A/N: HELLOOOOO! Yes, of course, you read correctly. Chapter Fourteen is up and running! For those of you who have followed laurneathefirst's snapchat, you would know that this took me a SUPER long time to get back into because I was vacationing in Aruba just recently! Ahh, how nice it was (: Now I'm back to reality and jumping on a thousand things at once from finals to projects to making up my hours at work and paying off my debt to the school before graduation. AHHH I'M SO PUMPED! Also, I have been contacted by a couple of model agencies who want me to try to model for them as a test run before getting me into the real thing, so I'm super excited about that. Speaking of modeling, I just volunteered to model my hairdressing academy's soiree show just yesterday! It was soooo fun! We got our hair done, our makeup done, we got our photos taken and we got to walk on a catwalk! OHMIGOSH! ...ahem... sorry, I got a little carried away there. No one cares about my personal life, heh heh. *rubs back of head awkwardly*
ANYWAY, yes, I after all that business, I was finally able to fit in some time to finish this chapter. Good timing as well since everything's about to slow down after I get all my work done so I'll definitely be reworking Chapter Fifteen a couple times before it's perfected. A guaranteed time isn't really something I can give right now, but I promise you that I'm working SUPER hard to make us go out with a bang! This is a great story and every great story deserves a great ending. And I hear all of you, don't worry. The sexy time has not been forgotten about (;
Alrighty then! Without further ado, I bring you... Chapter Fourteen of Mama, I'm In Love With a Criminal! DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN SOUL EATER! Happy reading! (; ;*
CHAPTER FOURTEEN:
PREVIOUSLY ON MAMA, I'M IN LOVE WITH A CRIMINAL-
"I need your help. I think you're the only one I can trust with this."
"No."
"Listen, I know that this may look bad but-."
"My so-called brother steals my jewels, tries to make a move on my fiancé, hits me over the head with a violin and you expect me to bail him out? Forget it," he spoke coldly, raising his voice a little.
Soul, damn you! Why do you have to only think about yourself?! Did you ever stop to think how I'd feel about all this?! I don't want the burden of knowing that I'm part of the reason why you're in jail for such a long time. God, you're an idiot!
…It's over. If Wes can't help me, then that's the end of it…
"They're lies!"
"Lies? Really? They look pretty convincing to me, Julia! What's all these videos? What are all of these call logs, huh?! And according to these notes, you've been taking out large amounts of cash out of your account CONVIENTLY around the same time the cops went on those search parties for these men?! What the hell does that mean, are you bribing them or something?!"
"If you're lying, the CD will show just what happened-"
"FUCKING STOP! WHAT THE HELL IS YOUR PROBLEM?!" he growled at her, not even the slightest bit amused. That's when Julia began to screech and kick Soul until he finally released her.
Behind him, he looks to the space where Julia had stood, but when he discovered that nobody was now occupying that space, he finally let out a breath for the first time since the video began. She was gone. Gone without a trace… but could he really afford to worry about that right now? No. He had other things that needed his attention right now.
I'm all good. A little numb, but I'll be good after a couple of drinks."
"That's the spirit, Maka! Crush all those bad thoughts for a night and live a little, am I right?!"
"Alright ladies, on three! One… two… THREE!"
"Hmmm, finally came out of hiding to come play?"
"I couldn't help myself. You look so good in that dress," he responded, moving his hands a little lower to which I responded with a giggle. I've had enough drinks. Why not go home with this guy? You only live once, right? My drunken mind was made up.
"Wanna see more?"
"You sure you wanna come home with me?"
"Ready when you are."
Hey, this isn't my bed… this isn't my room either. Where am I? What the-.
Finally, I turned around all the way… and immediately regretted my whole entire night.
You have got… TO BE FUCKING SHITTING ME RIGHT NOW.
MAKA'S P.O.V
You have got to be joking… This is a joke, right? No… no, this isn't funny!
Who's sleeping next to me right now? Do you really even have to ask? I'll give you one guess… I've been avoiding him since my college years.
The man I knew as a no-good cheating bastard turned in bed once again and faced me straight on, opening his eyes slowly as he groaned. Clearly, he has had a lot to drink last night as well. As I look at him, I'm getting some of my memory back… not that I WANT it back.
Chris opened his eyes and trailed his eyes up my body until they met my eyes. I'll be honest, I was a little shaken up as he looked into my eyes. I had been trying to avoid him all these years but here we are… Just like we used to be in what someone else would call it, 'the good ol' days'. We both stared each other deeply in the eyes, waiting for one person to say something first to break the awkward silence that was forming between us.
