Zane ^
-----------
Saturday and Sunday I was a mess, and that's putting it lightly. I was pretty sure Frank was in a gang, and by the way Jaxon talked about him, my guess was they were a part of the same gang.
My eyes were also glued to the TV and my phone, for I kept expecting to see news about the death of Nancy Devonshire. Maybe I was overreacting. Frank and those two creeps might have been after someone else Friday night. Just because Nancy was there doesn't mean she was their target...
I know Jaxon could tell how off I felt at work on Saturday. He spent the day helping me clean and run errands, asking me what was wrong every 10 minutes. What was I supposed to do?
Of course telling Jaxon would probably be the right thing to do, but Frank had me convinced if I told anyone, and I mean anyone, that my head would end up on his wall. I really didn't feel like being killed, so I kept my worry to myself.
On Sunday I spent the majority of the day in my room trying to do my homework, but I was too distracted by my thoughts. I asked Melissa if she'd heard from Nancy that day, and she said as a matter of fact, Nancy was on her way over. I was practically pacing by the door until she arrived. Completely unharmed, might I add.
School on Monday proved to me just how complicated knowing about all this was. My day started off by Payton, Daphne, and Faye approaching me at my locker before first period.
"Go on" Daphne said, nudging Payton. The hell is this all about?
"Thanks" Payton spoke sharply, glancing off to the side.
"Jesus Pay" Daphne rolled her eyes.
"Shut up" Payton snapped, crossing her arms. "Thanks for finding me on Friday" she spit out.
Oh god... did she remember what happened??
"I have no idea what happened, but Daphne said you and Frank brought me back. So. Thanks." With that she spun around, struting off down the hall with Faye on her tail.
Daphne signed, dropping her head. "I have no idea why that was so hard for her"
"Because she's a spoiled brat" I muttered, slamming my locker closed. Daphne gave me the side eye, clearing her throat. "She may be spoiled, but she's my friend."
I sighed, biting my lip. "I know I know. I'm sorry. I'm just sick of her treating me like I killed her cat or something. I wish she'd just drop the mean girl act and get over herself"
"You and I both" Daphne said quietly. "Well anyway, now it's my turn" she grinned now, ear to ear, flinging her arms around my neck.
"Thank you thank you THANK YOUUU!!" she squealed, squeezing me half to death. "I knew you were an awesome friend. I appreciate you soooo much!"
Her big, flashy smile got to me, and I found myself smiling back. "You're welcome. I'm just glad you were all okay"
"Me too" she nodded, finally giving me some space. "Let me know if you see Frank today, I want to thank him too!"
"Sure" I replied with a stiff smile.
"See ya later!" she sang, skipping off.
"Oye" I groaned. I was getting a headache, and I still had an entire day to get through, including work, before I could go back to bed.
Thankfully everything was going smoothly until lunch. Lunch is always where shit seemed to hit the fan.
On my way out to the courtyard I came face to face with Frank, who glared at me like I was a mouse and he was the lion about to devour me. The aura that guy gave could completely demolish all light in the world.
I saw Lucas and Rylee at our usual table, and I was about to head over when I felt hands grab my waist. I shrieked, whirling around.
"Whoa!" Jaxon said, holding up his hands "It's just me, doll"
"Oh" I awkwardly laughed. "Sorry, uh, hey"
"Hey?" he responded, almost like a question. "Is everything okay?"
There it was. The million dollar question. Everything is absolutely NOT okay-
"Yepp" I smiled "You just startled me, that's all"
"My apologies" he smirked, before bending down to kiss me.
"GET A ROOM!" someone shouted across the courtyard. We glanced over to see none other than Zane asswipe Newman watching us with a look of disgust plastered to his face.
"I'm going to kill him" Jaxon sighed
"Not if I do first" I responded, earning a chuckle.
"AAAAVVAAAAAAAAA!!!!"
"NOOOOOOO" Jaxon shouted back, wrapping his arms around me and picking me up. "YOU CAN'T HAVE HER!"
Daphne pouted, crossing her arms. "I just wanted a hugggg"
"Too bad so sad" Jaxon smirked, carrying me off. As cute as this was, I was not in the mood to be dealing with this. I just wanted to go sit with Lucas and Rylee, who I noticed were watching the entire scene from afar.
He finally set me down, unfortunately close to his group of friends. "GRAYYYY" Daphne whined, stomping over. Gray had been sitting in the grass, eating a sandwich. "Yes?" he asked.
"Jaxon wont let me hug Ava" she said with a little stomp.
"That's because you knock the wind out of people" he replied, continuing to eat. She shot him a frown, and he smirked to himself. "I can feel your angry eyes boring into me"
"You know what Gra- HEY FRANK!" Daphne suddenly shifted her focus, gazing past Jaxon and I. She waved her arms frantically, shouting "THANKS FOR HELPING FIND PAYTON THE OTHER DAY!"
You have got to be kidding me. If she doesnt shut up...
