Chapter 9

Hours passed before I decided to just get out of bed and face the day. I couldn't stop thinking about Jace and it made it nearly impossible to fall back to sleep.

Groaning, I pushed myself out of bed and sauntered down the hallway in search of Jace. I knocked on Jace's door. "Jace," I questioned. "Are you up?"

There was no response. I waited by the door for a few minutes before I finally gave up and decided to look through the rest of the house. As soon as I walked into the kitchen, my eyes settled on a piece of paper lying on the middle of the dining table.

Be at work by ten o'clock. Don't be late.

-Jace

I crumpled up the paper and tossed it into the trash. I couldn't believe that he had left without waking me up. We always went to work at the same time.

I quickly got ready for work and called for a taxi. The emptiness in my stomach made me feel weak and I really just wanted to get the day over with.

After arriving at the diner, I tossed the driver some cash and jumped out of the taxi. I was getting close to being late and I didn't want to disappoint Jace anymore than I already had.

I sprinted over to the diner, gripped my purse under my arm, and opened the heavy door. Without looking, I quickly made my way to the waitress station, bumping into Jace in the process. A bunch of papers scattered across the floor, causing Jace to look down at them while slapping his forehead.

"Get it together, please. Now all of these orders are mixed up and we're already falling behind," he grunted. He bent down and started picking them up, without even bothering to look at me. "Just hurry and go find Stacy."

I got ready to bend down, but Jace grabbed my arm to stop me. He looked into my eyes and then quickly looked away. "Don't worry about it. I can get these," he said firmly.

I turned my head away ashamed. I somehow managed to upset him even more. The one thing that I was trying to avoid. "I'm sorry. I didn't-"

"I said it’s fine," he cut in. He looked at me, expressionless and then quickly turned and walked away.

I felt a hand grip my shoulder, causing me to jump away unexpectedly. I turned around to see Stacy, wide eyed, and looking panicked. I'd never seen her that way before.

"Come on, sweetie," Stacy said. "We need to get busy. I'm so behind." She grabbed my arm and started pulling me behind her. "Throw your apron on. I'll let you grab the next table."

Stressed, I grunted to myself and threw on my apron. I couldn't believe that I had managed to mess the day up even more.

Brushing past Stacy, I made my way to the back of the diner, noticing the back of a woman's head as she took a seat in an open booth.

Walking over to the booth, I pulled out my pen and paper and prepared for my first customer. "My name is Avery, what can I-"

"I was hoping I would get you."

I looked down at the woman for the first time since I had walked over to greet her. I had seen the same strange woman a few days before and seeing her again didn't please me one bit.

She grinned revealing her rotted teeth. "Go and fetch me a coffee," she huffed, with a wave of her hand.

I grinded my teeth and shoved my pad of paper in my apron. The last thing that I wanted was to deal with some crazy bitch as soon as I started my day. "Listen here, lady." I leaned into the table and gripped the back of her booth with my right hand. I was tired of taking people's shit. "If you keep talking to me like that then-"

"Feisty. I like that." She laughed. "I guess some things do change." She leaned back in the booth and pushed my hand away, her rough skin scratching against my skin. "Coffee, black."

She ran her hand through her stringy hair and coughed. Her eyes stayed glued on mine, making me sick to my stomach. She sounded as if she were about to cough up a lung. Who is this nut job?

I pushed past Stacy in a hurry, and over to the waitress station. I grabbed a coffee mug, slamming it down on the station, as I poured it high with steaming hot coffee, hoping and praying that she would burn the crap out of herself. Who does this lady think she is messing with?

I stomped over to the woman's booth and slammed her coffee down in front of her. She looked up stiffly. "Here's your damn coffee," I groaned. The coffee splashed over the sides of the little ceramic mug and spilled on the woman's hand.

She jerked her ashy hand away revealing a piece of paper underneath. She glared up at me and shook the paper off. Then she pushed herself to her feet and smirked, as she slammed the paper back down on the table. "I've changed my mind on the coffee."     