"Ughhh…" he groans, sitting up in bed and rubbing the side of his head. I covered my chest up with the blanket and inched a little away from him, wanting oh-so-badly to just make a run for it. It wouldn't happen though. I was frozen with shock, fear… and a lot of other emotions that would take too much time to explain.
Chris looks to me from the corner of his eye as he rubs the side of his head, his muscular, football-playing, athletic arms bulging. It was actually kinda… hot. Wait, wait, no! I can't think that way about him! He hurt me and he deserves nothing but hatred from me!
"Hey, uh, listen… Sorry if I got carried away last night. My name's Chris. Uh, yeah, so, uh I'm actually into someone already, so I'm sorry if I gave you the wrong impression last night, but I'm not looking to do this again. Sorry." He spoke in a bored tone as if he had said this a thousand time already. It honesty made me sick to the point where I had realized that I had been glaring him down the entire time he spoke. Who does he think he is? And why is he speaking to me like he doesn't remember who I am? How could you not remember the girl you CHEATED on with that sleazy, older, purple-haired woman?! The more I looked at his stupid, pretentious face, the angrier I became. I threw the blankets off me and retrieved my clothes, angrily and harshly putting them back on to cover myself.
"Yeah… I did get the wrong impression about you. So how's things with your older, abnormal hair-colored bitch?" I snapped as I clipped my bra back on. He cocked an eyebrow at me, bafflingly.
"What?"
"You had the audacity to cheat on me… ME. The only who was honestly there for you when you needed me! I got to hand it to you though, Christopher. You're a piece of work. You changed me so much-"
"Maka-?"
"But here I am. Better than ever! All on my own like I should be… Thanks for showing me that. Thanks for showing me that being alone is what's best for me." I continued to ramble on as tears began to form down the sides of my cheeks. I didn't even bother to look him in the eye after that. After I slipped back into my cocktail dress, I grabbed my heels and my purse and said my peace.
"When you fall in love, you only get hurt… Used and then thrown away like you never even mattered. Well that's just fine! I don't need love anyway! Not if this is how it feels… Goodbye, Chris."
"Maka, wait!" he called after me. He jumped out of bed when the realization of who I was finally hit him. Suddenly, before I could even take a step out the door, I feel a strong arm, wrapping itself around my torso, keeping me from moving any further. The tears halted as my eyes shot wide open in surprise. That grab was enough to knock me back out of my heart and back into my mind.
"Maka, is that really you?" he whispers silently, as if afraid to be wronged. A sigh deeply trailed out from my mouth and I slumped over in defeat. I'd have to face him someday… There was only a matter of time before we ran into each other again… This is just bad timing.
"…yeah… it's me."
"Maka!" Chris spun me around quickly and looked deeply into my crystal emeralds and the last of my tears fell down my face in slow motion. As he lovingly stared back into my eyes unlike any time before, he brushed away the tears roughly and slammed me into a tight embrace.
"I've been looking for you everywhere. You left so suddenly. Nothing was the same without you. I'm sorry, Maka, I really am. I should've been faithful. You don't deserve to be left broken-hearted, especially not for a girl like Blair. I'm so, so sorry, Maka, you don't understand…" After all this time… I finally got to hear the words I had only dreamt that he would say. Yet… these words meant nothing to me.
"…it doesn't matter," I whispered in a deadly tone. I felt Chris' arms clam up when I said this, but they were still locked onto me as if he were to say he was never gonna let anything like that happen to me again.
"What?"
"It doesn't matter how much you apologize." I lifted my head and pushed his arms up off of me. When I looked back at him, he was wearing an apologetic frown, but again, this meant nothing. My emotionless stare was enough to indicate that much at least.
"A lot has happened since I left you, Chris. No amount of apologies could ever make up for the hurt you caused me and it won't change what I've gone through." There was a moment of silence for a few seconds. He didn't really know how to process what I just said. Probably thought I'd be happy to have him back… but if I'm gonna be honest with you, I'd rather we just pretend like we never happened.
"Maka… I know I hurt you. I was hurt too when I found out that you dropped out and left. I thought that you'd contact me at some point… but it's been 2 years now."
"Do you not get it? I saw you. I saw you with that woman. Did you think I'd just forget about that, Christopher? You didn't fight for me when you were having sex with her in our bed, so what makes you think I'd believe that you'd fight for me now?"
