Jail Bird. by Em. Z. (best free ebook reader .txt) 📕

"I'm sorry...I didn't know you felt so strongly about it." I had to get out of here, my eyes were filling with tears. A weakness I didn't want her to see. "E-excuse me." I wanted to slap myself as the words escaped in a sob.

I pushed past her surprised form, running as if my life depended on it down from the bay. I ran on the sand as fast as my feet could take me, a feeling of deja vu washing over me. Hadn't that been where I ran from Victor when he expressed his love for me?

This was entirely different, however. This time I felt utterly heartbroken. It was silly, because I knew that she wasn't Victor, and that Victor knew me for who I was, and he wouldn't leave me over his sister's accusations, but she would never accept me. She'd probably do everything in her power to keep me away from her brother.

I reached the house in record time, my legs burning from trying to run in the sand. I ran past the house, however, and hid myself in the trees, and lying down on a rather new-looking hammock.

I stared out at the ocean, wanting to slap myself. I'd never been so weak in my life. I felt ashamed. It's just that she looked so much like her brother! And the way that she said her words. She let it all out without a single thing held back. I felt like a kid again, being teased and bullied because my father was a criminal.

The wind rocked my hammock, and I hugged my arms, wishing my Dad were here on one of his visits. I hadn't gotten a call from him in a while. In fact, it had been quite a while since he'd been able to say Blood Is Thicker Than Water, and actually spend time with me. Life had been different since that night when I was eighteen. He'd always been more careful.

I sighed heavily, wishing against everything that I had a normal life, with normal, happy parents. Why couldn't my father have just...stayed away from those gangs? It took a lot of thinking to realize, I'd never gotten a straight answer on how he got involved with them. I'd always been told the same thing; It's complicated.

I sighed heavily. Everything was complicated. I'd chosen to stay with my mother after they got divorced, instead of moving out. It was so hard, because just the memory of Dad would send Mom over the edge, and she would go off on a rant of what a bastard he was. I'd sit in my closet, covering my ears as she screamed at him over the phone. Afterwards I'd always press the redial and talk to him. I was often his comfort in hard times.

I sighed heavily. I wasn't that far from the house, and I had a perfect view of Victor's window. I could see his silhouette pacing as he ran his hands through his hair. His arms moved in angry gestures as he spoke to a shorter, more feminine silhouette.

I idly wondered who he was arguing with, but I shrugged it off, looking back out at the ocean. I curled closer to my jacket, the ache in my heart dulling ever so slightly as I imagined Victor's smile, closing my eyes. But of course, my heart just had to betray me, and it thought of Jean's hard expression, replacing her face with Victor's. He had listened to his sister.

"You're disgusting!" He would say, "And I don't love you anymore!"

And I would fall to the ground, my heart in pieces in front of me as Jean laughed maniacally.

But of course, my mind was being over dramatic. Victor wouldn't do that to me...would he?

"Jane! Jane where are you?" Speak of the devil.

I opened my eyes at the sound of his voice, quickly wiping away my tears and sniffing. I plastered on a fake smile, and called, "I'm over here, Victor!"

I heard soft footsteps in the sand, and he appeared through the trees. His face creased in worry as he rushed over to where I lie. I sat up, letting him pull me from the hammock and into his arms. "I'm so sorry, Jane. If I had known how she felt I...I don't know what I would have done, but I wouldn't have let her talk to you that way. Oh I'm so sorry." He whispered into my hair.

I held him close to me. "It's okay...I'm okay." I promised.

"No you're not. Your eyes are bloodshot and your cheeks are puffy." He muttered, combing his hand through my hair.

I bit my lip, and stayed silent. "What did she say, Jane? How did she hurt you?" He asked.

Again, I didn't say a word. If this was going to come between them, I wasn't going to tell him. I was his girlfriend, yes, but that was his sister. His own flesh and blood. For years, Kent and I didn't talk because of Dad. I didn't want that to happen to Victor and Jean. Not because of me.

"Jane?" He pulled back to look at me, running his fingers through my hair to clear it from my face.

I looked away from him. "She didn't say anything." I muttered.

"Jane, your eyebrow twitched upward. What did she say?" He repeated, his eyes hardening.

"I told you she didn't say anything! I just needed to think!" I pulled away from him, walking past him.

