ＮＯ ＯＮＥ ＫＮＯＷＳ ＷＨＡＴ ＩＴ'Ｓ ＬＩＫＥ．．．

тo вe тнe вαd мαɴ
тσ вє тнє ѕα∂ мαη

ＡＮＤ ＮＯ ＯＮＥ ＫＮＯＷＳ ＷＨＡＴ ＩＴＳ ＬＩＫＥ．．．

тo вe нαтed
тσ вє ƒαтє∂

 
Eva’s hand was so soft in his. These simple touches always seemed to cause Arthur’s heart to sore through the air. His eyes followed each lock of her hair as they fell around her shoulders, she was truly perfect in every way- a Goddess among men. And she was staring at him! Or specifically his chest! It rose and fell slowly with each of Arthur’s smooth breaths. He had been debating whether or not to be flexing when he walked in, to make himself appear larger. But he decided against it as he felt like it was lying to Eva. He would rather she see him how he is. It wasn’t like she was hiding anything about her body… besides its appearance under her clothes. He couldn’t lie to himself, he wanted those clothes to be off her right now. He squeezed her hand slightly in his, taking a few more steps closer to her and leaning his face down to her ear. ”I will always come for you, skön…” His lips brushed against Eva’s ear and moved down towards her jaw, leaving a quick kiss on her jaw. He couldn’t stand it anymore, he wanted her right then and there.

In a swift movement, he grabbed Eva under her butt with one hand, and supported her back with another, lifting her up from the ground. He walked over to a bare part of the wall and pushed her back against it for support. His hands moved down her thighs and lifted her thighs up, so she could wrap them around his waist. As he did this, his lips began to attack Eva’s neck again, except on the other side this time. His hand that had been supporting her back snaked around to her front, playing with the bottom of her tank top. But without hesitation, he slipped his hand into her tank top, moving it up her soft skin and straight to her breast. He took in a sharp breath, feeling the bare, soft skin in his hands. So, she hadn’t been wearing a bra? That thought just seemed to get him going even more, as he began to knead it a little bit harder, but still trying to avoid hurting her. It was hard, balancing out his want to ravage her, right then and there, and also keeping it slow and gentle for her. The condom in his pants pocket burned on his thigh, he was sure he would have it permanently imprinted on his thigh. His breaths quickened, and his heart was pounding in his chest. And he was fairly certain he could feel Eva’s heart pounding with his as well. God, he wanted to fuck her then and there.

His hand that had been holding her up by her butt, and subsequently had been playing with the edge of her panties under her skirt, began to move down towards the pocket where the condom was. But while reaching for it, he could feel his phone vibrating in his pocket. The only time anyone ever called his number was if it was important, and for a split-second Arthur felt worried. No, not now! Don’t interrupt this, not now! It seemed that every time they got started, something was stepping in between them. Arthur knew it was dangerous to ignore a phone call, like he had missed the night before. But he wanted to keep his focus on Eva, on the moment, on her body. He had to press his hips harder into her once his hand had stopped holding up her butt, to keep her from sliding down the wall. He snaked his hand around in his pocket before precuring the condom, bringing it to his mouth and biting down on the corner. With one swift movement of his hand, he tore it open. He maintained eye contact with Eva while he did this. He discarded the torn part of the wrapper to the nearby trashcan, just barely missing the rim. ”If you want me to stop… say so.” The same words echoed from Arthur’s lips, as he waited for an ‘all clear’ from Eva. It was taking all of his strength to wait on her response.



Jacob felt his heart sinking in his chest. Did Alyssa mean… her dad was a DEA agent? It felt as if time had stopped and he shivered slightly at the revelation. It was at this point that Jacob finally stopped looking at Alyssa and stared out the opposite window. Stupid! Idiot! He had just given everything to her. He had just told everything, his entire family’s secret, to the daughter of a DEA agent. There was an echo in the back of Jacob’s mind, an “I-told-you-so” from Terrance about telling Alyssa the truth. How could he be so stupid and blind? This wasn’t a romance novel. This was the real world. What had he expected? That she would just forgive him, run into his arms, and now he would have a woman who accepted him, even at the prospect of him inheriting a drug cartel? That she would suddenly change all her values and thoughts, and become the wife of a Drug Lord? His fists clinched tightly in his hands. He couldn’t look at her. He couldn’t face anyone now, not her, and not his family. Oh, if his family knew the stupid stunt he just pulled…

”I see.” That was all that Jacob could respond to the situation. He still wanted her. But at the same time… it felt like she wasn’t budging on her stance. It didn’t matter what he said, what he offered. It seemed Alyssa already made her mind up about him and their future. He just felt guilty for exposing his family’s secret. Could he trust her not to tell? Or was she going to turn around and report him to her father as soon as she got home? He turned off the radio, there wasn’t anything else to hide about their conversation. She placed the necklace in his hand, and he felt his entire body go numb. He fought hard against the tears welling up in his eyes, as he couldn’t stop staring at the necklace. He couldn’t say anything else as he climbed out of the car, not looking back at Alyssa. He tucked his hands in his pockets, and walked away from the vehicle, shaking his head. Stupid… stupid… stupid… He pulled his phone out of his pocket, and began to call Arthur, the waterworks now overflowing, as Jacob couldn’t stop them.



ＢＵＴ ＭＹ ＤＲＥＡＭＳ．．．

ＡＳ ＭＹ ＣＯＮＳＣＩＥＮＣＥ ＳＥＥＭＳ ＴＯ ＢＥ

Ｉ ＨＡＶＥ ＨＯＵＲＳ， ＯＮＬＹ ＬＯＮＥＬＹ．．．

ＴＨＡＴ'Ｓ ＮＥＶＥＲ ＦＲＥＥ

✖✖ Translations:[1]beautiful
✖✖ I Feel... Exited and Turned On
✖✖ I am At... Eva's house -> Eva's room
✖✖ I am With... Eva
✖✖ I am Thinking..."I want her so bad!"
✖✖ I am Wearing...Black Jeans.

His kiss sent her heart straight to bliss, though said bliss was temporarily interrupted as he'd lift her up. Clinging to him somewhat, she didn't know what he was doing until she felt her back to the wall. She felt her cheeks redden as he lifted her thighs up, though she took the hint and crossed them, letting out a gasp as his lips went for her neck again. Her heart beat against her chest as she felt his hand, a quiet moan escaping her as his hand reached its goal. She had to remember to thank Helene for the advice, though her thoughts were swimming in ecstasy at the moment. His touch sent shivers down her spine, and she felt him press up against her as his free hand went somewhere else. He looked into her eyes, and she bit her lip as she realized his intentions, her heart racing.

"If you want me to stop… say so." He repeated himself, and her eyes widened. How could she possibly bring herself to stop him? She wasn't even sure why she took so long to answer, though she couldn't quite form the words. Her brain really was fried! So rather than give him a verbal answer, her fingers ran through his hair, and lightly gripping his head, she closed her eyes and kissed him. Fireworks didn't do the feeling justice, she felt like her entire body was doused in flames. But it was her way of expressing what she wanted, what she needed: him.

Breaking apart for just a second, she had to catch her breath, but managed to speak; "Don't stop."

---

It was too damn hot for Gigi to be running around town trying to track down Helene's car. She could feel her jeans and shirt sticking to her skin even as she rode on her motorcycle, and that wasn't even getting into how hot her helmet was on her head. In a way, she blamed herself for choosing to wear all black, but she had just grabbed the first outfit she got her hands on and left. As she came to a stop at a light, she groaned quietly, throwing her head back. She was going to murder Alyssa for stealing Helene's car, then Helene for continuously yelling at her to find it. Not that she blamed Helene, but why the fuck did she have to do it? She had the people, didn't she? Then again, Gigi was more effective considering she knew Alyssa well. There were only a few places left to check before she would give up, and she was nearly at the mall.

The light turned green, and she took off. Getting ahead of a few cars, she parked her motorcycle in the shade. Taking her helmet off, she made sure the stand was down before leaving it, breathing in the fresh air. Stray hairs stuck to her forehead, though she simply brushed them back as she looked around the parking lot. As she began to walk, she noticed a guy looking into a car, then moving on to the next. An amateur carjacker, likely, though he was really obvious. Whatever, he'd probably get caught any moment now. Shaking her head, she ignored him and she looked around for Helene's car, noticing a similarly dressed man doing the same as the other guy. Coincidence? Nope. And if there's one thing she knew, it was to go with her gut. Placing her hands in her pockets, she pulled out an earpiece, turning it on and hiding it with her hair.

It took a moment to connect, but eventually she heard the familiar hum of her intelligence officer, signaling she was on. "Well, look who it is!" Came an extremely vindictive voice, audible only to her ear, unfortunately.

"I'm at The Heights Outlets, I'm looking at two potential carjackers," She said, ignoring his comment. "Or at least, that's what I want them to be. I need another pair of eyes, Jun."

"Ugh, cold as always, aren't we?" Jun muttered, though she could hear the light taps indicating he was hard at work. Getting into the cameras wouldn't be difficult if all he was using them for was surveillance. "Okay, let's tap into outside security, and--mmm, I see three. Two to your left and another on the right. They're going through the cars too quickly to be carjackers, if you ask me."

Great. Tapping her foot against the ground, she put her hands in her pockets and began to walk. "If you can find a car with license plate number HJ124-0, I'd appreciate it," She said, figuring she may as well make him useful.

"Uhhhh...oh, dead ahead. Careful, one of those weirdos is getting closer," He warned her. Admittedly, the realization made her heart jump to her throat, and she picked up the pace. She only stopped a few feet away as she saw Jacob exiting the car, looking very upset. Gigi guessed that the truth was finally out for the two of them, and found herself actually feeling really bad for him. "A friend of yours?" Jun asked, clearly able to see her watching him for a moment.

"No. Someone who has my sympathy," Gigi admitted as she resumed her walk.

"Wow! I didn't know you could feel!" He pretended to be shocked.

"I'm not completely dead inside yet--" She stopped, hiding behind a car as one of the men approached Helene's car. She inhaled as she watched him open the door and pull Alyssa out, who began to yell at him. Had Helene gotten her people to get her car back? No, she didn't have that authority, nor would she have them use such force on a friend. Which meant whoever that man was, he was the enemy. Her suspicions were confirmed as she noticed one of the other guys circling around to get to the car as well. "Shit..."

Heads up, one's behind you and approaching," Jun said. "Should I call for backup?"

Reaching into her waistband, she pulled out her gun and attached her silencer to it. "Depends. Are they armed?"

"Can't tell, but they can't be carrying anything big if they are," His words came immediately after the man decided to slam Alyssa against the car.

"Then it won't be necessary unless this encounter lasts longer than two minutes," She stated, getting on the ground and looking for the guy that was coming up behind her. She spotted his leg, and taking aim, shot at it. He hit the car before falling on the ground, though the last thing he saw was Gigi as she put a bullet through his forehead. Pushing herself off the ground, she carefully climbed the back of a Jeep without its top on, calculating where her next bullet would be. Ideally, she should hit the other guy still approaching the car, but she wasn't sure how the guy holding Alyssa would react. Choosing to aim at the latter, she watched as his body crumpled, and was genuinely surprised Alyssa didn't scream as he fell. "Send in a cleanup crew, you know what to do," She told Jun.

"Yes, ma'am! Cleanup is on the way as we speak."

Hiding her weapon carefully, she approached Alyssa, watching as the third guy decided to book it. "Are you alright?" Gigi asked her, and apparently she had approached her too quietly, as Alyssa gasped, looking like she had just seen a ghost. "Sorry. Let's get going."

"Wait--who--what--what the hell just happened?!" Alyssa cried out, clearly shaken.

"Helene really needed her car back," Gigi said, pushing Alyssa around to the passenger side.

ＮＯ ＯＮＥ ＫＮＯＷＳ ＷＨＡＴ ＩＴ'Ｓ ＬＩＫＥ．．．

тo вe тнe вαd мαɴ
тσ вє тнє ѕα∂ мαη

ＡＮＤ ＮＯ ＯＮＥ ＫＮＯＷＳ ＷＨＡＴ ＩＴＳ ＬＩＫＥ．．．

тo вe нαтed
тσ вє ƒαтє∂

 
All gears were in motion now, and no matter how many times Arthur’s phone rang for him attention, he wasn’t going to give it away from Eva. The only things there were at the moment were him, her, and his animalistic urges to pounce. She said so few words, but it was enough to drive him crazy. Her little gasps just motivating Arthur even more. She pulled him into a kiss, his first time kissing someone else. Her lips felt so soft on his, and it was just enough to push him over. In one swift movement, Arthur picked up Eva again and placed her back on the bed, pulling off the rest of her clothes. Leaving them in their own world.



Not far away from this blissful endeavor, someone else’s life felt more like it was crumbling apart than finally coming together. Jacob walked, walked, and walked, attempting to call Arthur several times. But he wouldn’t answer. Come on! What was he busy doing? Jacob knew he was just staking-out a house, what could be pulling his attention away? He NEEDED to talk to Arthur about what just happened, the mistake he just made. He was the only one he could trust to right now. No way could he tell his family he just exposed their biggest secret. One that they were able to keep quiet for so long. He couldn’t tell Alexander, because he was a loud mouth and would just tell Terrance. And Terrance… if Terrance knew what he did. Everything around him seemed to melt away into darkness. The grass looked more gray than green, and the sun was less an inviting symbol of life, and more an impending hellfire. Jacob felt empty, as if his entire body had been swallowed whole by a black hole. Hours seemed to pass of his walking in painful silence before reaching his home. It felt significantly less inviting than it had his entire life. The house appeared immaculate and spotless, honestly too clean for a house that supposedly had 5 sons. Where were the dirty clothes strewn around? The left-out papers and schoolwork? The messy shoeprints?

There were none, and Jacob unlocked the door to the basement, leading from the kitchen. Down bellow the surface of the home was a series of hallways and rooms. Each room worked as a separate storage for the different drugs moving through the city. Weed, Cocaine, Heroin, Opiates, you name it, the Patrone family had it. In the central room stood a desk with a young man, smoking a joint. He was counting some money and filling out a kind of journal entry, keeping track of the money counted. The young man turned his attention to Jacob as he came down the stairs, noticing the void that appeared in his brother’s eyes. ”Woah, lillebror, what is wrong?” He turned his attention away from his notebook, looking at Jacob. Jacob’s eyes didn’t move, and his face barely moved when he spoke up.

”Just taking some stuff for myself…” Jacob’s older brother, Isaac, raised an eyebrow before grabbing his notebook to take a note. ”Alright, you took quite a bit of hash the other day… but I’ll see if I can spread it around elsewhere. I can probably sneak you a few more G’s without peaking interest in dad. You know- we gotta sell this stuff, not hand it out to our friends.“ Jacob shook his head quickly, once again peaking interest in Isaac. Jacob grew a little anxious before speaking. ”I’m getting something else.” This seemed to send a red flag in the air above Isaac’s head. ”What, like cocaine? Do high schoolers do that shit now? When I was young that didn’t start popping around until I was in college.”

Jacob shook his head again, ”No, not cocaine. I need something different, like opioids.” Isaac leaned back more in his chair, rubbing his chin while observing his younger brother. It wasn’t uncommon in their family to occasionally sample their products that passed through their vicinity. They had to make sure they were moving out the best product for their consumers. Isaac seemed to jot down something in his notebook, not looking back up at his brother. It was very obvious that Jacob was trying to numb out the pain that was eating him alive. ”We just got a shipment in form China. Pretty good stuff. I can sneak you enough to get you high… but don’t get carried away, Jacob.” With that, Isaac turned back to his calculations, leaving Jacob to his devices, as he wandered down one of the hallways towards the Opiates. Once he disappeared around a corner, Isaac pulled out his phone, and shot Terrance a message. I’m about to leave my house. Busy Stuff. You need to come here and check on Jacob. Room O-07. With that, Isaac collected the money on the table, his notebook, and ascended the stairs back to the outside world.



”Check on Jacob? What could be up with him?” Terrance spoke up, laying in his bed, and reading over the text from Isaac. Helene was still lying beside him in bed, as she didn’t really have anywhere to go without her car. Terrance called Jacob- no answer. Terrance sighed loudly and began to climb out of bed, throwing on clothes from the night before. ”Last night was fun, Hel, but I gotta get moving. I’ll drop you off at your place and you can keep trying to reach your friends.” Terrance walked out, expecting to find his house completely trashed. But much like Jacob’s home, it looked perfectly spotless. ”Alexander! We gotta go!” Terrance called to his sleeping friend on the couch, shaking his arm roughly.

”Anything for you, Gigi!” Terrance grit his teeth and smacked Alexander’s face, jolting him awake. ”I’m up! I’m up!” Alexander stretched himself and collected his things, and headed out with Terrance, Helene in tow as well. After dropping off Helene, Terrance winked at her. ”Let’s get together again soon, you hear?” He waved quickly, and tore down the, towards Jacob’s home. It would only take about 45 minutes for them to arrive, enter the home, and find room O-07 in the Patrone’s basement. The room was full of shipping boxes, which they could only assume was full of some kind of drug their family was trafficking. They weren’t unfamiliar with the Patrone’s work and their basement, having been there a few times to pick up weed with Jacob.

