Chapter 5
Five
DARCIE
My knee jiggled against the bed. It’d been two hours, and I was officially losing my mind. I picked up the phone and the card Chase had given me. It had a number on it and a symbol. How strange. Did he just go around and hand them out to girls? Was that how guys did it?
Hey, baby, here’s my card. Give me a call.
I could just imagine the wink and finger point that went along with a line like that. No, it had to be for some other reason. Chase was a lot of things, but I didn’t think he was one to have to hand his number out to girls. The boy was too hot for that.
Sighing, I typed it into the phone, hesitating. What would I say? Was it even a good idea? I knew Maddox would tell me not to, but there was the girl who’d been friends with him that felt I owed him at least a hello.
Yeah. Sure, Darcie.
Darcie: Hey
Wow, I really put myself out there with that one. Flopping back on the bed, I placed my hand over my head. If this was what girls went through when texting a boy, I was kind of glad I’d missed it. It was horrible.
The phone buzzed in my hand, and I practically jumped out of my skin. Sitting up, I opened it, my heart racing.
555-8394: Hey
Well, that didn’t help. Ugh, I guess I had to be the one to use more words. Saving the number, a smile lit up my face. I just needed to remember to be someone else. Not this version of myself—fake it until I could make it, and all that.
Darcie: You’ve now been saved as Jackass.
Darcie: I just wanted to say thanks. I guess.
Jackass: Wow, I save you, and I get a title like Jackass. I’m offended, babe.
Darcie: I’m not your babe and I said thanks.
Darcie: You’re a jackass for a whole lot of other reasons.
Jackass: Oh? Please list all the ways I’ve offended you, princess.
Darcie: Don’t call me that. I’m not a princess. And that would take me all day.
Jackass: Fine, what can I call you then if I’m not allowed to call you babe or princess? I don’t think it would be wise to save you under your name, considering my dad is on the warpath looking for you.
I sucked in a breath, biting my lip. Shit. He had a point, but the thought of Chase calling me a pet name felt too intimate, and that was too much for me at the moment.
Darcie: Call me Ghost.
Jackass: Feels a bit unfair, but fine.
Jackass: How are you? See, I’m not such a jackass.
Darcie: Fine. You’re not always one, just 75% of the time. You weren’t always that way, though. I remember you being sweet once.
Jackass: What? I’m always nice. I just keep it real.
Darcie: Sure. *eye roll emoji*
Darcie: I’m okay. Well, I’m not, but I’m trying to be.
Darcie: What happened after we left?
Jackass: When my dad woke up, he was furious and attacked your father. It took three men to pull them apart. Whatever deal they were brokering is down the drain, and I doubt our clubs will ever be friendly again. It’s a shame, but since you’re a ghost, I guess there wouldn’t be anything for me there anyway.
Why was he saying these things?
Darcie: I can’t really take you right now.
Jackass: I’m sorry, by the way. I hate what my father did to you. I hate to ask, but did you handle things?
Darcie: Yeah.
Jackass: That’s one thing less to have to worry about. I couldn’t imagine another miniature him in this world. Oh, gross. Nope. Not going there.
Darcie: You’re weird.
Jackass: Better than being a jackass, I suppose.
Darcie: So, was my dad okay?
Jackass: He was pretty banged up, but nothing that won’t heal. Things weren’t good, though, when we left. I think several of his men are mad he was going to bargain with you.
Jackass: I didn’t know he was going to do that, you know? I don’t need my father to get pussy.
Darcie: And there you go being a jackass.
Jackass: Ugh, fine. You might have a point. It’s just so hard being good. It’s much easier being an asshole who doesn’t care about others. Take you, for example, if my father ever found out, I’d be a dead man. I’d much prefer to not have that hanging over my head.
Darcie: Sorry, your conscience means you might have to deal with your horrible father.
Jackass: You’re right. It’s just easier to think only of myself. Then no one can hurt me.
Darcie: That sounds like you’ve been hurt before. I find that hard to believe.
Jackass: There are a lot of things I imagine you don’t know about me, ghost.
Darcie: You know I can hear you saying babe, even though you don’t type it.
Jackass: I can’t win with you.
Darcie: I bet that’s a first.
Jackass: I liked it better when you’d just blush and lose all your words.
Darcie: Well, yeah, but we can’t reverse time before your father raped me, so this is what you get.
Jackass: You’re right. I’m sorry, it was a jackass thing to say.
Darcie: It really was.
I heard the key in the door, and I jumped. Quickly, I sent one last text before shoving the phone down my pants and attempting to act innocent. As soon as the door opened, my body moved on its own, and I flew across the room at him, wrapping myself around him.
“Oomph.” His arms wrapped around me, bags crinkling in the process. “Miss me, Runt?”
“Mmhmm.” I nodded into him. As much as I hated needing him, I did. Inhaling his scent one more time, I pulled away, straightening my shirt while I pretended to act normal. “So, did you find anything?” I played with the ends of my sleeves, avoiding looking at him.
“I think so. I want you to look at it and make sure you’ll be comfortable there.” He sat the things he’d gotten while he was out on the table, turning to look at me. I could feel his eyes on me. Unsure of my feelings, I debated telling him about my text conversation. I didn’t think he’d want me to do it, but I also didn’t feel right keeping it from him.
He didn’t let me stay standing long as he picked me up and sat on the bed with my legs draped across him. Ever since Maddox had told me he had feelings for me, he’d been a completely different man. He constantly touched me, wrapping me up in his arms to be near him. I didn’t mind it at all, needing his comfort more than I wanted to admit.