"I know… I left Blair, though. We're done. You're the one I want. I've been looking for you all over-"
"You didn't need to. I'm fine," I stated, crossing my arms and looking away from him with a minor scowl. He gave the 'bullshit' look and turned my face to his.
"Yeah, that's why you're getting wasted with the girls again. Look, I know you. I know when something's bothering you and I want to be there, Maka. I really do," he pleaded. He could still read me like a book after all these years, but not quite. Of course I was bothered, but before this morning, it had nothing to do with him in the slightest. This right here is only adding onto the list.
"The only thing that was bothering me last night had nothing to do with you and it's nothing you can help me with." He was silent, listening patiently and waiting for me to finally grant him access back into my life. It wasn't needed honestly. This was just a minor setback that should've never happened.
"This was a mistake, Chris. I need to go now." I began walking away, but he once again put his hand on my arm to halt me. I scowled back at him this time, but he didn't back down. He grabbed a piece of paper on his dresser and began to write a number down on it.
"If you're gonna leave, at least take this with you," he insisted, placing the folded number into my purse for safe-keeping.
"Give me a call. Anytime, anywhere, no matter what or why, just call. I'll be here." I looked down into my purse at the note, contemplating whether or not I should throw it out when I leave. I should rip it to shreds right here and now.
"Thanks, Chris, but I won't be needing it. Goodbye," I finally said before shaking his arm away and speedwalking out of the apartment. Chris didn't try to stop me this time. When I stepped back out into te bright sunlight, I squinted my eyes as tears slid down my face. From the brightness of the sun or from the emotional encounter I just got out of, I couldn't tell. Either way, I wiped them away and breathed in the fresh air to clear my foggy, pained head.
I looked around the environment that looked quite familiar to something in the city that I've seen before, which was pretty satisfying enough. At least I know where I am. I have to get back home and settle things with the girls before work. Where did they even go? I hope they made it home safely.
The walk home began. I probably looked like a hot mess walking around in smeared makeup and an old, wrinkly cocktail dress that was clearly worn the night before. Chances are that few people even got a chance to get a good look at me since my goal was to get home as fast as humanly possible while walking in heels. I was in an excrutiating amount of pain when I got home, but that's what I get for going home with a guy drunk and since no one was around to slap me on the wrist for it, this was a befitting punishment for a grown 23 year old woman.
My memory is starting to come back to me in pieces now. I remember losing Liz in the crowd and then some guy came up from behind me. 'Spose that was Chris… I flirted with him a little on the dancefloor and then I… I was the one that came onto HIM?! Wow, how drunk do you have to be? He took me home and- OW, do I have a bruise on my leg? It's starting to hurt a little. I look down at my left calve and of coure, with my clumsiness, there was a blue and purple bruise.
Yep, a bruise. I tumbled down the stairs a little when he brought me inside. After that, we went straight into the bedroom… We took each other's clothes off… We jumped right into it and if I remember correctly, it wasn't as satisfying as I thought it would be. It just wasn't the same touch as-. No, nothing.
I shook my head from side to side, trying to knock any unclean thoughts from it. Guess the sex with the ex just wasn't enough to clear my head like I thought it would. It's just… his touch couldn't even compare to the one person's touch who lit my skin on fire. Chris never had that affect. His sex was average at best, but that one experience with Soul was much more affective (and we hadn't even really gone as far as I have with Chris!) That time with Soul popped up in my head plenty of times while I had been with Chris and I'll be honest, I felt a little guilty. Nobody wants to have sex with someone who isn't even thinking of them in the moment… Ah, whatever. Let's just stop talking about it. I have more important matters to attend to.
As I approached the door to my apartment, I quickly unlocked the door and flew to the living room to check the clock. Outside, it was pretty bright, so I had assumed that it was already approaching 12 o'clock, but to my luck, it was only 8am. Only an hour late. I'm sure I could just be allowed to stay a little longer to make up for the lost time. In that case, I have to move fast if I wanna get away with a slap on the wrist.
Without bothering to lay out my clothes for the day, I fled to the bathroom to run a hot shower. I stripped down to my bare skin, only to be greeting with more flashbacks from the night before. A large sigh escaped my lips, for the regret I hadn't felt last night began to catch up with me. There I was, standing under the lukewarm water that trickled down my body, mindlessly staring at the pale walls before me. Never had I ever felt the need to scrub my body so hard to wash off the remainder of last night.
