Mess Us Up – Jaxson Kidman Page 0,13

she and I can get back to normal. She and I will be okay.

That’s what matters most to me.

I put my nose to her shoulder and I smell her skin.

I shut my eyes.

When the morning light wakes me, I find the bed empty.

I sit up and look to the corner of the bed.

That’s where Jolie is sitting.

I stretch my neck and clear my throat.

“Morning, sweetie,” I say. “What are you doing?”

Jolie looks back at me.

She smiles.

She slowly turns and shows me her hand.

There’s a cigarette in her hand.

“What’s that for?” I ask.

“I was thinking about taking up the habit,” she says.

I push the covers off me and slide up next to her. “What?”

“Why not, right? Can you picture me smoking?”

Jolie puts the cigarette between her lips.

I won’t lie, she looks fucking beautiful like that. She’s still got this perfect, innocent look to her. Add in a cigarette and it’s just… damn.

“Are you serious right now?” I ask.

Jolie plucks the cigarette out of her mouth and puts it into the palm of her hand again.

She’s holding it like it’s a tarantula or something.

Like she’s afraid of the cigarette.

I lean toward her and kiss the side of her head.

“I know this is all fucked up,” I whisper. “Soon, sweetie.”

“How though, Mac? How do I get kidnapped and then just show up again like normal?”

She looks at me.

She’s put a lot of thought into it.

I touch her face. “Who knows about it? That’s the question. Missing. Kidnapped. They’re two different things, Jolie. For all anyone knows, you got burned out and took off. Threw your phone into the ocean and went on a road trip. By yourself. The word kidnapped wasn’t done by you.”

“Mac, there’s legal implications…”

I smile. “Then the lawyer in you will figure it out. You’ll know what to say and how to spin it.”

“I already have enough things spinning,” Jolie says.

She stands up from the bed.

She holds her hand out.

“What do you think?” she asks.

“I think you’re fucking perfect and beautiful and sexy no matter what you do,” I say. “Cigarette or not.” I stand up and move toward her. “If you do this though, you have to get used to it. You might throw up.”

“Really?”

“You never tried a cigarette before?” I ask.

“No.”

I laugh. I touch her face. “Just when I think I can’t love you anymore.”

“Over a cigarette?” Jolie asks.

I steal the cigarette from her hand.

I walk to the dresser and get my lighter and light the cigarette.

After I take the first drag, I hold the cigarette out for Jolie to take.

She shuts her eyes and shakes her head.

I smile and walk toward her again.

I take another drag of the cigarette and then put my mouth to her neck and gently kiss her, letting the tip of my tongue flirt with her neck while a cloud of smoke blankets her face.

I take one step away from her and her hand grabs my left wrist.

Her other hand grabs something else.

She looks up at me.

Now we all know the best way to start a morning, right?

I stand in the doorway to the secret cash room.

Ado looks back at me.

He swallows hard.

“What?” I ask.

“Taz’s bag is short,” he says.

“What?”

“The cash… it’s short. It looks short. It’s not all there, Mac.”

I step into the room and shut the door.

I lock it.

“Show me,” I say.

“I… I can’t,” Ado says.

“Why not?”

“I put everything away,” he says. “But the bag count and cash… I mean, unless it was some old shit. Or a discount. Or something else I don’t know about. I’m just going by eyes here.”

“Move out of the way,” I say.

Ado slowly stands and puts his back against the wall.

I crouch down and look at the cash.

I’ve been around this game long enough to know when something isn’t right.

And something isn’t right.

It’s all around me though.

Not just within the crew. Or the cash. Or shit on campus. Or the beach. Or the skatepark. Or anything else I have to deal with on a daily basis.

I look up at Ado. “Keep an eye on it.”

“What?”

I stand up. “You saw something was short and you fucking put it away anyway?”

“I was just moving things,” Ado says. “Keep my mental count. When the fuck are things off, right? It never happens.”

“Until it does,” I say.

“What are you going to do?” he asks.

“I’ll handle it,” I say. “Just don’t be so fucking stupid.” I walk to the door and unlock it. I look back. “How’s your mother?”

“She’s okay,” he says. “She’s willing to get treatments now. Only what