had no choice, I needed to work extra hours to get one. And the only job that could get me that was walking dogs. At least, I could find something at the dollar store after the little I'll mak
[|]I walked behind Maddy with my hands clenched behind my back. I was nervous as hell. We just walked into a huge clothing store that looked expensive and I was sure nothing was sold for twenty dollars in case I wanted to save myself with the cash in my pocket. I kept my eyes on Maddy as she pointed here and there. She was one bubbly person."So, Jackie. What are you looking out for?" She asked once she faced me."I don't know. I don't have a choice," I replied as I looked away from her, trying to not make eye contact."Okay!" Maddy said. "I already have something to pick from here. Have you watched any Marvel movies? Well, I'm going to be dressed as Black Widow. They have some leather outfits here that could work for my character choice. Come on."I grunted when she grabbed my hand and dragged me to the inner part of the store. She stopped by a rack filled with leather clothes. When she released my hand she started to look through them while I wondered why she was being kind to me.
[|]The moment my parents walked into their bedroom, I quickly rushed out of mine and raced straight to the living room. I steadied my heavy breathing as I convinced myself that I could still go to Lucas' party. After making my mind get calm, I opened the door and slipped out of the house. I quietly closed the door and dropped my new black boots on the porch."Phew," I said and flipped my dark hair off my shoulders. My hands swept down to the curve of my body, loving the feel of the leather jumpsuit before I ran them around the plastic utility belt around my waist.I looked at the empty street ahead of me and then bent down. In a haste, I put on my boots and left the porch. I looked at the house then at my parents' room before walking away. I could not help but feel so good in my outfit. I had spent hours preparing myself. My make-up was similar to the Black Widow character and my hair was curled. I was grateful to Maddy because, without her, I would have appeared in the cheapest outf
Trigger warning: SA contents. Kindly skip this chapter if you find it triggering.[|]My mind was blank as shock took over my body at the feel of Lucas' lips kissing mine. I was too stunned to even respond to the kiss as this was my very first kiss and the jerk had stolen it. At that thought, I placed my palms on his shoulders and started to push him off but he barely moved. I blushed when I felt his arms wrap around my waist after he dropped the plastic gun, then my shoulders sagged, giving in to the kiss.With no experience whatsoever, I opened my mouth and he moaned before kissing me harder while gripping my hip tightly. I found myself closing my eyes and wrapping my arms around his shoulders then feeling his strong body pressing into mine.I began to move my lips against his, focusing on the direction he went which caused him to moan more and kiss harder. A tiny gasp left my lips when his teeth nibbled on my bottom lip before plunging his tongue into my mouth. My body shuddered an
[|]I wiped my wet cheeks when I saw Maddy walking up to her car. We were about to leave the party and I had not seen any signs of Lucas or those boys. I was glad I didn't because I didn't know what I was going to do if I saw him.I heard the driver's door open and Maddy boarded the car. I glanced at her when a bottle of water entered my line of vision. She was smiling at me then I smiled back and took the bottle of water. I uncapped it and drank some of it."Thank you," I said in a cracked voice."You're welcome," she said and started the car's engine.I stared at Lucas' house one last time before staring ahead of me. I sighed in relief when Maddy drove off. We stayed in silence for ten minutes before Maddy sighed."Are you okay?" She asked."No," I replied."Don't you think you should call the cops?"My eyes widened at her idea which I thought was good but I didn't want any of it. Nothing went too far which I was glad and thankful to her for."It's not needed. My only concern is Luc
[|]I got home and called out to my mom who immediately responded from the kitchen. I smiled and walked into the kitchen where I saw her cutting some carrots. I wrapped my arms around her from behind and moved away after some seconds."How was school?" She asked and handed me a baby carrot."School was the same as always. Fun and difficult," I replied and bit the carrot then chewed."That's nice," she said and faced me. "About your college, dear.""No, mom," I said, knowing where the conversation was headed. "Don't start, please.""But, Jackie. You need to understand. Your father and I don't have the resources to help and we want the best for you."I frowned. "Which is what?""He already decided that you will stay at home for maybe a year or two. You will work and—""No! I can't do that!" I tossed the carrot into the sink angrily. "Why should I listen to him? Who does he think he is to make such decisions about my life?! He has never done anything for this family and you think his dec
