I choose to make this chapter and the last into a two parts, with this being part two. Along with that, I gave the last chapter a name! But I'm sure most of you aren't in a hurry to go find out what it is, and that's perfectly reasonable. I wouldn't.

Read On!

Journal,

Today was confusing. One minute I'm happy from spending time with Ashley and Zack, the next I'm enraged and trying to kill Tommy Gun.

How does he know where I live?

The next minute…I'm as happy as I was with Ashley, and I don't know what to make of it.

~*~V~*~

"You alright, Freckles?"

I stormed into my house, nearly knocking JoJo over when I opened the front door. I slammed it shut and headed upstairs and for the bathroom. I stopped to peek inside Zack's room, he's still sleeping. Good. Seeing the blood on my hands I walked into the bathroom and washed it off. In the mirror, I saw that there were a few splatters of blood on my t-shirt.

"Freckles?"

"WHAT?" I snapped at JoJo. He stepped back in surprise. "Sorry, I didn't mean to yell at you, JoJo. Tommy has me all riled up. I'll be in my room in a minute." He nodded and left the bathroom for my room.

I have a feeling that the world doesn't like me. I thought I got rid of Tommy when I left Duval, but then I have to deal with Ralphie. I haven't heard from him in long time, but I don't know if that's a good thing. Now Tommy is back. Who let him out of prison?

I took off my shirt and tossed it into the laundry basket. My jeans miraculously didn't get blood on them. I went back into my room without a shirt. JoJo was sitting on the floor, next to the cage. He somehow managed to get Falafel and Paprika out of the cage without having to take out the others. Real talent. I found a white t-shirt and put it on before I sat down next to him an started to take the other rabbits out the cage for exercise.

"You okay, Freckles?" JoJo asked, not looking up at me.

"I'm fine. Tommy isn't though. I think I broke his nose. I was aiming for his jaw but missed terribly," I said as I put Duracell down. "I'm more worried about Zack. If he was able to find where I live, then what else is he capable of?"

"It'll be alright. Just keep an eye on your brother; everything will be okay," He said. "C'mon tell me more about your girlfriend. When did you two start dating?"

"About a week after I came home. I didn't want to date her; I didn't want to get too into the social scene of high school. I went out with her once to get her to stop asking. We went roller skating and to the movies. We took Zack and his 'girlfriend' too. It was more fun than I thought it would be, and I asked her out again. She surprised me. I know her from elementary school, and the last impression I had of her wasn't very good. She's smarter than what she puts on. Nothing like the 'dumb blonde' stereotype. She could be a politician one day. I'd vote for her. But she wants to be a fashion designer, and if that'll make her happy, then I'm all for it."

"You like her a lot?" I nodded.

"She's the first girl I've been with, but I can't ask for a better girl."

"It's not like you dated a guy either…."

"Yeah, but that doesn't matter. I like guys and girls, I was going to end up with one or the other. Why are bringing this up?" JoJo shrugged.

"No reason. Are you two having a boy or girl?"

"I dunno. She's only a month and a half along. You can't know this early, right? We haven't discussed if we would want to know. We're planning for an open adoption."

"That's good, not that I don't think you can't take care of a baby. You're taking responsibility, and that's the important thing. We gotta spend more time together Freckles. This is the second time I saw you. We used to be like this," he paused to cross two of his fingers. "We've been through some shit together. People like that don't stop being friends."

"Right. I'll try to find time. I have to get thing sorted out. School, Ashley, Zack…..I have to get my driver's license, possibly a job…" I trailed off. Since when is JoJo so concerned with what I'm doing with my life? As long as I'm not doing anything stupid or that could kill me, he doesn't care. Much.

I hope Tommy Gun isn't going to press charges. That would be one strike out of three that would send me back to jail. I'm justified in beating him up. He was threating my brother and I promised I would protect him at all costs. I'm in the right, here.

Tommy is fucking crazy, he's not going to press charges. He wanted to see me get upset and I was stupid enough to fall for it. I was wrong in that.

Next time, walk away. Only beat him into a pulp if absolutely necessary.

