[Chapter 7: A New Definition of Hate]

   Only a short chapter today, guys! Just a filler, I suppose. Thanks for all the support! Special thanks to Mr. Egli. I hope you like where my story goes, because I have the whole plot already figured out in my head. Prepare for a long story, because I'm not planning on stopping until I get somewhere between 30 to 40 chapters. ENJOY(:


     I sigh, exhaling like an elephant, I bet. "Okay."

     "C'mon. It's not like you're trying to disarm a bomb," Jaeger nudges me with his elbow.

     "If only it was as easy as that," I mutter under my breath as I unlock the handle and deadbolt in my apartment door.

     Slowly, the door creaks open like the doors do in scary movies, and for a second I think something's wrong. What if Tate is keeping Olivia hostage in a closet? Or what if he has a gun to her head? What if he kidnapped her?

     No, the Tate I know wouldn't do that. He wouldn't dream of it. He wouldn't even think about it.

     Nothing's wrong. The living room looks exactly how it was when I left, but Tate's sitting on the couch reading. He looks up, and when he sees me he's instantly standing. But when his eyes rest on Jaeger, his expression morphs from relieved to pissed off.

     "Get out," Tate snarls.

     "Okay," I turn on my heel and start for the door.

     Suddenly my arm is yanked, and I stumble into Tate's chest.

     "Not you," he hisses. "Him."

     "Look," I push away from him, glaring. "I just forgave you for being a dick, and this is how you're going to act as soon as I get back?"

     He sighs and shakes his head, "I know, and I'm sorry for earlier... But I'm not sorry for now. I want him out."

     "Tate..." I whine.

     He sends a meaningful glare at Jaeger, locking eyes with him.

     "T--" I'm suddenly knocked to the carpet when Jaeger ducks, avoiding Tate's fist.

     Jaeger then drives Tate into the corner next to the couch, knocking over a table and a lamp. Luckily I'm close enough to where I barely roll and catch it before it hits the floor.

     Jaeger's fingers are wrapped around Tate's neck for a few seconds before Tate knees him where the sun don't shine. Jaeger's writhing in pain while Tate's rubbing his neck.

     I safely place the lamp on the floor next to the wall before turning on the guys.

    "Damnit, you two! What's your beef?" I yell.

     Tate lunges for Jaeger, kicking the lamp I'd just set on the floor... Shattering it. I drop my head into my hands, exasperated.

     "Ruddy?" A tiny voice comes from the hallway, making me swing around.

     Olivia stands in her nightgown, clutching a ratty purple blanket to her chest. Her eyes are wide, and within seconds she starts crying.

     Tate and Jaeger, on the other hand, are going all out. Fists are flying in every direction, glass is cracking every time they step on it, and they get closer and closer before to the TV before I usher Livy to her room and rush back out.

     I run and tackle Jaeger, well, shove him into the wall. I turn around, pressing my weight against him so he stays against the wall, and muster up the most terrifying glare I can and lock it on Tate. Blood is gushing from his nose, staining his face and shirt.

     "Tate..." I hiss slowly. "Leave. Now."

     "WHERE THE HELL AM I SUPPOSED TO GO?!" He booms, stepping closer to me.

     I feel Jaeger go rigid, but I keep him against the wall. His hand grabs my arm, and I have to elbow him in the gut for him to stay behind me.

     Calmly, I say, "Anywhere away from Olivia."

     "I--Oh no..." He covers his mouth, then accidentally smears blood all over his forehead before sighing and dropping himself onto the couch ten feet away. He covers his face with his hands, now covering every inch of his skin with blood. "Oh no. Ohno, ohno, ohno," he repeats over and over again, shaking his head.

     Suddenly he stands up and walks to the door, but I hustle and somehow get in front of him.

     "No..." I make a mental note to stop with the mood swings, and mentally slap myself, too. "Go sit in the bathroom. I'll be in there to clean you up."

     He stares at me, face hard, before turning on his heel and trudging to the bathroom. I know how much he wants to tell Olivia everything's okay, but I know he knows the blood would make her freak out even more.

     I direct Jaeger to a kitchen chair before going in to check on her.

     "Livy?" I quietly open the door.

     Tears stain her cheeks while she stares at the TV, the movie Wall-E playing. As soon as I turn that movie on, she sits down and shuts up.

