Hey loves!
Hope you're enjoying the story and a huge thanks to everyone continuing to read, Review, Fave and Follow. It means a lot ❤️

To my frequent Reviewer Khyharah, love ya' babe, it is Marci's fault for not telling Chibby what happened when he left. Abuse is a tender subject though and it wasn't going to be an easy thing to bring to the table. And you gotta remember that no matter how grown up she may feel, she's still a teenager.

She's in love with Kip and a part of her will always be connected to Zane, but she'll stay faithful. Promise :3

I've been brainstorming with my Beta and things are planned, stuff and thangs...I miss TWD :(

Alright, enough of me.
Enjoy!

Chapter 20:
"He couldn't even tell whether he was angry or contrite, whether it was forgiveness he wanted or the power to forgive."
―Richard Yates, Revolutionary Road

I stayed at the clubhouse almost a week and Kip always seemed so happy to come in and find me in his dorm. He's been fulfilling his duties as a Son and he was gone most nights. He'd sleep like the dead throughout the mornings and I was curious to know what had him so exhausted. I never disrupted his slumber and with the opportunities, I've drew him sleeping a few times. When he was awake, Kip would ease me into walking around the clubhouse and with Tara's visits, the brace on my ankle came off after 4 days. She's only adjusted my splint once, but since I could move around, she's been letting me babysit Abel when she has to work morning shifts.

During my stay, I've seen Tig and Kozik fight a few times and nobody could ever give me a solid reason as to why they started brawling or why they were so pissed at each other. Tig's been giving the new blond heinous, drop-dead glares whenever he'd catch me talking or laughing with the visiting member. As much as Tig probably hated it, Kozik was way too funny for me to stay away from him and he had a bunch of cool stories from Tacoma. With him talking about it so much, I finally remembered where the hell I've seen Happy before.

I went on a school trip to Tacoma to see the Museum of Glass and Point Defiance Zoo & Aquarium. As soon as we crossed into the city, all the other students were freaking out because we were being followed by bikers and that's when I saw Happy for the first time. He rode right next to my window and he even looked at me from behind his tinted sunglasses. We stayed upstate for 2 days and unsurprisingly, someone was missing when we were ready to go home.

Speaking of the Nomad, he's been taking me to Freddy's parlor for lessons and he'd let me practice whatever Freddy taught me on his tattoo gun at the clubhouse. One night during a party, Happy tossed some passed out hang-around on the bar and told me to get some real practice. Apparently, he thought I was ready to move on from practicing on the kit my mentor gave me.

I knew it was a horrible idea to get a tattoo when you're drunk and my preceptor's told me the same thing, but Happy convinced me that the man was knocked unconscious after foolishly stepping in the ring with him. I took into consideration that I had no idea who the groupie was or what he liked, other than mooching off bikers, so I decided to keep the tattoo simple and edgy. I had a few sketches of what I considered stock tattoos and decided on one of a ribbon swirled around a skull and roses.

It was a long and slow process for me. I wanted the first piece of artwork I stamped on someone to be absolutely flawless and I wanted to impress Happy. Of course, he was dead silent through the hour I was attentively buzzing at the man's arm, but he was watching every move I made. Once I took my foot off the pedal and gave the comatose man's new ink a final wipe down, I was set in shock. The first tattoo I've ever done and it looked amazing! I snapped a picture to send to Freddy and Happy told me that Scott Cambell better watch his back because I had the skills to put him out of business.

After that night, Jax told me it should be safe for me to go home and told me to keep my gun close. Kip gave me a ride and the first thing I did was order a holster for my pistol for safe, concealed carrying. Kip stayed with me for the rest of the day and when Dad came home for once, they quietly talked in the kitchen before Kip kissed me goodbye. I was already loathing being alone with Dad because I knew he was going to try to talk to me and I thought back to how much I wanted to tell him what Rose put me through. But my feelings have changed since the first day I came to the clubhouse.