She brushed past me, leaving the smell of booze as it lingered off her heavy breath. She almost fell into a young couple’s booth, but caught her balance and reached out to open the door. Glancing back in my direction, she nodded her head at the table, and laughed before disappearing. Everyone in the diner stared in disgust.

A wave of relief washed over me as the door to the diner closed behind her.

I reached down to grab the cup of coffee when I noticed that the piece of paper had writing on it. It was written in childish handwriting. Almost even a scribble. It looked like some sort of note.

My heart raced as I reached for the paper and shoved it into my apron. I didn't need anything messing up my work performance at the moment and I knew that if it was meant for me that it would just be something to mess with my head. Maybe even a hate letter or something. I didn't care to find out anytime soon. I already had a lot on my mind and she was the least of my worries.

The rest of the workday surprisingly flew by and Jace somehow managed to avoid me the whole day. It made me angry. I didn't understand why he was so mad. It wasn't even a big deal. I only told him the truth. We barely knew each other.

I stared out the window lost in thought. I watched as the rain splashed against the window and slowly trailed down to the ground. It reminded me of my life. No matter how hard I tried, I couldn't stop falling.

"That was fun," Stacy sang from out of nowhere. I glanced up with a strained smile, as she sat down across from me. Her bright smile faded when she noticed the sour look on my face. The one that I couldn't help but to make. "Is everything okay?" she questioned.

I shifted in my seat uncomfortably. I didn't really care to talk about things. I never did. "I'm fine. Just tired," I breathed. "You know, it was such a busy day."

She smiled and brushed her hair out of her face. "I know how you must feel. I felt the same way when I first started. Don't worry you're doing a great job."

She stood up and reached for her phone. "I have to go. I'll see you tomorrow." She took one step, but then stopped. "Did you call William?" She grinned. I knew she just wanted me to be happy, but something in her eyes told me that she was interested in William. Either way she wanted me to be happy.

I smiled up at her and shook my head. "No. I've been busy." I knew that was a lie, but I didn't want to upset her. She had been trying so hard to make me happy.

Stacy frowned, before looking over at Jace as he rushed by. "We'll talk more about that later." She ran to the door as Jace held it open. "Bye, guys."

Jace waved, but didn't say anything back. That was unusual. Then he turned back and glared at me. "You coming?" he questioned.

I stood up, feeling stupid, and grabbed my things. "Yeah."

The car ride home was silent. I wanted to say something, but didn't know what to say. Everything that I always said was wrong. It had been that way my whole life. No matter what I had said to my father to make him less angry, it always had the opposite effect. Maybe I was just easy to stay mad at.

I looked over at Jace as he parked the car and pulled his keys out of the ignition. "Thanks for the ride."

We both jumped out of the car and headed for the door in an awkward silence. It took him a moment before finally replying.

"You're welcome." he stammered, as he unlocked the door to let us in. He stood there with a hard expression as he waited impatiently for me to enter the house. It seemed as if I were nothing more than an irritation, just as Emma had been.

I need to go. I don't belong here. I brushed past Jace and headed straight to my room, shutting myself inside. I just wanted to be alone. I couldn't stand to even look at Jace and I just wanted to leave: to have my own place again.

I stood against the wall letting the anger slowly build up inside. I could just leave and Jace wouldn't care. No one ever does. After being pushed away for most of my life, it didn't take much for me to get the hint when it was time to move on. I knew my role. The only world I belonged in was my own.

I grabbed for the empty box that I had stashed in my closet and started throwing my clothes inside. My heart raced and my hands shook as I forced myself to move as fast as I could. I could barely even function right. My mind was going wild. I couldn't get out of there fast enough.

I went to throw my hair brush and makeup bag in the box, but missed. I dropped down to my hands and knees and went to reach for the brush, but stopped when my door suddenly swung open.

Jace stood in the doorway with a grim look on his face. He looked down at me on my hands and knees and then over to the box. He shook his head and then walked over to my bed and sat on the edge. "Avery, I've been doing a lot of thinking today and I want to apologize. I just have a lot on my mind." He stood up, reached for my brush, and placed it back on my dresser. "Get dressed. You're coming out with me tonight. I think that we both could use a drink."

