Gordie questioned, "Ace?"
Bella worried, "Yeah Ace! What if Jamie bumps into him?"
Chris asked, "Whose Jamie?"
"She's my friend. We just met tonight," Bella panicked, "Now we need to find her. You know Ace…he's ruthless!" Bella breathed heavily.
Chris told Bella, "Calm down Bella! You don't know if she's not alright yet. We'll find her. What does she look like?"
Gordie explained, "She's got light blondie browny hair."
Chris frowned confused and Bella glared at Gordie. Bella sarcastically questioned, "So we're supposed to look for a girl who's got 'light blondie browny hair?'" She exclaimed, "That's a lot of help! Great description Gordie!"
Gordie snapped, "Hey calm down alright Bella. She could have gone home for all we know!"
Chris asked going back to the subject, "What is she wearing?"
"A knee highed grey dress," Bella replied.
"Alright. Light blondie browny hair and a grey dress. Okay, you guys go that way and I'll go that way. If we don't find her in the next half an hour, meet back here," He added, "Then you can panic Bella." They all went their separate ways in hopes to find Jamie.
Jamie
I was practically running away from the group in hope they wouldn't come and look for me. Then I stopped and wondered if they would even notice I was gone. Nobody did. I stopped and leaned against a stilt of a ride that wasn't in motion.
"Would you look at that?" I spun around at the sound of Ace's menacing voice.
"Ace," I whispered.
"Glad to see you're calling me Ace," He came closer to me as I backed away, "I really don't like what you said to me back there. It hurt almost as much as what you did to me."
I said really quickly as I panicked, "Look I was just having a bad day. I'm sorry I hurt you. Please don't hurt me."
"Not good enough," He flicked a knife open. My eyes widened with fear before I gulped. I couldn't scream. Just like the last time someone threatened my life. I waited for the stab as I stood silently like a monument, frozen for eternity. Those death like eyes raged with anger were something I had seen before by someone who wanted to hurt me. By someone who did hurt me.
A young girl wearing short denim shorts and a loose blue top shouted, "Ace?!" He put the knife down behind his back as he turned to the sound of her voice. She added angrily, "Now you're flirting with other girls! I was just about to take you back! Asshole!"
"Jessie wait please," Ace pleaded. Just as he was about to chase after Jessie, Ace warned me, "This isn't over."
"But I didn't-," I said quietly.
He warned again, this time pointing the knife at me, "It isn't over. You hear me?" I heard him alright so I just nodded my eyes dark with fear. I started to walk through the funfair to find Grandma and tell her that I wanted to leave. As I was walking, tears formed in my eyes and I quickly wiped them away. It seemed as if it was one trouble after another with me. A smooth familiar voice asks, "Are you okay?" I turned around back to where I was facing. My mouth opened and my eyes widened. Oh no.
"Fine," I reply with a high pitched voice as clamped my hand over my mouth. I scrunched my face and squeezed my eyes shut.
He chuckled, "Are you sure?" I turned my head as I walked forward, "Yeah I'm fine. I'm great. I'm-." Suddenly, I feel light green prickles pressed into my back beneath me. The world around me started to spin as I slap my forehead with my hand. My head did a slow circle as I try to restore my senses. The person standing over me has three heads completely blurred and his voice sounds hazy.
Slowly, everything started to return to normal; my vison, my mind and my life. Those five minutes of not knowing what was going on around me were very… fulfilling.
A young boy kneels beside me. "Does it hurt when I do this," A cold hand presses against my forehead gently and I flinched.
"No," I say dreamily then immediately snapping back to reality. Now this was beyond the valley of humiliation and the epitome of embarrassment. I thought I reached my peak in Fairhaven but no, it was exceeded in Castle Rock because of this boy with some kind enticing charm. Enticing charm? I must still be dizzy. Don't pinch me.
I say quickly, "Is there anything there?" I need to go find Grandma and get away from him.
He scanned my head before looking into my eyes, "No, but sometimes pain is on the inside rather than the outside. And that one always hurts the most." I stared at him with trying to show any emotion but I failed miserably. I can't help feeling that what he said a hidden meaning.
"A little," I murmured answering his previous question.
I could have died right there and it still wouldn't have been nearly as painful as the two encounters I've had with this boy. The situation seem to have gotten a little too serious for my liking.
He joked, "Have a nice trip?" The mood could have been lightened any other away and you choose that sarcastic remark you jerk. I was just beginning to like you. Jerk!