Now, I was boiling in indignation and forlorn stemming from Rose's maltreatment and Dad's absence, how I felt like he left me to fend for myself. At the same time, I was drowning in melancholy because Dad finally had a basic understanding of the damage Rose inflicted on me, but it wasn't just physical. I was mentally scarred by the woman and he couldn't put a bandage on those scars and kiss them away. I felt like I was split in half. Once side of me wanted to forgive and heal with Dad, just move on, yet the other side of me refused to do so because I'd be 'letting him off easy'. At the moment, I didn't understand what I wanted and it was frustrating the hell out of me.

I didn't want to face Dad, so I did the only thing I knew best. I ran from the problem, hoping it would go away if I avoided it for as long as I could.

I packed another bag and asked Kip if it'd be okay for me to stay with him for a few days. He was euphoric at the idea of having me to himself again. The time I spent at his house was just like my stay at the clubhouse. Kip would work his 'day job' and I'd make him breakfast and lunch, sometimes tagging along when he went. We spent his days off lazing around his house and tangled in each others arms. He was a bit reluctant to the idea of being intimate with me because of the splint, but I wasn't and it came to the point where I used his morning boner against him just to connect with him again. Of course, he was gentle and cautious with me and was mindful of my arm, but I sometimes couldn't stop myself from giggling at his meticulousness. He'd cock an eyebrow and let a bit of himself be unrestrained, nipping at my neck and kissing me with a bit more roughness.

For the next 3 days, I'd wake up to Kip's soft I Love You's and if I was lucky, he'd respond to my wandering hands and lazy kisses with languid thrusts of his hips, then our combined sighs and moans would fill the air.

Kip told me he had to go down to the clubhouse later today and he helped me make us breakfast. He insisted on another lazy day accompanied by binge watching movies and refusing to move from the couch. I loved that juvenile side of him, how he could be lazy and carefree like a pubescent kid. We went on a quick junk run to the store, covered the coffee table with bowls of chips, candies and sodas, grabbed the cozy knit blanket he had tucked in the hall closet and assumed our position on the couch with me laying on him.

ABC Family was showing all The Little Mermaid movies and after the last one ended, I slightly flinched at the sudden tremors of Kip's Burner vibrating on my stomach. With a kiss to my head, he untangled from me to answer his call in the kitchen and I went to find another marathin of movies for us to watch, but nothing good was on. Flipping to a random show for the sake of background noise, I resorted to my sketch books. Whenever Kip went out, I'd sit on his front porch and draw whatever came to mind. I had some tattoos for Gemma, Tig and Tara to look at as well as other doodles revolving around the Sons. Freddy told me how proud he was of my first time inking someone and that he'd help me get on the road to obtaining my tattooing license when my apprenticeship was over.

I was about to get started on a sketch of Arista because she was my favorite mermaid from the movies, but I heard the theme song of Pokémon and my attention went back to the screen. After 3 episodes, I had a colorless Arcanìne and an Alolan NineTails that I was absolutely in love with. My 3 tiered Prismacolor Premier wooden box set of colored pencils, books and stray pages took over the coffee table now. I was working on the coloring for a faceless sketch of myself in one of Kip's shirts and I glanced up to search for the right shade of blue, seeing him watching me from the white archway leading to the kitchen.

"I'm sorry. I've got my shit everywhere." I apologized and tried to tame the standard mess of one of my art sessions, but Kip's bigger hand closed over mine, stopping me.

"Don't move anything, stay in your zone. Pretend I'm not even here." He smiled at me and sat on the carpeted floor with his back on the couch, his cheek against my leg as he watched the cartoons. He was such a sweetheart.

"Marci, I think you should talk to your Dad." Kip's gentle voice tore my attention from touching up the pinup sailor girl I drew for Tig. Kip turned around to meet my furrowed eyebrows. "Whenever I go to the clubhouse, he always asks how you're doing. He's giving you space, but he looks kinda down. Almost like he's depressed."