At the moment, I couldn't help but to agree to the offer. A drink sounded nice and I desperately needed something to take the edge off. I was in no way like my father when it came to drinking, but a few drinks once in a while to relax seemed to be normal to me. "Sure. I could use a drink...or two."

Jace smiled and walked toward the door. "Be ready in twenty minutes." He stepped out of my room closing the door behind him.

My heart raced at the thought of doing something with Jace. He had a strange way to him that I couldn't seem to figure out.

I waited for his footsteps to stop, before scrambling to my feet and leaning against the dresser.

I reached inside my closet and started throwing my clothes around. I knew exactly what I wanted to wear for the night, exactly what I needed to feel good.

After finding what I was looking for, I threw on my ivory satin corset and my short black skirt. It molded to my curvy bottom perfectly, hanging just below my panty line. I knew that I looked a little trashy, but I felt sexy and that was what I needed at the moment. To feel anything but hurt.

I slipped on my black heels and curled my hair so that it hung loosely around my face and fell down the middle of my back.

After taking a quick look in the mirror, satisfied with my reflection, I walked out into the living room to find Jace standing there with a black button down shirt and a pair of gray dress pants. His sleeves were rolled up to just under his elbows, revealing his tattoos, and his top button was undone, exposing the top of his black undershirt. He looked stunning.

Jace turned around as I reached for my jacket. His mouth dropped open, but he quickly recovered, pretending as if it never happened. "You look..." His eyes trailed down my body and stopped on my nude legs. He coughed and loosened his shirt collar. "Nice." He reached for his jacket and slipped it on. "I don't know if you should wear that though. If you bend over then-"

I laughed, cutting him off. "I think that I'll be fine." I grinned at his reaction and smoothly slipped my jacket on. The look of pleasure on his face, mixed with one of concern, made me smile slightly.  "Let’s go, Jace. The club is waiting." I walked past him and grabbed for my purse. "You coming?"

He ran his hands through his slick hair and bit his bottom lip, his expression playful. "Oh yeah. I'm coming."

My stomach did flips as we walked outside.

When we arrived at the bar, Jace jumped out and opened the door for me. He grinned as I jumped out and fixed my skirt. "What?" I questioned.

He laughed and nodded his head toward the club. "Nothing. Let’s go."

I heard someone whistle as a group of people walked out of the bar and passed us. I just ignored it and kept walking. I wasn't going to let it bother me. Not tonight.

Jace clenched his jaw, biting his lip, as one of the men eyed me up.

He placed his hand on the small of my back and leaned over my shoulder as we approached the bouncer. He was a young man with tattoos and a shaved head. "I can take care of this," he assured me.

The bouncer nodded his head and held out his fist. You could tell that they had a good personal relationship. Maybe they had been old friends or maybe Jace was just a regular of the club. "What's up, man?" He pounded his fist against Jace's and motioned for us to enter the bar. "It's crazy in there tonight."

Jace patted the bouncer on the shoulder and thanked him before walking past him and into the bar.

The bar was so crowded that you could barely even walk without bumping into someone. This is crazy. I looked around feeling overwhelmed as Jace fought our way through the crowd and over to a little table in the back.

Everyone seemed to be dressed well and the bar was very eye-catching with black marble tables, leather chairs, black and silver tiles, and black lighting that splashed through the dark walls almost like a tie-dye. It made my jaw drop.

Jace leaned in, his lips brushing against my ear. "This will have to do." He grabbed the drink menu and pushed it over to the edge of the table. "I think we both know what we want," he said, looking me in the eye.

A shiver ran up my spine. I wasn't sure why, but it did. "Yeah."

Shortly after taking our seats, we were greeted by a handsome man with chestnut hair and tattoos that covered most of his exposed flesh. His gray eyes sparkled with life as he smiled between Jace and me.

He placed his hand on Jace's shoulder and squeezed it. "Hey, man. It's been forever." He looked over at me and smiled. "What are you guys drinking?" He nodded at me and grinned at Jace. "Is she yours?"