On the opposite side of the room was a futon, where Jacob was curled up. It looked as if he were sleeping, but in reality, he was completely doped up. Terrance sighed shaking his head, while Alexander quickly moved to Jacob’s side, checking his breathing and pulse. ”Oof.. Jacob is going to be gone on a long trip, it seems.” Alex stated, examining his friend’s condition and the opium pipe that laid on the floor beside him. ”Oh what the hell, when did this happen? He hasn’t acted out like this since… since…” Terrance was starting to put a few numbers together and got on his knees beside Jacob, trying to shake him awake. ”Terrance, he isn’t going to wake up that easily. He is practically in comatose!”

Terrance was shaking his head rapidly. ”Goddamnit, Jacob! What did you say to her?? Alex, call Arthur and tell him he needs to get his ass here. Now! We have to do damage control.”



God, Arthur could really go for a cigarette right about now. Arthur stared up at the ceiling of Eva’s room. His heart had steadied and so had his racing hormones. One of his hands was playing with Eva’s hair, who was now sleeping beside him. She looked so beautiful and peaceful beside him. He wanted to stay there forever, and relive their little actions over and over in his head. Ever movement, every feeling. Arthur heard the sound of his phone vibrating in his pants pockets on the floor. Turning as to not disturb Eva, he grabbed it up and checked the screen, as it was flooded with missed calls and messages. The first one he saw was from his father. He quickly swiped it away, not wanting to deal with that right now. The rest were several missed calls from Jacob, and a missed call just now from Alex. Preparing to keep his voice low, he called Alex back.

”- it’s Arthur. Hello?? Arthur!” There was a shuffling and scuffing sound on the other end of the line as the phone was grabbed away. ”Get to Jacob’s now! O-07.” There was more scuffing sounds as the phone was ripped back to Alex. ”Arthur he is ODing! Get here now!!” Alexander’s voice sounded panicked and Arthur’s heart felt like it had leapt into his throat. What the hell? What did they mean he was ODing? What the hell happened?

Moving quickly, but still trying to avoid waking Eva, he grabbed his pants and pulled them back on, leaving any trash he had from earlier on the floor. He probably broke a speed record for grabbing his shirt, shoulder holsters, and jacket from the bathroom, making it out the front door, and straight to the unmarked vehicle before flying down the street. He couldn’t think of Eva now, his only thoughts were on his best friend. ODing? But Arthur had just seen him earlier today, they were staking out the Esperanza house together! Arthur remembered that Jacob left very suddenly and abruptly, so did that have to do with anything? Arthur felt his heart sinking in his chest, remembering Evelyn and Eva. But he couldn’t focus on the mission right now, he sped through roads and lights, all he could think about was checking on his friend. ”Idiot. Don’t you fucking die!”

The phone was hung up abruptly and Terrance crossed his arms, glaring at Alex. ”Why would you say that?? He isn’t ODing. If anything he is just having a hell of a good trip… and is in for a rude awakening soon enough.” Terrance turned his head, glaring at the resting Jacob.



ＢＵＴ ＭＹ ＤＲＥＡＭＳ．．．

ＡＳ ＭＹ ＣＯＮＳＣＩＥＮＣＥ ＳＥＥＭＳ ＴＯ ＢＥ

Ｉ ＨＡＶＥ ＨＯＵＲＳ， ＯＮＬＹ ＬＯＮＥＬＹ．．．

ＴＨＡＴ'Ｓ ＮＥＶＥＲ ＦＲＥＥ

✖✖ Translations:[1]little brother
✖✖ I Feel... Worried/Panicked
✖✖ I am At... Unmarked Car heading to Jacob's house.
✖✖ I am With... Myself
✖✖ I am Thinking..."I want her so bad!"
✖✖ I am Wearing...Black Jeans, white shirt, blue jacket, and shoulder holsters.

Waving to Terrance as he drove off, Helene let out a small sigh of disappointment. Shoot, he really knew how to charm a girl, she didn't even get a chance to ask what was going on. He was very careful, remembering to hide his phone as he read the incoming message. Oh well, it wasn't any of her business, and at least he was kind enough to leave her at her place. Or at least, her home away from home. She wasn't going to subject him to a good hour and a half of driving, though she had everything she needed right here. Approaching the small house, she dug around her purse to find the key. It was a good minute before she found it, and as she entered, she realized how warm it was inside. Going over to the wall, she turned on the central air conditioning, breathing out relief as the cool air hit her. A small green light blinked at her from the security panel, and she entered a code into it, leaving the light solid. Evan must have been looking for her. Right on cue, her phone rang, showing the name Evan Astre, and she picked it up. "Bonjour, mon frère préféré~" She sang into the phone, throwing her purse onto the couch as she walked through the living room. "How are you?"

"Hello, Helene. Where were you last night?" He asked, sounding slightly exasperated. "Your sister was looking for you."

Ah, so it was her older sister, was it? "If Ariadne is looking for me, she has my cell phone number. She could, you know, call like normal people do and not have to play telephone through other people."

"I'm pretty sure she's driving right now. She's on her way to you," He said, surprising Helene. "She thinks Bastien's found you, so she's going to conduct a sweep of the city and wants you to come back home."

Great, an unexpected visit from her annoying sister. Just what she needed. "I came here to avoid attention, not to bring it to myself. If I up and leave for no reason, people are going to question it," She stated as she walked into the bathroom, turning on the shower. "Has she verified that he's in town? Or did she see something scary on television and decide to drop in?"

"I said the same thing, but you know how she gets..." He sighed. "Where's your bodyguard?"

Crap, he meant Gigi, didn't he? "She's...looking for my car. I let one of my friends borrow it," She admitted rather sheepishly.

"And then you wonder why we check up on you so often," Evan didn't seem the least bit surprised. "Come on, Helene..."

"I was trying to be responsible and making sure my friends had a way home!"

"Or maybe you got super drunk and decided to sleep at a guy's house instead."

"Same difference."

"I'll call Ariadne off if--hmm, hold on, I'm getting a message from Giselle," He said, putting her on hold. As he did, her own phone buzzed. That can't have been a good sign. "She's on your way to you, she found your friend and car and apparently ran into some trouble."

Oh no. "Is Alyssa okay?" She asked nervously.

"I don't see any police reports or ambulances matching the time of the incident, so I'm pretty sure her people got it covered. T-minus twelve minutes...Ariadne's not going to turn around. Maybe I should check in, too..."

"Evan! No! God--okay, listen to me, if Ariadne shows up with her guys and you come with yours, you're going to get unwanted attention!"

"If I'm being honest...I'm already on my way. I'll try to make sure she keeps a low profile, I'm coming on my own. If anything I'm sure he's just sending guys around the area, but better safe than sorry. See you soon."

Before she could protest, the call had ended. Awesome. She sure loved having her extremely overprotective siblings over, just as much as she loved getting root canals. How the fuck was she going to explain what was going on to Alyssa? Wait, the text! Going through her phone, Gigi's message mimicked the information that Evan gave her, with an added: Jacob and Alyssa spoke. We need to find out how much they know. Letting out a groan, Helene threw her phone on the bed in frustration. How did everything start going wrong over the course of a day? Peeling off her dress, she took a shower, the water refreshing her. She could still feel the places were Terrance's hands were, and she lamented that they had to part. Stupid texts. Stupid Alyssa for stealing her car. Stupid Ariadne. Stupid Evan! Stupid Helene for slipping up! And she had been warned so many times! No, she needed to keep calm. Things weren't completely out of control yet, but the fact that Jacob and Alyssa spoke again worried her. What if Alyssa started suspecting her as well? She figured making friends with Robert Brady's daughter would've helped her fly under the radar, but now...

---

The ride had been relatively silent, with Gigi driving and Alyssa in the passenger seat. Not that she minded, Gigi preferred silence, and she didn't think an interrogation in a moving vehicle would go well. Once in a while she glanced Alyssa's way, though she wasn't sure why. She hadn't moved at all, looking entirely defeated. She didn't want to make assumptions but she was willing to bet money that Jacob had inadvertantly spilled the Patrone family's secrets--and of all the people to tell, he had put his faith in one of the worst people. Robert Brady was a little too well known in the underground, having uncovered and exposed too many people to count. But he was untouchable--countless families have tried to silence or outright eliminate him, only to fail. His daughter wasn't public knowledge, he had somehow kept her under wraps. But even those that knew couldn't get their hands on her either. She wasn't entirely sure how he did it, though she figured it was likely because he used the age old 'hidden in plain sight' tactic. Simple, but effective. Last she heard, though, his relationship with his family was pretty distant. And how else would it be, with him being in such a position?

She wondered what Helene would want to do next. And a pit in her stomach formed as she thought of the 'best' solution: getting rid of the problem. But Helene was the soft, pampered princess whose popularity got her way too much attention, and she got attached to both Alyssa and Evangeline despite Gigi's warnings. Unfortunately, Gigi was in the same boat. She liked them both, and would likely struggle if she was told she had to get rid of them. No, the worst part was that her heartless nature would let her carry out the heavy deed, but it'd haunt her for life. As the car came to a stop, she watched a man riding her motorcylce pull up next to them, an extra helmet in hand. Putting the car in park, she had to prod Alyssa to follow her. Gigi and the man switched keys without exchanging a word; he was going to get rid of the now noticed car. Climbing onto the bike, she gestured for Alyssa to get on as well. She did as instructed silently, and they were off again. Alyssa leaned on Gigi's back, her arms around her waist, and for just a second, Gigi felt terrible.

As they neared Helene's house, Gigi fumbled in her pocket for the garage clicker, and she rode straight into it once the door was open. "We're here," She told Alyssa, taking off her helmet as the garage door closed behind them.

Alyssa popped off her own helmet, looking slightly flushed. "I don't know how you can do that in this weather," She said as she followed Gigi into the house. "This is Helene's place?" She asked as she looked around.

The furniture's high quality was obvious even to someone who knew nothing of the sort. Decorated with several shades of gray and blue, it looked more like a house that was on sale as opposed to someone actually living there. The place was completely spotless, the carpeting super soft to the touch with an impressingly expensive television in the living room. There was no dining room, though she assumed that Helene ate in the kitchen. She could hear the sound of water turning off, and sure enough Helene herself stepped into the hallway, not looking too surprised at her visitors. From what Alyssa could see of the bathroom, it was massive. Helene gestured towards the couches, and Gigi motioned for Alyssa to sit, though she remained standing.

"Did you get my message?" Gigi asked as Helene walked into the bedroom.

"Yeah. My siblings are on their way," She sighed as she got dressed. "Let me guess, you took care of them?"

"Two out of three. I prioritized Alyssa's safety."

For Alyssa, this was completely jarring. The two were speaking casually enough, but not as friends, more like an employee speaking to her boss. Helene came out and took a seat one one of the armchairs, draping herself on it. Her red hair clashed with the blue color of it, but she didn't seem to care. "Are you okay?" She asked Alyssa.

"Yeah."

"What did you talk to Jacob about?"

"I can't tell you."

Helene and Gigi looked at one another for a moment, a silent exchange of thoughts between the pair. But Gigi knew Helene well, and she simply crossed her arms and looked out the window, making sure no one was around. Helene sat up, letting out a sigh. "Aly, this is going to sound bad, but...whatever it is that Jacob told you, he's unintentionally opened up the road for something serious. It's good that you don't want to tell anyone, but--"

"We need to know what caused Jacob to leave the car," Gigi cut her off, impatient.

Helene threw a glare at her. "I was getting to that!"

"We need to know what we're dealing with here. If they send someone after her, we need to take preventative measures, establish security."

What? For some reason that seemed to snap Alyssa out of her funk. "What are you talking about? Jacob would never do that!" She found herself yelling. "He made a mistake, but he wouldn't...he'd never...I was just honest with him about what my dad did, and that's all I'm saying about that. I'm not going to betray him to anyone, not even to you guys."

Helene got off her seat, kneeling down in front of Alyssa. "We don't know that," She told her. "I really want to believe that, too, but we can't ignore the other possibilities as a result of his actions."

"And I'm telling you what I do know," Alyssa stood up, with Helene following suit. "But now I want to know how the hell you guys know so much about all this."

The redhead hesitated. "It's...complicated...but I promise it's not what you think," She said slowly.

"I need the truth, Helene. If he was able to give it to me, then so can you!" Alyssa pointed out.

Gigi shook her head, glancing at Helene, who seemed unsure. "Considering your father, that's a very dangerous route to take," She stated, crossing her arms.

Helene seemed to disagree. "It's not that, it's just...keeping you in the dark is for your own safety. I need you to understand that," She tried to reason with her. "You're innocent, you have nothing to do with any of this. Those guys that got you int he parking lot weren't going for you, they were looking for me. They probably wouldn't have done anything to you, but..."

"They pulled me out of your car and slammed me against it, if Gigi hadn't--I just--" Taking in a breath to calm herself down, she stared at Helene for a moment. "It's like I don't know any of you at all. What am I supposed to believe?"

"Fine. If you really want to know, I'll tell you," Helene said, already hearing Gigi groaning. "The reason those guys attacked you was because they want their hands on me--I think the common term used is 'mafia princess' in English. My father's family runs Le Milieu--sorry, the underground back in my home country. After it started to get a little bloody, I was sent here specifically for my own safety and assigned Gigi as my bodyguard while I attended school and the like." She dropped the bomb rather casually, watching Alyssa's surprise. "So you see, Jacob and I have a few things in common. And if his family is anything like mine, they'll want to make sure their secrets stay hidden."

The brunette looked like she was going to faint, looking at Gigi for confirmation. The dark haired girl sighed. "I'm more of a hired mercenary, but...bodyguard sounds better, I guess," She shrugged.

Holy shit. "Does...does Eva know?" She asked nervously.

Helene's eyes widened. "Are you crazy? No one knows! And I'm not about to tell our friend with health issues, the shock alone might actually kill her!" She waved away Alyssa's question. "You and Eva--I didn't mean for it to get this far, I swear. I need you to believe me."

ＮＯ ＯＮＥ ＫＮＯＷＳ ＷＨＡＴ ＩＴ'Ｓ ＬＩＫＥ．．．

тo вe тнe вαd мαɴ
тσ вє тнє ѕα∂ мαη

ＡＮＤ ＮＯ ＯＮＥ ＫＮＯＷＳ ＷＨＡＴ ＩＴＳ ＬＩＫＥ．．．

тo вe нαтed
тσ вє ƒαтє∂

 
Arthur was too distracted by his thoughts to pay much attention to his surroundings. How he didn’t end up killing someone else in the run surprised Arthur upon his arrival to Jacob’s home. When Arthur found himself in the scene, present with his two friends, and one unconscious, Terrance was shaking his head rapidly, making notes on a piece of paper. He seemed to be angrily mumbling things under his breath. Terrance’s eyes shot up when Arthur walked in the room, and he began to charge him, his arms extended to attack his throat. ”And you! Why weren’t you answering your fucking phone??” Arthur threw up his two arms, blocking off Terrance. Alexander had to jump on Terrance’s back to pull him off. ”Terrance! Cool it! It isn’t going to fix anything!” At this point, Arthur was thoroughly confused. His eyes drifted back to the unconscious body of Jacob on the futon. Obviously unconscious from heavy opioid use.

”He was trying to call you, Arthur! Why weren’t you answering?” Arthur’s cold eyes locked back onto Terrance, he was feeling significantly attacked right now, and for what? He didn’t do anything wrong. In fact, he was doing what Terrance would probably be praising him for. ”I was busy.” Was all that Arthur revealed. Now was not the time for Terrance to “praise” Arthur on a job well done hooking up with a girl. As Terrance began to cool it more, he walked to the table, picking up a glinting object, and throwing it towards Arthur. Arthur caught it quickly and glanced down at the ruby necklace. It looked familiar but wasn’t really ringing any bells in his mind.

”Do you know what that is?” Terrance stated. Arthur just shook his head. ”That was the greatest mistake that Jacob made in his life. I’ll tell you. That is the necklace Jacob gave Alyssa to ‘confess his love’ to her. And now he has it again. That means they talked” Alexander was becoming visibly uncomfortable and nervous. Arthur still wasn’t quite processing what Terrance was getting at, throwing the necklace back over to him. What did it matter? A stupid necklace? ”What does this have to do with Jacob like this?” Terrance shook his head and let out an exhausted yell. ”If you’re not a spy then you don’t know shit! I sweat, all three of you are as thick as molasses! Slow as it too!” Arthur crossed his arms, but didn’t allow himself to lose his cool. Great, he was going to go on one of his “spy” tirades. It always seemed like Terrance knew more than everyone else, but if he knew so much, and he wanted his friends to know, why didn’t Terrance just tell him everything to begin with.