Why...? As I rinsed off the suds from the body wash, my cheeks began to heat up and tears began to form. Chills ran up my spine and the energy within me began to deplete as quickly as a falling pebble. I leaned on the shower wall to support myself from falling over and I stared at the draining water blankly.
Why… do I feel this way? I should be fine right now. I had a night to myself for the first time in forever and after all I'd done... Ugh! Everything should've been fine… So why do I feel like such a complete, hopeless wreck? How did I come to fall so hard until I hit rock bottom? Damnit, why am I crying?!
I wiped my eyes and proceeded to clean myself after gaining enough strength to stand without support. It can't be this way. I have to get over this bump in the road… could it be that I can't let go of Soul as easily as I thought? …Well that just won't do. I can't wait for him. He doesn't even want me! Why should I have to sit around for 30-something years for him to be released when he doesn't even feel the same way that I feel about him? That wouldn't be fair at all… I shouldn't have to wait for him like this. No, I don't want to!
Although I knew this, of course I was still trying to argue with myself and making up reasons why I should wait for him. In the end, what I thought didn't matter… what I did didn't matter… none of that mattered anymore. This situation was my reality and there was no escaping the inevitable. It was 'put up – or shut up'. Well… I can only 'put up' with this situation for so long. The best course of action is to shut up and deal with the facts. Soul won't be coming back. Face it already, you dumbass. It's your fault for falling for an imaginary romance idiot. How could you be this pathetic?
I wiped the remainder of my tears away and turned off the water to proceed getting ready for work. It won't be easy to get back to how things were before Soul, but this is my mess and I've got to clean it. Just give it up already, girl. It was a nice dream for me to have believed that I could've been of help to Soul, but that chapter in my life's gotta end somewhere… So I'm turning the page. Let's just hope it'll get easier like other people say.
Down the drain went my tears, my feelings and the past along with them. I turned off the water and stepped out of the shower to dry myself quickly. The towel was wrapped around my body and I rushed towards the door, but not before turning to the mirror for a moment. This will be good for you. Promise. I nodded to my reflection, trusting my conscience and made the final decision as I closed the door behind me.
NORMAL P.O.V
Elsewhere, an impatient and jumpy man tapped his foot on the ground as he tapped a finger on the table before him, awaiting a man he never thought he'd ever have to encounter again. The man stared at the manila folder laid out on the table and he clenched the edge of the table tightly with whitening knuckles. I need to fix this, he thought. If you haven't already pieced the picture together already, then I'll let you know who this man is.
This man is responsible for the detainment of his younger brother. This man is the fiancée to a lying, deceiving woman who as now fled into hiding. This man is the only one who can turn things around. This man… is Wes Evans.
A dinging bell placed atop the door to the café chimed, catching a fidgety Wes' attention. His eyes shot up to the person entering the building and he swallowed down a lump in his throat as the man scanned the room for him. When this man's blue eyes finally met Wes', he smiled warmly and proceeded to his table. Wes straightened up as the blonde-haired, blue eyed, priest-attire wearing lawyer approached him.
"Hello, Wes Evans. My name is Justin Law," the lawyer greeted after halting next to his chair across from his beckoner.
"I was the defendant's attorney for the case involving your brother, Soul and your fiancée… but you already knew that, didn't you?" Mr. Law joked, offering a hand to shake. Wes' eyes moved from his outstretched hand, grabbing it and shaking it firmly, to the headphones placed in the lawyer's ears.
"Oh, yes…hello…umm." Wes grew more and more soft as he spoke. Can he even hear me?
"No worries. I can read lips just fine," Justin said, reassuring Wes. Justin helped himself to the chair across the table and laid down his things next to him on the floor. The older brother felt a little more at ease as Justin smiled at him comfortingly. In the beginning, Wes hadn't been sure if talking to Justin would be the right course of action. How couldn't he be worried? He had never even thought of getting someone set free from jail. No, definitely not that. To make matters even worse… he was alone. The only one on his side was his self and that little envelope. Wes knew full-well that if he were to try to depend on his parents for help, he'd only get a big slap in the face. Dishonoring the family by breaking out a criminal and justifying his crimes would be unthinkable for a bunch of egotisical maniacs like this mother and father.
"So originally, you called me here to further discuss the case, am I correct?" Justin asked for clarity. Wes nodded his head, wordlessly. The plan was simple. Wes would call Justin Law, the defendant's lawyer in for a meeting and he would present the evidence to him that Soul is actually the real victim of the crime. From there, Justin would consult a judge and hopefully pull some strings to either get another cased opened or appeal the last case. An appeal was more likely. So long as it got them somewhere towards Soul's release, Wes would be satisfied. He was confident that he didn't know much about appeals or courts in general for that matter, but he knew that if there was one person who'd be on his side without having to hesitate for an answer, he could depend on Soul's lawyer.