     "Hey, Livy," I hold her hand, my arm extended over the top bunk.

     "Why were Tater and JayJay fighting, Rud?" Her tiny voice asks.

     "They were just..." I struggle for a word to say. "Wrestling."

     "They gave each other boo-boos," she points out, concern in her little eyes.

     "It's okay, Olivia. They just got a little rough, that's all. They're okay now, I promise," I try to give a convincing smile.

     "Pinkie promise!"

     I give a genuine smile and lock my pinkie with her tiny one. After giving her a kiss on the forehead, I turn the TV down and shut off the light.

     "Try to get some sleep, Olivia," I whisper and close the door.

     I hear sniffling and a groan from behind the bathroom door, but I leave Tate alone. I'll let him cry for right now. I'd want to be alone, too, if I'd done that in front of a little girl.

     Coughing comes from the kitchen, so I scuttle out to find Jaeger coughing up blood into the sink.

     Hey! I clean dishes in there, man!

     Grit your teeth and clean him up.

     'Kay, Dad, I joke.

     No response from the voice this time. Huh. That's a first.

     "Jaeger," I sigh and pull the chair he'd been sitting in earlier closer to the sink for him to sit in.

     He continues coughing into the sink with the water running, so I put the short chair away and grab a taller one from the breakfast bar. It screeches as I tug it across the floor, so I pick it up and set it next to Jaeger.

     "Sit," I demand and push him down by his shoulders.

     He does as he's told quietly, and down at me (the chairs are pretty tall), giving me a great view of his bloodied face. It looks like his barbell had been ripped out, and a black eye was already forming under the eyebrow. His bottom lip is split on the side, and it's starting to swell up like a balloon.

     A sigh exits my mouth, causing Jaeger to smirk, which causes his lip to bleed even more. I smack his arm.

     "What?" He rubs his arm.

     "Shut up," I shoot halfheartedly, soaking a soft washcloth in warm water. I squeeze most of the excess water out of it before returning to Jaeger's bruised face.

     "Why should I?" He smiles.

     "You're an idiot." I shake my head and carefully scrub blood off his face, avoiding the cuts.

     "We all are," he mutters.

     I put the washcloth on the edge of the metal sink before reaching above the refrigerator to get the First Aid kit. "I'm not the one who got into a brawl."

     My fingers don't find it, and I groan. If only I were a little bit taller.

     Soft hands are suddenly at my sides, and they lift me up. I grab the large white box before I'm set down.

     I clear my throat, "Sit down."

     Jaeger snorts as he sits, "What, no thank you?"

     "Thanks for ruining my living room," I give a fake enthusiastic smile while ripping open cleansing pads.

     I gently wipe the wound on his eyebrow with a disinfectant pad. He flinches and clinches his teeth.

     "Sorry," I murmur. "I'm not trying to hurt you."

     "But, Mommy," Jaeger whines. "It's stings."

     I ignore him as I turn back and open two butterfly bandages. I can't imagine how pissed he is that his barbell was ripped out, not to mention how much it must hurt.

     "Hold still," I mutter, getting close to his face so I can apply the bandages spot on. I'm pretty sure he wouldn't appreciate it if I didn't get it right where it's supposed to be, and I had to take it off and try again.

     I place one "paddle" on the side of the wound, and the other "paddle" on the other side. The same thing goes down with the other.

     Jaeger's breath is on my neck, and I feel goosebumps rise on my skin. His green eyes pierce into my blue ones, something distant in them that I can't explain. Like a cliche, I suddenly find myself lost in the dark green abyss of his eyes. My breath is caught in my throat, my body apparently noticing how close we really are. I inhale to take in his wonderful scent, but the gory pang of blood fills my nostrils, snapping me out of whatever trance I was in.

     Immediate a blush settles on my cheeks, and I pull away to get a large bandage.

     "Put this on yourself," I toss the band-aid at him, not really wanting to be close that like again any time soon.

     It was a scary feeling, getting lost in him. I seriously had the feeling that I was lost. You know, the bad butterflies in my stomach that something was wrong? The feeling that nobody could find me is still pitted in my tummy.

     Jaeger quietly acquiesces, stripping the bandage of its wrappings and placing the band-aid to his eyebrow without needing a mirror.