Me and JoJo sat in silence as we played with the bunnies. His two want all his attention. The others hopped around us and played with each other. I watched as the earless Norman scratched himself and almost fall over doing so. That happens each time he scratches. The others don't have that problem. I added to the ever long list of things to do to take them to the vet. It would save me a lot of trouble if the vet could come here. Taking Duracell was no problem; that's one. I'd be moving ten more. I need a car to take them.

I'll call and see if I can have the vet come here instead.

"They like you," I said when I saw JoJo's two bunnies licking his hands. He laughed. Soon they left him alone and played with the others.

"JoJo—" I didn't get to finish what I was saying. A pair of lips touching mine cut me off. What the…what is he doing? I don't know but I can't help my eyes from slowly closing. I felt his fingers go through my hair as he pulled me closer to him. I didn't push him off, because I didn't want to.

It…it's not the first time I kissed him…

Yeah it is. It's the first time. We've gone further than this. I…we had sex a few times, when we both needed release and there was no one around. But we made it a rule not to kiss.

I'm regretting that rule, now. This kiss feels amazing.

I feel his arm wrap around my waste and I wrap mine around his neck and we pulled each other closer.

…Why is he kissing me in the first place? He told me, in the most extensive way I think is possible, that he's not into guys. That the possibility of it never crossed his mind.

Either way…..

I'm with Ashley now. I can't do this.

I took my hands from around him and lightly pushed him off, breaking our kiss.

"Why did you kiss me?" I asked him. I couldn't look up at him.

"…..I wanted to," He whispered. "For a while."

"But aren't you—"

"I don't know. I'm not sure anymore. I'm sorry for doing that, but….I had to see. I should probably leave…."

"No, don't leave," I said, pulling him back down. "This is happening too fast. Are you saying you like me?"

"A little bit, I think. I'm not sure," He said, running his fingers through his dreadlocks. "It's confusing. After you left Duval, that's when I started feeling like this. I don't know what to make of it. I know you just told me a minute ago about your girlfriend and how muh she means to you but I had to kiss you, just to see. I'm sorry, Freckles."

"You don't have to apologize, JoJo. I don't blame you. But we can't be together. I'm with someone, someone I like." JoJo slowly nodded.

"I have to go," he said, getting up. I didn't stop him this time. He petting his bunnies before leaving the room, and then the house.

Shit just keeps piling on my shoulders, doesn't it?

What am I going to do? I feel guilty for telling JoJo I can't be with him. Why? I never looked at as more than a friend. I consider him attractive psychically, yeah, but I haven't given the thought of us in a relationship. I always believed he wouldn't be interested anyways. Last time I checked, he was only into girls. And he's not my type!

"…Not sure. He has to be independent, that's a must. No clingy guys. Or girls. Has to have his own thing going on. Strong too. Not stronger than me, but more like equally strong. Like if we got into a fight, it would always be a tie. Smart, only a couple inches shorter or taller than me, he's got to be someone I could just hand-out with and relax and doesn't have a stick up his ass."

Damn, that's JoJo in a nutshell. Do I have feelings for him?

He's my best friend. We've been through hell and back together. I'm the only one that knows he's scared of thunder, and he's the only one that I've told about Alex, aside from Mr. Simmons. We slept together on more than one occasion. Hell, he's the one I lost my virginity to.

Better him then some other guy I didn't know.

He has amazing eyes. I saw them once, but his eyes are beautiful. I didn't know eyes could be that bright and clear. And that gap tooth of his is adorable.

Alright, I have SOME feeling for him that I didn't know until he kissed me. I'm with someone. I'm with Ashley, and I like her. I don't plan on breaking up with her any time soon.

JoJo did say he wasn't sure about his feelings. This could be a one-time thing.

"What do you think?" I asked Duracell. She sat comfortably in my lap. The others have calmed down and were sitting down close around me. "I think I should find Tommy and punch him some more to let out my emotions, by punching him again. For an hour. Or two." My answer was her licking my hand. "You don't care at all…."

My phone rang. Reaching over my bed I picked it up. A text message. That's weird. I don't recognize the number. What does it say?

You're making a big mistake. This is your last chance to change your mind.

A threat? If this person was going to threaten me then they need to have the balls to let me know who they are. I closed my phone, and tossed it back on my bed. It rang again. I wanted to ignore it, but my phone kept going of every few minutes as I got new messages. Reluctantly, I pick it up again and checked.

