Jake had spent most of his night overthinking. In his head, he kept replaying the day before's conversation he had had with Cleo's sister. He thought he should have said something else, he should have done something for this conversation to last longer. It's funny how a chat that lasted less than five minutes impacted his life way more than the two-hours long discussions he had had with several people. But those people weren't her.
He wondered if he should tell Deuce about this, but figured out that he shouldn't. Since Cleo would more likely join herself in the talk and hear everything. To be honest, Deuce was the worst person to tell a secret. He would casually display them in a random discussion with his girlfriend. Jake knew it for sure. Two weeks after he joined Monster High, he found himself having a crush on Frankie - it was a long time ago. He had whispered it in Deuce's ear, because, that's what you do when you don't want things to be overheard, and five minutes later, he heard Deuce telling Cleo that he liked Frankie after she'd asked How was your day?
Needless to say that, Cleo being 'friends' with the Stein girl, it didn't take long before all the school, including Frankie, knew. Most embarrassing day of Jackson's life. At least, before yesterday.
Frankie wouldn't be the right person to tell either. When she learned he was crushing on her, she immediately told him she only saw him as a friend. Boy, he was ashamed. And like, three months later, when pain and shame had been buried as deep as were his feelings for Frankie, Deuce, the greatest secret-keeper, had admitted - without any pressure whatsoever - that Frankie was now the one crushing on Jake. It felt more awkward than when he was in her position, and he had told Frankie it was too late and "it's not you, it's me" and all the bullshit he could think of. And honestly, a year and a half after this incident, he still wasn't sure if she had moved on. But he wouldn't risk telling Frankie about Nefera.
The eldest de Nile haunted his thoughts. He'd tried to look for her on Freakbook - yes, it's like Facebook -, but she wasn't friends with Deuce or Cleo, and he couldn't find her after he typed her name, so he assumed she wasn't on the website. He tried looking for her in another social network when Frankie sat at his table all sweating after her Fearleader training.
"It's not even physically possible. You're all bolts and joules and you're sweating?", he joked as he saw her wince.
"What betrayed me? And please, don't say the smell.", she said, smiling at him.
"No, just the rolling drops of sweat on your forehead."
"Ugh… So? How did it go yesterday? Did you find Cleo's house easily?"
"Yeah, don't worry about it, but I put the folder in the mailbox because I knocked and no-one answered me, so I guessed she wasn't there."
He lied better than he breathed.
"Oh good, I thought you didn't do it, actually, since you were ignoring my texts and calls last night.", she said, blaming him.
"Yes. Sorry, I went straight to bed when I got home."
It wasn't entirely wrong, he did run-up to his room and mostly his bed but not to sleep, only to rid himself from his erection that wouldn't go away, even after an hour-long walk. Of course, he wouldn't tell Frankie he had to jerk off after he met Cleo's sister, which was, by the way, naked under a silk shirt. It wouldn't be classy, nor polite towards both Nefera and Frankie, especially if the latter was in love with him.
"And, huh, about the other thing?", she asked.
She was watching him knowingly as if she was talking about something between him and her. Did she know about Nefera? Did Nefera tell Cleo she saw him when her sister got home? He thought he understood that both sisters didn't really like each other - how he understood her…- so it wouldn't be logical.
"What are you talking about?"
Now he was the one beginning to sweat.
"You know…", no he didn't. "Him."
He sighed in relief, which wasn't his greatest move, she could understand that something else was on his mind. Although she didn't seem to notice, she was too busy talking.
"The last time I saw Holt was last weekend. Did he appear yesterday? I mean, I hope he doesn't bother you."
"No. I checked and he didn't plan any alarm to appear this week."
Yes, cause this son of a bitch - sorry, mother - had the unpleasant habit to put some alarms on Jake's phone, without him noticing so he could turn into Holt during school.
"I think I'll only let him out this weekend, again. He's like a dog. God, I'm so fucked up.", he said, as he tousled his hair.
"Well, I think you're perfect.", answered the green girl.
See? Those kinds of comments made Jake so uncomfortable and made him doubt about his friend's feelings for him. He only smiled at her awkwardly, not knowing what to answer and not wanting to answer.
He wouldn't be able to tell when did he decide to go back to the palace, before going back home. Was it the night before or two minutes before entering the sand area? It didn't really matter since he ended up crossing the wooden bridge, knocking to the huge door, and entering the palace, again.
He went past the entrance, this time, and found himself in the living room. There were a lot of pillows on the floor and a huge Arabic rug below them. He didn't have the time to analyze the room in detail because he soon found himself face to face with the object of his thoughts - and desires.
"What now? What the fuck are you doing here?", she swore and he couldn't help but smile at the bad word.
She looked annoyed. And she actually was. He wasn't supposed to be there. It wasn't this part of the plan yet. He was about to apologize when she spoke a truth she didn't want him to know.
"You're ruining the plan."
"What? What plan?", he was intrigued, really. He couldn't stop smiling and didn't know if it was because of what she just said or just because he was so happy to see her.