"Do you want me to leave?" I asked.

I probably overstayed my welcome and he wanted his house back. I told him why I wanted to stay with him and he hasn't questioned me about how things were going with Dad or about what happened the day after my kidnapping. He did ask about my Anxiety and we talked about it and the medicine and what usually calmed me down, but he never asked for the source of my problem.

"What? No, no. Honestly, I've gotten so used to you being around here that I don't ever want you to leave." He briefly smiled at me, but he got serious again and took my hand in his. "I know you're still upset about getting kidnapped and I understand that, but don't you think you're wrongly directing your anger at Chibs?" I almost snatched my hand away from him when he said that, but instead, I narrowed my eyes in growing annoyance. He didn't seem fazed by it. "I mean, he didn't want that to happen to you and he came back to Charming the minute he heard about what happened. Don't you think he's been through enough?"

"My anger isn't coming from getting kidnapped, it's because he's been bailing on me since I was 9 and he's doing it again. I thought that having him in my life again would mean that I get 2 minutes of his precious time, but I was wrong." Tugging my hand from his grip, I gathered all the colored pencils hiding on the couch cushions and placed them in their respective slots, packing up my box set. In a swift motion, I gathered my books and stray drawings, setting them on the set, and brushed past Kip, making my way to his bedroom with him following.

"And you think I'm bein' cruel to him, that I'm puttin' him through shit he doesn't deserve? Well, I've been down that road and he hasn't even begun to feel that pain, my pain." I spat at him as I was storming around his room to find my clothes and stuffing them into my bag. With another one of my unfolded shirts in my hand, I tugged his too-big shirt up and off me, tossing it to him while I put my own on. "Where the hell was he when Rosemary almost used me as a goddamn bargainin' chip for a pound of Cocaine? Where was he when she made me drink cough syrup to make me pass out while she went off and did fuck knows what with her filthy tweaker friends?"

"Marci-"

"He was right here in Charming, drunk out of his mind and bustin' a nut in some sleazy Crow Eater while his daughter was 2 fuckin' hours away, cryin' herself to sleep 'cause she was starvin' or in pain or terrified." I cut him off and pulled a pair of jeans on, stepping into my unlaced sneakers as I lugged the bag over my good arm and pinned him with a glare.

"He was livin' like fuckin' royalty while I was stealin' food an' clothes almost everyday." Brushing past him again, I went back out into the living room to pack up my supplies and Kip was still trailing behind me. "Excuse my lack of sympathy, but I'm pretty damn sure I've been through more shit than he has and I have a right to treat him any which-way I please. If I wanna hate him for the rest of my life, I will and he can't do a goddamn thing 'bout it. So don't ya' dare tell me he's been through enough 'cause I don't think he has, not by my standards."

"Where are you going?" He cautiously asked as I headed to the door.

"Home."

"Let me give you a ride."

"Don't do me any favors." I scoffed at him and opened the door.

Before I left, I made the stupid decision to glance back at him and saw the pained look of worry in his blue eyes.

I made the relatively short walk to my house. It wasn't a long walk and I was using the moments of solitude to think about how I was going to apologize to Kip for that little episode. I knew he was just trying to help me and he was looking out for Dad too. I didn't want him to get involved with my internal problems though. Between him being a Son, all the stress the club brings and his own life, he didn't need any extra weight weighing him down. I didn't understand how he could put up with me sometimes.

Halfway home, I got a call from Jasmine and my mood elevated as her cheery voice filled my ear with typical school drama. She told me that she hasn't so much as spared a glance at Evan, but she had a soft spot for Cameron and sometimes talked to him. Evan though, she said he's been asking about me and wanted to hang out, which was weird considering I was prepared to put a bullet in his eye. Before I got home, she invited me to a football game today and I gratefully accepted.

Dad's bike was parked in its usual spot and I sighed a bit, hesitating before unlocking the door. The first thing I noticed was the adjusted furniture in the living room. The armchair was covering the spot Miles died in and I felt the color drain from my face as the thought. I was never going to be comfortable in this room again.