"There seems to have been a mistake," Wes started. Justin's eyebrows knitted together in confusion and he tilted his head a little to the side.
"A mistake?" Wes slid the folder towards Justin with a look now cloaked with determination instead of unsurity.
"My brother was set up. Turns out my fiancée had lied about everything she had testified and I have the documented and recorded proof to back it up. I want to fix my mistake and get Soul out of there to switch places with Julia. All the evidence is in that folder."
"…mind if I take a look?" he asked. Wes nodded his head, allowing access to the information contained in the folder. Justin opened the folder and began flipping through each page, skimming through the information briefly. His hard, concentrated look instantly turned to one of shock. It was concrete evidence that was actually documented... but it wasn't created by a cop, that much he could tell.
In fact, from what we could grab from the last case, the investigation carried out by the police wasn't even thorough. If it was, then they wouldn't have held the case so soon after Soul was detained. Surprisingly enough to Justin, these documents weren't just of Soul's case and the evidence against Julia; the whole entire portfolio was evidence against everything that Julia came out to the public with. All the infamous cases of sexual assault that happened within the time span of the last 9 years in fact! This was a huge discovery that even he was surprised existed. Someone must've dedicated their lives to putting Julia behind bars if THIS much contradictory evidence has been documented thoroughly, the lawyer thought.
Justin sets the papers neatly back into a pile and tucks them away into the folder. It wasn't his business to get involved closely with his clients, but he fact that Soul took the fall for a suspicious woman such as Julia who had a rep for filing reports of sexual abuse or assault bothered him deeply. It was like she had planned this out so everyone but her would lose; which made him considerably suspicious and curious about the woman. With this folder, he was sure he could open up a successful appeal case. Julia would soon behind bars, a free man will walk once again and for Justin, well, it's not to say his rep would be totally trashed if he were to uncover such a mystery as to what Julia's true motive behind all these mysterious, shady cases were. In fact, if he were to solve this problem, he'd maybe even go down as one of the best attorneys this state has ever seen. Maybe even the best attorney this country has ever seen! But let's not get ahead of ourselves just yet. This appeal would be huge and very risky at that. It is not something that should be taken lightly, especially when he's up against the wealthy. One word from them and this appeal could go amiss with a blink of an eye.
Justin crossed his hands over the table and cleared his throat. Wes, with every passing second grew more desperate and worried that there may not be any easy solution to their problem. Nevertheless, he had to at least give it a go. Anything is better than nothing.
"The way I see it, there's a chance that with this information, we could open up an investigation and pursue an appeal case on Soul's behalf. I can help you, but you have to know that this case isn't gonna solve itself overnight. Soul's against the whole entire city and maybe even the whole entire county. People aren't going to be so open to letting him out just like that," Justin warned. Wes nodded and sighed a breath of relief that he had been holding in as Justin read the papers.
"I understand that I'm taking a risk in reopening this case. Regardless, I can't let this go like this. I'll pay whatever's necessary, just please… I need my brother back," Wes whispered. Clearly he was still coming to grips with the fact that the whole situation Julia told him was made up. He hated to admit that he was wrong, but this time, he was oh-so, very wrong. Justin smiled to comfort Wes and he tapped his hand on the table.
"Who else knows about these documents?" Justin asked. Wes shrugged his shoulders, but then he recalled something.
"I'm not sure. That girl… Maka, I think it was. She was the one who gave them to me. She came ot my doorstep yesterday, begging me to get Soul out. I didn't know where she got it, but at the time, I had no intentions of taking her up on it. Then, of course, I looked inside the folder and… well, I'm sure you can guess the rest."
"Okay, and Julia?" Wes shook his head in shame and looked down at his lap, sighing away an anger that he still felt for that woman. Just hearing her name made him want to find her himself to drag her into the cell where she belonged.
"Well, she's probably long gone now. I confronted her last night with the tapes inside the folder and then she disappeared when I had my back turned. She hasn't called or come by at all since then. I'm almost positive she made a run for it."
"Have you contacted the police?"