"Yup" Frank grunted, turning his back to us. She folded her arms. "It annoys me how introverted he is"
"I'm sure others are annoyed with how extroverted you are" Gray shrugged, finishing off his food. "What happened with Payton?"
"She got super drunk at Oblivion and we lost her"
"You...lost her?" Jaxon asked, shaking his head. "I get it's her dads club, but you all have to stick together at a place like that"
"We diddd" Daphne whined "She wandered off to the bathroom and never came back. Thankfully Ava helped us find her-"
And there is was. The gateway to questions I didn't want to answer. Thank you Daphne. Fucking thank you.
"You went to Oblivion with them?" Jaxon smirked "Let me guess, Daphne dragged you there against your will"
"Nope, she came to pick us up" Daphne butted in, plopping down next to Gray. "She somehow found Payton and Frank. I thought he'd be at your place for guys night"
"No... he had to work" Jaxon said, his voice trailing off. His eyes shot over to me, and I looked down. Great, here we go.
"Where did you find Frank anyway?" Daphne asked. Now all their eyes were on me, and I wanted to go crawl into a hole and die.
"He was just outside. Said he needed some fresh air" I lied. "Payton was puking outside so I asked him to carry her for me."
My story sounded like it could be true, but I could see the look in Jaxon's eyes. Something wasn't adding up for him. Daphne and Gray just shrugged, losing interest in the conversation.
"Well i'll see you guys later" I said, turning on my heel. I was about to head over to my friends when I felt a hand on my elbow. Jaxon spoke very quietly, "is there something you need to tell me?"
In that moment I happened to look up. I caught Frank's eyes, and they said a million words. "You can wait until work if you need to" he whispered. I assumed he saw Franks expression just like I had. I nodded, and he let me go. I went right over to Rylee and Lucas, with a pit in my stomach the size of the Grand Canyon.
-4:30pm-
I was on my way out the door when Melissa walked inside.
"You're out early" I observed.
"I'm still on the clock, actually. I have some errands to run, but I figured i'd change first." I nodded, about to leave when I noticed the folder she set down on the table was labeled "Frank Herrera"
"What's this, Mel?"
"What's what?"
"This folder about Frank"
"Oh, I hired him for the internship! That's just some paperwork he's going to fill out tomorrow. Why do you ask?"
"Uh" my mind went blank. "Nothing. See you later" I rushed out the door and into Mr. Lynch's car.
My head was buzzing the whole ride to the Marvel mansion. My sister hired the dangerous scary gang guy from my school. The one that just so happened to be at Oblivion the same night as Nancy, NOW WORKING FOR NANCY. I knew then and there I had to tell Jaxon, regardless of Frank's threat. I couldn't keep all this shit to myself.
The moment we arrived I rushed inside, racing up the stairs to Jaxon's room. Thankfully he was lounging on his bed. He must have noticed how frantic I was, for he sat up right away. "Ava-"
"We need to talk" I said, slamming the door behind me. I slowly made my way over to his bed, sitting down on the edge. "I'm sorry for not telling you sooner, but I went to pick up Daphne and Payton and their friends at Oblivion on Friday night and they couldn't find Payton so I went to look for her and I found her but-"
"Hey" he interrupted, motioning me over. I crawled over to him, placing my forehead against his chest. "Slow down" he murmered "Deep breath in." I inhaled, letting the scent of his cologne calm me down. He wrapped his arms around me, kissing the top of my head.
"No more secrets. We tell each other everything, no matter what. Deal?"
"Absolutely" I sighed, letting him hold me tightly against him. "It's a long story, but i'll try to summarize"
"Don't worry about it, I just want to know everything"
"Okay" I took one last deep breath, then told him about Friday night. He held me the entire time, tensing up when I mentioned Lager and Rocco. Everything was so much easier when I was honest with him. He made me feel safe, and I didn't care anymore that Frank told me to keep the secret. To hell with Frank.
"And the worst part" I concluded, "is that my sister hired Frank for that stupid internship he most likely doesn't even want."
Jaxon was silent at first, but eventually sucked in a deep breath. "Frank is going to be in close quarters with Nancy now" he breathed, "and with your sister"
"No kidding" I grumbled, rubbing my temples. "I just wish I knew what the hell all this is about."
It was silent for a while. I laid down with Jaxon, cuddling for what seemed like eternity. When I finally decided I should get up and start my chores, he stopped me, making me swear on my life that I would never repeat what he was about to tell me.
"I...I guess" I said, uneasy.
"Please, Ava. I'm going to tell you some shit that I never wanted to, but at this point I don't think I have a choice. Knowing all this is dangerous, but we promised to tell each other everything, not to mention your sister could be in danger and you need to be aware."
He caught my attention from mentioning Melissa.
"You have my word" I nodded.
Jaxon sucked in a deep breath, explaining to me that his boss was after Nancy Devonshire for money. Money that Patrick had borrowed, and never paid back. And then, Jaxon told me when he was over at my house one day that he overheard Melissa telling Nancy about the money Patrick had given her to buy her house (which was the money that Patrick had borrowed). If his boss found out that Melissa spent it, he would likely come after her.