     "Do your lip yourself," I say quickly before awkwardly walking out of the kitchen and into the hallway.

     I have a feeling Tate won't be any easier to cope with.

[Chapter 6: A Turn for the Worst]

     I can't sleep. I probably should be sleeping... But this whole thing between Tate and Jaeger is burning in my mind. And that voice, you know, the one telling me something bad is going to happen, won't shut up.

     I sit up slowly, muscles aching, and barely miss the top bunk with my head. A sigh exits my mouth, and I swing my legs over the bed before dropping my head into my hands. The pain all over my body have diminished to an ache from earlier today.

     The alarm clock on my bedside table is pink now, the emotion on it looking bubbly. Oh how I wish that is how I am feeling. Sadly, it isn't. The time is 4:38 A.M.

     "Rue, you're an idiot," I mutter to myself as I stand up and grab my military boots, tugging them on. Taking the time to lace them up, I still don't exactly know where I'm going.

     A navy blue jacket catches my eye as I make my way to my bedroom door, so I snatch it and shrug it on. Hey, it's probably cold out. I mean it's almost five in the morning.

     Quietly opening the heavy apartment door, I glance behind me, making sure nobody was awake. Should I be leaving? Where am I going? Is this... Smart?

     Cool wind greets my face as I step out of the apartment building door, blowing my hair into my face. I tuck stray strands of hair behind my ear and sigh before stepping out into the night.

     The sky is a smokey blue, yet still pretty dark. Morning birds like robins and doves coo and chirp, almost begging for the sun to come up. Heck, I almost start calling out to welcome the sun, too. I don't really want to walk around without any light... The streetlights are still on, but still. Alley's are just as dark as midnight.

     Go back inside.

     No. I'll do whatever I want.

     Trouble's bound to happen.

     Then let it be. Don't play God.
 
     Oh, you have no idea.

    What? The voice inside my head is playing God now? Or is that my conscious? Aren't people's conscious supposed to do that? Am I just insane? I'll stick with the last one.

     Leaves crunch under my combat boots as I walk down the sidewalk to the park a few blocks away from my apartment building. I pass old benches next to the gazebo on the library grounds, the plaques on them symbolizing tiny memorials for dead people I've never met.

     After passing two yellow houses, one blue with red shutters, and a pale green one, I walk into the park. Chains from the swings lightly clatter against each other, giving the park a creepy quality. Especially when a breeze disturbs all the autumn leaves in the area, making them swirl around.

     People's voices blow over to me in the wind.

     "No! Pass it!"

     A gruff laughter explodes through the park. Others join with it.

     "Warren! No! Stop! Give it back!"

     My ears perk up, and I quietly creep up next to the picnic shelter. As soon as I turn around the shelter corner into it, the smell of marijuana makes my nose wrinkle.

     Warren T. Lincoln sits atop a shabby counter top, a pop bottle pressed to his lips. Someone lights the top with a mini lighter, while Warren sucks the smoke from the side of the bottle. The person lighting pulls the lighter away and turns to me, while Warren sucks in air and holds it.

     Two other guys join the first, turning to look at me. They all start laughing and sit back in their camping chairs.

     "Whoa! Rue?" Warren exhales smoke out of his nose and coughs. "What are you doing here?"

     "I--"

     A guy opening a bag of Doritos cuts me off, and I can't help but shake my head.

     "Man!" The guy to the far left exclaims. "I got the munchies real bad. Pass that other bag."

     "Warren," I say, ignoring the other guys. "What are you doing here?"

     "What does it look like, sweetheart? He's chillin' out," informs a guy with jet black hair. He stuffs three Doritos into his mouth.

     All the guys join in laughter.

     "C'mon Rue, take a hit."

     "No," I start backing up.

     "Please? You'll relax," Warren hops off, well falls off, the counter and slowly walks towards me. He reaches out a hand towards me.

     "No, Warren. Shut up. I'm not doing drugs," I push his hand away, but he suddenly hugs me and then pulls away.

     He only shrugs and scratches his head, sobering up just a bit, "What are you doing here?"

     The three other guys burst into laughter again, throwing Doritos and squirting each other with squirt guns.

     "Couldn't sleep," I shrug.

     "Go home," he turns around.

     What? How did he just go from high to low? And so fast?