"No. I haven't opened up any kind of investigation. I figured talking to you first would be the best thing for me since I have no idea what I'm doing," Wes said confidently. He wasn't proud of the predicament he was putting himself in, but he honestly had no idea how to go about this investigation the best way possible. As soon as Julia fled, Wes sought out Justin and… well… here they are. Despite Wes beating himself up inside for not doing the obvious thing to do by calling the police first, Justin continued to reassure him with nods of understanding.
"That's alright. I'll look into it. I'm assuming your parents don't know about this either?" That was a stupid question. Of course he wouldn't tell his lunatic parents who are obsessed with public images. If he were to tell them, there would be no investigation at all. This whole case would just be pushed under the carpet so that they still look like the heroes of Death City for locking up one of Death City's sneakiest criminals.
"No, not a word. Even if I did tell them, I'm sure they wouldn't be backing me up anyway. This one, I'm going in on my own." Justin smirked and gathered his papers, collecting and packing away the manila folder Wes handed to him.
"Alright. I'm gonna do some reviewing and I'll handle the judge. We'll get an investigation opened back up and with that, we'll set up an appeal trial for Soul." Justin slung his back over his shoulder and stood up from the table. Wes, like a confused child gave a worried glance up at the towering priestly attorney.
"And what's gonna happen to Soul in the mean time?"
"Soul's still gonna be held in his cell in the state prison until the time for the trial nears. You are welcome to visit him at any point, but personally, I don't recommend it. After working with Soul, I'd know that he wouldn't take a reopened case of his to take place. He put himself in there for a reason he finds valid, so I don't see him taking this appeal lightly. Maybe it'd be best to tell him about the case once things start to get into the process." Justin was completely right. Soul wanted to serve his time. He put himself in there because of a cause that he found was suitable, so he wouldn't be so eager to venture back out into a world that doesn't accept him. The best course of action was to sneak the case up on him and surprise him with it last minute so he couldn't do anything about it. These two were determined to get Soul out of there whether they had to fight him for it or not.
"I understand," Wes muttered. He was somewhat relieved by this, actually. He wasn't quite sure about what on Earth he would say to the brother he betrayed for a fake love. He wasn't prepared to face his younger brother just yet, so this would give him some time to get his act together.
Justin was just about to turn away and leave Wes in the café, but when something came to mind, he turned back around and warned Wes of one thing.
"Oh and about Maka," he started. "I think Soul would want to keep this case away from her. This appeal should be kept a secret from her. He just risked his freedom to keep her out of the loop, so I think it's best to respect his wishes and not get her involved any further than she needs to be. She got us the perfect evidence against Julia and her family, but let's not say anything about this to her, okay?"
"Yes, I agree. She's too far deep in this. I'll keep quiet," Wes promised. Justin nodded once and thineed his lip sinto one straight line.
"You've done a very bold thing, doing this. I will call you in a few days after I've reviewed the material you've given me."
"Alright, thank you for meeting me," Wes thanked, getting up from his seat and holding out to shake hands with the lawyer. Mr. Law accepted the hand and shook once, nice and firm. They bid their farewells and parted ways.
Wes began on his way home after Justin left the café and as he walked down the street, a flurry of thoughts came crashing down into his mind. Mainly about Maka. He knew that he owed her this much for her help in opening this case. He owed it to her to win and bring back to her the man she came to his doorstep, begging for. Wes assumed that he put her through a lot of trouble and pain being with Soul when he was wanted all over the city. That was mainly his fault for being so blind to not even see the truth past his lying fiancé. EX-fiance. He made sure to remind himself after winning the trial to thank her for opening his eyes to what he just couldn't see. After this whole ordeal was over, he'd be sure to do so.
AKANE'S P.O.V
"This one's free of charge, Eater. I'm bending the rules for you this time, but it's just this once, got it?" I firmly warned. The receiver translated a sigh and a muttered, 'yeah' response from the other line. Eater got me on this one. He went around my rules, so I couldn't deny him this service, but a part of me hated to do it.
I was approaching a large, tall building known as the newspaper publishing company. It was where Maka was known to work. In my hand, I carried my cellphone with Soul waiting patiently on the other end. The sun was beginning to set and my work was just about to begin. Firstly, though, I had to meet a certain someone.
I approached the entrance of the tall skyscraper and watched as Maka was the last one the exit the building. Seeing her, I took caution. I tucked away the phone in my sweater pocket and made sure that Soul was still able to hear me. Maka locked the doors to the building when I snuck up behind her.
"All alone again, I see," I whispered softly into her ear from behind her. She jolted in surprise and quickly turned around with wide, saucer sized eyes. When she recognized who I was, she smiled warmly and patted my shoulder.