”I told Jacob when he first started hooking up with Alyssa to stop seeing her. Her family is trouble, I’m telling you. He wouldn’t listen and he caught feelings. I finally convince him to break things off, and he goes running back to her! I bet you anything he told her everything” He sat back down, flipping thoroughly threw a notebook on his desk. Told her everything? Told Alyssa everything? As in, who he is? What his family does? Arthur felt his face go white. Did Jacob tell Alyssa about the rest of them? About his spy, thief, and assassin friends? Arthur took a few steps closer, looking at Jacob laying unconscious. ”Why was he calling me then?” Terrance shrugged. ”Probably figured his first friend in the entire world would be able to talk him out of his stupid decision… I don’t know.”

”Terrance, it is obvious you know more than you are telling us.” Arthur stepped closer to him, trying to look into the notebook he was holding. Defensively, he held it to his chest. Their eyes locked for a second and Arthur jumped on Terrance, knocking him to the ground. The two struggled and fought for a while, rolling back and forth until Arthur finally ripped the book away, throwing it to Alexander, who at first almost dropped it. Arthur kept Terrance pinned down. ”What is in it, Alex?”

”Don’t read it!!” Alex’s eyes bounced back and forth between Arthur and Terrance for a second, before quickly flipping through the pages and scanning them. Terrance relaxed in defeat, huffing his breath in annoyance. ”This is above your family’s pay, Myles.” Arthur was slightly caught off guard. Terrance had never referred to him by his last name before.

”Target- Robert Brady, DEA Agent. Father of Alyssa Brady.” Alex’s eyes continued down the page. ”Target- Gisel-“ Alex’s voice stopped in his throat, dropping the notebook to the ground and charging at the three on the floor. ”YOU BASTARD! YOU ARE PUTTING A HIT OUT ON MY GIGI!!!!” Alex pounced on Arthur and Terrance, and another wrestle ensued. Terrance was trying to reach for the book, while fending off Alex, who pulled his hair and punched at his chest. Arthur was trying to pull of Alex from Terrance, while also reaching out for the notebook. Arthur was fast enough to snatch up the notebook, his eyes scanning it more. The third listed target on the list was Evelyn Esperanza, it had already been crossed out and PENDING was written on the side. There were many other names and descriptions on the page, but Arthur was too pissed to pay them much mind, throwing the notebook off to the side. Arthur scooped up Terrance by the collar of his shirt and pinned his back to the wall. ”Explain everything. Now!”

”Look, look, look! I don’t know everything! Everything you see in that notebook is what I know. My parents know more than me but won’t tell me. You know how that is Arthur. Your father never gives you all the information for your missions either!” Arthur nodded to Alex to grab the notebook and continue reading. The notebook goes on to mention Gigi being a hired mercenary, Alyssa’s father being a threat, and not much other details still regarding Eva’s mother or how she is tied into this. The notebook went on to connect Gigi with Helene, and somewhere it was written ‘Helene- Royalty? Mafia?’ Terrance began to explain beyond the book of how his family was relaying information to him from Europe on Helene. To keep them updated on her whereabouts, who she talked to, who she was with, etc. Robert Brady has been on their list for a long time as a favor for the Patrone family. The Flights family was being paid mad good money by the Patrone family to keep an eye on Brady and his family. The Myles family was being held on retainer to take him out when Terrance determined him to be too much of a security risk. ”What does my Gigi have to do with all of this??” Alex finally yelled out. Terrance rolled his eyes so hard in his head.

”She isn’t ‘yours’. She is only an enemy right now because she is a wild card. She can be bought off easily by the highest bidder. If she is protecting Helene now, she is fine. But if someone else tries to pay her off to go after Helene, then we have to be prepared to take a hit on her too. Your family again, Myles.” Arthur started to put down Terrance. Some things were starting to make sense, but not all of it was clicking. ”What does Evelyn have to do with any of this?” Terrance shrugged, fixing his clothes and wiping off any dirt that got on him from the wrestling. ”I told you everything I know… My parents just communicated to me that she has now become dangerous and needed to be eliminated. Speaking of… how is that mission going for you?” Terrance raised his eyebrows in an odd way. Was that supposed to mean? Did Terrance know about Evelyn and Eva’s relationship? Did he know that he had been with Eva this whole time? Arthur scowled, crossing his arms to his chest again. ”So, where does this leave us?”

”I swear I’m the only one here with brains. Alyssa for now is an enemy. We can’t let her get close to us. Too late for Mr. Addict on the futon.” Terrance nodded his head towards Jacob. ”Gigi is neutral territory. I have to keep an eye on her for any behaviorally changes towards Helene. If anything, Helene is the closest of any of them to be our ‘friend’. That is why I’ve been trying to get on her good side, while Jacob should have been doing that… But hey, gotta keep the best of the bunch for myself.” Terrance grinned slyly and winked, in reference to their fun the other night. ”She is involved in the Mafia in France, and if her family and Jacob’s family can start playing nice, it could mean really good stuff for all of us. Specifically, in regard to international relationships." Arthur noticed one name was missing from the list.

”Eva?” Was all that left his mouth. He wanted to know how she was involved in all this. Terrance just shrugged. ”I don’t think she knows anything… She is about as plain as they come. Just so happens her mom is a pretty big target.” Terrance’s words confirmed a nightmare for Arthur, he was going to have to take out Eva’s mother. So, what was their mode of action now? Arthur felt reassured that he could continue to see Eva without having to worry about her too much... except for those who are out to get her due to her relationship with Arthur now. But what about the rest of them? If Arthur continued to get close to Eva, then he would be close to the other three as well... Did any of them know what he did for a living? Or Terrance? Or Alex?.. But now Alyssa knew about Jacob.

There was some moaning behind the group and Jacob began to stir. All three of the friends rushed to Jacob’s side, checking on him. ”Jacob, buddy. You gotta tell us what you told Alyssa. How much does Alyssa know about us? Did you tell her anything about us??”



ＢＵＴ ＭＹ ＤＲＥＡＭＳ．．．

ＡＳ ＭＹ ＣＯＮＳＣＩＥＮＣＥ ＳＥＥＭＳ ＴＯ ＢＥ

Ｉ ＨＡＶＥ ＨＯＵＲＳ， ＯＮＬＹ ＬＯＮＥＬＹ．．．

ＴＨＡＴ'Ｓ ＮＥＶＥＲ ＦＲＥＥ

✖✖ Translations:...
✖✖ I Feel... Worried/Panicked
✖✖ I am At... Jacob's house -> Basement -> Room O-07
✖✖ I am With... Jacob, Terrance, and Alexander
✖✖ I am Thinking..."What should I do?..."
✖✖ I am Wearing...Black Jeans, white shirt, blue jacket, and shoulder holsters.

After their conversation, Helene had let Alyssa rest in her room. Gigi seemed adamant that she reveal what she knew, but she soon realized that unless she knew the extent of what Jacob had told her, there was little point in interrogating her. For one, they'd potentially expose the others unnecessarily, and she knew they would definitely be in hot water if they said the wrong thing. Honestly, she still couldn't believe Jacob had opened up to her like that. Love really was dangerous. Was that what everyone was like when they were in love? Stupid and thoughtless? She couldn't help but shudder at the thought. She hated even having the slightest of headaches, feeling that anything that distracted her was a nuisance, so if being in love clouded your judgement that much then she didn't want it. Speaking of love, however, she was now seriously concerned about Helene's intentions with Terrance if that was the case. Not that she thought Helene loved very guy she slept with, but she needed to know. And so, with cigarette in hand, Gigi waited on the front porch, leaning against the banister as she watched the road. Ariadne would be here soon, and she would rather greet her than be surprised at her arrival.

Helene came outside as well, crossing her arms as she watched Gigi for a moment. Returning her stare, it was like they were waiting for the other to talk. Figuring she should voice her concerns first, Gigi took a long drag from her cigarette, blowing out the smoke above her. "I got word from Jun that the third man was taken in a short distance from the mall. Interrogation will be getting their hands on him soon to see if he's Bastien's man, or some random group who wanted to kidnap you for whatever reason," She said, tapping the end of her cigarette. "I do think Ariadne's trip is a little premature."

"You're telling me," Helene rolled her eyes. "I love her, but if I get so much as a paper cut, she completely freaks out. If she's going to fly down here for every little thing it negates the whole reason I came."

"To avoid getting suffocated?" When Helene nodded, Gigi nodded in understanding. "What do your folks have to say about this?"

"Folks? You mean my parents?" Helene asked.

"Or at last your father. Gaspard is a good man, you definitely have his personality," Gigi said.

Helene smiled, letting out a laugh. "Ah, so you two have met. But no, Gaspard--the current head of the family--he's my uncle. My older sister and I are the only girls in our sea of cousins, so he's always been fond of us. Made sure we were taken care of when my father decided to ditch us."

"I didn't know," Gigi was actually caught off guard by this. "I'm sorry."

"It's fine. He didn't want us when Mama was alive, so why would he want us after she died? Gaspard took us in...and I think that's why we're so close. He may as well be my father, I guess, but I haven't seen my father in about ten years."

Gigi raised her eyebrows, nodding. "Ah, so your daddy issues are why Terrance was able to get in your pants so easily..." She noted.

Helene scowled at her. "I'm literally baring my soul to you and this is what you have to say?"

"I couldn't resist. My apologies." She cleared her throat as she spotted a sleek, black sports car. "There she is. Ready?"

No, but there was no stopping Ariadne. Parking the shiny new car into the garage, once the door opened a woman with long legs stepped out. She was pale, green eyed and gentle looking, her should length red hair bouncing as she walked over to the porch. At a first glance, she looks like an average housewife, though as soon as she saw her sister, it was like a burst of energy had possessed her. Despite Helene's pleas, she wrapped the girl in a very tight hug, lifting her off the ground and spinning them. "Ma petite soeur! Mon étoile, l'amour de ma vie!" She cooed, placing several kisses on Helene's face, covering her in wine colored lipstick.

"Arrêtez! Ariadne! Please!" She begged, squirming to get out of her grip.

Ignoring Helene, she looked at Gigi, giving her a smile. "Hello, Giselle, thank you very much for your work today," She said politely, still holding onto Helene rather comically. "After some investigation, the men are deemed to be unrelated to Bastien."

"How do you know, ma'am?" Gigi asked.

She giggled, holding Helene tightly. "Oh, you know there's no stopping Evan once he puts his mind to it," She said rather casually. "He was going to come here, but I said it'd be a little overkill, so he went to the holding place instead."

"Why are you here, then?!" Helene whined, finally managing to get out of her grip and hurriedly wiping her face.

"It could've been a third party, so I'm going to do a sweep juuuust in case," She said, sighing as she smoothed Helene's hair. "And I wanted to say hi, so why not? I'll be in town for a little bit, we can hang out after your classes or whatever." If Ariadne was going to stick around, maybe it was an opportunity for them. Gigi wondered if she should say anything, but as soon as the thought crossed her mind, she caught Helene's eye, who was shaking her head. No, they needed to handle the Alyssa situation on their own. No point in bringing in a professional when they could likely handle it themselves. "I also wanted to thank Gigi personally, because someone is irresponsible with her possessions," She added, taking out her cellphone. She turned around to make a phone call, though it was relatively short. She threw the keys she held at Helene, who caught them. "Ah, duty calls, take care of my sister, okay, Giselle?" She bid the girls farewell, hopping off the porch and beginning her walk down the street.

Hurricane Ariadne had left just as easily as she came. Helene sighed, though she turned to Gigi. "Thanks for not saying anything," She said.

Gigi sighed. "So...what now, then?"

"I don't know. Invite them over so we can have an all out brawl?" She threw her arms up in the air, exasperated. "I'm sure we can handle them."

"Wrong. Two on four? And one of those four is Arthur Myles? If it were one on one, I'm sure I could go toe to toe with him. But as a group? Forget it," Gigi dismissed the idea, even if it was a joke. "If I go for the weakest, Arthur would take me out immediately. And if I went for him first, the rest would overwhelm me."

"What am I, chopped liver? I can fight!"

"I don't doubt it. But I do doubt you being effective against Terrance," Gigi pointed out, though as she did, she remembered something. "Tell me, did Terrance approach you, or did you go to him?"

Helene thought about it for a moment. "He approached me. Why?"

If Gigi was a normal person, she would've screamed at that point. So this meant Terrance was a step ahead of them. Did he know about Helene? With recent events coming to light, it was too convenient. That's what she got for underestimating him. Dropping her cigarette on the ground, she eyed Helene for a moment. There was one little factor that they could play to their advantage, but she wondered if Helene was too kind to use it. "I was just wondering," She admitted. "If worst comes to worse, though...there is one avenue we can take." Helene perked up considerably, waiting for her to continue. "It's not ideal, but...considering Arthur would be our biggest threat...we could take him out beforehand, making it two on three. Slightly better odds."

"What? How--no!" Helene's realization took a second. "That's--absolutely not."

"It's an option."

"A shitty option. Absolutely not, Gigi, I'm not dragging Eva into this if it can be helped," She immediately dismissed the idea. "I'm not comfortable with the idea of using an innocent person just to get an edge!"

"Of course. My apologies," She said, watching as Helene brought her phone out.

"I have a missed call. I'll be right back," She excused herself, entering the house once more.

She really was heartless, wasn't she? Of course, it wasn't an avenue she wanted to take, but Gigi felt Helene wasn't really aware of how much trouble she was in trying to protect Alyssa. Of course, just the thought of manipulating Eva to their favor left a bad taste in her mouth. If they had, to, though, it would be an absolute last resort. Or that's what Gigi kept telling herself, pulling out another cigarette as she tried to go over their options. As much as she criticized Helene, however, Gigi felt like a damn hypocrite. She was attached to both Alyssa and Eva, too deep into their friendship. God, friendship and love were so damn troublesome...

---

"Evangeline."

The voice sounded so far away, Eva thought she was still dreaming. It wasn't until the light in her room was turned on that she finally stirred. "Arthur...?" She mumbled, trying to shield her eyes.

"Is that his name?"

Had she fallen asleep? She figured their...activity was rigorous enough that she had just plain knocked out after the fact. But she remembered Arthur being right next to her, and she didn't feel his warmth as she tried to open her eyes. He was so sweet to her, so loving, but holy crap he definitely put her through the ringer. Not that she was complaining, he was super patient at the start. He was so concerned about hurting her that she didn't want to admit how much it hurt when it first went in, but she was so happy to see that side of him that it was so worth it. He was a lot more passionate than she would have guessed, too. Remembering the question, her eyes fluttered open as she brought her blankets to her chest. "Yes--" The answer had barely gotten out as suddenly Eva was shocked awake, and sitting up she saw her mother standing over her, arms crossed. Oh no. "Wh-what are you doing here?!" She squeaked in horror.

"I falsely assumed you wanted to speak out something, as I had to cut our previous conversation short," She stated, her face stony. "I'm assuming since you didn't get to ask me about birth control--as I'm guessing that was what you wanted to ask--you thought, 'hey, I'll invite him over since my parents won't be home anyway' and took the risk."

"What--that's not--No, that's not what happened," Eva said, unable to hide the shakiness in her voice. "I swear on everything that's not what I wanted to ask you."

"My question is, who do you think you are bringing a man here in Marshall's house?" She snapped, the cracks beginning to show. "Have you no respect whatsoever? What if he was the one that had come home first, what would you have done, Evangeline?"

Shame fell on Eva, and she clung onto the sheets tighter. "It's not like that," She said, her voice breaking as she had to fight back tears. "Don't look at me like that, please, I--"

"I hope to God you don't end up pregnant, you won't be staying here if that's the case," She stated, pinching the bridge of her nose. "I don't understand why you've been acting out so much lately. What, you don't know how to communicate like an adult, so you think throwing temper tantrums and partying all night is how you get my attention?"

"Get your attention--is that what you think it is?" She asked, surprised, though it just as quickly turned into anger. "Why are you always assuming the worst out of me? Why is everything I do wrong?"

"Evangeline, look at you! Look at this room!" She motioned around. "Your clothes are everywhere, you're naked, and your boyfriend missed the wastebasket," She pointed to the floor. "Oh, I'm sorry, not boyfriend--boyfriends stick around after the matter, this was a hookup that got what he wanted and then left." Eva had enough at that point, throwing the sheets aside and getting out of her bed. She put on the first things she pulled out of her dresser, a shirt and a pair of shorts that she stuffed her phone into, though as she tried to leave, her mother grabbed her arm. "Where do you think you're going?"

"Somewhere where I don't have to see your face," She hissed, though she winced as her mother's grip tightened.

"We aren't finished talking," She said, glaring at her. "You think any self respecting man is going to accept you like this? Promiscuous women are only good on the street."

Something in her seemed the snap at that point. "Oh, you know all about that, don't you? You couldn't even stay faithful to your first husband, so who's the whore now?!" She yelled, going straight for what she knew was her mother's weakness. It worked, with Evelyn's eyes widening and her grip loosening, but it worked too well, as Eva didn't notice her raised hand until it slapped her clean across her face. She stumbled back slightly, holding her cheek as she looked at her mother. "Like mother, like daughter, then," She mumbled, her face stinging.