He caught my arm as I walked out into the open, spinning me around. "Jane, if you're trying to protect her-"

"So what if I am? She's your sister! And even though you'll probably deny it, being you, she means so much more to you than I do! I know this because Kent and I love each other, and I would give up everything to protect him, just as you would your sister. I don't want to get in between you both like my father got in between my brother and I. I won't do it, Victor! I love you too much to-"

I was cut off when he pulled me into his chest, smashing his mouth to mine. I was so shocked that I froze for a moment. He eventually coaxed me into responding. I slid my hand up to his neck, gently placing it on the side. He pulled me flush against him with one arm, lifting me up so my face was a bit higher than his, making me tilt my head down slightly.

I slid my other hand into his silky black hair, deepening the kiss. 

He pulled away, slowly lowering me to the ground as we gasped for breath. "Jane, why are you so selfless?" He asked.

I let out a soft giggle. "I'm not, I just don't want you to be angry at your sister for trying to protect you." I whispered.

"Jane, I'm a grown man, I don't need protection. Especially from you. You're no more of a danger to me than a piece of fluff in the wind" He chuckled, poking my nose with his fingertip.

My cheeks flushed, and I smacked his arm playfully. But as I looked to the right, I realized that we had an audience.

Watching through Victor's window, was a crowd of five people. 

I flushed scarlet and looked up at Victor. "Apparently there weren't any soap operas good enough on TV, so they decided to watch us instead." I said, inclining my head pointedly to the side.

He looked at his window, and let out a loud laugh. I followed his gaze to see that everyone was scrambling to leave the room, having been caught red-handed. I rolled my eyes, laughing along with Victor.

He let go of me, keeping a hold of my hand as he lead me back to the house, still chuckling. I started to get nervous at the sight of the front door, biting my lip and praying that Jean just left me be.

He stopped when we reached the porch, leaning down, and pressing an assuring kiss to my forehead. "It'll be alright, Jane." He whispered, his lips brushing my skin as he spoke.

I let my eyes drift closed at his warm presence, a soft smile lifting my lips.

"I know."

Three days.

Three days and all I've gotten from Jean was accusing stares and hateful glares. Ha, ha. I'm a poet.

But seriously, I was one more glare away from punching her and telling her how I really felt about her. I'd been nothing but sweet to her. I mean really, who did she think she was? She had no idea who I was, or what I'd been through! I mean, for God sakes,  She wasn't Shurlock!

I sat on the beach, watching Kent swim with crossed arms. Show off. I still wasn't confident enough to swim without Victor. I mean, hell, he hadn't let go of me the last time. Not once.

Currently, Victor got some news on the whereabouts of Ike, and was locked in his room, tracking him down. He forced me to sit outside, knowing that if I knew where Ike was, I'd be gone within minutes, on the hunt.

Logan plopped down beside me, giving me a sideways glance. "Still sulking, eh?" He nudged me.

I smiled slightly, pushing his arm. Things had gotten a little more comfortable between Logan and I. There were those rare moments of awkward silence between us when he would say the wrong thing, but we were mostly back to our old ways. His bruise was yellowing, and his eye had stopped swelling ages ago. He and Victor didn't speak, though. That was one difference. The air became tense when they entered the same room.

I was immensely glad that I didn't tell Victor that Logan had claimed his love for me. I wasn't so sure Logan wouldn't be in the hospital right now if I had mentioned that.

"I'm not sulking, Logan, I'm...contemplating the meaning of...," I couldn't think of anything witty to say.

"You're sulking." He accused, chuckling at my small vocabulary.

I sighed in defeat. "Yes, I'm sulking. Shut up and sulk with me before my knee ends up in your face." I threatened lightly, scooting closer to him and using him as my chair, leaning my back against his arm.

"Yes Ma'am." He shot me a salute with the arm he was able to use.

"Excellent, soldier." I said in my best "Drill Sergeant" voice.

We sat in silence after our laughter died down, me staring out at the Bay in the distance, and Logan staring out at the ocean. 

"Logan, come help us with this cooler!" Jean called, and we looked over to see her struggling with he mother.

I pushed up from my position on his arm, giving him a small smile as he nodded to me and got up.

With a groan, I fell back in the sand, letting the sun warm my body. I was in no mood to deal with Jean's glare, or her constant, yet subtle, remarks towards me. One more word from her mouth directed towards me and I was going to snap.

"I guess Victor got tired of her." I heard her mutter, thinking I didn't hear.

I heard her mother admonish her as my eyes snapped open. Oh hell no.

I sat up, my head snapping in their direction, ready to tell off