Arranged Marriage to My Enemy? Holy Shit!

The next few days passed with agonizing slowness. Ricky hadn't showed up at all, which meant he was plotting something. Although, I hadn't spotted any of his people, I could feel them set up around me, watching me.

Jack was being such a persistent pain in the ass, asking more and more questions that I refused to answer. We'd fought more in the last couple of days than we ever have in the time that we've known each other. Could he not just understand that we were enemies? What I had already told him was enough. Ricky had forced me to tell him, that bastard. My heart jumped a little at the thought that he was out. The box that I had locked up tight kept coming looser and looser with every waking second.

But somehow, I held it all in. Every fiber in my being ached to go back to the life I had left. Every time I started to leave with the intent to go back, I reminded myself of why I left. It was like I had to brain wash myself in to thinking that that part of my life didn't exist. Jack didn't help with me forgetting, what with his questions about my past and such.

At times, I wish I could just kill him and get it over with. Waiting for him to stop asking questions is agonizing enough, but waiting until Ricky comes back and kills him himself is worse. Jack doesn't realize that he has an arrow pointing down to him over his head now. I can see it in his eyes, that he thinks that I just hired Ricky, that we made up the gang name K12, that we made up the stories that we told him. Ricky and I would be pretty good actors if we did that. Plus, Jack is so oblivious to the world around him that I wouldn't be surprised if he didn't recognize the name K12.

Sooner or later, Jack will finally realize and find out that what I told him was not a lie. It wasn't a story, I didn't tell him to scare and him as a joke. I told him the truth, plain and simple. Some people can handle it, and some can't. Jack is just denying the obvious so he doesn't have to face the truth.

After my last class, I went to wait in my car until Jack was done with his football practice to go home. I couldn't just leave him alone by himself. One of K12 could come by, snatch him, and no one would notice. Of course they would be wondering where their star quarterback was, but they wouldn't think that he had been kidnapped by a large gang in the next state over. And if they did, they had some good imaginations.

When I got in the car, I turned on the radio and blasted the music, trying to drown out the many thoughts that plagued my mind. My mind cleared as I began to remember the lyrics to the songs and sing along. Listening to music calmed me down exponentially. Soon I was laying back in the drivers seat with my eyes closed, head banging in tune with the beat. The things around me blurred as all I could think of was the loud music being played through the radio.

A loud knock on my window stopped me from singing all together. I turned down the music and my hand went to the glove compartment as my head swiveled to see who was at my window. Jason, a guy on the football team, stood at my window, his bag hanging from his hand. Hesitantly, I retracted my hand from the glove compartment and rolled down the window.

Outside it was already dark. Had I been sitting in the car and listening to music that long? If so, had Jack seen me being so distracted and walked to the house alone? No, no, I don't think he would do that. In fact, he would come over and disturb me from being relaxed to piss me off. Even though he wanted me to tell him something, he wasn't being any nicer to me. First, he expected me to tell him about my past because we were 'engaged,' but not treat me any differently. Stupid.

"If you're waiting for Jack, he isn't coming. He skipped practice and went home early," Jason said, fidgeting with his bag in hand. Ha ha, did I make him nervous or something?

Is Jack really that stupid to walk home along when Ricky is on the loose? But then again, he thought that Ricky is just some sort of hired actor paid to portray a guy whose been through so much. Well, isn't he wrong. There's no telling what Ricky would do now that he's out. His emotions are probably all over the place since he found out about my engagement.

I nod to Jason and give him my thanks. I don't even bother rolling up the window as I quickly back out of the parking lot and race towards home. An anger stirs in me at Jack's stupidity. A deep part of my wished that he would just realize that what I told him was the truth, and that he really was in danger. But another part of me wished that he kept on believing that what had happened was all a ploy and that Ricky had been a hired actor.

Pulling up in the driveway, the first thing I notice is that the lights are off. Jack's car is in the driveway, though, so that must mean that he's here, doesn't it? I stare at the house with wary eyes as a feeling of dread fills me. I just hope Jack is inside.

I enter the house and immediately start searching for any sign of Jack. First, I check the lower floor, even though that's the last place I expected Jack to be. Working my way from the ground up would save me time and energy if I started at the top and worked my way down.

If only Jack had listened to what I'd said. If only I'd actually went in the building to make sure he was coming out. If only Ricky would get over his obsession with me and find some other girl to love. If only I hadn't been head banging to music, and watching, waiting for Jack to come out.

If only's were becoming a big part of my vocabulary lately.

A small fear crept in to my spine, and at that instant I knew something was terribly wrong. All the lights were off, but Jack's car was in the driveway. Jack wouldn't try to scare me with the lights off, that's for sure. He'd want to make it as if nothing was about to happen. No, someone else was hear in my house, waiting for me to come. A sick realization dawned on my, and I'd wished I'd noticed it sooner.

Jack wasn't here. He'd never been here after school. In fact, he was probably somewhere in Maryland right now with K12. But I knew one person who was sure enough in the house. The fact that I finally understood what happened later pissed me off. I should have noticed earlier. After all, I was trained by the best. Just because I hadn't practiced my training in over six years didn't mean that I wasn't able to use it anymore. It just laid stagnant under the surface of my skin, ready to flare up and be of use when I needed it.

"No," I said aloud. There was no point in being quiet now. "Jack never came here after school because you took him. You took him on his way back home, which was the perfect opportunity. You planned on me not telling him anything else, and just waited for him to get so mad to just walk out. Well, it looks like you won. Congrats."

As soon as I finished speaking, the person that I'd predicted was here stepped out of the shadows, a smile covering their face. I laughed at myself, despite the situation. Enough anger and fury radiated through me that he knew that I would just snap any second. But I kept my emotions in check, and stored them away as reserve energy. I didn't eliminate the feelings that I was feeling, just lessened them to where I couldn't attack.

"Take me to him now, before I end up killing you, Ricky."