Don't ignore me.

If you don't do what I want, you have no idea how much worse things can get.

I can be your worst nightmare.

Some threat this is. Threats are supposed to scare you into doing what they want. Whoever this is isn't making clear what he wants. Or she wants.

Smells like Ralphie.

The sound of the doorbell ringing brought me out of my thoughts. I have to go answer the door. Can I leave the rabbits alone for a few seconds? All lose wires are put away where they can reach them, they're all calm and not running around….it'll only be a second. I put Duracell down with her kids and ran downstairs to the front door. I opened it and was met with Randall standing at my front door. Oh, right. I asked him to come over to see if he wanted to keep Pizza.

"Wow, you actually came. I didn't think you would," I said, leading him upstairs.

"I wasn't, but I came across some information about Ralphie," Said Randall. "I don't know if it matters, but it might to you, so I came."

"Here she is," I said as I picked up Pizza. She squirmed a bit, but I held her close to my chest to avoid accidently dropping her. "Want to hold her?"

"She doesn't look like she wants to be held…"

"No, she just doesn't like me. She'll like you; she a nosey little thing, finding her way into my backpack and closet."

"If you say so," He said. I carefully handed Pizza over to him, and she calmed down almost instantly.

"See? She likes you already," I said, noticing Pizza chewing and tugging at his shirt. "She never does that with me. Now, what is that you want to tell me about Ralphie?"

"I found more information about his family and him. He has an older brother that's three or four years older. I couldn't find much, but what I did find is that his brother committed some crime as was sent to Duval. You might know him."

"I doubt it. I didn't know a lot of people in Duval. Only a handful," I said. "Do you know his name?"

"I forgot. It begins with a T. Timothy, Taylor, Thomas….something along those lines, but I'm sure it began with a T. Know anyone whose name began with a T?"

"I do, but we went by nicknames in there. No one called me TJ, they called me Freckles. It was an unsaid rule in the guy's dorms. His nickname began with a T, but that's not his real name. What else?"

"Ralphie has gotten in a shit load of trouble before moving here. He puts all the things you used to do to shame. Minus the fire starting. That could be why his family moved around so much. It's weird because he hasn't gotten in trouble since moving here. The occasional detention, yes, but nothing like before he came."

"I haven't heard from him in weeks. It's been nice not seeing his smile," I said sitting down on my bed. "So do you like her?" He nodded.

"She's kind of cute. What's her name?"

"Pizza, 'cause of all the spots. Do you want her?"

"I'll take her. She loves me already, see?" I looked down to see Pizza licking his hand, just like Duracell licks mine. Don't know what I did to make her hate me, but I want her to go to someone she likes. "Do I take her home now or…?"

"No, not for another month. They have to learn to eat pellets and timothy hay. Then I have to get them spayed and neutered, and teach you how to take care of them properly. Rabbits need a ton of attention. You can't just leave it in its cage and only feed it and give it water. You have to play with them every day. For now, I would set a spot for her cage in your room, away from wires, or anything that could fall on her."

"Okay. I'll do that. Sorry, but I have to give you back to your owner," He said to Pizza while handing her back over to me. She didn't want to be held by me and showed it by trying to get out of my grasp. "I hope what I found meant something to you. This is the hardest this I've investigated."

"It's better than nothing."

~*~V~*~

A lot of things happened to day. JoJo kissed me, I found a home for Pizza, and Ralphie has a brother that I might have come in contacts with. Goodie.

But what are the chances of that? It would've been nice if Randall remembered his name. He said began with a T….

I want to say it's Tommy Gun, but what's not likely. Like I told Randall earlier, we all went by nice names.

Some were more creative than others. JoJo's real name is Jojoba. Not that original.

…..

Tommy Gun couldn't be that careless. I don't know his real name. Why would I want to know? His name couldn't be Thomas, could it?

Who the hell am I kidding? That's extremely likely.

It's a common name too, so there's that. Thomas isn't an unusual name. I know theirs at least five Thomas's in my school. That would explain how Tommy found where I live.

I'm trying to quit, but I need a cigarette.

I heard coughing coming from behind me. Turning, I saw Zack coming into my room.