"How dare you..." Evelyn's voice was shaking, though whether it was because she was just as angry as Eva was or if she was upset, she didn't know. "Alright then, you think you're an adult, go see if your 'man' will take you in." She grabbed Eva again, though this time she pushed her towards the stairs. "Go on then! And don't bother coming back!"

Eva was shocked, but something in her did as her mother said, and she ended up running down the stairs. Pulling on her heels, she ran out the door. She heard her mother call her name, but she ignored her and kept going. Her face started to hurt, her heels pinching her feet, but she just kept running. Running...where? Her body felt like it had been possessed by something, a force whisking her away. But of course, eventually she came to a stop, breathless as it dawned on her that she had no where to run to. She walked another block, spotting a small park with a swingset and a slide. She recognized it, realizing she had made it pretty far all things considered. But now her face hurt, her feet hurt, and she was alone. She didn't understand why she was treated the way she was, though as she thought about it, maybe her mother was just ashamed of her. Taking a seat on one of the swings, she just sat there, not knowing what to do. The heat felt terrible, the sun beating down on her even as it started to go down. With shaking hands, she pulled out her phone, deciding to call Helene first. When she didn't pick up, she placed her phone in her lap. A few minutes later, her phone rang again; Helene was returning her call.

"Sorry! I didn't mean to miss your call!" Helene's cheerful voice came out. "So how was it? You haven't texted me. Are you still with Arthur?" Arthur. For some reason, she couldn't hold it in when she heard his name, and her phone slipped from her hand as she began to sob uncontrollably. "What the--? Eva, what's wrong? What happened? Eva, please, what's going on?" Helene kept asking, but Eva could only drop down to her knees and cry more.

---

"Eva, say something!" Helene pleaded into the phone, but all she could hear was crying. Shit, what happened? Did Arthur--no, no, she wasn't going to jump to conclusions just because of what happened. But Eva wasn't replying, and she was getting worried. As the call dropped, Helene stared at her phone. Shit, she knew what she needed to do. Taking in a breath, she opened up her texts. I'm really sorry to bother you, but if Arthur's with you, please tell him to call Eva. There's something wrong and she's not telling me anything. I need to know what's going on. She sent the message to Terrance, and once it sent, she placed her phone to her chin. What a fucking day.

ＮＯ ＯＮＥ ＫＮＯＷＳ ＷＨＡＴ ＩＴ'Ｓ ＬＩＫＥ．．．

тo вe тнe вαd мαɴ
тσ вє тнє ѕα∂ мαη

ＡＮＤ ＮＯ ＯＮＥ ＫＮＯＷＳ ＷＨＡＴ ＩＴＳ ＬＩＫＥ．．．

тo вe нαтed
тσ вє ƒαтє∂

 
Everything was blurry and hazy. Why were the walls doing the macarena? Jacob’s eyes were bloodshot, and he reached up his hands to rub them. But something was holding them back. ”Don’t rub your eyes. You might accidentally scratch your cornea in this state.” A voice perked up. Jacob’s eyes moved to three blobs floating beside him, but they were recognizable blobs. ”Hey guys… When did you get here?” Jacob felt tired again and began to rest his eyes. ”Nope! Nope, nope, nope. Sit up, Jacob. You gotta start waking up now.” Jacob could feel his friend pushing on his body, forcing it to sit up right. No! Jacob just wanted to sleep. He wanted to rest his eyes longer. He just wanted to sleep permanently. He didn’t want to be in pain anymore? In pain about what? At this point he couldn’t remember. ”Jacob. What did you tell Alyssa?” Oof, there was a stabbing pain in the back of his head. Like someone took a steak knife and just started poking him. ”Everything.” The three blobs looked at each other. Was it possible for blobs to show emotion? If so, these looked like some pretty worried blobs. ”What is everything?”

”My work… my family… Uuuuuuhhh… I may have mentioned my favorite desert at one point?” Oooh, he could really go for some vanilla ice cream right now. Alexander snickered under his breath, helping Jacob to lay back down. Terrance still looked like he was fuming. ”What about Alex? Arthur? Me?” Jacob rested his eyes and shook his head. ”No Marshmellowman, I didn’t tell anyone about my friends.” Alexander was having to hold his gut tighter, clenching his teeth to keep from laughing. Terrance pushed over Alex on the floor, just causing him to burst into louder, more hysterical giggles. ”Oi! Find it funny that your friend is doped up?” Arthur watched as Terrance and Alexander seemed to bicker back and forth, but then focused back his attention on Jacob. He really had a destructive personality, it seemed. Jacob was rejected by Alyssa, so he turned to using opium to clear out his memories? He did that too when he first broke up with Alyssa. This really wasn’t healthy for him.

Was that a byproduct of loving someone? That you did stupid shit like this? Arthur reflected on his experiences with Eva. He had deliberately disappointed his father once by his antics with her. Staying up so late and kissing on her neck. He didn’t even want to know how his father would react to the fact he wasted a perfectly good spying day on sleeping with her. Arthur sighed, scratching his cheek. It seemed that Alexander and Terrance had calmed down. ”No telling what they know. But we do know for a fact that Alyssa knows everything about Jacob. It is best for now that we keep our distance from them.” Terrance sat down on a nearby couch, rubbing his temples. Alexander made sure to position Jacob on his side, in case he could get sick, as to not allow him to choke on his vomit. ”By that, do you mean we both can’t have contact? Or I can’t contact Gigi, but you can continue doing the horizontal tango with Helene?” Alexander voiced his concern, pouting as he sat on the floor next to the limp Jacob.

Terrance scoffed, ”I don’t see why I have to stop! Helene is technically a delinquent like us. Just a foreign one. And from a bigger family. I don’t have to talk to her, but I chose to because of its benefits.” Terrance crossed his arms, leaning his head back in the chair. Alexander raised an eyebrow at Arthur. Yet, Arthur was slightly confused by this gesture. ”You won’t stop talking to her because you’ve caught feelings for her!” Arthur raised his eyebrows, watching Terrance suddenly sit up at attention. Ooh, it really looked like Alexander hit a chord at this point.

”I don’t ‘like’ Helene. She is a good lay. You can’t make fun of me! Gigi doesn’t even know you exist, practically!” Arthur snickered slightly under his breath. ”Very defensive for someone who doesn’t like her.” Alexander smiled and high-fived Arthur. ”You can’t make fun of me either! You haven’t even gotten your dick wet!” Arthur was slightly caught of guard by this statement, and didn’t say anything. Though the dusted pink on his cheeks were word enough.

Alexander and Terrance’s eyes went wide, and they both leaned in close. ”No fucking way! When!? Where?? Was it with Eva!?” Arthur’s face grew more red and Terrance threw back his head, laughing and clapping loudly. The noise startled Jacob as he jumped slightly in the futon, but quickly slumped back over. ”You sly dog! How was she? She looks like she has a big rack, were they big? Well come on, man! Speak up!” Arthur quickly shook his head, crossing his arms in front of him. It was enough that he was telling them that anything even happened between him and Eva. Arthur much preferred keeping what happened with them, private between them. A chime echoed from Terrance’s pocket and he pulled it out. Alexander stood and quickly peered to see who it was from. ”Ah! A message from your lover! Oh! How I wish Gigi would message me!” Terrance glared at Alexander, shaking his head. ”Were you not here 5 minutes ago when I explained she was dangerous?? Arthur. Call your girlfriend. Helene is freaking out because she can’t reach her.” Terrance began to message back. He is calling now... Mind having your friend Gigi message Alex? Would love to see his reaction to it. lol" Sure, that was something that Terrance probably shouldn't have been messing with. But he also wanted an excuse to make fun of his friend.

Arthur tilted his head, but pulled out his phone. He hadn’t realized how much time had passed since he got out of her place. He saw he didn’t have any messages or calls from her on his phone. He just assumed that she had been sleeping this entire time, as he was pretty sure he hadn’t woken her up. About to dial her number, Noah’s number suddenly appeared on Arthur’s screen, and the blood left his face. He didn’t have time to talk to his dad. He needed to make sure that Eva was safe. But he couldn’t just wait for it to keep ringing. He deliberately hit the end call button. This is the 3rd phone call in a row now that he would be missing from his father, and this one he deliberately ignored. Arthur pulled up Eva’s contact and called. It rang a few times before there was a click of the phone being answered. ”Hello? Eva?”



ＢＵＴ ＭＹ ＤＲＥＡＭＳ．．．

ＡＳ ＭＹ ＣＯＮＳＣＩＥＮＣＥ ＳＥＥＭＳ ＴＯ ＢＥ

Ｉ ＨＡＶＥ ＨＯＵＲＳ， ＯＮＬＹ ＬＯＮＥＬＹ．．．

ＴＨＡＴ'Ｓ ＮＥＶＥＲ ＦＲＥＥ

✖✖ Translations:...
✖✖ I Feel... Neutral, concerned.
✖✖ I am At... Jacob's house -> Basement -> Room O-07
✖✖ I am With... Jacob, Terrance, and Alexander
✖✖ I am Thinking..."Is Eva okay?..."
✖✖ I am Wearing...Black Jeans, white shirt, blue jacket, and shoulder holsters.

Entering her bedroom, Helene watched Alyssa's sleeping figure. She wondered if she had gotten any rest after the party, from what she was told, they left the party pretty late. If she had met with Jacob earlier, she might've stayed up--no, she definitely had stayed up, she had taken Eva somewhere first thing in the morning. She felt a pang of guilt as she looked down at Alyssa, and eventually she had to get out. She felt sick to her stomach from blaming herself for this mess they were in. Her phone buzzed, and she hoped it was Eva, though when she read Terrance's message, she was relieved to see that he had passed along the message. Gigi had asked about him, and admittedly it made her uneasy. Maybe the reason Gigi was asking about him was because he already knew about her history. The thought made her feel worse, making her insides twist uncomfortably. Why? It's not like she liked him or anything. She just liked flirting with him. And texting him. Eva had asked if she liked him, but with her past as dead weight, she wasn't going to drag anyone down with her if she could help it. She wasn't going to make that mistake. She couldn't. She buried her heart a long time ago.

So why was she still staring at his text?

At that point, Gigi walked back into the house, and Helene frowned at her. "I have an idea," She said, scratching the back of her neck. "I say we go the diplomatic route."

"That's cute," Gigi said dryly.

"I'm serious!" Helene whined. "We'll probably do better together, and maybe I can convince them to...look the other way, for Alyssa's sake?"

Gigi raised an eyebrow at her. "Convince...how? Bribery? Threatening them?"

"Or just by...talking?" Helene shook her head. "God, Gigi, get your blood lust under control! Text Alexander. Tell him you want to meet up."

"Why would I--don't!" Gigi yelped as Helene tackled her onto the couch, sliding her hands into her pockets. "Helene! Stop! Ah--AH!" The redhead took the chance and nipped on Gigi's neck, paralyzing her and yanked her phone away. "If you text Alexander he'll take it the wrong way!" She said, chasing her into the kitchen. But Helene was a quick texter, and her faux-Gigi message had passed: Do you think we can talkkkkndwsjuvigoplsadbgmlotg The beginning Helene's doing, and the end accomplished when Gigi jumped on Helene and the two fell onto the floor.

---

Letting it all out managed to do wonders, though it was mixed with shame and bitterness. As her sobbing finally died down, she looked up, trying to get herself to calm down. Eva didn't even understand why she cried, there were so many things going through her head that she couldn't think straight. As she tried to wipe her cheeks, she winced, her left cheek throbbing. Picking up her phone, she inspected her reflection. She couldn't tell if it was swollen, but it was definitely red. She couldn't believe her mother actually hit her. Then again, she probably deserved it, deliberately pushing onto her mother's greatest weakness. She wished her dad was around again, but knew that wouldn't amount to anything. Now that she was a little calmer, she had no idea what to do now. Should she try booking it to someone's house? She didn't know if Alyssa was still missing, had only gone to Gigi's apartment once, and had no idea where Helene lived. Great. She briefly entertained the idea of calling Arthur, but she didn't want to bother him with this. As the thought crossed her mind, her phone lit up, revealing that he was calling her. The gravel left indents on her knees as Eva finally got to her feet, dusting whatever gravel stuck to her legs off. Sniffling, she tried to wipe her face clean with her shirt, exhaling a breath with a slight hiccup. She had a majority of control over herself by now, but she couldn't quite get rid of the sniffling, and she didn't want to miss the call.

"H-Hello," She threw her head back, silently cursing her voice for wavering. "Um, what's up...?"

ＮＯ ＯＮＥ ＫＮＯＷＳ ＷＨＡＴ ＩＴ'Ｓ ＬＩＫＥ．．．

тo вe тнe вαd мαɴ
тσ вє тнє ѕα∂ мαη

ＡＮＤ ＮＯ ＯＮＥ ＫＮＯＷＳ ＷＨＡＴ ＩＴＳ ＬＩＫＥ．．．

тo вe нαтed
тσ вє ƒαтє∂

 
A different, alternative chime piped up through the air, and Terrance had to use ever fiber of his being to suppress a grin. Oh God, Helene. If she could do this for him, he would be forever in her debt. Alexander pulled out his phone from his pocket, unlocking it he saw his text message conversation with Gigi. Well, it wasn’t so much a “conversation”. A more accurate description was a wall of text, after text, after text, after text, from Alexander to Gigi. This wall of text probably trumped the Great Wall of China. Although his messages to Gigi were never to be responded to. Most were just “Hey”s, some were “I’ve been thinking about you. 😉” All harmless, cute things like that. Alexander truly was a romantic but, damn, did he not know when to give up. But perhaps, it wasn’t all in vain. Because there, at the bottom most part of the screen was a message, for the first time, in response from Gigi. Do you think we can talkkkkndwsjuvigoplsadbgmlotg Alexander shot up from the ground, his heart launching up through his chest. ”OHMYGODOHMYGODOHMYGOD!! ARTHUR! ARTHUR! LOOK!” Alexander ran and tackled Arthur with his excitement, knocking him over and knocking Arthur’s phone from his hand. It skidded slightly across the floor and Arthur pushed him away, quickly scrambling to his feet to retrieve his phone.

Alexander rushed to Terrance, holding up his phone to his face as to allow Terrance to read the message. Terrance could no longer contain it, he threw back his head and began to heartily laugh, quickly clenching his side. Terrance could tell it wasn’t a legitimate text message from Gigi. But Alexander was so blinded by glee and passion that he didn’t realize it. ”OW! OW OW OW! OH MY GOD! HAHAHAHA OW- MY SIDE!!” Terrance was going to have to buy something nice as a thank you to Helene. God- she was perfect. Terrance’s laughter was quickly, abruptly haulted and he smacked his face. No! No no no! No thoughts like that! She wasn’t “perfect”, she was a good lay, get that right, Terrance. Terrance’s eyes continued to watch Alexander as he walked around in circles in the room, still covering his mouth and snickering. ”What should I say?” Terrance stood up, quickly approaching Alexander. ”You say nothing! You can’t, remember? ENEMY?? MERCENARY?? Ringing any bells for you?” But Alexander wasn’t listening as he was frantically typing back to her.

Gigi! It is so wonderful to hear from you- Though I wish you wouldn’t hide your beautiful voice from me via text message. You can talk to me about anything. Any time. Anywhere! You are the sun to my sky. Without you, my world would be black. What would you like to talk about?” Before allowing his friends to review, Alexander sent off the text message. Terrance read the message from Alexander, not knowing if he should laugh, cry, or just straight cringe. He tossed the phone back to Alexander, just snickering. ”Don’t get your hopes up, Romeo. I think your Juliet would rather be dead AND alone, than talk to you.” Terrance smirked, shooting a thank you text with a wink to Helene. Alexander’s eyes began to pout, much with that signature puppy dog look. ”Why are you so mean, Terrance?”

After having scrambled for his phone and getting away from his two crazy friends, Arthur picked up the phone again. He had heard the trembling in Eva’s voice and Arthur felt worry swelling up in his chest, as he shot up the staircase back to the surface world. ”Where are you?” Was all Arthur could stomach to get out. Had Eva been crying? It sounded like she was distressed. What had happened after he left? Should he have stayed with her? He cursed at his friends under his breath for having pulled him away. It was very apparent that Jacob was fine… well, as fine as any guy high on opium could be. He wasn’t dying, even if he felt like it. Getting the name of the park that Eva was at, Arthur began to drive that direction, but had to swing by his home first. ”I’ll be there soon.” Click, he hung up the phone. Pulling into his driveway, he had to be fast. He had already been making mistake after mistake. He couldn’t show up to Eva with his family’s unmarked car. He parked it in the garage, threw down the keys and grabbed his Volvo keys, and darted forward, sliding over the hood of the unmarked car and jumping into his personal car. Upon pulling out, he saw his father’s head poke out the front door, seeing Arthur leave in his volvo. ”ARTHUR!” Arthur felt his heart jump in his throat. But he couldn’t stop. He kept going and flew down the road, leaving his father shaking his fist in the driveway.