     He goes back to laughing with the guys, slapping high fives with the jet black haired boy. He falls over onto him and rolls onto the floor, giggling and coughing.

     "Dude! You have ashes all over your shirt!"

     They all holler in laughter.

     I walk away, confused and.. Well, I don't know what to call it. Disappointed, probably. I could never imagine Warren doing drugs. Maybe he does more than smoke weed. I just don't want to be around to find out.



     "Rue, wake up."

     I roll over--and fall off the couch. A groan is my first response after hitting the floor. I use my elbows to prop myself up, and I look right up into Tate's eyes.

     He's kneeling beside me, a hand on my arm. His brown eyes show something distant, and his face is blank.

     "Go take a shower," he states.

     "What, do I look dirty?" I push myself all the way up to a standing position.

     "Frankly," Tate joins me. "Yes. And you smell like weed."

     I look away, "I caught a friend smoking weed this morning. I didn't try it, I promise."

     "Really? I found a baggie of it in your jacket," his hand holds a Ziploc baggie with a thin line of marijuana at the bottom.

     "WHAT? I didn't take any! I swear to God, Tate!" I throw my arms in the air, almost to tears already.

     Suddenly he's in my face, burning mad. Then he starts yelling, "Well obviously you did, Rue! I found it in your jacket! Stop lying!"

     Tears stream down my face, but I keep trying. "Tate! I swear that's not mine! I don't do any of that, you know I don't!"

     "God dammit, Rue! You're lying and I have proof right in front of me!" He throws the baggie to the floor, literally getting into my face. "What, you just ran off in the middle of the night to get stoned?"

     "No! Tate, I promise I only left because I couldn't sleep! I-I found Warren at the park with his buddies and-and he offered but I refused! Warren, he-he-he hugged me, and he must have slipped that into my pocket!"

     He just stares at me, face red from yelling.

     I quickly grab the baggie from the floor and open it. The smell doesn't even resemble weed. It smells like freshly cut grass--shredded grass and crab grass, pepper, and basil.

     "This isn't even weed, jerk," I shove it into his chest and stomp off to my room.



    "Rue! Open the door!"

     Tate's pounds keep coming from the other side of the door, but I ignore them and pull my combat boots back on. I ditch the jacket from last night and grab a heavier one, not knowing how late I'll be gone. Just long enough to build up courage to face Tate tomorrow. Or tonight. I won't leave him alone with Olivia for more than a day.

     Speaking of Olivia, she's at preschool and will be going to the babysitter's in about three hours. Tate has to leave no later than 10:30 to go to work. I don't even think he's gotten ready yet, and it's 10 o'clock sharp.

     "Anastasia Rue Amber, open this door!" He shouts.

     Fed up, I swing the door open, "What?"

     He looks at my boots and jacket and drawstring bag, "Where are you going?"

     I push past him, "Does it matter? If I told you, you wouldn't believe me anyway, considering you don't trust me."

     "I never said that." He trails me to the living room until he pulls me to a stop in front of the door.

     "Your accusations did," I spit.

     "Rue..."

     "What Tate?"

     He doesn't say anything, so I swing the door open and walk out.

     Right into Jaeger's chest.

     I step back instantly, eyes wide. "Jaeger?"

     He steps to me, hands at my forearms, "Rue. Wait, where are you going?"

     I look away before turning my whole head away. The need to get away from the apartment door is itching at me, and soon I'm running up the stairs and out of the apartment building. I get to the middle of the sidewalk before I'm yanked to a stop.

     "Stop," Jaeger demands while I try to tug away from him. "Stoppit, Rue!"

     I quit, staring dead into his eyes.

     "Where are you going?" His voice is low.

     "Away from here," I yank my arm away from him.

     "Why?"

     "Tate..."

     "What about him?" His eyes are dark, glancing from the apartment windows to me. "What did he do?"

     I shake my head and laugh sheepishly, "He found a baggie of 'weed' in my jacket pocket." I put air-quotes around "weed."

     Sadly, I don't think he caught the air-quotes.

     "What? Weed?" He throws his arms in the air, "Rue! You--"

     "Don't do drugs," I finish. "It wasn't the real deal. Only things put together to look like it."

     Jaeger sighs, "Oh. Then why are you leaving?"