I wondered if Dad cleaned up the blood and what was done with Miles' body, if the Sons went to visit Skeeter at the Crematorium again, but nothing in this world could make me ask about either. If anything, Phil deserved to know what happened to his friend.

Diesel came trotting over to me from the kitchen and he followed me into the basement as I unloaded my clothes into the washer. I could hear Dad talking above me and when I came up, I found him pacing in the kitchen. He looked pretty irritated at whomever he was on the phone with, but he saw me and barked at the receiver to hold on, putting the phone to his shoulder.

"Hey, dovey. I didn't hear ya' come in." I hummed at him and leaned on the wall, not knowing if he was going to leave me be or try to pick at me. I was still avoiding him and against Kip's advice, I was perfectly fine with not talking to him for however long I could.

"Jasmine invited me to a football game later on." I muttered and he nodded.

"I'll drop ya' off before my shift." Nodding, I pushed off the wall and went to the fridge in search of a soda.

As Dad's voice floated away, I noticed all the beer bottles verging on overflowing out of the recycling bin and the fridge was stocked, so Dad's been drinking to replace his meals. Shaking my head, I grabbed the ingredients and quickly whipped up a crispy chicken sandwich, setting it on the counter for him. Diesel was watching me move around the kitchen and when I stopped, he ran into the living room. He came back with a rubber ball in his mouth and a happily wagging tail. I cocked an eyebrow at the pit and he sat on his hind legs, begging with his front paws. I laughed at the silly pup and led him into the backyard.

~.~.~.~.

I was sitting under the Dogwood tree in our backyard and my sketch book was on my lap, my wooden case of colored pencils at my side. I was drawing a patch of red Blanket Flowers with yellow tips that looked like they were posing for me from the curvy way they grew. Diesel was the one who spotted the fiery plants though. I came out here to play fetch with him, he spotted the patch, went to sniff them and he was sneezing for a long minute. After an hour of fun, he was tired out and napping a few inches from my feet.

Dad was still inside on the phone, but I went in to go to the bathroom and when he saw me, he'd start speaking another language. I think it was Gaelic. I caught him watching me from the patio doors with soft eyes and a gentle gaze, but he'd always get pulled back to his conversation.

Looking down at my book, I compared my drawing to the flowers and smirked in content. My creative skills were definitely improving.

"Hope I'm not disruptin'." Leaning my head back on the trunk of the tree, I looked up at Dad. He pointed to the book in my lap with inquisitive eyes. "What caught your eye today?"

"Flowers." I answered, pointing to them. Dad came next to me and gave a grunt as he plopped down in the grass, grumbling about his old bones. I huffed at it, avoiding his eyes because I knew he was grinning.

I grabbed the discarded meadow-green pencil from the side of my leg, but before I could put the point to the paper, a set of keys were dropped in my lap. There were a pair of golden keys and a silver one that looked like it belonged to a car.

"Changed the locks and Zane stopped by with a key for ya', didn't think it'd be wise to pass it off to Half-Sack." Dad said when I looked to him for an explanation. "The other's to your cage. Gemma suggested a Cadillac to match hers, but I didn't think you'd be into that ritzy stuff."

"You bought me a car?"

"Aye." He smiled. "Let's go see it."

"Dad-" I started to protest.

"C'mon." He persisted and got up.

With a sigh, I followed him through the house and to the front yard. Still smiling, Dad pointed to the shiny, candy-apple red Hyundai Genesis coupe next to his bike. How didn't I notice that when I came home?

"Club's in good with the dealer, got it dirt cheap." He sounded pretty happy to have gotten a good deal on the car, but I was unimpressed and turned to go back to my sketching.

With living on my own and having to support myself, I was perfectly fine with using Public Transportation or catching a ride from Zane as my means of getting about, but I've thought about getting a car. When I'd check my budget and saw how much money I'd be giving up for my own set of wheels, my frugal side refused to let me lease one.