It wasn’t long after that Arthur reached the park, and not far away he could see Eva in the distance, and he sprinted towards the swing set. Once finally reaching her, it seemed the rest of his body caught up with him. He put his hands on his knees, bending over and breathing heavily to catch his breath. His legs felt weak from sprinting and his heart was pounding with worry, and from the running. After catching his breath, he steadied himself in front of Eva, looking down at her sweet eyes again. Just looking at her face was rejuvenating and gave him new life. But he could feel his body freeze as his eyes locked on to her cheek. Where a bright red handprint rested. Both of his fists clenched tightly, and he could feel his body shaking with rage. ”Who hit you?” He asked through tightly clenched teeth. He felt every muscle in his body shaking with rage. It took every ounce of his being to not go completely postal then and there. He was seeing red, but he had to contain it, there was no point blowing up in front of Eva. But, he had failed her again. He had let her out of his sight, first it was that damned kiss from Ricardo… now someone had slapped her. He turned his attention towards the metal beam of the swing set, pulled back his arm, and full on punched it. Did he break something? It definitely felt like he broke something. Maybe more of a fracture, but either way, something was hurt. Probably his knuckles, or his fingers. But whatever they were, they were now throbbing and screaming at him. ”Damnit!! Jag kommer att döda dem.” He grumbled under his breath, now pulling back his fist and examining his throbbing hand. The pain was enough to snap him back from going full on hulk. But Arthur determined that the pain in his hand didn’t amount to the pain of his disappointment of not protecting Eva from danger.



ＢＵＴ ＭＹ ＤＲＥＡＭＳ．．．

ＡＳ ＭＹ ＣＯＮＳＣＩＥＮＣＥ ＳＥＥＭＳ ＴＯ ＢＥ

Ｉ ＨＡＶＥ ＨＯＵＲＳ， ＯＮＬＹ ＬＯＮＥＬＹ．．．

ＴＨＡＴ'Ｓ ＮＥＶＥＲ ＦＲＥＥ

✖✖ Translations:[1]I will fucking kill them.
✖✖ I Feel... Angry and Disappointed
✖✖ I am At... Public Park
✖✖ I am With... Eva
✖✖ I am Thinking..."How can I keep letting her down?"
✖✖ I am Wearing...Black Jeans, white shirt, blue jacket, and shoulder holsters.

After hanging up the phone, Eva sat back down on the swing. The silence occupying her made her think. She would have to try to get back into the house for at least some of her stuff--her wallet, her uniform, her violin--but knowing how petty Evelyn was, she'd have to sneak in. The anger had subsided for the most part and she realized she had no idea what her next step was going to be. She figured she had enough savings to maybe get her own place, but those things took time, didn't they? They had moved enough times for her to know a bit about buying a house or moving into an apartment. She may as well, she wasn't going to go back if she could help it. Her phone buzzed, and as she looked at it, she saw a phone call from Marshall. Her mother must have told him what happened and he was trying to see where she was. Honestly, she resented the fact that her mother's boyfriend cared more about her well being then her mother did. Letting the call ring out, she decided it was best to keep her distance at the moment.

The sound of someone running caught her attention, and Eva stood up and saw Arthur. He was here already? Wow, he ran really fast, though a little too fast as when he did stop he had to stop for a moment to catch his breath. He didn't have to come running like that. Did he do it for her? What a question, as if there was anyone else with them in that moment. Her heart skipped a beat as he looked at her, and she couldn't help but smile. For some reason, it warmed her to know that he really did come for her. Of course, the mood shifted somewhat abruptly as his eyes flickered to her face, anger overtaking him. He knew what happened right away, asking who it was that hit her. Eva ended up diverting her eyes, slightly panicking. Suddenly it felt like if she told him everything, he'd get angrier. As she forced herself to look at him, he turned and punched the swing set, making her jump.

"Arthur..." She reached out to him, hesitating for just a second, though she ended up taking his injured hand in hers. He had done the same thing at the party, she remembered. "You can't keep hurting yourself like this." There wasn't any blood, but he hit the set so hard it left a dent, so he must have been in pain. Feeling guilty, she shook her head. "We--Mom and I--just got into a fight," She mumbled, answering his question. "Things escalated and I pushed one of her buttons...so she hit me and she threw me out." Now that she was actually saying it out loud, she felt ashamed to be admitting it to Arthur. "I just got tired of her always assuming the worst out of me. It's like living with a stranger sometimes. I'm sorry you had to come out here for this..."

---

"Helene! Come out of there! Give me my phone back!" Gigi's muffled voice came from the other side of the door as she continuously banged her fist on it. Helene sat in front of it, grinning as she had Gigi's phone in hand in case Alexander--who was she kidding, when Alexander would message her back. Scrolling through their conversations, she had to admit she was impressed with his tenacity. Poor guy didn't know when to give up, his numerous texts a massive homage to his love for Gigi. To her surprise, Gigi had apparently read every single message, giving Alexander free reign, though not once did she ever communicate back. Helene couldn't help but wonder why she didn't just block him if she wasn't interested. As the thought occurred to her, however, she noticed Gigi had ceased her yelling. Pressing her ear against the door, she didn't hear anything.

Standing up, Helene walked over to her sink, taking out a small, white cup from underneath, and she began to fill it with water. Gigi may be the professional, but Helene knew her well enough to predict her actions. Once the cup was filled, she casually threw it on the floor, placing the cup down and resuming her position by the door after unlocking it. Gigi's phone buzzed, revealing a rather poetic rebuttal that agreed to meet her wherever and whenever she pleased. It was actually a rather sweet message, though she couldn't think on it for too long as she heard the window crack open. Grinning maliciously, she got to her feet as she watched Gigi climb in through the window, and once she landed on her feet, she tried to rush Helene. Unfortunately, she hadn't seen the puddle Helene had thrown, so she ended up slipping.

"Ha! Remember this as the day you almost caught Captain Helene--oh shit!" The dark haired girl had recovered a lot faster than expected, resulting in Helene having to cut her victory phrase short and making a run for it. "So where should you two love birds meet? At a restaurant? The beach? The mall?" She asked, leaping over her kitchen counter and turning back to Gigi.

"If you don't give me back my phone, I'm going to have to use excessive force," She threatened her. When Helene only stuck her tongue out in response, Gigi threw herself onto the counter, causing Helene to shriek as she chased her. Skidding to a halt, an evil gleam formed in Helene's eye as she suddenly swung at Gigi. She narrowly dodged it, but was met with a second punch to the gut. Shit, Helene looked delicate but she was pretty sturdy. Glancing at her, Helene had taken a stance, beckoning Gigi to come at her."If we get in a fight here, I'm going to end up hurting you," She warned.

Helene thought about it for a moment until her own phone buzzed. As she was distracted, Gigi ducked down, performing a low sweep kick and bringing Helene down. Rather than wait for her to recover, she sat on her stomach, watching the redhead flail helplessly under her. "H-Hey! NO!" She tried to hide Gigi's phone as they struggled for it. "This is the best way to go about it!"

"You're putting too much faith in them! We can't assume they're trustworthy!" Gigi argued, trying to pin one of Helene's arms down.

"I refuse to rely on underhanded tactics if there are other avenues I can take!"

"We have to be prepared in case they decide to make the first move!"

"Your lover boy is the perfect way to see what they're up to! He'll tell you anything if you ask!" Helene stuffed Gigi's phone in her bra, pulling out her own phone and snapping a selfie of the two of them, with Helene grinning and Gigi on top of her, clearly yelling. You owe me ♥ read the caption, and she went ahead and sent it to Terrance.

Gigi stopped for a moment, trying to catch her breath. "Alexander wouldn't betray his friends, you realize that, right?" She asked.

"Have you seen those texts? He'd jump in front of a bullet for you!" Helene insisted. "He's so in love it actually hurt to read some of those!"

"It's not love, Helene, it's infatuation. For whatever reason," She rolled her eyes.

"If Eva can stir a reaction out of a block of stone like Arthur, Alexander can do the same for you if you give him a chance," She teased, wriggling out from under her and sitting up. "You need to hit the gym, though, you're super heavy."

She actually looked offended at that comment, flexing her bicep. "Excuse you, this is all muscle," She said as Helene raised her eyebrows. "And I'm not talking about my love life to you again, I've told you a million times I don't do romance or dating or anything--at any moment I could get taken out, I'd rather not have any attachments."

"Does that mean you're still a virgin?" Helene's bluntness actually caught Gigi off guard. "Hey, we could offer that to Alexander as exchange for information!"

Gigi couldn't help but facepalm at Helene's suggestion. "What a wonderful idea, you get to use my body as a bargaining chip and then he'll never leave me alone," She said, her words dripping with sarcasm. "So you'll protect Alyssa and Eva but I'm free for sale?"

"I was half-joking, but if you're actually up for it--"

"No," She stomped out the idea immediately. "Helene, get your hormones under check so we can find an actual solution. How about you ask your little boyfriend to give us a hand?"

"We're just friends," She insisted, though as Gigi stared at her she added, "With benefits. You realize he's in intelligence, right? He'll probably see right through me if I slip up."

"Then watch what you say. Or just blow him first and then talk. You said you wanted the diplomatic route, so get to it, or we're going to have to come up with something else."

"Okay, fine, fine," She returned Gigi's phone with a sigh. "I'll try to talk to him. But he said he had something to do today, it might have to wait until tomorrow."

"Tonight. Meet him tonight," Gigi insisted. "The sooner the better. Text him now."

"Okay! Stop being so pushy! I'm pushy enough for the both of us!" Helene huffed, annoyed. So I was thinking you should make it up to me tonight, what do you say? ;) Despite the message coming off pretty standard, guilt seemed to prick her in the back of her mind. She hated using people, and even though she was joking about Gigi and Alexander, she knew if she pressed it enough or outright gave the order, Gigi would end up doing it, even if reluctantly. Her father often gave out those sorts of orders, always willing to do whatever it took. In a way, she did inherit that much from him, even if she would never admit it. She was used to pushing people to do what she wanted, knowing what to say and do, prodding people to do things how and when she wanted. Maybe she really was just as bad as her father.

ＮＯ ＯＮＥ ＫＮＯＷＳ ＷＨＡＴ ＩＴ'Ｓ ＬＩＫＥ．．．

тo вe тнe вαd мαɴ
тσ вє тнє ѕα∂ мαη

ＡＮＤ ＮＯ ＯＮＥ ＫＮＯＷＳ ＷＨＡＴ ＩＴＳ ＬＩＫＥ．．．

тo вe нαтed
тσ вє ƒαтє∂

 
Arthur’s hand felt like it would instantly heal when Eva took it in her hands. How was it so easy for Eva to cause Arthur’s heart to flutter in his chest? He held her hand in his, even though it caused him to wince slightly and pulled her close, listening to her speak. It only made him grow angrier as she retold the happenings and his grip on her tightened. Was she talking about her mother? Her mother hit her? That was enough to practically push Arthur over. He wanted to storm back to Eva’s house, gun in hand, and shoot Evelyn several times. Every hole in her body for every instance of her hurting Eva. Would there be any remains left from that? Eva made it sound like she and her mother fought frequently, and it only caused Arthur’s heart to swell up. It wasn’t fair to Eva. She was the kindest person that he had ever met. The only other kindhearted person he could think of was his own mother. But that was a different kind of love, than the love he felt towards Eva. He scooped up Eva in his arms, holding her close to his chest as he carried her to his car. ”Don’t be sorry, Eva. You did nothing wrong.” He didn’t want to put her down, but when reaching his car, he finally had to let her go into his passenger seat. He climbed in the driver’s side and pulled out his phone, letting Terrance know that he had Eva now. He reached his injured hand out towards her, gently touching the red mark on her cheek. He could feel the heat of the slap radiating from her cheeks and it just made him angrier. It shouldn’t be pain that was causing the heat to radiate from her cheeks, it never should be!

”I won’t make you go back… You can stay with me, if you want.” This wasn’t really something that Arthur could offer to Eva. He knew his father would never allow for a yuppy stranger to live in their house, among all of their ammunition and intel. But Arthur couldn’t let Eva out of his sight again, especially not back to the home of that wretched she beast. He began to drive the car back towards his house, not giving her a chance to protest. There wasn’t anything Eva could say to convince himself otherwise. He started to think about any necessities that Eva would need, it was lucky for him that he had a younger sister. ”If you need anything, I’ll take you tomorrow to get it… but you can’t go back tonight. If you need clothes, I can sneak something from my sister. I think they will fit you.” His eyes glanced over Eva’s body. He had no idea if his 15 year old sister’s clothes would be able to fit Eva. Especially since she was significantly more… woman-like than his sister was. It may be a tight fight, but Eva seemed skinny enough to match his sister. Reaching Arthur’s home, it was so late the sun had already set. From what Arthur could tell, everyone was asleep as all the lights in his home were off. Well, at least everyone except Noah. No doubt Arthur was about to get an earful from his dad. Arthur turned towards Eva, placing a hand on her shoulder. ”Stay here. I will have to sneak you inside. I’ll get you when it is safe.” He leaned towards her and quickly kissed her lips before departing from the Volvo.

In the hallway of the house, it was pitch black, except for the faint light dripping out from under the door to Noah’s office. It was clearly obvious that Noah hadn’t gone to sleep yet, and it was even more obvious why this was. Arthur entered the armory/office, Noah’s father standing at his desk per usual. At the sound of the door though, Noah’s head shot around, his eyes narrowing with anger. ”Shut the door.” Arthur closed the door. Arthur was afraid of very few things in the world. And although he tried his best to hide it, it was obvious that his father was one of those things. ”You are a disgrace to the Myles family! You have no honor among us!” Arthur grabbed the hair tie from his head, letting down his long blonde hair. He avoided looking his father in the eyes. The guns on the wall seemed to be more interesting than his red-faced father. ”I let yesterday slide, because I was young once too. I drank, I “hung out” with my friends… But I was always sobered and clear headed by the next morning for my father. We have a duty, a contract to uphold. And you act as if it is nothing!” Arthur kept his eyes averted from his father’s gaze.

”I call you and you don’t answer. You came home for a split second to drop off the car, then sped away! You’re getting irresponsible, Arthur. You’re lucky I don’t grab you by your roots and shave your head. You aren’t deserving of the Myles’ långthår!” Noah slammed his fist on his wooden desk, causing it to tremble. But Arthur held his ground, he couldn’t show weakness in front of his dad, or his lecture would become twice as long. His father would have to berate him for showing emotion.

”And who is Eva?” Now that, Arthur wasn’t expecting, and any color on Arthur’s face drained away. Finally, after all of this time, Arthur’s eyes darted to his father’s locking in place. But it seemed that Noah already knew the answer. ”You need to be more careful about ignoring my calls. You seemed to have accidentally answered while reaching in your pocket. Pah! A man shouldn’t say a woman’s name so much during intercourse, disgraceful!” Oh God, did Arthur inadvertently answer his phone in his pocket while reaching for the condom? How much did he hear? HOW MUCH DID HE HEAR? At this point, all the blood was running back to Arthur’s face. His father had it all figured out and Noah approached him, taking deep breaths. As if anything could calm down the hulk of a man. ”You forget about this girl. Don’t contact her again. It is obvious that she is distracting you from your one purpose in life. If I find out you are seeing her again, I will cut those locks from your head.” With that, his father stormed out, slamming the armory door loudly, and stomped his way to bed.

Arthur had to calm himself from shaking before retrieving Eva from his car. Though his father’s threats terrified him, he wasn’t going to actually let his father interfere in his relationship with Eva. He was better at his work than his father believed. Arthur pulled Eva from his car gently, tiptoeing her through the house as to not draw attention, and upon making it to his room, the coast was all clear. Arthur felt like he could breath again once he closed the door and locked it behind him. Looking around the room, he was thankful that his mother was such a busy body at keeping it clean. It wasn’t spotless, as his desk was covered in closed journals of his father’s and some papers. Speaking of which, he should probably put those away. The walls were covered in band posters ranging from English rock bands, to some heavy metal Swedish bands. Arthur grabbed the journals from his desk and put them away in the drawers. ”I can grab my sister’s clothes for you in the morning… For now, you can wear this to sleep. He pulled out one of his large black t-shirts for Eva, presenting it to her like a gift. ”U-Unless you…” He didn’t know if she preferred sleeping in the nude. He had already seen her naked before, hell he had already had sex with her. But the thought of her naked body sleeping next to him still gave him chills on his spine. Here, tonight, at his home, he knew that he would be able to keep her safe. Out of the night stand, Arthur pulled out white bandages. He would usually use them to wrap his fist before punching his punching bag in the corner of his room. But for now, he just needed pressure on his knuckles.