Jace patted the man’s back and then shook his hand. "No, man. This is my roommate, Avery." He turned his head the other way and took an exasperated breath. "I'm sticking with Jack and coke and a Cherry Mcgillicuddy’s and Sprite for the lady here."

His friend waved over one of the waitresses, a sassy looking blond in a little red dress, and placed the order. Then he took a seat next to me and smiled. "Hi, I'm Max." He leaned in and reached for my hand. His hand felt big and strong holding mine. "Nice to meet you."

Seeing Jace's uneasy expression made me nervous. I pulled my hand out of Max's grip and shifted in my seat. "Nice to meet you too."

Jace glared over at Max and leaned back into his seat. "How's business? He questioned coldly.

Max reached for the drinks as the waitress came back over and tossed her some money. He smiled. "Keep the change." Then he scooted the drinks in front of us. "It's been great. Been keeping really busy." He took a sip of his drink and then licked his lips, cockily. "Yours? Last thing I knew things weren't the greatest."

Jace shrugged his shoulders and glanced over at me. "It's good. We've been busy. Avery here has had her hands full."

I could feel the tension between the two men and I didn't like it one bit. They obviously had some past issues. I nervously grabbed my drink and slammed back the whole thing. I needed a buzz and fast.

Max looked over and grinned. He looked surprised as he watched me set my empty glass back down. "Hard day?" he questioned. "Let me grab you another one."

I looked at both Jace and Max as I ran my hand over my wet lips. They both looked on edge. "Yes and thanks."

Max smiled at Jace and lifted an eyebrow, and then he stood up and walked away.

Jace eagerly reached for his drink and slammed it, as he watched Max walk away. Then he pointed at his empty glass. "Looks like I need one as well." He pushed his chair away, got up, and walked away leaving me alone.

I sat there anxiously until they both arrived, drinks in hand. They each pushed a glass in front of me and then Jace quickly sat down next to me. He leaned in and stared me in the eye with a forced smile. "Since you're drinking so fast," he muttered.

I looked between the both of them and grabbed my drinks, pulling them right in front of me. Both of the men were expressionless as I watched them. "Thanks, guys." I leaned in and took a sip from one of the glasses. I wasn't for sure, but I was almost positive that it was the one from Jace because Max's lip seemed to twitch as he sipped his own drink. I was too nervous at that point to take notice of which glass I grabbed.

Max looked at me and grinned as a new song started playing over the speaker. He shook his head in approval and reached for my arm. "Come dance with me." He stood up and pulled me with him. I hesitated at first but then let the buzz do the talking. It was only a dance, after all.

"Sure."

Jace eyed us suspiciously, while taking long sips of his mixed drink. His eyes never left us as Max pulled me out onto the crowded dance floor.

Max grabbed my hips, pulling me close to him, but I refused to get too close. I was buzzing, but that didn't mean that I was going let my guard down. He forced out a laugh and looked down at my breast. "How long have you and Jace been messing around?" he questioned.

I glanced over Max's shoulder and caught a glimpse of Jace as he calmly sipped on his drink. "We're not messing around. He's just helping me out." I set my gaze on the ground and cleared my throat. "We're only roommates."

Max dipped me backwards and placed his lips to my ear. "If you're not Jace's then maybe you can be mine," he whispered.

I pushed my way out of Max's grip and pulled my skirt down as I felt it start to ride up my leg. "You don't even know me. Why-?"

Max bit his bottom lip and pulled me closer to him. "You're sexy as hell. Who wouldn't want you?" he questioned, as his eyes roamed my body. "You would have to be crazy-"

"Stop there." I cut in. His words were making me uncomfortable and his firm grip on me wasn't helping. I felt dizzy and suddenly felt sick to my stomach. "The dance is over."

I looked up to see Jace approach us of what seemed to be out of nowhere. He pulled me out of Max's arms and placed his hands on my face, while looking me in the eye. "Are you okay? You don't look so good."

No, not really. The room spun, causing me to hold onto Jace's shirt to keep from falling. I felt the puke slowly rise in my throat so I let go of Jace and ran to the bathroom as fast as I could, almost tripping into an empty chair.