     My head shakes again, "He doesn't trust me anymore."

     "I don't trust him, either," he snorts.

     "I said he doesn't trust me."

     "That's--"

     "I'm not going back in there right now."

     Jaeger runs his hand through his hair, which looks like it's gotten lighter. "Where are you going, then?"

     "Anywhere but here," I shrug.

     "School?"

     School. High school. With over 5,000 students. One of them happening to be Warren, and three of them the guys from the park.

     I shake my head brusquely and shove my hands in my coat pockets, walking quickly down the sidewalk. The sun is pale, sky cloudy. What happened to yesterday's weather? It was so nice out yesterday.

     Jaeger quickly falls into stride with me, "Hello? School? The thing you started on Monday and doesn't end til Friday?"

     I hesitate to answer, but shake my head and keep walking.

     "What happened last night?"

     That makes me stop. I stare at the sidewalk and mumble, "How good of friends are you with Warren?"

     "What does he have to do with last night?" He asks slowly.

     "I caught him smoking weed last night."

     Jaeger's silent, so words rush out of my mouth.

     "He hugged me, and I'm definitely sure that he put the fake weed into my pocket. He framed me, got me in trouble with Tate. Why would he do that? Did he know Tate would blow up? Does he even know about Tate? What the hell is going on?"

     "I don't know," Jaeger murmurs. "But I'm going to find out."


     We don't go to school. Instead, we drive out in the middle of nowhere to a park I found out about when I lived at the orphanage. Or would "Taken hostage" sound more appropriate for the situation?

     The clouds have mostly cleared the sky, but the sun is still pale. Kind of a weird contrast, out here in a grass field with a creepy playground. The sun is a lifeless yellow, while the sky is bright blue with gray clouds, the long grass yellow and dying.

     The only remotely romantic things about this are the lilies and daisies growing everywhere, and the two-person metal swing set.

     Jaeger and I sit on the swings, quiet and gently swaying, I guess. Both of us think. Well, I don't know if he's thinking, but I am.

     What would life be like at the orphanage if I still lived there? Would I still be stupid enough to get beatings? Would I be able to teach Olivia what not to do? What would life be like if I'd never met Jaeger.

     You would have met him anyway.

     What?

     Meeting him was inevitable..

     Go on...

     That boy did everything he could to get to you.

     Well. Obviously this voice inside my head isn't me. Or maybe it is... Just a delusional, psychotic locked up voice that somehow got out and is terrorizing the population of braincells in my cranium.

     I furrow my eyebrows, earning me a weird look from Jaeger. He didn't know me before Monday. I know he didn't.

     "Jaeger?"

     I fiddle with my knuckles, waiting for him to answer. When I look up from my hands, I find him staring at me.

     "Yes?" He replies, eyes locked with mine.

     A funny feeling takes me over, like I should avoid the question, but I push it away.

     "Have you ever had a... Well, I don't know.. A voice that tells you things in your head?" I grimace at the stupidity of my words.

     His eyes are wide, but he nods. "What is it saying?"

     "It keeps telling me that you knew me before Monday. That you've been looking for me?" I bite my lip, cursing myself in my head for such a poor choice of words.

     Now he surely thinks I'm crazy. Everybody probably thinks I'm crazy by now. I'm even starting to convince myself.

     I look up at Jaeger to see an almost frightened look on his face, but it vanishes within a blink of an eye, and there is no evidence that it was ever there.

     He barks a laugh, "You're insane, Rue." He playfully hits my shoulder.

     "I already know that," I sigh. "I figured it out the moment that voice said something to me."

     Jaeger stops laughing, "When did it start talking to you?"

     "Yesterday."

     Jaeger falls silent, kicking dirt in the rut under his swing. I look up slowly from his sneakers to his jeans, then baby blue v-neck to his face and study it. His jaw clinches, causing the muscles to bulge, which obviously means he isn't happy.

      His hair, tousled and light, is combed into a messy fro-hawk looking thing. I see a glint come from his left ear, and find a gold stud pierced not in the lobe, but smack in the middle of his ear. You know, the almost-bowl-like part of your ear? Yeah, picture a gold stud pierced in that.

     Then I notice the small black tattoo behind his ear.

