Chapter Fifty-Seven: "Shock."
"YOU KNOW THAT when you got released, you kinda became famous?" Casey says to me as we sit at one of the benches in school, chilling while we wait about half an hour before it actually started. It's been a couple days since the Johnny comment on my prison background. I've been taking classes just to spare time, and the teachers don't seem to mind. They seemed. . . somewhat pleased that I've returned. However, that can't necessarily be true, considering that almost everyone knows I went to jail. Nobody talks about it when I'm around, but it's a given that they know.
I don't care anymore. I used to be extremely bothered by it because upon my return, the word was around like wildfire, and it made me more depressed than I already was from the experience.
My mouth falls open when he just so casually mentioned something that wad such a big deal to me. "What?"
"Yeah." He says. "It actually made your popularity return."
"You're serious?"
"Dead ass, señorita." He nods. "Even your señor was getting a rep. Mr. Nerdy Goodie Two Shoes wasn't so nerdy and innocent after all. It made jaws drop, and people actually started to respect him."
Wow. It took everyone that long to figure out that my boyfriend wasn't who they thought he was? That yeah, he was probably the nerdiest, geekiest, school-loving kid I ever met, but that he was so much more than that? He was incredibly sweet, caring, and would go above and beyond to please you or make you happy. He went into Riverton with good intentions, which happened to be bad intentions disguised and the leader gave him options that he certainly would never accept or even think of doing. He respected women, never took them for granted, loved them, admired them, and looked up to them.
The complete opposite that they told him he needed to doâwhich made a huge feud begin between Taylor, the leaders, and I got dragged into it automatically because I was the girlfriend; more specifically, the girl he loved, which was more dangerous than me just being involved with him. Being someone's romantic partner who's involved with a drug lord is extremely dangerous and problematic. This made you the first on the lords list to attack or threaten their clients with; which meant that they used you as leverage to get the client to do whatever the lord wanted if they cared about you and your safety.
That was something that Taylor hadn't kept in mind, and that lead us to a full-blown shootout between someone who disagrees, someone who demands, and someone who has no idea what's happening until it's already happened.
You can guess which position I was in.
In case you got it wrong, I was the latter of the three. I was completely innocent.
That was. . . until I needed services to help my family. Then, all hell broke loose and I was thoroughly fucked; I wouldn't just be putting Taylor in jeopardy (even though he didn't really count because his life was already at stake the moment he approached a well-known drug lord in all of the U.S.A.) I would be putting all my friends and family in danger as well, and that included my family scattered around in Mexico.
I don't know how they knew, but I did on another note. Most major drug dealers were of Spanish-descent. I guess it was some kind of vibe they got, or maybe it was because I understood what they were saying in the room while they spoke foreignly. They chose that method because Taylor couldn't speak Spanish, and to them it was easy. I, however, wasn't interrogated, so they never knew I spoke. Or maybe they just didn't care.
Hell, for all I know they could know my family or even be friends with relatives. It's probably the latter, honestly; my family's full of people who are in gangs and prison. Luckily we have an easy last name, otherwise moving to America would have been stressful.
"Who would've known that going to prison was all it took for us to be treated like a normal couple." I grumble. It was stupid how stereotypes worked; no two different ones could interact without conflict, and that pisses me off. I should be able to go out with a goth kid or nerd and not be judged for it!
"Who knows." Justin mutters. "As long as they don't corner JâLo about it then I don't give a rats ass about what's going on at this shit school."
I giggle wholeheartedly, leaning my head on Justin's shoulder as he eats his breakfast wrap his mother made for him. I sneak a bite, to which he growls at me but allows it because they're all slowly starting to get used to me eating. I've caught everyone up with my latest gossip; everything that Lacey knows, the guys know too. Except on my drama with Landon, because the last thing I want is for them to attack Landon once they finally meet him. Jody and Lacey are the only ones who know about it, and luckily they're doing good jobs on keeping their mouths shut.
We spend the next little while just sitting and admiring the nice weather. Well, on my end of the line anyway. It's usually always nice in L.A. with the occasional storm and raining, but temperature-wise, it's always nice. I can't say the same about Canada. I swear, I got to sunbathe and have to wear a nice, warm jacket all within the same week.
When the bell finally goes, we all separate. "I'll catch up, I'll meet you guys in the gym, I need to grab my bag." I say, unlinking my arm with Justin's.
"Want me to wait up?" Justin asks, and I smile.
"Yeah, sure, if you wanna. I don't know how you want Coach Carmichael to react, though."
"Good point," he chuckles uneasily. "Oh well. Fucker can wait."
I chuckle, and link our arms back together. "Okay then. We'll see you guys later!" I say to everyone else. Justin and Casey and I all have the gym class together. Though I can sit out if I wanted, I'm allowed the opportunity to participate. Gym was one of my favourite subjects, mostly because I had my friends in that class.
Justin and I make it to his locker at one of the corners of the huge 'H' our school was shaped in, in which he punches in his combo and stands aside for me to get my bag. It'd be ridiculous for me to have a locker for less than a week, so I'm sharing with my best friend. Luckily for me, the school truly admires meâbesides from my little vacationâbecause of how friendly, active, social, and academically strong I was.