My face went serious and I could feel the fiery pit of anger inside of me ready to explode, "Look I know! I'm a klutz and my life's a mess!" I quietened down a bit but still the annoyance was audible, "You don't have to bother me and constantly remind me of this sad humiliation because however much you are amused at my sad self, I feel the exact opposite-," He stared at me as I exclaimed, "Times a hundred!" He didn't flinch. He just gazed. Defensive Jamie always had appropriate timing and like I had said before, she isn't taking no shit!
He apologizes, "I'm sorry."
"It's okay," I huff.
He adds, "That you have such an awful sense of humour."
I ask, annoyed, "I thought you were helping me?"
"And I thought you'd appreciate it," He shot back.
"I do," I shot back. After a moment, I sighed, "I'm sorry. Thank you for helping me. It's just… this is really embarrassing. This is the second time this has happened to me and I-."
He realized, "That was you! In the alley?" I nodded looking away.
He sat down on the floor opposite me and asked seriously, "Why were you crying?"
"It doesn't matter," I reply, "Thank you for back then as well."
He says, "But I didn't do anything."
I shook my head, "You did. You cheered me up. Thanks." We just gaze at each other for a few seconds until he got up off the grassy floor. He was just going to leave me here wasn't he? But he didn't. I was instantly surprised when he held out his hand for me to take. I considered getting up myself but just took it anyway. His hands were strong but gentle and grazed with a few cuts. Using just his hand, he pulled me up as if he was living a feather off to the ground. Once, we were both off the ground, my hand was still in his.
"I'm Chris Chambers," He introduced and turned our hands so it look like a handshake.
"Jamie Sawyer," I replied shaking his hand. I could feel the sweat forming on my hand from nervousness but somehow I didn't care. Wow, our hands had been in each other's for while so I pulled mine away quickly. This was awkward. Something in my hand tingled and that tingling sensation stayed with me moments after I let go of Chris's hand.
Chris cleared his throat, "Are you- Bella's going crazy looking for you. Something about Ace? What happened? Did you reject him?" Bella and Gordie actually liked me? I felt that the bar on my self-esteem had been taken up notch. They were looking for me. They actually care about me. A foreign feeling cropped up inside of me; worth. These people, that didn't really know me, we're treating as me if they'd known me for ages. It was great. I felt like I belonged.
"Well I err," I said nervously, "Let's go find them." We didn't have to because Bella came running up to me her voice laced with worry, "Are you okay Jamie?" She pulled me into a hug.
I assured, "I'm fine."
Chris asked curiously, "Is somebody going to tell me what happened with Ace?" Bella and I looked at each other before I motioned her to tell Chris.
"Long story short she hit him where it hurts. Literally," Bella explained.
Gordie and Chris's face went serious. They said in unison, "You did what?!"
"Well he was being a right dick towards her and she hit him. Sounds fair," Bella shrugged half-heartedly. Something told me that she was just as worried as Chris and Gordie appear to be. Everyone seemed to be talking at once. One sentence came after the other. We might as well have been talking to ourselves because we weren't listening to each other. Chris asked with no sign of amusement on his face, "Is that why you were crying the other day?"
Bella asked puzzled, "Crying? What?"
Gordie panicked with his hands pressed to the back of his head, "Oh this is bad. Real bad. Shit!"
"Everybody calm down," I said over all of them.
"If Ace is still here, we need to leave. Now," Chris said urgently. Chris and Gordie looked like they had seen a ghost. We all headed to the car. Gordie asked Chris, "You think he'll hurt her?"
Chris replied, "Hell yes! That bastard has no remorse and if he sees her hanging round with Bella he might hurt her to." Chris rubbed his forehead. Hurt me? Hurt Bella? What on earth is happening? Oh shit, that explains why he tried to hurt me earlier on. Chris unlocked the door to his truck and ordered us all to get in. Bella demanded as she slammed the door shut, "What the hell is going on?"
Gordie turned in the passenger seat to Bella and I at the back, "Look Ace might be after you Jamie. He doesn't take what you did to him lightly. Trust me."
I said, "But he called me a hoe and made me look like a fool. I only defended myself."
Gordie asked, "Did you see him at the fair?" I was considering on whether or not I should tell them about my encounter with Ace. But I didn't. That was the only thing I would keep to myself.
Bella tried to ease the tension, "Look Ace just threatens. I mean I've never seen him actually do anything physically…bad."
Gordie interjected, "He physically hurt us when we were twelve years old!" Chris carelessly let his head fall onto the steering wheel and closed his eyes. Gordie sighed.
Gordie continued, "We went looking for Ray Brower…" He looked directly at Bella this time. For once, she was speechless.
