Mess Us Up – Jaxson Kidman Page 0,10

me.

Then he stands up and walks to the door.

“Call me if you need anything,” he says. “I’ll be back in a little while. You two do your thing.”

He leaves the bedroom.

Violet looks back at the door. “He didn’t lock the door.”

“No,” I say.

She looks at me. “We can leave. Right now. He can’t do this to you.”

I grab for Violet’s hands and I put my butt on the floor.

We sit across from each other.

“You’re my best friend, right?” I ask.

“Yeah,” she says.

“Then you need to be quiet and listen to me…”

Violet takes another drink from the bottle.

“There better be more of this,” she says. “Because I still don’t believe this.”

“Here, watch,” I say.

I stand up and walk to the door. I open it.

“And you don’t just run?” she asks.

“Violet, this isn’t me kidnapped for real,” I say. “How many times do I have to say it?”

“I don’t get it,” she says.

I shut the door and laugh. “I don’t know what else to say.”

“So this is because of your father? Your father? Really?”

“Yeah,” I say. “He’s got himself tied into something bad. I have no idea what. But Mac is trying to find out. I was almost killed in my own apartment, Violet. And things just kept getting worse. Everyone wants to blame Mac… but what if it wasn’t because of him at all?”

“This is beyond crazy,” she says.

“I know,” I say. I start to pace the room. “Um… tell me what they’re saying about me. Like, what’s happening out there?”

“Well, first off, I fucking hate you,” Violet says.

“For what?”

“You’re gone,” she says. “The calls and texts… your phone…”

“That’s fish food,” I say and frown.

“Ohmygod,” Violet says. “I called and texted for hours… days… and they tracked your phone to the ocean… and I just…”

I slowly drop to my knees and touch Violet’s shoulders. “Look at me, Violet. I’m fine here. Do I want to be here? No. But I have to be here. Mac bringing you here to see me is a big deal. He can get into serious trouble.”

“Oh, good, so we can all die?”

“Stop it.”

“What am I supposed to do or think here? I thought Mac was kidnapping me. I was out for a run and he-”

“You were running?” I ask.

“Yeah. That’s how stressed I am.”

“The only time I’ve ever seen you run was after a cute guy at the beach.”

Violet pushes at me. “That just goes to show how much I care about you. My heart’s been broken, Jolie. And I knew it had something to do with Mac. I fucking knew it. But I didn’t say anything…”

“You swear?”

“I swear,” she says. “I told them nothing was out of the ordinary.”

“Yeah. Good. What else happened? What about my parents?”

Violet shakes her head. “I just… I couldn’t get a hold of you for a day and I started to get worried. I figured you were with Mac. I went to the beach and didn’t see you. Those other tough guys were there but I didn’t have the nerve to talk to them.”

“Van and Clay? The surfers?”

“You know everyone, don’t you?” Violet asks. “Who are you, Jolie?”

I smile. “Do you really want me to answer that?”

“No,” Violet says. She swallows hard. “I went home and the police showed up. To tell me you were missing. I refused to believe it. There’s no way you’re missing… but the cop I talked to…”

“What was his name?”

“His name?” Violet asks.

“Was it Declan?”

“Yeah, why?”

I smile bigger.

Violet kicks away from me. “No. No way. No. Stop it…”

“Please,” I say. “It’s all part of it.”

“Was that even a real cop?” Violet asks.

“Yes,” I say. “He’s a real cop. Just leave it at that.”

“Okay,” Violet says. “He was asking about you. Wanted to know the last time I saw you. That kind of stuff. I couldn’t think straight. I cried. I cried so much, Jolie. I didn’t eat. I didn’t sleep. Then I got angry. What the fuck are you thinking with this?”

I shake my head. “Trust me, the less you know the better. But it’s for my safety. I promise you. You didn’t see my parents at all?”

“No,” Violet says. “Sorry.”

“Don’t be sorry,” I say.

The conversation falls silent.

We stare at each other.

Violet is still in disbelief.

I scoot my butt on the floor and get close to her again.

I hold my arm out.

“What?” Violet asks.

“Pinch me,” I say. “Prove I’m real.”

“Shouldn’t you pinch me?” Violet asks. “To make sure I’m not dreaming?”

I reach for her and pinch her arm.

“Ow!” she yells.

“Dreaming?” I ask.

“No,” she says.

I stand