Chapter five

*CAUTION; there is cursing. (not much) but you were warned. :)

 Flawless

 

 

 

 

Chapter five

 

 

Spending about half the night freaking out, Jennifer managed to get three hours of sleep. This meant, naturally, that waking up to the morning sun and obnoxious alarm clock was extremely unwelcomed. In addition, readying for school also proved difficult as last night repeated in her head.

 

            Something made me tell the truth… Could she lie anymore? Jennifer looked to see Muta sitting at the edge of her bed, licking his front paws. Muta, you stupid cat.

 

            She walked over to him and picked him up, holding him under his arms at arms length. “Muta,” she started. “You are the fattest cat I have ever seen,”

 

He glared at her.

 

At least it’s true, she thought. “All right,” she set him back down on her bed and looked around her bedroom. The color of her wall was a light purple. “The color of my wall is…” a blue. “Purple.” D****t.

 

            The grimace formed on her lips as she grabbed her bags and keys, heading for the steps.

 

             Downstairs, Renee was found sitting at the table, sipping a cup of coffee with last week’s newspaper. Usually, Renee would be at the middle school preparing for her students. This morning, however, she stayed behind purposely for Jennifer’s sake.

           

            Jennifer didn’t say a word. She walked into the kitchen without looking in her mother’s direction, reaching for a glass in the cupboard. Then she took out some orange juice from the refrigerator to pour in the glass, drinking it down without a word.

 

            “You’re grounded,” Renee said without looking at her. And that was it. There was no good morning or have a good day at school today. It was just that simple statement and nothing else to follow.

 

            Jennifer didn’t want to fight; rather, she didn’t want to fight with Renee. She knew what she wanted to do that day, and that didn’t involve fighting with her this morning. She didn’t necessarily want to answer Renee either but she knew that if she didn’t, Renee would just repeat herself. “Okay,” Jennifer murmured, placing the empty glass into the sink. She wondered if Harry knew or not.

 

            Not wanting to be in the house with her mother, Jennifer quickly headed for the door, leaving Renee behind without a backward glance.

 

            Getting into the car and starting it up, she turned the radio all the way up and let the blast of the music boom in her ears, and headed off in the direction of Holliston High, which was quick and short.

 

At first, Jennifer thought searching for him would be difficult since she knew nothing about him. But luckily it was almost too easy. 

 

She found Cole just as she was pulling in the parking lot of the school, walking toward the front entrance of the building with nothing but his clothes and his hands in his jean pockets. No books. No bags. Actually, it didn’t look like he planned to stay long.

 

Jennifer felt the urge to run him over but took to parking the car instead; after all, she couldn’t take the chance of denting her precious car, right? Despite the time it took to park the car, gather her bags and head for the front entrance of the school, he was nowhere to be seen. Not even when she entered the building and walked down the halls, coming across the usual morning students here and there that came early. Cole was gone. He was like a ghost, a shadow of some type; he was there one moment and then gone the next as if he never existed.

 

“Rick isn’t here if you’re looking for him,” a voice murmured from behind.

 

Jennifer jumped at the sound and turned to see Payton with a cup of coffee in her hands. The top of it steamed, filling the air with a fresh scent of coffee.

 

Although the thought of Rick never crossed her mind that morning, Jennifer could’ve guessed as much. “Hangover?” she guessed, looking at Payton’s unusual attire. She was wearing jeans and a pink shirt with her long blond hair up in a messy, untamed bun; the result of last night’s festivity.

 

Payton shrugged. “He’s probably sleeping it off,” and then she gave Jennifer a disapproving look. “Why didn’t you show up?”

 

Jennifer groaned. “I didn’t even make it out the door,”

 

“What happened?”

 

“I told my mother the truth,” she blurred. Shoot. She was really going to have to be careful.

 

Payton’s eyes widened and she stared at Jennifer like she had a growth on her face. “You told you’re mother you were going to a party?” Payton knew it; Renee wasn’t the type to let her out so late at night. So for her, it was unbelievable that Jennifer would do something like this. Even if Renee knew Jennifer was eighteen years old, if Jennifer still lived under Renee’s roof then she still had to live by her rules.

 

Jennifer took a deep breath. “Something came up,” she answered, dodging the question. It was the truth; something did come up, it was just that she couldn’t lie anymore.

 

Payton waited for more but once she realized there was no more, her lips turned into a frown. “Jennifer, is everything okay?” she asked, eyes growing worried.

 

Jennifer didn’t trust herself to speak, fearing she’d blur something else out that she’d rather keep unsaid. She smiled in reassurance instead. “I need to go now,” she said, anxious to leave. Before I tell you anything else…

 

“All right,” Payton sighed, waving. “I’ll see you later,”

 

Jennifer was grateful when she left, but she knew more than anything else that it wasn’t over just yet.

 

*   *   *

 

By the time school let out, Jennifer had been asked the same questioned at least thirty-something times that day. Why weren’t you at the party? What happened to you last night? Weren’t you coming? She had to bite her tongue.

 

            After the halls were cleared and emptied, without any sightings of Cole, she began to believe that he really was a ghost - until she found him by the entrance of the school. He stood leaning against the brick wall, listening to music with his headphones dangling from his ears to his jacket pocket. When she stepped through the two double doors, his dark eyes flicked to her, and again it was almost as if he were waiting for her, knowing she was looking for him.

 

As soon as she saw him heat flared through her and she gritted her teeth, feeling the immense urge to fling herself at him and strangle the boy to the ground.