"Oh! Hi, Akane. What're you doing here?" she asked. I tilted my head to the side and gave her a sly grin.
"Work," I answered plainly. By the way that she nodded awkwardly and shifted her stance, I could tell she got the picture. I chuckled under my breath and received her attention once again.
"So… word on the street is, you went home with a guy last night," I said, knowingly. She furrowed her brow and nodded.
"How did you know that?"
"These streets have ears and eyes. There's nothing about you that I don't know. It's my job to know." Maka sighed and nodded defeatedly, shifting her position once more. She looked around to see if anyone was around to hear and in my pocket, I shifted the phone to make sure Soul got a clear sound.
"Yeah, it's true. I was drunk out of my mind and… you know… went home with him." I crossed my arms and chuckled, looking down at her.
"Didn't know you had it in you. Well… you don't look very happy for someone who just got laid. What's wrong?" Maka crossed her arms as her expression saddened. She looked away from me and spoke plainly.
"I wouldn't. I found out this morning that it was my ex." She seemed pretty bummed out by that. I was almost positive that the look she was giving me now was probably the same look that Soul was making on the other side of the line. I tried to get as much information out of her as possible without her knowing which shouldn't have been too hard. I've done it before, but this time, it was a lot harder. We've got no time to waste, so I proceeded in slowly wrapping up this conversation before Soul's time ran out.
"You slept with your ex, Maka?" I asked. She nodded shamefully.
"I didn't know who it was. I didn't really care last night. It was just a matter of getting my mind off of things."
"It doesn't matter. You've been through a lot recently and you don't need more shit to deal with. After what you got yourself out of, I think you should lay off the men for a while. Give yourself some time to breathe." Maka was silent at this. She knew damn well I was right and frankly, the idea of her getting caught up with her ex again angered me. I knew all about her situation with her ex, Chris. There was nothing I didn't know about her, as I said. What I also know is that he's no prince charming. I'd sooner let her spend her life waiting on something as hopeless as Soul's release before she ran back to Chris… not that either would make me any happier.
"Just focus on yourself. You don't need anyone or anything to worry about right now." She frowned but nodded in understading nonetheless. She nudged me on the arm and smiled weakly.
"You're right. Thanks, Akane." I smiled and hugged her for a split second, just for good time's sake.
"Anytime. Now why don't you get yourself home? It's getting late and I don't want to leave you walking in the dark any later." She giggled and looked down before she returned to look in my eyes.
"Yeah, bye. Hopefully we'll see each other again soon, yeah?" I shoved my hands in my jacket pocket, gripping the cellphone and grinned for her.
"Oh, we will. I'm always around you. Ya' just got to look in the right places." I watched as she began to back away on her way home.
"I'll keep that in mind. See ya'," she finished off, turning away and walking on home. I watched her back disappear around the corner before I removed the phone from my pocket and held it back up to my ear. Silence.
"Does that answer your question?" I asked the silent line. I hear a movement and a deep, agitated sigh. He seemed pretty frustrated, which is to be expected from a man who's locked up while his lady is out living life without him.
"…yeah," Soul murmured from the other side. Good. I don't wanna have to do this again.
"Hey, you asked. If you didn't want to hear something like that come from Maka then you should've never checked in to see how she was doing. You ARE the one wh told her to never come see you again. Nice move, jackass," I commented.
"Shut the hell up, Akane," he retorted in his raspy, exhausted voice. I smirked and scoffed. A long pause was dragged out before I finally decided to end the call.
"Goodbye, Soul," I finished. I was about to end the call, but before I could press the button, Soul's voice rang out.
"Wait!" he called.
"What?"
"…thanks." Always has to make things personal.
"You're welcome. Oh, and a little piece of advice: Don't fuck yourself up too bad. You've got some faces waiting for you when your time is up," I said, grinning largely. Eater was silent as he tried to process what I had just told him. He never said anything back.
"Goodbye, Eater."
SOUL'S P.O.V
Akane ended the phone call and that was the end of that. I thought that after calling him, I would've felt a little bit better about my little… problem, but honestly, I felt even worse than when I got on the phone in the first place.
"Let's go!" the policemen shouted at me as he hurried me along. As soon as I hung up that phone, those officers were on the hunt. They pounced at me and yanked me along, back to my cell. They never let up even if it were Christmas Day. Before I knew it, I was being thrown back into a metal dungeon. They clamped the barred doors shut and resumed to their posts.