Whatever, it failed anyway., she thought. Another plan to throw in the trash.
"A plan against my dumb sister.", she said, awaiting a reaction. Maybe he would defend her.
"Wait…", he said before starting to laugh. "Are you… Are you trying to use me to get at your sister? To get at Cleo?"
She stared at him blankly. She couldn't find where it was hilarious. She tried to use him, and he found it funny? People would normally feel hurt, or attacked. And he laughed?
"Why are you laughing Human?", her voice sounded offended.
"Oh, sorry, Monster, haven't I told you my name, yesterday? I'm Jackson. Jackson Jekyll."
Monster? Really?
"And by the way… Monster, I am the last person Cleo de Nile would worry about."
She winced at the word 'Monster'. She hated that word. And what it meant. She wasn't human but she was far from being monstrous.
"Is there a reunion with mean people, you know like the AA meetings, and you're all there telling your shitty schemes to others and every one support each other and they're all happy for you when one of your mean plans finally succeeds?", he said cheerfully.
He honestly didn't know why he said that. He just found the idea funny. You would understand why he didn't talk much with his friends, they'll all find him weird at some point. Sometimes he just got verbal diarrhea and he couldn't help but say out loud everything that came across his mind. She was looking at him voiceless, and he hated himself right away.
"What I meant is, is plotting against your sister a hobby?"
"Is insulting people in their own house yours?"
Ouch. He wanted to apologize to her. Again. She was right, she was totally right, he was dumb. He was fucking stupid. He was cursing himself when he heard her sigh.
"I'm plotting against her because I'm bored."
That was the truth. She wasn't lying to Jackson. She was definitely bored. After three months locked up in her own house, who wouldn't be bored?
"And because I hate her."
That was too much info to give to someone she barely knew. She cursed herself internally.
Dumb bitch, can't you just shut up?
"Why are you bored?", he asked.
"Why don't you join social networks?", he pursued without waiting for an answer.
"I am on social networks.", she smiled - for the first time since he'd met her.
He had been looking for her on social networks? Why?
"Are you now?"
"Yes I am.", she answered, proud because he just confirmed, without saying it, that he'd been looking for her earlier. "Although, my profiles are all privates so that might be the reason why you couldn't find me."
She won that. He was so dumb, too dumb to compete against her.
"Probably.", Jackson answered.
He was trapped, anyway. But he still had some weapons to use against her.
"If you're so bored, why don't you go shopping? From what I could see yesterday you're missing some underwear."
Did he stare at my boobs? Asshole!
"Excuse me? I can't go shopping because I can't go out of here."
"Why?"
"How is it any of your business?", she wasn't smiling anymore. He was boring her.
"It is my business because you tried to use me in your plan. Which sucked, by the way."
For Horus' sake, just tell him and he will go.
"I am trapped here because my father grounded me after one of my plans, and they never suck, succeeded.", she answered with a sigh.
"Grounded?", he laughed at her. She wanted to slap him. "How old are you?"
She gasped. How dared he?
"Good Lords, your mother never taught you to never ask a lady's age?"
"Wait… You're okay with me talking about your underwear but I can't ask your age?", he was speechless.
What was wrong with women?
"I am over five thousand years."
He choked on his own saliva. What? Five thousand years? Deuce was fucking a grandma'? He couldn't understand how someone this old could look this hot. Maybe she'd had children or a husband. She had had the time to live more than a hundred lives and have a hundred husbands. She probably was a widow.
"Pardon me, Nefera, you just look… I mean you look like you're eighteen."
"Twenty, actually.", she felt nervous.
She didn't know why, but she didn't like his reaction. Like what, he was good talking and laughing with her but now he knew her age he didn't want to? What was wrong with men?
She wasn't twenty. But she had been awake for twenty years. Her body was twenty but she'd been alive for over five thousand years. It was complex, she knew it, and her age made her a monster. But otherwise, she looked just like any human.
Except she was more beautiful than any of them, maybe because she was to be Queen.
"How is this even possible?", he was still in shock. He still couldn't believe that the woman he'd jerked-off on yesterday was older than his own grandmother.
He regretted his reaction in a heartbeat. She felt hurt, he actually could see tears filling up her beautiful chocolate eyes. He was definitely not worth making this girl cry. She didn't deserve this, as evil as Cleo said she was, he made her feel ugly and he hated himself for this.
"I don't want to talk about this, I don't know you, I don't even know why you're here.", she said as she started to get away from him, as far as she could, actually.
She couldn't help tears rolling down her cheeks. She hated herself for letting him saw a weakness. She had wanted to explain to him why she looked twenty but was older, (way older…) but as soon as she had reminded herself that doomed day, she had thought about her dead or at least missing mother. She cursed herself for letting him saw her crying.
"Well, know that I'll stand here every night until I'll hear your story. And maybe even after. Every night, after school, I'll be in your living room waiting for you to speak up about your truth.", he had said that before leaving her.
He had promised her he would come every night, and he did.
Thanks for reading, I'm considering posting the next chapters on Sundays...
Next Chapter: They grow closer.