 

You. Jennifer walked over to stand in front of him, more furious than she's ever been. “You did this to me,” the anger in her voice was more prominent than ever. “What did you do?”

           

            He raised one eyebrow questioningly as he slowly tugged the headphones from his ears, tucking them into his pocket. “I did this to you?” he asked, dumbfounded.

 

            She knew how bizarre it must’ve looked, for her to be yelling crazily at someone she’d never really spoken to before, but she simply couldn’t help herself - she was that angry. “Yes, you,” A*****e. “You threatened me yesterday,”

 

            He stared at her for a moment before the slight smile started at the corner of his lips. “That,” " he murmured, leaning back " “was a warning. One that you clearly didn’t take into consideration,”

 

            So it was him. She was right. Jennifer stood her ground. “What did you do?” she repeated, hands curling into fists. She wanted to punch something.

 

            “Think. What did I tell you the other day?”

 

            “I don’t know!” Jennifer nearly screamed, grateful that there was no one else except the two of them to hear. “Whatever you did, just take it back,”

 

Cole tilted his head back slightly to look at her in amusement. “That’s not how it works,” he said, almost as if her begging entertained him, which, as far as Jennifer could tell, did.

 

            “Did I do something to you?” She asked, thinking back. No, she couldn’t remember ever doing anything to him - she couldn’t even remember speaking to him before because she didn’t even know he existed - so he had no reason to do this to her.

           

            He thought on this for a moment. “No,” he shook his head. “You didn’t. Not to me, at least,”

 

            “A friend of yours?” she questioned, though she hardly thought anyone would want to be friends with him.

 

            Again, he shook his head.

 

            “Then why?”

 

            “Why what?”

 

            Her jaw tensed, growing frustrated and irritated. “Why are you doing this to me?” she demanded irritably.

 

            He turned his head back to her, tilting his head slightly. “Would you like to know what I think and why you can’t lie anymore?”

 

            She nodded.

 

            He smiled; it was not a nice smile, but one that ran chills down her back. “I think that you’re a self-centered b***h who only cares about yourself and doesn’t give a damn for anyone else,” The words were spoken as if they were at a formal place, the way a adults would speak to each other as if having a casual conversation, but that still brought on a sharp sting.

 

She winced, not wanting to hear anymore.

 

            But he had more to say. “I placed a curse on you, so you can no longer tell another lie.”

 

Jennifer stared blankly at him. “What are you?”

 

            He cocked his head to the side, frowning. “What do you mean?” he asked.

 

            Wasn’t it obvious? “You’re some type of demon thing, aren’t you?”

 

            The corners of his lips twitched, slightly curling back. “Demon thing?” he repeated, and then he did the last thing she expected him to do; he laughed at her.

 

            Jennifer stared at him, utterly shocked. “Why are you laughing at me?” she demanded, growing angry - and slightly embarrassed.  

 

            “No,” he managed to get out. “I’m not a demon thing,”

 

            If he wasn’t some type of demon sent to torment her, then what the hell was he? “Then what are you?” she questioned, greatly disturbed.

 

            His frowned deepened as he thought on this, the crease between his eyebrows furrowed in response. “A warlock - sorcerer? I don’t know what people call it these days,”

 

            She pursed her lips. “Warlock. You mean like things with magic,”

 

            He shrugged. “Magic, spells, etc. But I don’t do the whole boiling pots and potions,”

 

            He was crazy - he had to be. It was the only explanation. “Tell me one thing,”

 

            He waited.

 

            “Why? Why are you doing this to me?” Why not Payton or Rachelle? They were the ones that deserved this, not her.

 

            “You’d be surprised on how many people think about you more than anyone else,” his mouth twisted into a grimace. “Of how many people you’ve hurt for the sheer hell of it,”

 

            Actually, Jennifer was hardly surprised, the first part of it anyway; her years of clawing her way to the top were finally paying off. She wanted people to notice her, to think of her, and she wasn’t going to let anyone ruin that. How many people she had to hurt on the other hand… Well, it wasn’t her problem.

 

            His explanation wasn’t good enough.

 

            “But why?” she demanded, hands tightening into fists.

 

            He shrugged carelessly. “Does there really need to be a reason? What if I told you it was for my own amusement?”

 

            Jennifer wanted to scream. The frustration boiled inside her, readying to burst. This was her life they were talking about, and he thought of it as some joke? There were plenty of pranks she pulled in the past, just as others had done before, like dyeing someone’s hair purple. But this…this was just disgusting.

 

            “If you try to resist it, it’ll only be worse for you,” he warned, aware of the anger and intensity radiating from her face.

 

            She didn’t care. “When will it go away?”

 

            His jaw tensed, but his face remained calm. “When I see that you don’t need it,” he said, pushing off the wall to walk away from her, toward the parking lot.  “When you learn,”

 

Author's Note

Longest chapter yet. (i think) and hopefully not boring. ^^
Please, read and review; all opinions are welcomed.
Thank you for reading! :]

Reviews

[Daydreamer54]

LOl, when he sees she doesn't ned it, that might take a while. :P Lol, the part about her wanting to say her room was blue reminded me of Liar Liar when he was trying to say the pen was a diffrent colr. now that was funny! XD Anyway, can't wait for more!

[GrownUpTime]

amazing as always. just dont be so imaptient while im reading next time women^^ haha. love ya!

[Short.Nerd]

Not boring at all it was very interesting. Can't wait to read more!