Terrance’s eyes were met with conflict seeing the message from Helene. So I was thinking you should make it up to me tonight, what do you say? Terrance’s eyes glanced to his unconscious friend on the couch. Was it immoral for him to abandon his friend as he was drugged out? Especially for a hook up? Yes, it was immoral. But was that going to stop Terrance? That was the real question… Nope! Terrance stood up to his feet, shooting a message back to Helene. My place. 30 minutes. Do you need a ride? Terrance’s eyes moved to Alex, who was laying on the floor by Jacob, starting at his phone screen intently, waiting for a response that Terrance assumed would never come. ”I’m going home… I trust you to keep an eye on Jacob and let me know if he wakes up. Don’t let him smoke anymore if he tries.” Alex just nodded his head, keeping his eyes glued to his phone screen, and Terrance ascended the stairs.



ＢＵＴ ＭＹ ＤＲＥＡＭＳ．．．

ＡＳ ＭＹ ＣＯＮＳＣＩＥＮＣＥ ＳＥＥＭＳ ＴＯ ＢＥ

Ｉ ＨＡＶＥ ＨＯＵＲＳ， ＯＮＬＹ ＬＯＮＥＬＹ．．．

ＴＨＡＴ'Ｓ ＮＥＶＥＲ ＦＲＥＥ

✖✖ Translations:[1]Long hair.
✖✖ I Feel... Angry and Disappointed
✖✖ I am At... Arthur's bedroom
✖✖ I am With... Eva
✖✖ I am Thinking..."I will never let her out of my sight."
✖✖ I am Wearing...Black Jeans, white shirt, blue jacket, and shoulder holsters.

She was in his room.

She was in his room.

Evangeline Esperanza was in Arthur Myles' bedroom. Was this how Arthur had felt in her room? Nervous and excited? Looking around, she was surprised to find it was very clean. It was a bit of a relief, she disliked messes and knew how messy most guys were. She hadn't the slightest idea what to expect as she looked around. He seemed to be a fan of some bands, none that she recognized, but she believed music to be a great interest to have. Though what really caught her interest was the guitar, her eyes livening up as she spotted it. She watched him put away some things on his desk, and it took her a moment to realize she had been standing in the same spot. He presented her with one of his shirts, stating, "I can grab my sister’s clothes for you in the morning… For now, you can wear this to sleep." She nodded, taking it appreciatively, though noticed his hesitation. "U-Unless you…" What did he mean by that? She looked at him quizzically, though he didn't continue, instead he went to nurse his wound.

As he began to bandage his hand, she figured now was as good a time as ever to change. She prayed her heart would be steady as she undressed, starting with her fumbling with her shorts. Why was she still so nervous around him? What did she think was going to happen? Maybe it was specifically not knowing what she was going to do that worried her. She should've been enjoying the moment, but her thoughts were elsewhere. As she pulled his shirt on her, she felt a little sheepish. Most of the material pooled on her hips, and she ended up having to pull it down for it to properly cover her. And by cover, it barely did; she was pretty sure if she moved the wrong way or bent over, he'd see everything. But he already saw everything. So why was she so nervous about it?! Maybe it was the role reversal? Her phone buzzed again, distracting her from her thoughts, and she took a look at it. I heard what happened. I know you won't come back, but please let me know if you're safe. Marshall had texted her, and for a second, she felt her temper rise slightly. It was probably her mother's 'suggestion' to get her to reveal where she was, considering Marshall hated texting and would rather leave voicemails. Against her better judgment, she decided to give him a phone call, preparing herself. "Where are you?" Came her mother's voice rather predictably.

Eva didn't respond, choosing to end the call and dropping her phone on her folded clothes. Walking over to Arthur's bed, she turned around and let herself fall backwards on it, staring at the ceiling. "I can't believe I'm here right now," She admitted out loud, propping herself on her elbows to look at Arthur. "I guess tomorrow I'll have to go apartment hunting. Your parents can't be okay with me staying here, can they?"

---

As Helene's phone lit up, her eyes scanned Terrance's text. This had to be the first and only time getting the green light was actually the result she didn't want. Her eyes flickered to Gigi, who was staring at her intently. Letting out a sigh, she picked herself up and dusted her skirt off. Gigi did the same, though she looked over towards the bedroom, where Alyssa came out, rubbing her eyes. Their horsing around might've woken her up, but the brunette just stood there, looking absolutely miserable. Her heart broke seeing her friend so distressed, but she had to remain steady. Walking over to Alyssa, she placed her hand on her shoulder comfortingly.

"I have to go somewhere, but if you're hungry, there's stuff in the kitchen," She said gently. "You can stay here or go home, whatever you want, okay?"

Gigi turned away from them for a moment, though as Alyssa nodded, she ended up accompanying Helene to the garage. Before she got into her car, Gigi blocked her with her arm, catching her attention. "I think you should expect the worst," She said, pulling her weapon out of her waistband and offering it to her. "Just in case."

Helene's eyes widened, though she shook her head. "I'm not going to shoot him. It won't come to that," She insisted, pushing Gigi's gun back to her. "If I don't think I can get him to talk, I'm not going to press on it."

"Fine," She removed her arm, and Helene got into the car. Oh, she loved that new car smell. Giving Gigi a wink, she opened the garage door and sped off. The leather felt good against her thighs, and she leaned back comfortably. The ride was so smooth, she wondered how much Ariadne dropped for this car. She knew absolutely nothing about cars, often going with whatever other people suggested, though it occurred to her that maybe Terrance would notice it not being her old car. He did know her car went missing. Tapping the steering wheel, she figured she could just lie. Pressing on the wheel, she loved how fast she went, letting out a girlish giggle as she approached his house. Figuring she'd just wait for him, she decided to text Eva to see if Arthur ever got to her.

Sorry about that. Arthur came and picked me up. Mom kicked me out so...I'll figure something out in the morning. Eva's apology came relatively quickly.

Helene raised an eyebrow at that. Hmm, likely Evelyn found out about their afternoon session. Seriously? Lame asf. Let me know if I can do anything to help. As soon as she sent it, she forgot to ask where Eva was now. Where are you staying tonight?

With Arthur.

No I mean where are you going to sleep tonight?

With Arthur. In his room.

"WHAT?!" Helene yelled in surprise, though Terrance's car pulled up. Well, well, well...try to keep it quiet if you decide to go at it ;) She snickered as she sent the text, though she climbed out of her car, practically bouncing as she reached Terrance. "Your boy's got guts!" She giggled madly, lowering her voice as she dropped the news to him. "He brought Eva to his house! Can you believe that?!"

---

Gigi reentered the house, finding Alyssa sitting on the couch. She looked like she was watching TV, but her mind was clearly somewhere else. Helene was no long around; Gigi had to be the compassionate one. Which considering her repressed emotions, it was going to be very difficult. Slowly sitting down, she leaned back into the couch, trying to see what Alyssa was watching. Of course it was a television drama playing, the guy sobbing as his poor wife died from being too young and pretty. Why the hell did those shows always have the same stories? Gigi tried to ignore the show, looking at Alyssa, but her face was just...sad.

"Hungry?" She decided to ask.

"No."

"Thirsty?"

"No."

Well, there were all the conversation points Gigi could come up with. Wiping her brow, she turned to Alyssa, who looked at her warily. Ugh. Why did she have to look at her like that? "Thinking of Jacob?" She asked, deciding to get right to the point.

Alyssa nodded, closing her eyes for a moment. "He said he loves me," She murmured. "But it's...it's just not a good idea."

What an understatement. "It's for the best," She agreed.

The pair sat in silence for a moment. In the show, the dead wife's twin sister was trying to romance the husband, claiming she had always loved him since that one time they went out in high school but broke up when she wouldn't give him any. Where the hell did they come up with these ideas? It was so stupid. "I can't stop thinking about him, though..." Alyssa sighed.

She had to change the subject somehow. Clearing her throat, she tried to think of what Helene or Eva would do. Helene would say something funny, and Eva would be more comforting. She was neither funny nor caring. Awesome. Lord have mercy, this was stressful. "I...uh, messaged Alexander," She said, shrugging.

"You actually messaged him back?" Alyssa asked, completely surprised.

"Helene did. Likely as a prank from Terrance," Gigi didn't seem amused at all, though she caught the look on Alyssa's face. "What is it?"

"Can you...ask him how Jacob's doing?" Alyssa asked, scratching her arm.

And her plan to change the subject completely failed. Oh God, what a dilemma. On one hand, further antagonizing Alyssa could go horribly wrong. On the other hand, giving Alexander another reply could possibly cause his head to explode from the excitement. Gigi accidentally made eye contact with Alyssa, who looked worse than a kicked dog, and let out a low, nearly inaudible groan. There was no fighting it, she couldn't bring herself to say no. Bringing out her phone, she reluctantly typed out the message: How is your friend Jacob? But she hesitated, her thumb hovering over the send button. After a few seconds, she finally placed her thumb down, sinking into the couch. "I'm...sure he'll reply right away..."

ＮＯ ＯＮＥ ＫＮＯＷＳ ＷＨＡＴ ＩＴ'Ｓ ＬＩＫＥ．．．

тo вe тнe вαd мαɴ
тσ вє тнє ѕα∂ мαη

ＡＮＤ ＮＯ ＯＮＥ ＫＮＯＷＳ ＷＨＡＴ ＩＴＳ ＬＩＫＥ．．．

тo вe нαтed
тσ вє ƒαтє∂

 
Terrance noticed an unfamiliar car in his driveway. It looked brand-spanking-new. At first glance he grew a little nervous. Was he walking in on someone checking out his house? Terrance felt a red flag go in the air, and he reached into his glove compartment, pulling out his own hand gun. He climbed out of the car, but just as he stepped out, the other unknown car opened up too. And there popped out the little red head of the evening. He quickly reached behind himself, moving his shirt, and tucking the gun into the back of his waist band. It was a good thing he was significantly less trigger happy than Alexander. He untucked his shirt as to let it conceal his gun behind him. Helene made a comment about Eva being brought home somewhere, and Terrance grind. ”He shot like a bat out of hell when he called Eva. Your friend must be a good lay to get him running like that.”

He smiled and laughed, snaking his hand around her hip again. It felt amazing holding Helene in his arms again, and his mind raced back to the other night and their endeavors. He led Helene into the house, closing the door gently behind him. ”You got here pretty fast- In fact, got here before myself. Am I that good of a lay for you then, Hel?” He smiled cheekily before spinning her towards him, holding Helene tight to his body. One of his hands rested just above her rear, the other one tucked underneath Helene’s chin to angle her face up to his. French girls were supposed to be beautiful according to Alexander, and Terrance could see the beauty reflected in Helene’s face and eyes. But he constantly had to remind himself that this was nothing, it was just a fling. As if boarding up a dam with wood planks would be enough to keep it from overflowing. But she was gorgeous, and her family was involved in similar shenanigans as his family. It would be so easy for him to open up to her and just tell her everything, like Jacob had to Alyssa. And may she would be more receptive to it, because of her background? But Terrance shooed those thoughts away. He wasn’t asking her to marry him, he was asking her to be his sleeping buddy. He couldn’t make the same mistake as Jacob and jeopardize how much he knew about her.


Alexander kept a close eye on Jacob as he rested. Every now and again, Jacob would stir, and flip over on his back. Alexander had to constantly flip Jacob back on his side. If he let Jacob lay too long his back, he was leaving too much risk for him to choke on puke. Alexander sighed, occasionally rubbing his friend’s back, as if it could soothe him. He wasn’t so sure of it, but Alexander was almost positive that heartbreak was contagious. Alexander, being the more over-emotional of his friends, felt as if his own heart was twisting in his chest for his friend. Would Alexander have fallen off the deep end like this as well, if Gigi rejected him? Alexander quickly shook his head. Forget everything Terrance said! Gigi would never do that to him! Gigi knew how much he liked her, she wouldn’t do that to him. Yet, the smallest atomic sized doubt seemed to eat at the corner of Alexander’s brain. His phone lit in his hands, and when he saw it was a response from Gigi, his heart felt like a Tesla car, shot into space.

But then he read the message. How is your friend Jacob? Alexander, at first, wasn’t sure how to react. Why was Gigi asking about Jacob? Why did Gigi care about Jacob? Alex’s eyes flashed to his unconscious friend, then back to his phone. She didn’t care more about Jacob than she did him… did she? That atomic doubt seemed to grow into a molecular sized doubt. But now, Alexander was conflicted with what he should answer. He rattled his brain for a second, trying to remember everything Terrance had said earlier about the girls. Eva was innocent, so no worries there. Gigi is a… mercenary? Guarding… Helene. Who is a French Princess? It wasn’t coming back to Alexander very clear. What was their connection to Gigi again? What could, and couldn’t he tell her? Without Terrance there, Alexander wasn’t so sure. But he also knew he didn’t want to lie to Gigi. Then again, Terrance would be mad if he said too much. Jacob had already said enough for all of them combined. Not good. He has gone off the deep end. Was that enough information? Or was that too much? Should he not tell Gigi that “one of their men is down” like this? Not having Terrance or Arthur to consult, he pressed send.


After Arthur finished bandaging his hand, he turned back to Eva, who had suddenly changed into his t-shirt. Damn! He missed her changing! Arthur ignored the perverse thought his body overwhelmed with tiredness. Without thinking twice, he started to pull of his jacket. If it weren’t for the glint of light reflecting from his ceiling fan, off his gun, into the mirror, and back at him, he would have fully pulled of his jacket. SHIT! He still had his shoulder holsters on. He quickly pulled the jacket back on, huffing in slight aggravation. Arthur watched as Eva pulled out her phone to check on a message. This was probably his best chance to deal with this. He threw off his jacket, and pealed off his shoulder holsters, wrapping them up like earlier, and stuffing it in his closet. Arthur also peeled off his t-shirt and threw it into a dirty clothes hamper against the wall. Turning back towards Eva, Arthur watched as she called someone and abruptly ended the call. It was an odd behavior, but he simply shrugged it off.

He watched her fall on her back then turn over on her side. Laying like that, he could see every curve of her chest and her hips perfectly. And it was all on his bed too! He began to crawl on the bed as well, laying on his stomach beside her. He heard her mention finding an apartment, and he diverted his eyes to a poster he had on the wall. He didn’t want her to look for an apartment, he wanted her to stay here with him. Even if it was dangerous if he got caught by his father. He didn’t trust having Eva out of his sight anymore. Not after Ricardo, and especially not after her mom. But if she had an apartment to herself… would she be safer there?

Of course she was going to look for an apartment! It was delusional for him to think she could stay here… as much as he wanted her to. He just shook his head. ”My father wouldn’t like it.” Arthur responded. But he wanted to add on that he didn’t care if his father didn’t like it. At this point, her safety was more important to him than his own. As much as Noah may have threatened to disown Arthur, he had a feeling his mother would step in before anything happened. Arthur reached for his cellphone to check if any of his friends tried to reach him. No messages was usually a good sign, as nothing major was happening. But that also probably meant that Jacob wasn’t doing well either. His face looked solemn thinking of his friend. It wasn’t fair what was going on with him and Alyssa, Arthur determined. He couldn’t imagine being in the same shoes as Jacob. Doing the same thing to Eva. He just couldn’t. He put his phone to the side and turned over to face her. ”If you don’t find a place tomorrow… know I always welcome you here…” He rested his head on his pillow and reached up, playing with Eva’s long blonde hair. It was funny, how similar their hair was, Arthur determined. Besides being a yuppy, she would have been welcomed pretty warmly to the Myles clan because of it. Funny how little coincidences like that can happen in the world.



ＢＵＴ ＭＹ ＤＲＥＡＭＳ．．．

ＡＳ ＭＹ ＣＯＮＳＣＩＥＮＣＥ ＳＥＥＭＳ ＴＯ ＢＥ

Ｉ ＨＡＶＥ ＨＯＵＲＳ， ＯＮＬＹ ＬＯＮＥＬＹ．．．

ＴＨＡＴ'Ｓ ＮＥＶＥＲ ＦＲＥＥ

✖✖ Translations:[1]Long hair.
✖✖ I Feel... Angry and Disappointed
✖✖ I am At... Arthur's bedroom
✖✖ I am With... Eva
✖✖ I am Thinking..."I will never let her out of my sight."
✖✖ I am Wearing...Black Jeans, white shirt, blue jacket, and shoulder holsters.

Of course he would notice how quickly she had arrived, and mentally Helene was banging her head against the wall. No! Don't overthink! God, the whole Alyssa situation was making her super paranoid. Willing herself to relax, she instead studied his face. If she could just stare at his smile all day, she'd honestly be a hell of a lot happier. His eyes always seemed to peer right into her soul, always studying her like she was some sort of painting. Like, the fact that he could look at anyone else but chose to look at her was a feat in itself. Of course, him being incredibly easy on the eyes helped, but he also had this dizzying charisma. Metaphorically speaking she was enamored from their first interaction. Of course, it was also mutual understanding that it was purely physical. A match set in heaven, they both get what they want, no messes, no strings attached.