I pushed myself up off of the cold ground and sit up, leaning against the edge of my bed to support my back. I rested the back of my hand on my forehead and stared up at the dripping ceiling. The only thing I could hear, besides the footsteps clacking from outside my cell was the sound of Maka's voice when I overheard her and Akane's conversation over the phone. Sure, I couldn't see what she looked like, but I know when Maka's mood changes and right then when she was talking about her ex, she didn't sound very pleased. Why wouldn't she be? I set her free. She's single, she's starting fresh… Sleeping with that ex of hers should be paradise for her. She loved him once, didn't she? Why wouldn't she be exstatic that he wanted her just as bad?
Just thinking about things between those two made my heart sink deeper into my chest. I can't be like this! I shook my head from side to side and rest my head in between my hands. I can't let myself get jealous over this. All that pain and jealousy should've been buried away by now. Go away, goddamnit…
All I'll allow myself to live with is a memory. That's all I need. I don't need hope for a better future; I'm already pretty sure of myself that life outside of these bars isn't gonna be all it's cracked up to be. Havng no place to go in the world… What's the difference? Probably end up right back in here anyway since a normal life for an ex-convict is pretty much out of the question. Forget that shit. This is as good as it gets for me, so hope ain't gonna bring nothing but a hole in the heart.
Not thinking about Maka and the way she looks, talks, smells… it was all too much for me to get rid of. I smacked my forehead, trying to push the thought of her out of my head, but nothing ever works. She's too ingrained in my thoughts.
Damnit! What did this girl even do, huh? What has she done to make me get so caught up so quickly? …I miss her. Seriously. I'm in idiot though. I made some bad decisions. I don't really deserve many good things in life, but hey… at least she let me in for a while. She gave me a taste of what I was missing out on. Maybe someday, I'll muster up the courage to talk to her again and thank her for her help.
'Don't fuck yourself up too bad. You've got some faces waiting for you when your time is up.'
Akane's voice chimed in my head for a split second. What could that have even meant? After I pleaded guilty, I knew there was no way I was getting out of this one. I put myself in here for fuck's sake. Who would wait for me, huh? For 36 years? I don't think so. My own family can't even accept me and in 36 years, Maka will probably have already settled down with a husband and some kids. Of course she will, who wouldn't love a woman like her? She's got it all.
I shook my head one more time and pushed myself up off the dusty cell floor. Instead of indulging in my thoughts, I put myself to work and dropped down to the floor. I positioned myself on my hands and toes and began to push up and down as I counted each push-up.
MAKA'S P.O.V
The front door opened and banged behind me as I heaved a long sigh from working a long day at the office. Every day just seemed to get slower and slower as it repeated itself. Nothing was much fun about my daily life, at least, not anymore. These days, I'd have to catch up on my work from the days off that I took. Almost seemed like I hadn't gone to work at all, really.
I switched on the lights in the hallway and lit up the kitchen light. My bags were thrown into a kitchen chair and I flung upon my curtains, cracking a window. It was already dark. The city was lit only by the stars, moonlight and the poorly livened street lights below.
Ahh, Death City, I thought, staring out over the skyscrapers and little houses between them. You never fail to amaze me with how lovely you look… If only you weren't filled with such disgusting people.
I wouldn't forgive Death City. I couldn't forgive them. They were so blind and relied only on what they thought instead of listening to rational facts. That's why I'm in this freakin' mess in the first place. Scratch that. I can't blame everyone else for my problems. Just suck it up, brat. You were always better off on your own anyway, even as a kid. Relationships just aren't my thing apparently.
I rolled my eyes and pushed myself up off of the window sill, standing right back up. How about some music? That'll help me think clearly for a bit, right? A nice track and some cigs is all I need right now… maybe a drink while I'm at it. This kind of night deserves a glass or two.
Just as my fingers ligtly touched the 'on' switch for the stereo, my cellphone began to ring from my purse. I groaned and trudged over to my purse to fetch my phone. When I felt the edge of my phone, I latched onto it and looked at the screen to see the caller id and was relieved after recognizing the number.
"Hello?" I answered eagerly, smiling joyfully.
A/N: So... cliffhangers... we hate 'em. I know. That's why I'm gonna try to crank out this next chapter as smoothly as possible. Leave a review because I miss hearing from you guys! Ugh, I feel like it's been so long! :D Alright! I will see you guys soon so stay beautiful and stay happy! I love you all! :D ;*