Drop Dead.

I don’t want to trust him. I don’t want to trust anyone. Trust is troublesome because you can never tell who you can and cannot trust. One moment they’re trustworthy and the next, they’re stabbing you in the back. I don’t want to trust Laker…but I do.

“If I let go of you, are you going to run away?” Laker asks, his lips brushing mine because of how close we are.

“Yes,” I reply. “I’m grounded, remember? I’m not even supposed to be over here.”

“Oh…I forgot all about that.”

“Shocker there.”

Laker smirks and presses another quick kiss to my lips and pulls away. When he does I head for the door and he’s following right behind me. The two of us head across the street and when I open the door I wait for Mimi or Ken to shout at me for disobeying their orders. I am grounded, after all.

But their shouts never come. I look into the living room to see Mimi and Ken watching TV. They both look back at us and Mimi smiles. “It’s nice to see you over again, Laker.”

“Told you they’d sort it out themselves,” Ken smirks and winks at the two of us. Laker gives him a thumbs up and Mimi just rolls her eyes. Both of them go back to watching TV and I sigh. I guess this means I’m not grounded anymore?

“We should go talk to Gel,” Laker says from behind me. Looking back at him from over my shoulder, I nod and head for Gel’s door. We knock a couple times before she finally lets us in.

Her eyes are slightly red and puffy from crying and her hair is a little messy. She sniffles and allows me to walk in to wrap my arms around her. Immediately she starts crying again and throws her arms around me while mumbling something along the lines of ‘sorry for yelling at you’ into my shirt.

Shaking my head, I grab hold of her shoulders and push her back so I can look her in the eye. I smile and brush the tears from her face as I say, “Don’t apologize. You were just trying to help and…I was just being stubborn.”

“And stupid,” she hiccups.

“And stupid,” I roll my eyes but place a kiss to her forehead. She smiles sweetly and asks if the two of us had made up and Laker nods happily in response. She grins and goes back to watching TV in her room while Laker and I head to mine.

“So…what now?” He asks, taking a seat on my bed while I pace around my room for no reason. I stop at my dresser and rearrange the things sitting on top. I don’t know why but I continue to do that with everything in my room until it drives Laker nuts and he grunts. “Jinx, stop being weird and answer my question.”

I snort and fall back into my computer chair. Pushing myself from side to side, I reply, “I don’t know what you’re asking.”

“Bullshit you don’t.”

Of course I do but can’t I still imagine that I’m a normal, straight, teenage boy? Apparently not.

“Nothing happened. We just kissed.”

“Are you implying that I have to ask you out?” Laker smirks and raises an eyebrow in curiosity.

I shake my head in response. “I’m not a fucking girl! You aren’t asking me out.”

“Oh, so you’re going to ask me out?”

“Why would I do that? I don’t want to date you. I can do better.”

Laker pouts. “You’re so cold.”

“Besides…I don’t need the trouble.”

Laker tilts his head to the side and waits for me to elaborate.

“I get picked on enough at school…and I don’t know how Mimi or Ken will react. What if…they send me and Gel away? I don’t want them to put Gel back out on the streets.”

“They both know that I’m into guys but if you want to keep us a secret from school then I guess we can do that.”

“Really?” I look up from my lap, which I was just staring intently at. “You’d be…ok with that?”

“Of course,” Laker replies with a smile. “You’re a heartless little bitch. I won’t have to worry about anyone else getting a hold of you.”

“I should kick you out for that.”