[|]I wasn't sure I heard right because whatever he said just sounded like something he said to sound like a joke."You're lying," I said, feeling slight anger in me.Axel frowned. "Why would I lie to you?"He had a point. I sighed and pressed the pads of my fingers to my forehead."So, you're saying you're related to Lucas Hamilton?" I asked and he nodded his head."Lucas is my brother. He's older than me by just a year. I'm eighteen. I've been in his shadow since I started this school at age fifteen and everyone knows me as his baby brother and not Axel. We both have the same parents and sometimes, I wish we don't because he doesn't act like a true brother at all."I could sense the sadness in his tone. I wanted to walk away from Axel, especially now that I knew he was related to the jerk who sent his boys to assault me. But from what Axel was saying, he looked like he was nothing like his brother."Are you one of his girls or something?" Axel asked and I flinched. "Oh, sorry if tha
[|]"Thanks for the practice," I said while waving at the other cheerleaders as they walked away, waving back at me.I dropped my hand and noticed someone out of the corner of my eyes. Axel was leaning against the side of his car, using his phone. I checked my wristwatch and then my cheerleading uniform. The outfit was an attractive one and I had noticed the way some of the basketball players had been looking at me when I did some of the simple moves with the others. So, I wondered what Axel would think of it.I took deep breaths and walked over to him. I stopped before him and he raised his head. I held back my laughter when his eyes widened and lips parted in shock."Jackie?" He whispered in astonishment and slowly eyed my body. "You look so... So beautiful. Wow, you're the only cheerleader that looks great in this uniform."I blushed. "Oh, come on. No need to lie now."Axel chuckled. "I'm not. Anyway, how was practice?""It was fun. The girls were nice to me," I replied and tugged
[|] The next day, we were back to the hotel we had been in before Maddy captured me. When I woke up, I felt an odd feeling at the thought of Maddy being dead. Even though she ended up betraying me, she had been part of my life and it made me a little sad that she had to end the way she did. I pushed away the feeling and sat up on the bed. I looked at the other side of the bed and smiled at a sleeping Lucas. He was facing the other way, bare-chested. I leaned forward and ran my hand over his smooth chest. He moved his body a little but didn't wake up. I rested my chin on my palm and stared at him. His jawline was covered with very light beards and I pictured him with a full beard. He would look handsome with it and more mature as I imagined him with a trimmed beard. It made me smile as I focused on his hair which was a bit longer. I began to imagine our life together with a child running around the house. I smiled wider at the imagination. "All I want is happiness from here on ou
[|]"Hey."I flinched at the sound of Lucas' voice. I turned away from the floor-length window in the hallway of the hospital and faced him. He was looking stressed out with bags under his eyes, scattered hair, and pale skin. I wouldn't be surprised if I was matching his look."How are you?" I asked, walking up to him. I opened my arms for a hug and he came into it and I wrapped my arms around him. He lowered his height and rested his head on my shoulder."I'm so tired and I'm sure you are too," he said and hugged me back."I'm better now that I know Axel is fine," I said and pulled away from him.Axel had gone into surgery the moment we arrived at the hospital and it's been hours since we arrived. Barry had not left the door of the operating room. I could see how much they loved Axel. "You need to sleep. You are stressed from everything," Lucas said and cupped my face."I'm kinda hungry though," I said with a smile. "I need a nap but I won't do all these until I'm sure that Axel is
[|] The loudness of the gun was ringing in my ears and I could barely hear my heartbeat. I was frozen on top of Maddy as I felt fear move through me. I gulped and wondered why I couldn't feel anything, I was numb. I rolled away from Maddy and looked down at my stomach. There was blood on my shirt but I couldn't feel any wound. It was when I looked at Maddy, that I realized the blood belonged to her and not me. She had a bullet hole in her chest while the gun was slack in her hands. Her eyes were wide as her chest moved up and down quickly. I rose to my feet, holding my stomach out of fear and protecting the baby in me. "Jackie?!" I looked up at the sound of a new voice. I saw Lucas staring at me with fear in his eyes. He ran up to me and cupped my cheeks"Jackie, you're shot," he said. I snapped out of my shocked state and shook my head. "No... Not me," I replied and looked down at Maddy who was laying on the ground, still breathing. Lucas furrowed his eyebrows and slowly fol
[|]Jackie's POVThe moment Lucas had shifted, I was confused because I had been expecting him to fall at the impact of the bullet but I saw someone else; Axel.When I had seen Lucas at first, I felt my heart stop beating, I had felt like I lost it all. I thought I had lost him, I thought I had lost the man I loved but when I saw Axel, I didn't feel any different. Axel was my best friend, a brother I never had. I never had a sibling but it felt like I was losing one when I saw Axel taking the bullet for us. I didn't know if I could have screamed or passed out at the sight of Axel. I had not expected Axel to take the bullet. When I saw Lucas broken at the sight of his brother, I prayed that Axel was alright.The moment I saw Maddy run off, I knew I had to go after her before she escaped. I didn't even think twice and ran after her, picking up the gun she had dropped in the process.When I saw that Maddy had run out through a door in a corner. I pushed the door and looked on each side