"You don't like it?" Dad called and I stopped in the kitchen, turning to him.

"I don't like when people try to buy me off."

"That's not what this is, dovey."

"Really? 'Cause it looks like it." Ever defiant, I crossed my arms over my chest and Dad sighed at me as he tossed the keys on the kitchen table.

"I bought the car 'cause ya' need one. If somethin' comes up, I don't want ya' waitin' around like a sittin' duck for someone to come pick ya' up. You can go see Jasmine all the time now, drive down to her football game." Unconvinced, I simply blinked at what I considered was half of Dad's real answer, waiting for him to continue. "I thought we could take a drive too, go somewhere quiet and discuss some things."

"I have nothing to discuss with you." I hissed, irritated.

"Of all the traits, ya' had to be balky like me." He chuckled to himself and I rolled my eyes. "Sooner or later, we're gonna have to talk about Rosemary, what went on when I wasn't there."

"She beat the shit out of me for 8 years, made me develop an Anxiety disorder and basically shoved me into the arms of the psychopathic maniac that murdered her. What the fuck is so hard to understand about that?!" I tried to keep myself from yelling at him again, but the urge was picking at me. Jesus, I felt like he was provoking me to scream at him, like he wanted me to.

"Marceline, settle yourself." He cautioned in an forbearing tone.

"I am settled!" He raised an eyebrow and I barely caught my voice echoing off the walls, so I took a second to take a breath and calm down. "And now that I've got a clear head, I was better off thinking you were dead or across the goddamn ocean." I harshly admitted out of spite and Dad stood a bit stiffer, his eyes going cold and blank.

"I don't know why I thought I'd feel better or that the hole you made when you left would be filled if I found you. Nothing's changed. You're alive and you're in my life, but I'm still fucked in the head and you're still dead to me. For Christ's sake, Tig and Happy have been better father figures than you've been, they've been spending time with me and bonding with me." I was gnawing on my cheek and the spot was tender now, but that was the only thing keeping me from crying.

Regardless, I felt the tears fill my eyes and I didn't know if they were from my exasperation and feeling like nobody was on my side today or from despondency at the remembrance of Rose and the dejection I felt due to Dad's protracted leave. I hated him for making me feel like this, more jumbled about my sporadically rebellious feelings. I wasn't as mixed up and mercurial before I came here and it was his fault that I was like this now. Everything's that happened to me was his goddamn fault.

"You're just like her. You don't care about me, you don't love me and I accept that. I don't care anymore. I've lived without you for 10 years and I was just fine and I'll be just fine without you for another 10 years, considering you've got that much time left in you." Regaining control, I quickly swiped the unreleased tears from my eyes. Dad didn't move or say anything and I scoffed at his silence. He knew I was right and that's why he didn't have anything to say.

I decided to take advantage of the car and snatched the keys off the table, headed out. At least I had a way to escape now. Before I got far, Dad's hand snagged my elbow and I shrugged out of his grip, but turned to face him with a scowl. He had a stern expression now, his eyes were hard and burning with mine; I could see his jaw tightly clenched.

"Don't ever say that I don't love ya' 'cause I do." He declared in a no-bullshit voice, the same one I heard him use in the Chapel, but there was a tenderhearted undertone with it.

"I haven't been Dad of the Year and I won't argue with ya' on that, but dammit, I'm tryin'. You are one of the best things that's ever happened to me and leavin' ya' behind with Rose was the last thing I wanted to do. You were right, I should've come back to look for ya' even after she told me you were long gone and what she did to ya' is a burden I'll carry for the rest of my life. But I will never lay a finger on you or leave you again, Marceline." His dark-olive eyes were glossed over now and slightly eased his steely expression as he took a step closer to me. "I love you, kid...I always have and I always will." He told me in a gentle whisper, repeatedly blinking in an attempt to keep himself from crying. "You can hate me forever if it'll make ya' feel better, but know that from the day you were born and to my dying day, I have and will always love you."