Grabbing my bag and water bottle, I close up Justin's locker and we turn the corner, heading towards the gym.
When suddenly, I'm bumped into; if it wasn't for our arms linked together, I most certainly would have fallen on my ass.
"Oomph!" I gasp, taken by surprise and falling over my feet, Justin's and the guy's arms reaching out to stable me. "Excuse you!" I exclaim without thinking. "God, what's it take for a short person to be able to get around without giants stomping all over them?"
Suddenly, Justin's body grows rigid and the guy starts chuckling deeply.
Wiping off the fake dust off my jeans even though I never made contact with the floor, I glance up at the collision-causer, and this time, if Justin really still hadn't been holding onto me, I most certainly would drop dead, because my knees are starting to wobble unsteadily.
"Are you alright?" He asks worriedly, and I gulp, unable to hide my shock.
"I. . . erm." I stammer, looking like a fish out of water. Shit.
"JâLo." Justin whispers soothingly.
"I'm fine." I say, shaking my head to clear every thought currently swarming my brain, and shrug off Justin's helping hand. "I'm okay, you can release me now."
"Want me to deal with it?" He asks calmly, and I gulp, breaking eye contact with the boyâno, manâstanding in front of me and shaking my head.
"No, I got it, thank you." I whisper. "You can go."
"Are you skipping?"
"Just a moment. No, I am not." I reply, and he nods, grabbing my bag off my shoulder and walking off towards the gym, giving me a nervous look back.
When Justin's fully out of sight, we just stand there, staring at one another with nothing being said. Truthfully, there are no words to be said and that's the silence that we're comfortable with.
I can't help but think if this is the same guy I knew before, or if he's different.
His intense stare is just as powerful as mine, if not more.
Sadly, his eyes hold all of his emotion, and if I didn't look into them when I first looked up, I would have never known who it was.
Love.
And at the moment, I have no idea if my blue swirls hold the same thing.
That's what sets me off. It's as if the whole world froze and it was only us in this current moment, because suddenly, I'm too overwhelmed and confused by his presence. Clearly he's in the exact same position because one moment, we're staring into each others eyes, reading the other; and the next, we're in one another's arms, and he's sucking my face.
I never once in my life thought that I'd ever cheatâlet alone kiss someone I thought I'd never see again.
A few moments later, and I pull away with intense guilt. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have done that. I don't know what came over me but I've missed you too damn much and I needed to make sure it was you. I shouldn't have done it." I whisper into his neck, sighing in content when I smell his scent, that's never changed.
"It's okay, Brooklyn. It's me." He murmurs. "Actually me."
"I wasn't expecting you." I say honestly, sniffling as tears start to slide down my face, soaking his tight white shirt. He's wearing casual clothes: tight white t-shirt, grey skinny jeans, and converse. Attire he always wore, and I'm actually quite happy that by the current looks it, everything is the sameâexcept for his body.
He's definitely gotten more attractive, but not as attractive as Landon. His hair that used to be blonde-ish is now a chocolate brown, and his green eyes are now that resembles a forest, and his face is more sculpted and toned. He definitely gained a few inches and pounds. He's now about seven inches taller than me, whereas before he was only taller by a few inches. His body that used to be a little scrawny is now the total opposite and well-defined. His mass has definitely doubled, and it's no doubt that he worked out whenever he could. He put spare time to great use. He looks even more hot than he did two years ago.
And that makes this all the more harder to deal with. Why couldn't he just end up fat and ugly and actually be a total pendejo (asshole)?
Well, Brooklyn, at least Landon didn't send you to prison.
"I wasn't expecting you, either." He chuckles softly. "If I remember correctly, and the times, I got out earlier than you. I was going to visit." He sighs. "I was wrong, and honestly, I'm fucking happy I was."
"Um. . . yeah. Me too." I say, pulling away and sniffing again. Taylor takes note of my puffy face, and brings his big, warm hands down to wipe my face clear of any pain.
"Please don't cry." He says with a frown. "The last thing I want is you crying over me again. You don't deserve it."
"It's okay," I smile warmly, "they're happy tears." Are they, Brooklyn? Are they really? I frown after a moment. "I have a class. . . can we meet up later?"
"Yes, I'd love that." He smiles, flashing his perfect white teeth.
You hear that, Brooklyn? He wouldn't like it, he'd love it! Isn't that somethin'?
"I would too." I say happily. "Um. . . you remember where I live?"
"Vaguely, but I know the house."
"Oh, okay. Um, well, I'll be there sometime tonight or tomorrow morning. If you're not busy, you could stop by?"
"Yeah, sure." He smirks. "I'll see you around, darling."
Smiling back, I step around him and that's when I can finally start to breathe.
I just realized I like Landon more than Taylor.
Taylor is back.
He's back. I saw him. I ran into him.
Fuck.
I kissed him.
I cheated on the guy I love more than my first love.