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31| Hold Me Steady (pt. 1)
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2024-10-29 19:42:56Related chapters
Witness 32| Hold Me Steady (pt. 2)
I watched as Jax pointed out the various parts of the gun, and how he filled the clip with bullets. When it was set, he slid the clip into place and removed the safety before getting into position. I watched the muscles in his arms flex as he raised the gun and pulled the trigger. I'm not gonna lie, it was kind of hot. When it was my turn, I was feeling okay about being around a gun but actually holding one in my own hands was another thing entirely. I listened to Jax's instructions, holding the gun in front of me and trying to still my hands as I took aim. However, I was shaking so badly that the gun wasn't staying aimed where I wanted it; and besides, I couldn't bring myself to pull the trigger anyway. “I can't," I said, lowering the gun, "I can't do it. I'm sorry; it's just too soon.""You can do it," he said. "Just breathe." I picked up the gun again, holding it out straight in front of me. My body quaked as I tried to hold it still. I was about to give up again when I felt Jax
Witness 33| Pepperoni and Pineapple
Luckily for my growling stomach, there was a pizza place right across the parking lot. We were immediately hit with the air-conditioned interior and open seating. The friendly hostess brought us back to a booth as the scent of fresh pizza filled my nostrils. It didn't take long before we were seated across from each other and scanning the menu. "I could really go for a drink right now," I sighed as I viewed the selection of soft drinks. "Why did they have to make me 19?"Jax shrugged, "We both are 19."I looked around, making sure nobody was in ear shot. "No offense, but you look like you're 25." "I am 25," he chuckled. My mouth popped open for a second. "Really?" He nodded, "How old did you think I was?"Now it was my turn to shrug. "I guess I hadn't really thought about it, but I would have thought 21ish. Technically, I turn 21 in 4 months." "That explains why you can't handle your alcohol." I rolled my eyes, preparing to shoot him a comeback when the server came over. Since I
Witness 34| Ladies Night (pt. 1)
"So... what happened?" I asked as I approached a blubbering Hannah. "Drayden's an asshole," she cried, "He made out with another girl last night.""Oh no... did you see him?" I asked, handing her a tissue from the box on my desk. She shook her head, "No, but one of the girls at the frat told me they saw him last night. When I confronted him, he just got angry with me for not respecting his privacy."I let out a sigh, "Hannah... you could do so much better than him. Seriously, I didn't like the way he treated you the other night at the movies.""What do you mean?" She asked, wiping a tear away from her eyes. I cocked an eyebrow, sitting beside her on our futon. "I know you know exactly what I mean. You've been avoiding me."She let out a small chuckle, gathering some of her blonde locks in her hands and twisting them around her fingers. "I haven't been trying to avoid you. But... I do know what you mean. He's not always like that, though. Most of the time he's really sweet.""Maybe,
Witness 35| Ladies Night (pt. 2)
Hannah was right, the bouncer definitely had a crush on her. Not only did he willingly let us in, but he also let us skip the line. I tried my best to avoid making eye contact with the angry people who were still waiting their turn. Once inside, I forgot all about the people in line, and I was actually having a really good time with Hannah. We drank, we danced, and Hannah flirted with any semi-decent man in the bar. Even better still, was the sense of security I felt just knowing that Jax was here somewhere. I had stuck to my internal promise of not drinking too much more at the bar, but Hannah was spiraling faster than I could keep up with. It seemed like every time I turned around, she was taking a shot or had a refilled drink in her hand. I started trying to spill them or even take them myself when she had her back turned, but eventually she was a drunken, slurring mess. I watched as she clung to the neck of some man who was swaying her around the dance floor. It looked like she
Witness 36| Trapped
"We're stuck in the supply closet," I explained to Jax, "The door won't open!""Fuck," Jax grunted into the phone. I could barely hear him over the sound of the alarm but I knew he was trying to find us."It's by the bathrooms at the end of the hall," I coughed. "What do we do?!" Hannah said, backing away from the door as smoke seeped into the small room. I searched around the room, flinging a box of masks at Hannah. "Open this! Put one on; it might help with the smoke. And stay low!""I followed your GPS," Jax said into the phone, "I should be close, just hold on; the fire is pretty bad over here; I think this is where it started but it's spreading fast.""Please be careful!" I called. I knew he was trained for these sort of scary situations, but it sure didn't stop me from worrying about him. I had no idea how bad the fire was, but the smoke was getting thick in this closet. Hannah handed me a mask and I was quick to secure it to my face. My eyes were beginning to burn as more an
Witness 37| Shock
Blake offered me a hand as Jax and I stood from the ambulance. I set the blanket down and removed my mask, following behind Jax as we started to leave the scene. "Hold on-" one of the EMTs said, "you guys should really get checked out at the hospital"My eyes widened and I shook my head. I didn't like hospitals, they reminded me of the worst days of my life. "We're going to decline treatment," Jax said in a matter of fact tone, "we're okay. Thank you for your help." Jax reached out a hand and I held on tight as he lead me away. The 4 of us quietly made our way away from the scene without being stopped again. Jax still had my hand held tightly in his, as if he was afraid I might break if he let go. When I looked to my left, I was surprised to find that Blake was also holding Hannah's hand. It made me happy to see; she had been through a hell of a lot in the last week. "So... what the hell was that?" Blake asked after a while of nobody talking. "I don't know," Jax said, "but we s