     The tattoo consists of lines, about three of them vertical, and two horizontal ones cutting through the three. Each line is... Well, closed at the end. Picture a thin wire twisted in so it doesn't catch on anything. The whole tattoo isn't even bigger than a quarter.

     When I look back to his face, his eyes are staring at me, dark and dangerous.

     "Sorry--"

     "Let's go," Jaeger says abruptly, standing up.

     I follow his movements, only slowly and not-so-gracefully. "Where are we going?"

     "My house."

     "But Olivia--"

    "We'll pick her up later," he cuts me off again and stomps back to his car.

     Is it me, or is he one moody teenager?

     Eh, it's probably just me.

[Chapter 5: Another Voice for the Chorus]

     "Ruddy?"

     Oh God... Now what does she want?

     Wait, Olivia's here? How did Jaeger pick her up? Why did the babysitter let him take her? Isn't that against, like, morals?

     "Olivia?" My voice is hoarse, throat raw from the chlorine in the pool.

     "Ruddy, get up."

     A low groan escapes my lips as I pull navy blue covers off my lead-legs. Swinging them over the bed seems to take about ten minutes--I sure hope it actually didn't take that long--and Olivia stand in front of me with a pout on her face as she watches me.

     "What?" I whisper.

     "You take a long time."

     I smile, "Shut your mouth, Livy." I ruffle her hair.

     I suddenly feel light headed, the pain in my chest and abdomen increasing with every move I make. Why can't I just fall asleep and not wake up for another fifty years? Oh, right, because life doesn't work that way.

     My hand falls from her head and hits the bed with a thud. It feels like en elephant is sitting on me. For real.

     "Did Jaeger bring you here?" I question, slowly getting off the bed.

     "JayJay? Yeah. He's a nice boy."

     "Could you go get him for me?" I whisper, closing my eyes and gripping the bed for support.

     "JayJay!" Olivia yells, running out of the room. For such a little girl, she has a big mouth.

     After a few moments of silence, she screams, "JAYJAY! Ruddy wants you!"

     Footsteps hurry to Olivia, I suppose. "Shh. Olivia, I'm right here," Jaeger's voice is soft. "Where's Ruddy?"

     "In that place," Olivia's voice floats into the room, bouncing off the walls and into my ears.

     "Right in here," I whisper.

     I hear heavy and light footsteps nearing, and my knees start shaking. Please, dear little knees, don't let me hit this hard wood floor...

     "Rue?" Jaeger stops a few feet away from me, Olivia's hand in his. How did he manage that?

     "Jaeger, my knees.." I whisper a little too quietly.

     "What? Rue, what's wrong?" Jaeger steps towards me just before my legs give out.

     Jaeger is swiftly there to catch me. There was my knight, catching me before I shatter both kneecaps on a bedroom floor.

     "Rue..." His voice is right next to my ear as he picks me up, soft and concerned. "Are you okay?"

     "Everything hurts," I whine, close to crying.

     "I know," his voice is guilty. He carefully picks me all the way off the floor, but his face is still as close as it was before.

     "I'm sorry," he whispers, very very close to my face.

     "JayJay..." Olivia tugs on Jaeger's sweatpants. "What's wrong with Rud?"

     "She's not feeling very well, Olivia. But she'll be okay, I promise."

     "Pinkie promise!"

     Jaeger shifts my weight to one arm before locking pinkies with my little sister. I smile faintly, resting my forehead on his shoulder.

     "Rue? Do you want to go home?" Jaeger's voice is faint, far away.

     "No," I murmur into his chest. God, he smells so good..

     "What did you say?"

     "No," I mumble after turning my face away from his chest. I moan from the pain in my neck.

     "You need pain med's." Jaeger starts walking out of the room.

     "I can't have any." The world's spinning.

     Jaeger's legs stop moving, "Why not?"

     "I haven't eaten anything for, like, six hours."

     Jaeger sets me down on a soft leather couch, causing me to open my eyes. Soft light fills the room from every corner, making me feel like I was in a browning marshmallow. The couch is enormous, able to fit about ten people on it, not to mention how wide it is.

     "Olivia, honey," Jaeger looks down at Livy. "Are you hungry?"

     "Yes!" She excitedly exclaims.

     Whoa, hold up. Did he call her honey? What, is he my husband now? Actually... That wouldn't bother me one bit.. Would it bother you if you were married to a guy in the human form of the god, Adonis?