“What’s up, Princess? You’re being evasive, and since I know you better than anyone, something’s on your mind. Do you not want to stay here in Memphis?”
“No, that’s not it.” I shook my head, my hair rubbing against his shirt at the effort. He tilted my chin up, and I almost drowned in his eyes. Sighing, I pulled the phone from my waistband. “I texted Chase.”
I didn’t know what I expected to see from him, anger perhaps, or even hurt, but all he gave me was a blank look. “And?” Maddox blinked, waiting for me to tell him more.
“I thought you’d be mad.”
“Do I like the thought of you talking to him? No. But I’m not going to police who you can and can’t talk to. That’s not who I am. Now, if he was here and trying to hit on you again, you better believe I’d step in. But that being said, I can’t forget that he helped us out in the end, and for that, I’ll give him a pass until he does another asshole thing.”
I giggled, opening the phone to show what I saved his name as. His face lit up and he moved, throwing me back on the bed. I bounced, laughing with him as he bent over me. The light overhead was blocked, and suddenly I was back in my bedroom with Agonizer over me.
“No, don’t.” I swung my arm, feeling my hand make contact with something as I tried to scramble out from under my attacker. This time I made it clear, and I scooted off the bed, landing on the floor. I kept going until I hit the wall. I sucked in a breath, holding my hands out in front of me. “Don’t hurt me.”
I took in a few lungfuls, sound returning to my ears, the pounding of my heart no longer the only thing I could hear. Blinking, I pushed the hair out of my face, looking down at my hands. Small divots from my nails were visible. Peering up, I found Maddox squatting in front of me, his hands stretched out in a peace gesture.
“It’s okay, Darce. You’re not there.” He handed me a bottle of water, and I nodded, taking it. Sipping it, I felt the cold water run down my throat, the feeling soothing. Once I drank half of it, I pulled it away, sucking in a breath.
“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to hit you.”
“It’s fine.” He smiled, holding in a laugh.
“What?” I asked, hitting him again.
“You hit like a baby deer, Darcie. It’s not like you’d do much damage.”
“Oh, really? That’s what you think?” I dove for him, wrapping my arms around his neck. The momentum had him falling back onto the floor as I clung to him like a spider monkey. “I’ll just squeeze you to death with my thigh muscles.” I felt him laughing under me as I pressed. “Or better yet, tickle you!”
I let go of my arms and immediately began to tickle him. He placed his hands behind his head like he had all the time in the world. Huffing, I sat on his chest, debating what I could do. Tapping my finger against my lip, I pulled all my Maddox information to the front of my mind.
“So you’re not ticklish on your ribs, but if memory serves me correct, you are on your feet!” I turned, scrambling down his legs to trap them in a vice grip so I could keep him from getting away, and I began to lightly stroke his foot.
“Don’t, Darcie.” His voice was stern, and I almost gave into the command, but the bratty side of me couldn’t let him have this win. I needed to feel like I had control and wasn’t a freak. Tracing my finger back and forth on his heel, I finally got a reaction when he tried to kick me away.
“Please, Princess,” he begged.
“Say, Darcie’s not a wimp.”
“Darcie’s not a wimp.” He practically shouted it through his laughter, the ticklish feeling crawling up his throat. Letting go, I rolled off his legs, sitting cross-legged next to him. Slapping my hands together, I sat them on the top of my knees, looking at him triumphantly.
“Feel good about yourself?” he asked, sitting up and hiding his feet from view.
“I do, actually.” Laughing, he stood and showed me the things he’d gotten from the store. We played Crazy eights around a junk food dinner that night, and I didn’t feel so broken.
It was a start.
“What do you think we should do for jobs?” I asked, playing a card.
“Hmm, what do you want to do?”
I shrugged a shoulder. “No clue. I only know how to do the things I learned in MCD.”
“Not true. You’re great at a lot of things.” He played a card, taking mine.
“Like what?” I asked, laying mine down next.
“You’re an entertainer, you’re friendly, and you make almost everyone feel at ease. You’re great at math, doing lots of things at once, and making me happy.”
“I make you happy?” I asked, looking at him from beneath my eyelashes. Something in me stopped, needing and dreading his words.
“You’re my everything, Princess.”
I sucked in a breath, trying to push his words away. I couldn’t cope with them right then.
“So, basically, you’re saying I should be a waitress?” I looked up, and for the first time ever, I saw his face fall. It was brief, but I saw the hurt flash across his eyes at my dismissal.
“Yeah,” he cleared his throat. “That could work. I could do construction. We can look tomorrow and see what kind of jobs are out there. We have enough money to lay low for a bit, but I don’t want to wait too long and then be broke.”
“Sounds like a plan.” I placed my card down, smiling. “I win.” I smiled, but the mood felt different. “I guess we better head to bed so we can be ready in the morning.”
“Yeah, sure.”
Quietly, we got ready for bed, avoiding looking at one another. I felt like an ass, but I couldn’t take his pretty words when I felt anything but inside.
We got under the covers, and I turned my back to him. “Goodnight, Maddox.”
“Goodnight, Princess.” A few moments passed before I heard him whisper, “I’ll wait forever if I have to.”
Closing my eyes, I pressed back the tears that wanted to fall. A week ago, I would’ve killed to hear a boy say that to me. Now I just felt empty. I both craved him and feared it.
What if forever wasn’t enough? Would he still stay? Could I gamble with that?