I stared at Dad for what felt like decades, trying to process how I wanted to feel about what he just said. Since that emotional re-connection when I came into Charming with Clay at gunpoint, that was probably the most affectionate thing he's ever said to me and I felt like he just crossed the border from friendly to fatherly. That's what he's been to me all this time, a friend. It was like seeing an old classmate that I barely talked to and we recognized each other after years apart, but there was nothing substantial about the association.

I couldn't stop my thoughts from drifting back to when Rose was alive and I could hear her rancorous screaming, my crying, the sound of bottles or plates shattering against the walls in my head as I was thrown back into one of her episodes of post-high lunacy.

"Do you think your Daddy ever loved you? He never gave a shit about you!"

"He hated you!"

"He never wanted you!"

"You were a mistake!"

"You drove him away, you stupid little bitch!"

"Marceline." Dad called and the ending memory of Rose slapping me brought me back to the present with a flinch. Dad's hand was cupping my cheek and I felt a tear burn a path down my skin. Before he could try to wipe it away, I shoved his arm away. "You've gotta talk to me, dovey."

"Just leave me alone." I turned my back on him and walked to the front door, slamming it behind me.

I decided to put my new car to use, because I had a feeling Dad would either take it back or just let it sit there, and hastily drove far away from the house and Dad. I sped down unknown streets and found new neighborhoods in my route to anywhere. I wasn't sure if I was out of Charming, probably on the outskirts of the town, but the road was long and clear and there was a seemingly endless field of sandy, wheat colored grass on the other side of the guard rail. I took the keys out of the ignition, but replaced my tight grip on the wheel in a last resort to keep it together, but I fell apart.

I sat in that car on that barren road and just cried.

Once I let it all out, I texted Jasmine for the address to her school and began the drive there. When I arrived, the football game was just about to start. Through the crowds piling in the gates to the football field, I spotted Jasmine in a red, black and white cheerleader uniform with her curly hair in pigtails. She looked so happy to see me, but she looked ready to kill when she saw my splint. I made up a story about begging Kip to let me ride his bike, then crashing it and she seemed to believed that.

She told me that the Lodi Flames were going up against the Woodbridge Werewolves and that they were going to add another trophy to their collection. She introduced me to the Blazers, rest of the girls on her squad, and they all seemed so nice. Apparently, Jaz has been bragging about me to them, so they all knew that I was dating a Son and asked if I could hook them up with one, mainly Jax.

I got to sit on the field benches for the cheerleaders to get an up-close look at their performance and the Flames as they came running out on the field. Some of them stopped and took off their helmets to get a good luck kiss from one of the girls, but 2 of them stopped to stare at me. Numbers 15 and 7, Rhodes and DeMarco, sent me a wave before jogging off to huddle up with their teammates.

For the 3 hours that the game went on, I got to see just how good the Flames were. They were verging on professional. The crowd always showed their support with vigorous cheers and the Blazers were killing it with their halftime performances. To end the game with an impressive touchdown, DeMarco ran from the 40-yard-line all the way to the end zone, dodging defenders and slipping past them with spin jukes. Confetti bombs exploded and the crowds and cheerleaders started to swarm the field to drench the players in praise. Most of the athletes had their helmets off and had number 7 up on their shoulders. Cameron had a gigantic smile on his face as his teammates lionized him for the winning touchdown.

After Jasmine and the Blazers changed out of their uniforms, I was invited to their after-game hangout. The place turned out to be a diner that looked like an oversized trailer, but Jaz promised me they had the best food and milkshakes in all of Lodi. Along with 2 of the Blazers that tagged along with us, we snagged a booth next to a window and everyone ordered the milkshake of their liking, then food. As we waited for our meals, I got to know the girls. Aliyah was a cream-blonde with jade eyes hidden behind her oval sunglasses. She was a little sass queen and everything she said sounded like it was a sarcastic comment, but it flowed with her giggly personality. Kristi was a brown-eyed Asian and had half of her black hair colored cobalt-blue. She was the quieter one of the bunch and almost always adverted her eyes to her phone, but she'd speak up if she was interested in something.