Tell me, did Terrance approach you, or did you go to him?

But at that moment Helene couldn't get Gigi's words out of her head. Not to mention despite her message, she wasn't actually there solely to go to bed with him. As he mentioned how quickly Arthur had left, she let out a laugh. "Hmmm...maybe it's..." Love? Oh no, she wasn't about to say that word, choosing not to finish that sentence. She needed to focus, but she was also in need of his body. Wow, if she was a spy, she'd be terrible. He teased her, asking if he was worth getting to his house so quickly. She gave him a shrug, pretending to think to herself as she pondered his question. "Actually...my new car is what got here so fast," She said, pressing her chest into his. "Big sister decided to surprise me. Oh!" She gasped. "I was supposed to say 'yes', wasn't I?" She teased him, biting her lower lip as her eyes went down to his.

---

As expected, Alexander replied in a relatively short amount of time. Alyssa watched Gigi nervously, waiting to see what Alexander had told her. She had half a mind to just hand the phone over, but in the off chance that Alyssa randomnly decided to troll Alex like Helene did, she figured it was best she relayed the messages. "He says not good. He has gone off the deep end...? What?" Gigi was entirely confused by the last part, though about six seconds later she came to her own conclusion. Wasn't it a common mistake to get high off your own supply? Oh well, not her business. As Gigi looked at Alyssa, she immediately regretted telling her, as Alyssa had gone from miserable to on the verge of tears. For two seconds until she burst into actual tears, her head in her hands as she cried. Oh God, now what? She couldn't say he was probably fine, Alexander went and admitted he wasn't. Argh, why the hell was she the one dealing with this?!

How unfortunate. I am with Alyssa, she told me they got into a fight. Even so, she asks for him, so I thought I would ask you. It's...odd. She is not well, either. Gigi typed out her response and sent it, then scooted over closer to Alyssa. Eva usually rubbed someone's back when they cried, but the movement was just so awkward for Gigi that she ended up just patting on Alyssa's shoulder.

---

Her eyes widened slightly at his words, her blush following almost immediately afterwards. So this could be a repeat? It wasn't just one time? At first, Eva greatly appreciated his generosity, watching his hand play with her hair. Of course, she wouldn't want to get him into any trouble. He was really going out of his way, wasn't he? Ugh, why was she so stuck on that? She needed to enjoy now. There was no point in thinking about her stuff or money or a place--and honestly, taking a little break for one night would help her think later on. And so she mentally put a lock on anything that didn't have to do with Arthur and her in this very moment. She smiled at him, looking up at the ceiling for a moment before looking back at him.

"I appreciate it, I really do," She replied quietly. "I was thinking that we--" She caught herself, pausing for a moment. Shoot, that was probably too far. "What I mean to say is, i could give you a key. You can come visit me anytime."

ＮＯ ＯＮＥ ＫＮＯＷＳ ＷＨＡＴ ＩＴ'Ｓ ＬＩＫＥ．．．

тo вe тнe вαd мαɴ
тσ вє тнє ѕα∂ мαη

ＡＮＤ ＮＯ ＯＮＥ ＫＮＯＷＳ ＷＨＡＴ ＩＴＳ ＬＩＫＥ．．．

тo вe нαтed
тσ вє ƒαтє∂

 
Terrance’s lips curled into a smile at Helene’s cheeky response. She was really good at teasing him, it seemed. They were truly a match made in heaven. Physically compatible, and humorously on the same wavelength. ”Hmmm, you don’t have to hide your attraction for me. I already know the answer, since you are here.” He leaned down and planted a strong kiss on her lips. Terrance felt like he was escaping the world when he was in Helene’s presence. All the issues with Arthur, Alexander, and Jacob seemed to melt away into white noise, there was only him and Helene. And he wanted her, so bad! He picked up Helene and began to attack her neck as he carried her up to his room. Ah, his sanctuary and den. He placed Helene on the all too familiar bed and instantly began to attack her clothes. They were impeding his natural endeavors and he grabbed the bottom of his shirt, flinging it off to the other side of the room.

Terrance’s hands slowly ran across Helene’s thighs, feeling the soft skin on his fingers. He had a cheeky grin on his face, and leaned in close to Helene, kissing along her chest and collarbone. ”Your body is so perfect…” He mumbled under his breath, letting his fingers and lips explore her entire body. Her body reminding him of those renaissance statues. Terrance didn’t know much about them beyond that. Though he was sure that Alexander knew a lot about those…


Alexander’s heart and mood both seemed to perk up seeing that Gigi wasn’t concerned about Jacob, but was simply asking for Alyssa. His fingers tapped on the phone a little bit, looking over at Jacob, who was continuing to stir more and more at this moment. In fact, Jacob was starting to slowly sit up now, his eyes focused on the floor. He reached his hand forward to the ground, attempting to pick up the opium pipe. ”No, no, no. Jacob. No more! You gotta start sobering up!” Alexander kicked away the pipe from Jacob’s reach, and Jacob slumped over, defeated. Alexander’s heart was torn for his friend, and recited back the news to Jacob. ”You know… Alyssa isn’t doing so good right now either.” Jacob’s eyes shot up to Alexander, his eyes bloodshot and watery. His eyes moved to the coffee table where Alyssa’s ruby necklace laid, and his eyes began to water more.

”No! Don’t cry, Jacob… This doesn’t happen! Love always prevails and-“ Jacob sat up violently, grabbing the necklace and chucking it across the room, where it feel with small little clicks that echoed in the room. He didn’t want to look at the necklace or think about Alyssa at the moment, obviously. ”This isn’t a storybook, Alex. It is over. Said and done. She doesn’t want me any more… She doesn’t…” But he couldn’t get out the last of his sentence before he slumped over again on the couch. Alexander sighed and stood up from the ground and sat on the couch beside Jacob, shooting a text back to Gigi. She is sad about Jacob, right? This is really hard… it reminds me too much of Romeo and Juliet. Two lovers from completely different families… Alex froze up a little before messaging back. Is their fate inevitable? Referring to the fact that Romeo and Juliet could only be together after death, in order to escape their families and “be together forever”, alive they couldn’t be together… Is that why Jacob was trying to smoke so much opium?


A key to an apartment with Eva? Well, that would just make his life easier. Rather than sneaking closely to keep an eye on her, an open invitation to visit her whenever was significantly more convenient. ”If you ever need me, just call me… I’ll be there as soon as I can.” His eyes softened and he pulled her closer, kissing the top of her head. He was so happy that the drama between his three friends, and her three friends were miles away, and he wasn’t going to allow it to interrupt their moment together. He felt for Jacob at the moment, but Arthur didn’t know what he could do for his friend. Or if he could do anything for his friend. It seemed that his destiny at the moment was set in stone. It was only for a few seconds that Arthur seemed distracted by the thought, before shaking the thoughts away. Arthur sighed and looked into Eva’s eyes. ”Eva… If someone did… something very bad to you, or someone you close to you. Do you think… you’d forgive them?” Arthur wasn’t sure why he asked this, it seemed to just slip from his lips. He wasn’t sure if he was asking a hypothetical to the relationship between Jacob and Eva’s friend Alyssa… or he was asking about the upcoming assassination of her mother. "Like... something normal people wouldn't forgive?"



ＢＵＴ ＭＹ ＤＲＥＡＭＳ．．．

ＡＳ ＭＹ ＣＯＮＳＣＩＥＮＣＥ ＳＥＥＭＳ ＴＯ ＢＥ

Ｉ ＨＡＶＥ ＨＯＵＲＳ， ＯＮＬＹ ＬＯＮＥＬＹ．．．

ＴＨＡＴ'Ｓ ＮＥＶＥＲ ＦＲＥＥ

✖✖ Translations:...
✖✖ I Feel... Tired.
✖✖ I am At... Arthur's bedroom
✖✖ I am With... Eva
✖✖ I am Thinking..."..."
✖✖ I am Wearing...Black Jeans.

Gigi sat there, pathetically patting Alyssa. She was truly unprepared for this kind of situation, but apparently, Alyssa had enough, asking Gigi to take her home. She reluctantly complied, though she trip was slightly awkward as she could still hear Alyssa crying under her helmet. This must have been some sort of personal hell she got for all the crimes she had committed. As they arrived at Alyssa's house, she wordlessly gave Gigi her spare helmet and dragged herself into her home without saying anything. Her phone sang her text tone, and she groaned. Seeing Alexander's message, she was a little surprised to find it a little on the solemn side. Inevitable? Of course it was inevitable, what sort of question was that? Although Romeo and Juliet was a better comparison than she figured, the more she thought about it. Reckless Drug Lord Romeo and Sentimental Agent Kid Juliet. What a day. Hopefully Helene was having better luck than she was.

---

His lips felt so good on hers, the spark between them definitely turning her on. Terrance got the hint as he lifted her up, Helene wrapping her arms and legs around him, only for her to realize what was happening. Wait, she was supposed to be asking him about Alyssa! Stopping what she was doing, she let out a small cry as her back hit the bed, but he was already undressing her before she realized what was happening. Ack, no! Not yet! But the words themselves never left her lips, less so when his own shirt came off. His hands sent her desire into overdrive, the girl squirming slightly as he kissed her collarbone. Oh no, not there, not there, not there-- Her thoughts were interrupted by her own gasps, a low moan escaping her. She should have known better; there was no stopping Terrance once he started. Unfortunately she was the exact same way, her body encouraging him to keep going. Why the hell was she wanting to stop again? And of course, once he hit the tipping point, she'd end up on top of him. Before she could even stop and think about what she was doing, her hands were already attempting to yank his pants off.

Oh well. There was always tomorrow.

---

What kind of question was that? Eva stayed close to him, her eyes not looking at anything in particular. Maybe he was asking for advice? It sounded serious, but she felt like if she pried too much into it, he might end up shying away from her. "It's not good to hold grudges," She figured she'd at least try to answer his question, even if she was unsure herself. "Resentment isn't healthy, so if that was to happen, no matter what it is, I should forgive them." What the hell was she saying? That's what should be done, but it sure as hell wasn't what she normally did. She resented her mother for her mistreatment, her father for abandoning her, her birth father for failing to show up whenever she tried to find him--and it constantly clawed away at her, though there was no possibility of her ever admitting it.

ＮＯ ＯＮＥ ＫＮＯＷＳ ＷＨＡＴ ＩＴ'Ｓ ＬＩＫＥ．．．

тo вe тнe вαd мαɴ
тσ вє тнє ѕα∂ мαη

ＡＮＤ ＮＯ ＯＮＥ ＫＮＯＷＳ ＷＨＡＴ ＩＴＳ ＬＩＫＥ．．．

тo вe нαтed
тσ вє ƒαтє∂

 
Sunday seemed to pass faster than Saturday. An ugly reminder that although so much was occurring in the real world, the stress of High School was still impending doom on Monday. Sunday Jacob remained in his family’s basement, now having to deal with withdrawing symptoms, as Alexander remained loyally by his friend’s side. It was a rough day for Jacob, and it wouldn’t be much better Monday either. Terrance and Helene parted their separate ways come Sunday morning, as Terrance had to run around checking on Jacob and corresponding with his parents. Arthur and Eva were able to sneak out of the house while his parents were out, and his sister was too distracted by her cell phone to acknowledge them. They spent most of the day apartment shopping, though no place seemed good enough. Arthur kept his arms crossed, pointing out issues with every place they went to. Flimsy locks on doors, bad neighborhood, one place was specifically in Ricardo Munez’s “drug zone” and Arthur instantly turned it down. It felt almost impossible for Arthur to find an apartment that he trusted to be safe enough for Eva to stay in, and by the time he realized it- it was getting late again. At one point in the day, Arthur was able to take Eva to her home to gather her clothes, violin, and any other necessities. Arthur wasn’t sure if he was lucky or Evelyn was lucky, that the house was empty upon arrival. Arthur wasn’t so sure he would be able to hold back on strangling Eva’s mother if he saw her. But, it seemed that Eva would have to spend another night with him, not that he minded. But it was going to be difficult sneaking out Eva with him on Monday morning, while his mom and sister were both present in the early morning.

But that was exactly what they had to do on Monday. As Arthur rose from bed and began to get dressed, gently stirring Eva beside him, so she could get dressed as well. Grabbing his backpack and taking Eva’s hand, he gestured for Eva to remain quiet as they descended the stairs to the kitchen. It was significantly quiet, so Arthur assumed no one was there, but upon turning the corner with Eva, Arthur saw his mother, Alyssa Myles, standing silently and staring at the entry way. She was waiting for Arthur specifically. There were three brown paper bags placed on the table in front of her, along with three plates of breakfast. One of which Lillian, Arthur’s sister was chowing down on. ”Shit!” Arthur quickly turned, practically toppling over Eva in the process. ”Arthur, you don’t have to hide. I’m not going to tell your father about your guest.”

Arthur’s heart was pounding at the prospect of getting caught, but he trusted his Mother and slowly moved back into the kitchen, guiding Eva with him. How did Alyssa know that he had Eva over… How long did she know that he had Eva over? But as Arthur pondered these questions, it seemed his mother could read his mind. ”A mother always knows.” Alyssa was playing with her hair, doing and undoing the many braids throughout her hair as her eyes jumped from Arthur to Eva, a smile growing on her gentle face, and her eyes lighting up. ”It is nice to finally meet you, Eva… I’m sorry my son hasn’t been able to introduced us. My husband can be very… particular with his house rules. I’m also afraid that all I know about you is your name, from Arthur’s father.” A deep red flush returned to Arthur’s face, remembering how it even was that his father discovered about Eva and her name. It scared him to think if Noah told Alyssa about that event as well. Alyssa’s eyes quickly scanned over Eva, and she nodded, walking towards her. ”And she already has such long, blonde hair… Do you mind if I braid it, sweetie?” But before Alyssa could allow Eva to answer, she was already running her fingers through Eva’s hair, braiding it. Arthur sat at the table, beginning to eat the breakfast of eggs and toast laid out before him. He still felt like he was on high alert, not completely sure if his father was already out for the day. But Arthur would also be surprised if he was home, as Noah tended to always get an early start on weekdays. ”Your Father is too hard on you, if you ask me Arthur. I don’t mind that your little friend stays here for… whatever the reason may be.” Alyssa’s blues eyes seemed to flash to Arthur. It was obvious that she knew why Eva was here. Damn, it kind of pissed off Arthur that his parents knew so much more than him, and weren’t willing to share any of it. Lillian also looked at the new guest with curious eyes, but also seemed not very interested, as her phone was preoccupying most of her attention. ”If you don’t mind giving my clothes back too, Arthur. I’d really appreciate it. My clothes aren’t bathrobes handed out at hotels.” She didn’t seem to lift her eyes from her phone, just curling her pigtail hairs between her fingers. It clicked with Arthur that that could have been how Alyssa found out about the presence of another girl in the house… increased laundry. ”She is welcome to stay as long as she likes… but you two need to continue being careful around your father. He doesn’t mean everything he says… But it is best not to push buttons. And so long as you both don’t bring me any grandchildren too early, I have no issues.“

”We have to go.” Arthur said abruptly, stealing the two lunches from the counter for him and Eva, and then grabbing Eva’s hand and evacuating her from the situation, half of a braid done in her hair. Alyssa just smiled and waved as the two left. And Alyssa turned towards Lillian. ”And you need to get going too-“ Retreating to Arthur’s Volvo, he let out a loud sigh, holding his head. God, only his family could be so weird, he looked at Eva out of the corner of his eyes. ”Sorry about that…”

It didn’t take long for the Duo to arrive on campus, and it very quickly caught the attention of students in the parking lot, as Arthur and Eva both stepped out of the car together. Word travelled faster than a contagious disease, as murmurings began to spread about Arthur arriving on campus with a girl Some people could identify her as Eva, many others didn’t even know who she was until they saw her standing next to the quiet giant, walking on campus. Arthur just sighed, rubbing his head. He wondered if this kind of negative attention annoyed Arthur as much as it did Eva. A few cars over in the parking lot, two bodies began to scramble out of a car, carrying a third one over their shoulders. None other than Jacob, Alexander, and Terrance. When Terrance locked eyes on Arthur, he began to yell out. ”Considering you are the strongest of us.. and technically a bodyguard. I think you should be the one carrying this lump!” Arthur looked at Eva for a second then back to Jacob, who was barely standing on his feet. Arthur hadn’t told Eva anything about what occurred on Saturday, and he wasn’t sure if Alyssa had told her anything. But Arthur hurried over, and with one arm lifted Jacob over his shoulder, where he continued to lay limply. ”Was it a good idea to bring him on campus?” Terrance waved his hand, dismissing the question. ”He is fine. He was walking around and talking all this morning. Symptoms just keep hitting him in waves. He tends to bounce around from perfectly fine to practically manic-depressive.” Terrance’s eyes drifted and landed on Eva, where he locked up slightly, and laughed nervously. ”Really bad case of the flu, this one… Best to keep your distance. Shouldn’t you be looking for your own friends?” Arthur shot a glare towards Terrance, though he seemed to ultimately ignore it. Arthur didn’t appreciate Terrance talking to Eva that way. But at the same time, it was a hint that Terrance didn’t want Eva within earshot of whatever he needed to communicate to Arthur. ”You can put me down, I can walk myself…” Jacob’s groggy voice spoke up, and Arthur obeyed, steading Jacob on his feet. He really didn’t look good. His face was significantly pale, for a Swede, his normally emerald green eyes looked faded, and his eyes look sunken in his eye sockets. He couldn’t have sleep within the past 24 hours at least. He really should have stayed home, but Jacob seemed to insist that he needed to come in today, for whatever reason. The campus was slowly filling with bodies again, and Arthur could hear again as rumor bounced from boy to girl to girl to boy about Arthur arriving on campus with some girl.