Witness 38| They Know (pt. 1)
Since the "almost-kiss," a week and a half ago, the relationship between Jax and I seemed a little... off. The first day or two, he was glued to my side, ensuring that the coincidental fire was just that... a coincidence. Usually, I liked having him around, but he was behaving like he had when we first met. He was distancing himself again; not physically due to the potential threat, but definitely emotionally. We hadn't had any deep talks, he didn't give me any hugs, and he kept all conversations related to school work, weather, or other mundane things. Even more unfortunate, when Chief confirmed that the fire was just a freak accident and was 100% unrelated to the mob, he was able to distance himself even further. I hated it. I knew that kissing would be crossing a major line. He made it very clear to me that nothing could ever happen between the two of us. But yet... something almost had. I kept replying that night over in my mind. What if Hannah hadn't interrupted? Would he h
Witness 39| They Know (pt. 2)
Only a minute later, Jax was back, draping a blanket around my shoulders and crouching in front of me again. I must have been a little out of it, because I had completely forgotten that I still had my shoes on. I sat still as he gently removed my shoes and discarded them on the ground before settling in beside me. I knew that Jaxon and I had a sort of... complicated... client-bodyguard relationship; but in times like this, I wasn't sure how close I could get to him. I felt like I needed him; I needed to have him close to me. But at the same time, I didn't want any continued awkwardness. Without overthinking too much, I closed the distance between us, curling into his warm side. I felt him stiffen momentarily, but after a second, he wrapped his arm around my shoulder, pulling me tighter to him as he leaned us back onto the futon. “Em, I know that you're scared, but I won't let anything happen to you. I will keep you safe. The fire was unrelated, so you don't need to worry. They don
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Witness 67| Wake Up Call
I fixed my gaze on Jaxon’s. "Alright. Out with it." He sighed, running a hand through his hair, taking a deep breath as if to keep his cool. "What the hell were you thinking picking a fight with that guy?" I blinked at him. He really thought this was my fault? "I didn't pick a fight with anyone. He was the one who started it." "You should have just let it go! He was a drunk idiot, and you let it bother you!" "Me!? You can't be serious," I seethed, "He started it when he grabbed my ass! In case you forgot, that wasn't the first time someone's touched me like that against my will, so yeah, it bothered me. So what if I called him on it?" "We're supposed to be keeping a low profile," Jax said, placing a palm on his head in a frustrated gesture. "If you would have just walked away, none of this would have happened. I wouldn't have needed to step in." I glared at him. He was getting on my last nerve. How dare he place all the blame on me? "You didn't need to step in. I had it handled
Witness 66| Fallout
I was stunned looking at the man's unconscious body, but looking at Jax's expression, he was even more stunned than I was. He hadn't meant to do that. "We gotta go," he said, "Now." There was commotion starting around us, and I could see some of the man's buddies trying to push through the crowd to get to us. Jax was right... we needed to move. Jax grabbed me around the waist, guiding me quickly and somewhat forcefully to the front of the bar, walking out past the bouncers before they caught wind of what was happening inside. Unfortunately for us, Blake's friends were no longer on shift. On the bright side, as we exited, it appeared that we were in the clear, as one of the bouncers hit us with a very bored sounding, "have a good night." Once outside, Jax grabbed my hand, pulling me along with him at a sprint. "Mason, slow down! I can't go that fast in these heels!" I said, stumbling along after him. I was too drunk and too in shock for this, and these heels certainly weren't
Witness 65| New Years Eve (pt. 2)
"Why did you leave Hannah and Blake?" He asked, sounding kind of annoyed. "I needed another drink," I said. "You should have waited for me," he growled. "Sorry. I guess I didn't think it would be an issue," I said, taking a few big swigs of my new drink. I felt I needed it after what was an oddly sobering experience. Once we got back to Hannah and Blake, Jax grabbed my hips, spinning me so that I was facing him. I wrapped an arm around his neck while the other one held my drink, and took another sip. I could feel the tension of his shoulder muscles, and his eyebrows were slightly furrowed; his chisled jawline clenched. "Are you mad at me?" I asked. He shook his head. "No, sorry. Just annoyed by that asshole at the bar." I leaned in, placing a gentle kiss at the corner of his full lips. "He doesn't matter. Let it go, please." He nodded, leaning forward and placing his lips on my straw, taking a sip of my vodka lemonade. I giggled as he grimaced. "That's gross," he smiled
Witness 64| New Years Eve (pt. 1)