After eating and going through that 'I'd kill for your perfect skin/eyebrows/hair/ass' game, I was completely comfortable with these girls. Aliyah's insisted that I call her Ali and Kristi's downloaded some fun apps on my phone. The spotlight was put on Jaz and I because the other girls were so jealous of how lucky we were to have caught the attention of a Son. They mainly just wanted to know how good the sex was, if some rumors about the club were true and if they were going to be getting invitations to a biker wedding. Like the other Blazers, they only knew Jax by his face and name, but they talked about the other members, mainly a dreamy Puerto Rican and a intimidating, but hot, blue-eyed man with wild black hair.

"Yo, Minnie, Marceline!"

In a blur of colored hair, we all whipped around to peer over the seat to see who wanted our attention. Jasmine rolled her eyes with Ali and Kristi as Evan and Cam made their way through the diner and to our table. The girls cooed over the blond and congratulated him on winning the game, which he bashfully thanked them for. When they were done fawning, not a word was said to Evan, but he looked like he was waiting for some kind of welcome.

"Okay, I'll break the ice." He mused to himself. "Kristi, you looked spectacular tonight. I loved all those jumps and tricks you were doing when they tossed you in the air."

"Whatever, Evan." She scoffed, shaking her head as she started tapping away on her phone. Evan smiled at her, then looked to Aliyah, who's head was turned away from him, and his lips twitched in displeasure. Then, he set his eyes on Jasmine and I, his grin turning into a full-blown flashy smile.

"Minnie, you were an amazing leader out there. I dunno what the Blazers would do without your guidance and I doubt we'd ever win a game if you weren't there to cheer us on."

"Boy, are you corny." She said with a jive-like accent and roll of her eyes, making the other girls giggle. Jasmine turned so that she was looking at Evan with her cocked eyebrow and unimpressed glare. "You act like a square at the fair, a goon from Saskatoon. You come on like a broken arm. You're a sad apple, a long hair, a corn husker. In other words, you don't send me. So bail out, brother. Get lost." With a sassy snap and huff, Jasmine flipped one of her pigtails behind her shoulder and turned her back to her former friend.

"Someone's been watching a little too much Tom & Jerry." Evan chuckled and I saw Cam smiling behind him. The brunet's eyes landed on me and he leaned on the table on his forearms, still grinning like the Cheshire Cat. "Marci, I've been meaning to get in contact with you, but someone" He threw Jaz a pointed look and she flipped him off in return. "Wouldn't give me your number."

"What do you want?" I asked, skeptical of his intentions.

"To hang again." He lightly replied and he didn't smile this time. Was he serious? "You, me, Minnie and Cam. It'll be like the good ol' days, just without the...you know." He made a gun with his fingers and pressed it to his temple, then tapped the side of his nose.

"Step off, fuckboy." Aliyah spat and the fierceness in her voice was a bit surprising. Evan's good mood flew out the window like a Junkie suffering through 2 weeks of withdrawal and he glared at the blonde who took her shades off to narrow her almond-shaped eyes at him. "We don't wanna smoke pipe and choke on our puke. Now go away, you're starting to make me itch."

"When are you not a bitch?" Evan asked like he was requesting the time of day. "Seriously, Aliyah, you're a fucking buzzkill. No wonder nobody likes you. Your parents probably can't stand you."

"Go lick a diseased dick, Evan. Your Momma's a sorry ass whore for pushing your pathetic ass into the world."

"You've got the nerve to call someone a whore after Rico, Taylor and Steven passed you around like a fucking collection plate."

"Bite me, dickweed. Unlike your slut puppy Savannah, my pussy is exclusive. No Free Entry." Ali sounded like Gemma and I couldn't stop the giggles that slipped out. "Evan, I understand that you are just dying for a taste of me, but that doesn't justify you making up lies just 'cause you've got desert dick."