     "Would you like ravioli?" His voice is cheerful, trying to steer Olivia away from the fact that I do not feel or look good at all.

     "Yes!" She shrieks, causing me to wince.

     "Shh," Jaeger puts his index finger to his lip. "Why don't you run into the kitchen and ask Rosa where it is."

     "Okay!" She runs out of the room, apparently knowing how to get to the kitchen. I don't even know where the bathroom is.

     Jaeger sits next to me, sighing and putting his head in his hands, "I'm sorry, Rue."

     I nudge him with my wrist, too lazy to actually use my hand. "Shut up."

     "It's my fault. I should have been smarter than to throw--"

     "I said shut up, Jaeger," I hiss. Surprisingly I even sound menacing to my own ears, but that would probably be because my ears are ringing.

     He sits up suddenly, green eyes wide, staring at me.

     "You didn't know I can't swim. I'm fine," my voice is small, not really helping my case.

     "You don't get it, do you?" His soft hands are holding my face up.

     I feel my cheeks heat up, and his smell fills my nostrils. My eye lids flutter, and suddenly I feel tired.

     "You could have died, Rue," his voice is small and sad, "and it would have been my fault. I almost killed you."

     "But you saved me," I whisper.

     His hands drop suddenly, and so does my face. My nose crashes into his arm, and stubborn pain arrives. I rub my nose.

     Jaeger chuckles, "Barely."

     "Shut up," I shoot. "Go help Olivia with her ravioli."

     "Oh, right. I forgot." He stands up and runs his hand through his light brown hair. He quickly walks out.

     I wave him off and sprawl across the couch.

     Idiot.

     He's not an idiot.

     Yes, he is!

     He's sweet and caring and... and..

     And an idiot.

     I finally sigh out loud, losing the argument to myself. My eyelids feel like two thousand pound weights, yet I don't really want to go to sleep yet. Within two minutes, I'm passed out on the couch.



     "Rue."

     A light breeze ruffles my hair, carrying with it the smell of campfires. After prying my eyes open, I find myself in the passenger side of Jaeger's car. I look to the left, but he isn't sitting there.


     "Rue, we're at your place."

     I look up to my right, finding Jaeger leaning against the car, door open, his arms on top of the roof. The sky is a dark blue-purple, fog starting to set in. A street light on the corner of the street shines on Jaeger's back, giving him mysterious shadows on his face as he peers down at me.

    "Well?" He asks.

    "Well what?" I stretch, but instantly regret it.

    "Are you going to get out?"

    I look around, remembering what he said about being home.

     "When did... How did... Why didn't you wake me up?" I unbuckle my seat belt.

     "You looked like you needed the sleep."

     "Where's Olivia?"

     "I already took her inside."

     How did he...

     "How did you know which apartment it is?"

     "Olivia told me."

     Huh.

     "How did you get in? It was locked."

     Jaeger smirks, "Olivia also showed me the key in the closet."

     "Oh."

     Jaeger nods and helps me out, keeping a firm hand around my waist, while my right arm is around his neck. He accidentally drops his keys and reaches down to pick them up. Giving me a perfect view of the Jeep arriving.

     "What time is it?" I ask quickly.

     He grunts as he stands up, "About 8:30 or 9:00. Why?"

     "He's not supposed to be home yet," I whisper.

     Tate's going to freak. Like, badly.

     I flinch as the Jeep door slams, and watch as a menacing Tate charges around the hood.

     "Who are you?" Tate demands of Jaeger.

     "I'm Jaeger--"

     "Are you Rue's boyfriend?"

     "Tate--" I try.

     "Be quiet, Rue." Tate's eyes are burning with fire.

     "Well, no," Jaeger starts, "Sir, but--"

     "Then leave."

     What? You can't just tell someone to leave. Especially when you haven't given then a good reason to.

     "Can I at least help Rue inside?" Jaeger asks in a reasonable tone.

     "Why does she need help inside?"

     "Tate!" I scream. "Shut up!"

     Tate blinks at me.

     "He's going to help me inside, and I swear to God, if you try to argue or do anything, you'll regret it." I was huffing and puffing, way beyond pissed off.

     They both look at me with wide eyes before Jaeger finally picks me up and walks to the front door.