New Year's Eve has always been one of my favorite holidays. Mainly because it was one that I celebrated with my friends, not my family. The death of my mother and sister always loomed over me like a dark cloud, but I always knew they wouldn't want me to stop living either. And boy, did I plan on living tonight. Of course, I still missed Mel and my group of friends back at my old college, and I wondered briefly what they would be doing to celebrate. But, the wondering wasn't crippling me tonight. Tonight, I was surrounded by people who had become just as important to me as Mel was. Hannah was always so supportive and always knew how to make me smile, Blake always knew how to make sure everyone has a good time, and Jax? Well, I loved him. I wasn't sure when or if I was going to tell him, but I knew I loved him. I also wasn't sure if we would even be able to get in to the bar tonight, but once we arrived, I realized that Blake's basketball buddies worked here as bouncers, and the
Witness 63| The Perfect Outfit
We were not fast. 2 hours later, and Hannah and I still hadn't found an outfit. I was in the changing room, dealing with an exceptionally stubborn zipper when Jax texted me. Mason: 30 minutes in the dressing room? What are you guys doing? Sewing the dresses yourselves? Skyler: Is someone getting a little cranky? Finally, the zipper moved and and I shimmied out of the shiny, silver monstrosity. Only one more dress to try on. Mason: Correction, HANGRY Skyler: I'm almost done. I would be faster if you stopped texting me. I pulled the last dress off the hanger. I had high hopes for this one. It was a fitted, gold, mini dress that was covered in tiny little sequins. The best part was that it didn't even come with a zipper. I pulled the stretchy material over my head, giving myself a once-over in the mirror. Oh yeah... this was the one. My phone dinged again. Mason: Just pick something. I'm bored. I'm sure you look great in anything. I smiled. Last time I wore something even m
Witness 62| The Mall
"Happy New Years Eve, bitch!!!!" Hannah shouted, whacking me with a pillow to wake me up. She was back much earlier than I had anticipated; I didn't even hear her enter the room I had been sleeping so hard. I glanced at my phone, noting it was only 8:30. "Hey," I yawned, "you're home awfully early." She smiled, "I know! That's because we have a lot to do today to prepare for tonight." I sat up in my bed. "Oh yeah? Like what?" "Like going to the mall to find the perfect New Year's outfit, getting our nails done, and then we need to take a very thorough shower! Then, we will get ready, drink alcohol, and go to the bars to ring in the new year!" "Sounds exhausting," I yawned again. "Sure does," she agreed, "but we're doing it. Now get up, and get dressed! I'm gonna run to the dining hall quick and grab us some breakfast." I chuckled. I generally didn't have her energy this early in the morning, but still, it was contagious. I eagerly got out of bed, quickly changing into a pair
Witness 61| Christmas (pt. 2)
“You should slow down," Jax chuckled, watching as I finished my second glass of wine.We actually had a really nice Christmas so far. We went to the dining hall and ate our weight in bacon, then, on our walk back, it started to snow. Normally, I wasn't really into snow. It can be pretty... but after a while, it's just cold, wet, and turns to brown slush. But... I liked it today. It felt festive. Plus, Jax had kept a warming arm around my shoulders as we walked back to the dorm, and the large snowflakes were getting caught in his dark brown hair. I liked the look on him; he was just so beautiful. The soft, bright snowflakes softened his hardened features and made his ice-blue eyes look even more striking, if even possible. Then, when we were home, we watched Elf, and two other ridiculous Hallmark ones that I forgot the names of. Now, it was nighttime, and I was on my second glass of wine and halfway through my chicken Alfredo. "Oh come on; it's a holiday," I said, holding
Witness 60| Christmas (pt. 1)
Well.... it was that time of the year again. Christmas. I was prepared for how I would feel today, given how I felt on Thanksgiving. And, if I was being totally honest, I never felt like celebrating Christmas anyway. Nor did my dad. We actually made Thanksgiving a bigger celebration... Christmas was always too hard for us after the car accident. So, given that my dad and I often ignored Christmas anyway, today sucked, but I was feeling okay. At least, I was definitely feeling better than I did on Thanksgiving. Hannah and Blake had already gone home again, so Jax and I were alone. I knew he'd probably be coming in here to check on me soon, and I didn't want him to find me like he did last holiday. Instead, I pulled myself out of bed, grabbed my shower caddy, and headed to the bathroom. I took my time in the showers today, letting the hot water cascade over my body. It was quiet in here since everyone had family to visit during our two weeks off. Well, everyone but Jax and I. I
Witness 59| On the Ice
“You need to lace them tighter, Sky, or your ankles will wobble," Blake told me as I just finished my last knot. I cocked an eyebrow at him; they felt tight enough to me, but then again, what did I know about skating? "I'll help you," Jax said, walking over and kneeling down in front of me so that he had access to my skates. He hadn't put his on yet because the workers had a hard time finding a pair large enough to fit him. I thanked him, taking a moment to survey the ice rink while Jax retied my skates. It was a surprisingly nice space, and the large rink of ice looked smooth and shiny under the overhead lights. Despite it being indoors, there was a cool breeze coming from somewhere. I pulled my grey beanie hat further over my ears, smoothing my thick braid that hung loosely over my right shoulder. "You should be good now," Jax said, pulling me from my thoughts. He offered me his hands, holding tight as he pulled me up off of the bench. My ankles tried to wobble, but were