"Are you okay, Zack?" I asked him. I walked over to pick him up and sat him down in my lap.

"My throat hurts," He said in a strained voice. Worried, I put my hand on his forehead and cheeks. He's not warm. Good. "It hurts to talk," He said, tears coming to his eyes.

"Don't worry. Mom will know what to do," I said. I took his hand and led him downstairs into the kitchen where mom was working on dinner. "Mom, I think Zack has a sore throat. He says his throat hurts when he talks."

"Another sore throat? Oh no," She said. She immediately stopped cooking and kneeled down to Zack. "Ok, Zack, open your mouth so I can see." Zack opened his mouth as wide as he could and mom looked inside. "Yep, definitely a sore throat. TJ, can you please take Zack upstairs and put him in bed? I'll be up in a minute to give him some medicine." I nodded.

"C'mon, Zack." I picked him up and carried him into his room. I picked out a pair of loose fitting pajamas and helped him change before putting him in bed. "You'll feel better soon okay?" He nodded.

"I wanna play with the bunnies," He whined.

"I'm sorry, but you can't. Their fur might make your throat hurt more. Mom is going to come in and make everything better." Right after I said that, mom came in the room carrying a bottle of medicine and a cup of tea. I went into my own room to clean up the mess the bunnies made earlier. They're all in the cage, huddled together and sleeping. I almost forgive them for pooping on my floor. It wasn't a lot. I cleaned that up right after I put them back in the cage. I have to vacuum their fur off the floor. I plugged in the vacuum, but right as was about to turn it on, my door flew open and Zack ran in and hid behind me.

"TJ tell momma I don't have to drink the hot stuff!" He yelled is his raspy voice. "It hurts!"

"It's tea, Zack. The honey in it helps your throat feel better."

"But it's hot! I don't wanna drink it!" I kneeled down to his height. He's crying now. A sore throat hurts enough when you're older. For a three year old it can be the more painful thing on Earth. I don't want to make him drink the tea, but he has to.

"Zack, where did you run off to?" I heard mom call from the hallway.

"He's in here, mom," I called. "Zack, do you trust me?" He slowly nodded. "I promise that the tea will make your throat feel better. It works for me, and I know I'll work for you."

"But it's hot!"

"Then maybe mom will let it cool down some so it's easier for you to drink," I said right as mom came in. "Mom, I think the tea is too hot for Zack to drink. He says it's hot."

"Yes, I know. I'm letting it cool down before he drinks it again," She said. "He has a doctor's appointment on Monday. This is the tenth sore throat he's had, and I'm hoping it's not strep throat like the last two times."

"That's terrible. Strep is a pain to go through. Zack, ready to go back to bed?" I asked him. He nodded and I took his hand to lead him back into his room and put him into bed. I stayed and watched mom give Zack a teaspoon of sore throat syrup and the now warm tea. He glanced over at me with an unsure look on his face. I nodded for him to take the medicine and reluctantly did so. After he drank the tea, mom left the room after telling him that she'll be up with a bowl of chicken noodle soup later.

"You'll feel better soon, Zack. Promise."

"Why do I keep getting sore throats?" He asked me.

"I'm not sure. Some people get sick easier than others, and they have to be extra careful to stay healthy," I told him. "It's not your fault; you didn't do anything wrong."

"It's not fair!" He said as he folded his arms and pouted. "I gotta take medicine and stay home! I wanna go to daycare and play."

"But if you go you'll make the other kids sick. You don't want Valarie to get sick, do you?"

"….No, but I don't wanna stay home and take the nasty medicine."

"It's be over soon. Remember when I have my eye taken out and told you about being brave?"

"Uh-huh."

"This is just like then. Now, you have to be brave for yourself, and I'll be brave for you too," I said, pulling him into a hug. "I'll be back in a little bit. I have to go clean. Be brave okay?"

"'kay."

I have a sore throat on one side. It's better than the whole thing, but it's annoying because it's the first time I've been sick in a year. I'm falling in love with tea. It does wonders. It's amazing what simple ingredients like honey or ginger can do. For the next week my diet will consist of tea and cough drops.

Donna Nnov: Yes! A Chauncey reference. I had to do that. It's been sitting in my head for a while.

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