"I can assure you, my dear, that my dick is far from dry." Evan smirked. "Oh, and if I'm bullshitting, how come I've got the trashy porno they made? First 10 minutes clearly shows you giving Taylor the sloppiest and most amateurish blowjob I've ever seen. You had to be high because that was embarrassing." He cocked his head and to my surprise, Ali didn't have an aggressive comeback. She kept her grimace, but I saw the uncertainty in her eyes.

Evan pulled his phone from his pocket, unlocked it and showed her something, tilting the screen out of Kristi's eyesight when she leaned over to look. I could see the video playing from Aliyah's wide green eyes, but there weren't any sounds coming from the phone.

"You might wanna change that 'Exclusive Entry' sign to 'Public'." Evan pocketed his phone and was staring down at Aliyah with smugness written all over his face while she looked like her life was being stripped away, her tanned cheeks paler than a ghost. "I think you should start being a bit nicer to me, Miss Kahler. Unless you want me to ruin your pathetic life by uploading that little clip. I'm sure everyone at school, including your little sister, would wanna see it."

"He's lying...right, Ali?" Kristi softly called and reached over to put her hand on the stunned girl's arm.

I saw a pair of tears escape Ali's watery eyes before she put her sunglasses back on and got up, practically sprinting out of the diner. Evan was quietly chuckling to himself and he pat Cam on the chest, but his blond friend didn't even crack a smirk. Kristi tossed some money on the table before she got up and shoved Evan out of her way, calling for Aliyah as she ran out after her.

"So, I've gotta fresh bag of Bubba Kush and a parent-less house." Evan started up the conversation again, totally disregarding what just happened. "You guys wanna come over and spark up? I've gotta cool bong just waiting to be broken in."

"You're a cynical douchebag, Evan." I spat and he looked confused.

"I don't understand. I'm offering free pot, snacks and a place to crash and that makes me a doche? " I couldn't believe this guy. He was a self-serving asshole and he didn't even realize it. It was probably from all the drugs he put in his system.

I wanted to knock Evan's teeth down his goddamn throat, but Jasmine beat me to the punch...literally. She balled her fist, cocked it and delivered a life-threatening jab to Evan's cheek. Cam caught his friend and the patrons of the diner were looking on in interest or shock at the random act of violence. Jasmine told Evan not to so much as fucking look at her again or she'd get the Grim Bastards to kill him. She never used her Dad's club to threaten someone, so I knew she wasn't joking around.

After dropping some cash on the table, Jasmine and I exited the diner. Kristi and Ali were out of sight and Jaz looked beyond pissed right now. She called the blond, but Kristi answered and I could hear Ali crying as Jaz asked if they were alright. Kristi said they were almost to Ali's house and hung up to try and console her teammate.

I offered to give Jaz a ride home and she lost an ounce of her temper when I mentioned my new car. We were walking to it when she asked for a cigarette and I tossed her the unopened pack I snagged from Kip's house. We just buckled our seatbelts when I heard my phone buzzing in the empty glove compartment, briefly reminding me that I stuffed it in there on the drive to the game, and Jaz handed it to me, the cigarette seeming to calm her.

"Hel-"

"Jesus Christ Marceline, I've called you a billion times." Kip cut me off and I frowned at the vexation in his voice. "Where the hell were you?"

"I went to a football game with Jasmine and we went to a diner afterwards. I left my phone in the car." I warily explained. "What's wrong? You sound scared."

Kip went quiet and as I waited for a response, Jasmine poked me in the leg. She has her legs folded under her and her eyebrow was cocked in question. I waved her off and she nodded in understanding, blowing a gust of smoke our of the window.

My phone was still silent and I wondered if Kip's call was disconnected or if he hung up, but I heard him sigh.

"It's Chibs." He stated in a low voice. "...he got caught in a car bombing...it was pretty bad..."