     "Don't yell at him," Jaeger murmurs in my ear.

     "What?" My voice rises. "Why not? I'll--"

     "Shh," Jaeger hushes me as he opens the door. "Don't be so loud."

     I look back to see Tate staying back only about twenty feet.

     "I'll yell at him if I want to!" I whisper.

     "I don't care if you want to," he carefully walks down the steps. "I'm telling you not to."

     "Why shouldn't I?"

     "He might blow up on you. I don't want him to hurt you."

     "How would you know if he'd hurt me? You don't know him."

     "Oh, honey," Jaeger opens the door to my apartment. "I know him."



     Jaeger's words keep replaying in my head.

     Oh Honey, I know him.

     How could he possibly know Tate? Tate is eight years older than him!


     Maybe they knew each other before you came along, I think to myself. Maybe they hated each other before Tate took you in.

     I go over the last hour before I fell asleep.

     I made Tate stay in my room while Jaeger left. Olivia is asleep on the top bunk, murmuring incomprehensible words. Tate is busy glaring at me.


     "What?" I ask.

      "Stay away from him," Tate demands while crossing his arms. His muscles bulge almost on purpose.


     "No," I reply, crossing my own arms. 


     "What did you say?" Tate challenges forward.


     I stare up at him from under my bunk. "You heard me. I'm not staying away from him. He's my best friend."


     "Stay away from him, Rue. I don't want you getting hurt by him."


     I scoff, "That's funny... Jaeger said the same thing about you."


     Tate's jaw clinches. "Listen to me, he isn't who you think he is, Rue. He will hurt you, snap you like a twig. He'll break your heart the first chance he gets."


     "Shut up," I stand up, not caring if my legs were weak or not. "You don't know him. He wouldn't do that. You might, but he won't."


     "You won't even give me a chance," he mutters under his breath.


     I glare at him, nostrils flaring. How dare he talk about Jaeger like that? 


     "You'll give someone you've just met a chance to get inside, to know you," he steps towards me. "You'll give him a chance, but you won't give me one."


     "It's not like you want one, Tate," I back up, my shoulders pressed against the top bunk.


     "The hell I don't." Both his hands are gripping the top bunk on either side of my shoulders. 


     I stare at him, my heart beating faster and breath caught in my throat. He wants to... I don't know, date me? He wants a chance with me? 


     He stares at me thoughtfully before pushing away from me and the bed. "But you won't give me one."


     "You're nine years older than me," my voice is tiny.


     Tate scoffs, "Age is just a number."


     My confidence rises just enough for me to get out, "And jail is just a room."


     He barks a harsh laugh and crosses his arms again, "You have no idea how old I am, Rue."


     "Twenty-six."


     He smirks, "Wrong."


     And he walks out, leaving me to wonder who the hell my "guardian" is.


     Now I'm laying in bed, staring at the bars from the top bunk. The blue light from my alarm clock is cast on me and the underside of the top bunk, but I don't know what time it is. I haven't bothered to check, even though it's not even two feet away from me on the bedside table. My guess is that it's probably around two or three in the morning.

     Tate isn't a bad person, for all I know. Yet neither is Jaeger. I feel like I'm being torn two different directions, but a voice in the back of my head--back in the far right corner, to be exact--is telling me that this hasn't even begun. That this is just a preview of what's yet to come.

     Sometimes I wonder if I could talk to that voice, the one in the back of my head. I sure as hell know it's not me who's talking to myself. I definitely don't have a mysterious deep voice. Maybe it is me... A weird, twisted version of myself, the evil part of me. The part of me dying to take over my body, dying to make me bad.

     Maybe there's a microchip in my brain, and whoever has access to the controls is tapping into my brain. Maybe they know what I'm thinking right now, and they're in the process of getting to the "Abort" button that will blow me to bits.

     My eyes widen at that thought, and I chuckle to myself.

     I'm insane.



-----------x------------------x-----------------x---------------
So, I haven't written in about three weeks... MAJOR writer's block, if you ask me. I had originally typed this up on TeenNick.com, but then it got erased. Twice. So this is my third time writing this chapter.
Rue is definitely in a pickle, huh?
Tate and Jaeger both have secrets... Deep, dark secrets. They are just killing to get out.