"That's why I left your house. I wasn't sick, I was just in shock" he muttered, shaking his head. "I didn't know what to do. I still don't know what to do. Ava, my boss is a fucking psychopath. I have never met someone so fucking money hungry in my entire life. Hell, even my father would have let an unpaid loan go at this point. Frankly, your sister is in more danger than Nancy at this point."
I felt like I couldn't breathe. A money hungry gang leader might come after Melissa, and there was nothing I could do about it.
I'm going to vomit. This cannot be happening
Wait a minute...
"Frankly" I repeated, my voice cracking.
"Huh?" Jaxon asked, furrowing his brows.
"FRANK!" I yelled, my eyes darting to Jaxon's. "Frank is in your gang, isn't he? Do you think he plans to hurt them? Take them to your boss?!"
I felt like I was going to pass out. This was all planned. I knew that Frank didn't want an actual internship, he wanted to get close to Nancy Devonshire, and when he found out my sister used the money he might...
Shoot her? Kidnap her? Sell her off to make money?
I didn't realize how badly I was hypervenilating until I felt Jaxon wrap his arms around me. Tears started to spill from my eyes. I felt sick to my stomach. This was all so wrong. How could Nathan AND Melissa be wrapped up in awful shit? Why was this happening?
"Melissa will be fine, I promise" Jaxon murmered against my head. "I won't let anyone hurt her. Or Nancy for that matter. They're going to be okay."
I heard his words, yet I couldn't stop the fear threatening to completely break me. All I had wanted to do was start over completely. Never think about gang bullshit ever again, never have to worry about the people I cared for getting hurt. It was like I couldn't escape some horrible, inevitable reality. Fuck fuck fuck fuck-
"I'm going to tell Esther you need time off. Wait here." He got up, and I curled up in a ball on his bed, shaking and shivering from anxiety. Jaxon was only gone for a couple minutes, and when he returned he laid next to me, pulling me against his chest.
"I love you, Ava. Everything is going to be okay. I promise."
-Jaxon's POV-
I left Ava sound asleep in my room, and all I wanted to do was get back to her. I hadn't meant to scare her so bad with the information, but I knew that I had to tell her about the situation. At least now she could be on guard, which was better than being blinded-sided.
It was 9pm and Rogue and I were sitting on the bosses couch waiting for him. This was my first night back since I lost the race, and the night he whooped my ass. I was determined to be on my best behavor, however, I had to try to figure out what was up with Frank getting an internship at Nancy's company.
At roughly 9:30pm a drunken boss swaggered into the living room, that wicked shark smile looking more lopsided and creepy than normal.
"Looooook who it is" he slurred, looking me straight in the eyes.
"Hello sir" I responded, clenching my fist. Fuck I hated this man.
"Ready to get back into the swing of things?" he asked, though it sounded more like a statement. He fell into his chair, spreading out his arms. "I got a nice and easy task for you boneheads tonight. Right in downtown LA! You'll be meeting with Lager and Rocco to hack the LA Journal's security system."
Why in the fuck...
"That's it. Mission accomplished. You can leave from there. Got it my boys?"
Rogue looked confused, but nodded. I felt paralyzed. I watched the boss pull an empty beer bottle from between the couch cushions, realize there was nothing in it, then chuck it at the window. What a fucking loser. A drunk, psychotic loser. What was holding me back from taking him on right here, right now?
"Come on man" Rogue muttered under his breath. I noticed the boss staring at me now, a slight smirk forming. "Have fun."
Rogue grabbed my shoulder, spun me around, then gave me a shove towards the door. It took everything in me to actually make it outside. I had been ready to pounce at that good for nothing sack of drunk shit and pummel him to the ground. End things now, why the hell not?
"Don't even think about it" Rogue snapped, shaking me. "I see that look in your eyes. Forget about whatever you feel like doing and get on your bike"
"Why?" I snapped back, narrowing my eyes. "We could take him together. End this shit."
"You know it's not that goddamn simple or we could have done that a long time ago." He slapped the back of my head. "Besides, there are thugs lurking around the house for his protection, and you know he always carries a conceled weapon. He may be drunk but something tells me he'd still find a way to take us both out in a matter of seconds. Now get your head screwed on right and lets fucking go"
"You're seriously going along with this shit?" I shouted, exasperated.
He shot me a look, reving his bike. "If you don't be fucking quiet he's going to hear. Get on your bike so we can talk about this when we get there."
Rogue took off, leaving angrier than I was before. I knew he was right, but I hated it. I hated that I felt so helpless and pathetic.
"Fucking hell" I growled, finally getting on my bike. I sped off towards the L.A. Journal's headquarters, praying this night would fly by so I could get back to my sleeping angel.
[HEY!!! It's been a while! Hope you all are staying healthy and safe!
Let me know if you enjoyed the chapter! :') Feedback means a lot to me. Enjoy!]