ＢＵＴ ＭＹ ＤＲＥＡＭＳ．．．

ＡＳ ＭＹ ＣＯＮＳＣＩＥＮＣＥ ＳＥＥＭＳ ＴＯ ＢＥ

Ｉ ＨＡＶＥ ＨＯＵＲＳ， ＯＮＬＹ ＬＯＮＥＬＹ．．．

ＴＨＡＴ'Ｓ ＮＥＶＥＲ ＦＲＥＥ

✖✖ Translations:...
✖✖ I Feel... Tired.
✖✖ I am At... Arthur's bedroom
✖✖ I am With... Eva
✖✖ I am Thinking..."..."
✖✖ I am Wearing...Black Jeans.

Stepping out of her car, the redheaded girl flipped her hair over her shoulders. The fresh air felt great, though she wished she didn't have to go to school. After locking her car, she started walking towards the school among the crowd, throwing out a few greetings here and there. It didn't look like it, but Helene was actually very nervous. Turns out that her little mission that she had promised Gigi never got off the ground. After failing to ask Terrance the first time they met up, she thought she could have used Sunday to her benefit. The only benefit that came was probably the record time their clothes hit the ground once they had their privacy. Honestly, Helene hated how once Terrance's hands touched her she was basically putty, complying with her own lust and forgetting about literally everything else. In a way it was relieving, the entire Alyssa and Jacob situation had gotten under her skin in a way most people would describe as 'stressed'. But Helene never stressed. She took life as it came and didn't care what happened next. She was young, beautiful, and had a constant target on her back, so her entire life's motto was to live every day like it was her last. Terrance was the one thing that took her mind off of everything...and made her wish things were different.

Today may very well be her last, though, considering she had absolutely nothing to give Gigi. She couldn't lie to her, either, that girl had an uncanny ability to know whenever someone was trying to bullshit her. Probably some mercenary training or whatever, so when Helene reached the school's entrance, she was definitely keeping her senses sharp. People were talking around her, which at first she paid hardly any attention to, until she thought she heard Eva's name among them. Curious, she decided to tune into the little conversations around her. Apparently some mystery girl had arrived to school with Arthur Myles, but not in the sense that they had met up, no, she actually came out of his car. Helene didn't have to guess who it was, but she didn't appreciate the follow up commentary.

"So, what, now they're together after hooking up at Terrance Flights' party? Pretty sure she blew him there."

"I can't believe he'd give her of all people his attention, like come on, he could do better!"

"I heard someone saw them together yesterday, too, looking for a place. He probably got her knocked up or something."

Rolling her eyes, Helene ended up pushing past several people, though the conversations seemed to be on repeat, with some rumors closer to the truth than intended. She knew Eva mentioned her mother kicking her out, but she just thought that it was for the day. Had she stayed with Arthur the whole weekend? No wonder the other girls were so livid; Arthur never so much as gave anyone a passing glance, now suddenly Eva pops up next to him, so of course they were going to talk. The situation gave her some deja vu, but eventually she spotted Arthur and Eva walking together.

Eva herself was perfectly aware of the hostility the moment she stepped out of Arthur's car. The all too familiar feeling of having everyone look at you was something she wasn't used to, but wow, if looks could kill, she'd have been dead a long time ago. Even so, she found herself relatively chipper, a small smile on her face. Despite the ups and downs of her weekend, she greatly enjoyed waking up next to Arthur a lot more than she anticipated. His mother had pleasantly surprised her with how kind she was, her braid a nice reminder, though she did make a mental note to try to buy his little sister something nice for borrowing her clothes. As bad as it sounded, sneaking around Arthur's father was thrilling, but she wasn't going to say that out loud. Still, the situation brought out a pretty important question she had been wondering since she first arrived in his room. Where did they stand now? Were they a couple? Lovers? Friends? Well, not that last one, she didn't have this feeling with anyone else but Arthur. But she felt like asking him would make things weird, moreso now that everyone was staring.

As Terrance called out to Arthur, Eva turned around too, but was surprised. Jacob looked awful, what had happened to him? As Terrance mentioned her friends, she realized that she had gotten this far without running to any of them. Looking around, she spotted Alyssa talking to Jennifer Tinsley, one of their classmates. Before she could say hello, she let out a cry of surprise as Helene jumped onto her back, nearly falling over. "Good morning!" Helene grinned as she got on her feet, watching Eva's annoyed expression, though she froze as she saw Jacob. "U-Uh, wow, you probably should go home, you don't look so hot..." She scratched the back of her neck, wondering why the hell the clearly withdrawn Jacob had decided to go to school.

"She's right, you should--" Eva began to comment, though Helene pulled on her arm. "What?"

"We'll catch you guys later, we need to talk about something," Helene played it relatively calm, dragging Eva against her will. Once she determined they were far enough away, she shot her a look. "You're a pretty hot topic right now. What's this I'm hearing about you and Arthur moving in together?"

"Is that it? That's pretty tame," Eva admitted, expecting something more.

"They're saying that because people think Arthur knocked you up," Helene elaborated. "What, you didn't go home yesterday?" Eva shook her head. "Wait, so this entire weekend you've been staying at his house?!"

"I told you, my mom kicked me out," Eva said. "Did you think I as joking?"

"No, but I offered you my place, too--" Helene stopped herself, remembering that once she had reached Terrance's house, she never bothered to follow up on Eva. "I'm sorry, I should've checked up on you yesterday. I didn't know it was that bad. Do you need any help with your new place?"

"I don't have one yet, Arthur's been helping me look," She admitted, smiling slightly. "His mom caught us when we were trying to leave this morning, but she welcomed me to stay there for a while..."

Helene looked ahead, a serious look on her face. "He's probably trying to keep you close to him..." Her voice trailed off as she placed her hand over her mouth.

In the time they knew each other, Helene had never looked like that before. "What?" Eva asked, worried about her reaction. But Helene wasn't sure what to say, avoiding eye contact with her. "Helene, what is it? You're scaring me."

Coming to a halt, she placed both her hands on Eva's shoulders. "Listen, Eva, things are going to get complicated from here on out. I don't know what's going to happen, I don't even know if things will stay the same," She said, staring right at her. "I just want you to know that no matter what happens, no matter what is said or done, you can trust me with anything. I'm your friend first, above everything. I know what I'm saying doesn't make sense, but you need to know that I'd do anything for you."

"Why are you telling me this?" Eva asked, alarmed.

The redhead didn't respond right away, giving Eva an extremely guilty look, and she ended up pulling her into a hug. "Because if anything happens to you, if anyone hurts you...it'll be my fault," Helene was shaking as she had Eva close to her, and for a moment, Eva thought she was going to cry. But she didn't, and she pulled away from Eva, smiling. Her smile faded immediately as she looked at something, and Eva followed her gaze to see Alyssa looking at them. The glare in Alyssa's eye was solely on Helene, but it looked like she didn't even want to look at her, simply continuing on her walk. "Alyssa and I are fighting right now," Helene admitted to Eva's confused look. "She didn't like what I had to say about Jacob."

"Jacob?"

"He wanted to get back together and she said no," Helene sighed. "So she's fighting with him, fighting with me..."

"Oh! Is that why he looks so...he kind of looks super hungover," Eva admitted, and Helene had to stop herself from laughing at poor Eva's ignorance. Her face paled, however, as she spotted Gigi in the distance. The girl saw her too, and promptly broke into a run. "I'll catch you later, I need to go!" Helene said hurriedly, breaking into a sprint. Gigi whizzed by, only managing a wave, leaving Eva by herself. What was going on with everyone?

ＮＯ ＯＮＥ ＫＮＯＷＳ ＷＨＡＴ ＩＴ'Ｓ ＬＩＫＥ．．．

тo вe тнe вαd мαɴ
тσ вє тнє ѕα∂ мαη

ＡＮＤ ＮＯ ＯＮＥ ＫＮＯＷＳ ＷＨＡＴ ＩＴＳ ＬＩＫＥ．．．

тo вe нαтed
тσ вє ƒαтє∂

 
Eva was whisked away from Arthur in what felt like a matter of seconds. He watched with keen eyes as Helene seemed to scurry here away rather quickly. After all that had been revealed to Arthur on Saturday, he wasn’t feeling so good about letting Eva out of his sight, especially with Helene. Of course, as much as it would benefit the Swedes to have Helene as a friend… was she really a friend to Eva? Arthur continued to watch them with eagle eyes as the four made it on campus, every now and again having to support Jacob from tumbling over. ”I don’t know why you chose to show up today. You should have stayed home and recovered more, idiot.” Terrance spoke up, helping Jacob to sit down at the fountain in the center of the courtyard. ”If he was home, I’d have to be there with him… If I weren’t babysitting him, he would have dived back into his stash.” Alexander sighed, sitting beside his friend as well.

Arthur, though concerned for Jacob, was more caught up in the little whisperings he heard around him. About Eva specifically. He wanted to knock out every girl and guy who walked by, whispering petty gossip about him and Eva. Jealousy. Were they really so green with envy, that they couldn’t accept what was happening? Arthur huffed his breath, crossing his arms across his chest, his naturally stern look remained plaster over his face. Jacob periodically would lift his eyes, scanning the crowd. Though it was obvious he was looking for Alyssa. It didn’t take much time to spot her, as the annoyed brunette was glaring towards Helene. Why did it seem that their little friend group was imploding from the inside as well? ”I need to talk to her again.”

”Yeah, that’s not fucking happening. And you know it.” Terrance kept a heavy hand on Jacob’s shoulder to keep him seated. ”You’re not changing anything. And we don’t need you spiraling out of control again. I think it is best that you hang back for now.”

”Not looking too good, gringo.” An all too familiar voice spoke up from behind. Arthur finally shifted his attention from Eva and Helene to the short Latino beside him, once again followed by his own little gang of hooligans. Terrance shot a glare, and Alexander’s usually teddy bear face seemed to harden as well. Jacob, who was the obvious target of the conversation, didn’t respond at all, his eyes locked on Alyssa from across the courtyard. ”Still chasing that chica I see, Jacob. Does that turn you on or something? Breaking her heart and then breaking yours? Back and forth, back and forth. Kinda pathetic. And Arthur, I though you would learn, of all people…” He jingled, shrugging his shoulders highly. His attention then shifted from Jacob to Arthur, his sly grin growing on his face. That same mouth that planted an unwanted kiss on Eva. The night began to run again through Arthur’s mind and he clinched his fists. ”Well… now that I know you two are a thing. I will share my warning again… If you don’t keep a close eye on her- something could happen, Sueco. Her lips are quite soft, are they not?” He laughed at the obvious anger raising in Arthur, and he pulled his fist back again. But it was Alexander who clung to his arm, pulling him back. ”Not on campus, Arthur! Another time.” Alexander shot a glare as the Latino and his group began to shuffle away. Mimicking a week earlier. Ricardo shot a smile towards Eva across the way and shot her both an air kiss and a wink.

“God what a slut… She made out with Ricardo and hooked up with Arthur. All in one night!” A rather tall girl, with long legs, black hair, and just as dark eyes watched from another corner of campus. Her eyes examining Arthur’s aggressive reaction. It seemed to send a shiver through her spine. She wondered how much one of his slaps must have hurt... very nice… “Yeah, what a slut… I’m hoping those rumors of her getting knocked up are false. Then he won’t be stuck with such a tramp.” One girl spoke up from behind Isabelle. Isabelle twirled her pitch black hair in her fingers, her eyes shifting to Eva. Her eyes travelled up and down Eva’s body, as if analyzing her for some hidden weak point. ”I doubt it… But, I think we ought to put her back in her place… lunch. We just have to separate her from her pack.” The girl spoke up again. ”Oh! I have language with just before lunch. I’ll see if she’ll be willing to go with me to the library. No one is ever there during lunch.” Isabelle’s dark eyes shifted to her friend, it almost sounded like she was purring with delight. ”Peeerfect.”

Once Arthur had a few seconds to cool down, Alexander finally felt comfortable to let go of Arthur and he sighed heavily. He wanted to rip Ricardo’s face off in that instance. His natural Viking blood was craving the spilling of someone else’s. But he had to tone it down significantly, especially with so many other bodies around. Arthur saw that Eva was alone again but wasn’t sure if he should run to her side. His body was telling him too, yet at the same time his mind was telling him to hang back. He was drawing way too much attention to Eva by being close to her. Being too close to her was endangering her, but not being by her side was driving him equally crazy.

In a forth corner of campus, a single boy stood with silver hair, gray eyes, and thick coke bottle glasses. He was known as the school’s wallflower, but his born name was Matthew. He seemed to wince with each mention of Eva’s name from each passersby around him. He didn’t like it. He didn’t like one bit all the mean things being said about a complete angel. Damn that Arthur, for soiling such an innocent girl, he cursed under his breath. He should be the one standing beside her. He was going to do it. He was going to fight Arthur for Eva… at lunch. But something was willing him to walk towards her now. His brain screamed no, but his gut seemed to be pulling him closer, until he was standing in front of her. He could feel Arthur’s eyes burning a hole in the back of his neck. But he didn’t turn around to face his enemy. ”H-Hey, Eva. How was your weekend?” He practically whispered to her. He wasn’t brave, or charming, or strong. He didn’t attract the attention of admirers like Arthur did. But he was known for being a very trusting, sweet, and endearing friend to anyone who needed it. But much like a used napkin, he seemed to get tossed away once people were done using them. Eva, to Matthew, always seemed like the only one that didn’t treat him that way. Perhaps that is why he felt so warm towards her. And why, despite his own fears, he wanted to step up and protect Eva from the nasty gossip that floated around.



ＢＵＴ ＭＹ ＤＲＥＡＭＳ．．．

ＡＳ ＭＹ ＣＯＮＳＣＩＥＮＣＥ ＳＥＥＭＳ ＴＯ ＢＥ

Ｉ ＨＡＶＥ ＨＯＵＲＳ， ＯＮＬＹ ＬＯＮＥＬＹ．．．

ＴＨＡＴ'Ｓ ＮＥＶＥＲ ＦＲＥＥ

✖✖ Translations:...
✖✖ I Feel... High Alert.
✖✖ I am At... School's Center Fountain
✖✖ I am With... Jacob, Terrance, and Alexander
✖✖ I am Thinking..."Who is that talking to Eva?"
✖✖ I am Wearing...School Uniform

Watching Gigi chase Helene down, Eva couldn't help but wonder what was happening. She was used to Alyssa and Helene's little fights, always over something trivial, always easily solved once she got them to sit down and talk it out. And every time they'd make up and go back to gossiping or talking about school or whatever. But the way Alyssa had glared at Helene wasn't right. If she didn't know nay better, she would have thought Alyssa hated Helene. But why? What was it that happened between her and Jacob that Helene disagreed with? With the way Jacob was treating himself, she had to find herself probably on Helene's side. He needed to take better care of himself, leaving himself as a zombie wasn't good for him. But since no one wanted to tell her what was going on, she just had to guess.

Of course, now that she was by herself, she felt everyone's stares again. Hmm, she must have been a glutton for punishment considering she wasn't really paying them much mind, which probably angered them more. But girls were girls no matter what school she went to, so it was no surprise that this school was the same as the rest. As she figured she should get to her locker, she noticed Ricardo winking at her, blowing her a kiss. She shifted uncomfortably, giving him another wave, though she wouldn't look at him. Was he teasing her about the party? It wasn't really nice of him to just up and kiss her like that, but it wasn't like she was going to confront him about it. Arthur had gotten so angry...but if she was honest, she didn't mind, since she got to have Arthur shortly afterwards. She probably shouldn't have been smiling to herself, but as she remembered the first kiss she and Arthur shared, she knew she could handle whatever people were going to throw at her.

Picking up the pace again, she only stopped when someone greeted her. Ah, Matthew, she hadn't seen him since classes started. She visibly relaxed, stopping in her tracks to talk to him. He was a nice kid, if somewhat lonely, though she never had a problem talking to him. Their conversations had a tendency to be rather brief, though, as he always seemed to get nervous around her for some reason. Not that she minded, he probably had his own things to do. "Good morning, Matthew," She greeted him kindly. "My weekend was good, how about yours?"