It's very short, I am aware, but I promise a longer chapter for the next one and much more action. Also, I am still looking for a Beta, I know someone offered before but since I took that like two/three month sobatical I don't know if they would still like to, so if anyone is interested please just PM, IM or E-mail...Or put it in the review!
Jack hated the dank warehouse that Bailey left him in almost as much as he hated the room that his foster 'father' kept him locked in at night. The thing was, he didn't realize just how scary the warehouse was until Bailey had left. When she was there, there was a light in there that broke the dreary air in the room. When it was devoid of her presence the light was also gone, hiding the source of every noise and stank smell that suddenly intensified in the dark as he huddled in the corner, the blanket that she had left with him still wrapped tightly over his shoulders.
The scraping of the makeshift door against the cement ground sounded out through the warehouse and Jack sat up instantly putting up his guard. He watched in fear as a figure emerged from the darkness. He settled only after coming to realize that it was Bailey. She turned around to close over the hole and then turned back to him, a bag hanging loosely from her wrist and a new scarf wrapped around her neck.
"I didn't mean to scare you," Bailey said, kneeling down in front of him.
"You didn't," Jack lied.
"Pardon me then," she replied, smirking softly.
Bailey gently brushed back some of his hair and let her hand linger softly on the side of Jack's face. As soon as she pulled away he felt like something was torn out of him, a part that he didn't know even existed was suddenly, and severely, missed.
"I brought you some food."
"I'm not hungry," he replied.
"Well, you look like you're starving," she said, sliding the bag off of her wrist and pushing it towards Jack. "Eat," she demanded, standing up.
Jack looked down at the bag, he really was hungry, he could feel the grumbling in his stomach intensify as the smell of whatever was in the bag wafted past his nose. Bailey had her back turned to him as she lit a match and threw it into the fire pit. He looked away from her and then back at the bad, deciding it was okay to take it.
Slowly sliding the Styrofoam container of the bag, Jack ripped it open to reveal a burger and fries. Gulping softly, he reached for the meal and brought the burger to his lips, it was cold, but the he welcomed the nourishment too eagerly, coughing uncontrollable as he swallowed much too fast. Bailey walked over behind him and placed her hand on his back.
"Slow down, sweetie," Bailey said, rubbing his back. She walked around the front of him to face him and looked him straight in the eyes. "When's the last time you've eaten?"
"I don't remember," he replied, truthfully. He wiped a dollop of ketchup away from the corner of his mouth with his sleeve and looked away from her.
"No one took care of you? No even your par-"
"My foster father, he wasn't my parent," Jack said, cutting her off angrily.
"I'm sorry," she said, getting caught off guard. She sat down and brought her knees up to her chest, watching Jack as he took yet another voracious bite from his burger. "He didn't take good care of you?"
"No…" He shook his head and snorted. "I only seemed to matter when the social worker came around."
"Social workers, they're useless, aren't they?" she questioned. She looked over at the wall and laughed bitterly. "The always come around when things are so calm and peaceful, they never see the way things really are. When you tell them that things aren't as they seem they just laugh and take the adults side. I mean, who really would believe a kid anyway."
"Yeah."
"When did you runaway?"
"A little bit before you found me," Jack answered.
"Before we found each other," she corrected. She moved closer to Jack and reached out, touching his arm where a little bit of blood had seeped through his bandages.
"What about you?"
"Two years ago…God, it feels like so much longer than that though," she replied, her voice exhausted at the memory. "Being on your own, it's not as glamorous as you imagine when you're living through the hell of an unhappy foster home."
Bailey looked down at Jack's wound and gently removed her hand from it, she had forgotten it was still lingering there. She could feel Jack's eyes on her and she looked up only to be confirmed that he was indeed looking at her. She laughed nervously, the corners of her mouth turning up in a smile. She wasn't used to getting looked at like she was more than just an object that someone could use for an hour or two. It scared her, but it also made her happy.
"Please, don't look at me like that," Bailey whispered, tearing her eyes away from Jack's.
"Why?"
"Just don't," she answered. She stood up and placed her hand on her neck. "Your bandages are bleeding through but I used all the ones I had in the kit so tomorrow I have to make a run out to get some more supplies. Right now, though, I have to go to work."
Jack looked up at her, until that moment he had forgotten yet again what she did to survive. What she probably did just to get him food for that night. He watched comb her hands through her hair and fix the way her clothes hung on her body. She looked over at him, catching him once more looking at her, but this time not the way that she had told him not to.
"There's some more blankets and a kinda useful mattress in the far corner of the room if you want to sleep," Bailey said. She walked over to the makeshift door and waited there for a moment before turning back towards him. "Promise me that you'll still be here when I get back."
When she looked back at him, Jack could see how much fear and worry were in her eyes despite how poorly lit the room was. She was twisting a ring around her finger and biting the inner corner of her lip nervously. It was the one few things that showed him she really was still a kid as well.
"I promise," he replied.
"Good…I'll be back as soon as I can."
As she slipped out the door Jack waited a few minutes before running over to the solitary window that faced the alleyway. It was stained and dirty, but he could still see out where Bailey was standing next a group of other runaways who turned to this to live. He watched her for what seemed like an hour, but could have in reality been merely minutes, before a car pulled up. He watched her walk over to the car, sticking her body in through the open passenger's side window and flirtatiously wiggle and smile. He watched her, feeling like he was miles away from her, as she pulled her upper body of the window and take a step away, she opened the car door and slowly started to get in. Just before she did though, Jack could have sworn that she looked over at the very window he was looking over of, and frown directly at him. She wanted out of the way she lived her life and he was the only one who saw just how desperate she was to do so.
Thank You:
Aly K
Bigamericanflirt (Haha, thank you so much for you kind words...I didn't undate soon, as I am sure you can tell, but I hope you still read it!)
Embry
Independent Fire
LaLaLover (lol, I love writing Bobby and Jack together, so definitely expect some interaction between the two coming up soon!)
melinda
sadvirtue
typokid
WindStar
As well as anyone who continued to read this after that long break I took, or anyone who starts to read it now!
Please Review! Tell me what you think, should I continue or not???