[|]Lucas' POVI could not let Jackie die. I would rather die than let the woman who has suffered enough go through death. I just couldn't watch her take that bullet.So, when I saw Maddy pull out her gun, I knew things would not end well. I had thought she would not pull the trigger but I was wrong when I saw her finger push the trigger. Knowing how fast a bullet was, I blocked Jackie to take the bullet with my eyes shut the moment she fired the gun.But when three seconds went by and I did not feel the burning and body-numbing feeling of the bullet, I opened my eyes and felt like my soul left my body when I saw the last person I was expecting in front of me."Axel?!" I screamed at the top of my voice, the same time Jackie said my name.I couldn't feel my body as I watched Axel slump to the floor. Everything around me became dark and I found myself falling to my knees and crawling toward him. He rolled onto his back and my eyes went straight to his bleeding chest. My hands began to s
[|]Jackie's POVIt hurt so bad.It broke my heart to see him sign the contract. It made me angry to see them kiss. It wasn't Lucas' fault, I was not mad at him. I was mad at Maddy. She was so cruel. The worst feeling I felt was helplessness. I couldn't do anything to stop everything as I watched them kiss. I felt like my heart was ripped out of my chest and tossed into a larva. I felt like I could not breathe. It was at that moment I knew that people could die from heartbreak. I just couldn't withstand the sight and thought of losing Lucas to her."Finally," Maddy said and I raised my head.I sniffed and glared at her when she looked at me, smiling wide with the contract pressed against her chest. She giggled and walked up to me."Won't you congratulate me?" She asked, craning her head to the side.I formed some saliva in my mouth and spat on her face. She gasped and closed her eyes at the impact. I smiled at the sight of my spit on her face then chuckled."I already got what I want
[|]Lucas' POVI took out my gun from my duffle bag and checked for bullets. I saw it was fully loaded and fixed the gun between the waistline of my pants and my back. I covered it up with my shirt and grabbed my jacket then turned toward the door. I paused to take deep breaths. I was scared and worried and I was feeling like I was going to go crazy. I was so mad at myself for leaving Jackie alone when I knew Maddy was around. Now, she was with a crazy bitch who was probably going to hurt her. Whatever I had to do, I had to act smart and not put Jackie in danger.I exhaled and opened the door then walked out of the room where I met Barry leaning against the wall across me."Ready to go?" They asked and I nodded."Yes. Have you called the police?" I asked."Remember the Redside police department is on their payroll, I don't think it's going to be something they'll like to hear," Barry said, pushing themselves off the wall."You're right. They won't care about what we say," I said and
[|]"You know, at some point, I started to give up on Lucas since I saw you weren't interested in him. That's where Clark comes in," Maddy said and sat down on a chair the man had brought for her. "I saw him, he was rich, handsome, and a player like Lucas. They had the same issues, family problems and all. I felt like I had Lucas but in a different body."I was too weak to even try to tell her how crazy she was. I saw her type of person in the movies and books. It was so unbelievable I was experiencing such before my very eyes. "As I was saying before this, I found out Lucas was going to our college and I had to forfeit a prestigious university to be close to him. I watched him but with you around, it was so hard. I ended up regretting canceling your scholarship to the college in the UK. I wish I had but I'm only human. When I found out you choose this college as your second choice, I had to keep you close and make sure you got in. I'm sorry for everything you went through but you de
[|]My eyelids hurt so bad that I felt pain when I struggled to open my eyes. When I had them open, the first thing I saw was my lap through slightly blurred vision. I hissed and then moaned when I felt a dull ache on my head. I tried to raise my head but it was difficult, almost as if my neck was stiff with pain. I shut my eyes against another wave of a dull headache then opened them when I heard heavy footsteps."You're finally awake," a gruff masculine voice reached my ears and I groaned out in pain when my hair was yanked back.The pain in my neck and head doubled and I felt dizzy from the movement. I took deep breaths and looked to my side, I saw the same man who had been following me in the supermarket. My eyes widened as fear came over me then I became aware of my surroundings. I was facing a church altar and on my side were rows of wooden benches. I furrowed my eyebrows and looked back at the altar in confusion. I could tell from the stained glass window behind the cross that