Jail Bird. by Em. Z. (good book recommendations .TXT) 📖

out of my face.

"Mom, I don't want to carry all this!" My evil brother complained.

"I killed Green!" I suddenly yelled at him.

"What?" He asked, looking totally confused.

"The evil Green ginger-bread man has been defeated." I said, cracking my knuckles.

"You...killed Green?" He asked me, his eyes getting all puppy-like.

I stared at him dryly. "Uh-huh."

"W-why? Why dear sister would you kill my best friend?" He asked, dropping the bags, getting on his knees and crawling towards me.

"Well, first Green killed Blue, and then I found him stuck to my cheek, so I knew right then that he was trying - and failing - to assasinate me, so I threw him across the room." I explained.

"I will avenge Green!" He yelled, grabbing me up.

"No, Kent! Put me down you chicken-chasing bafoon!" I yelled.

Kent ran outside with me over his back, my butt in the air. I saw sand under us, and then...water.

"Kent, what are you doing, Kent? You know how I am with water- Kent!" I screamed in panic as he waded in to the ocean, and then threw me down.

I latched onto Kent as the water washed over me, wrapping my arms around his neck and my legs around his waist.

My breathing was in hyperventilation mode, and I buried my face in his chest, trying to get away from the water. Water was not my friend. Not since I almost drowned...three times...in the same day.

"Hey, whoa, Jane it's alright, it's just water!" Kent had probably forgotten about my fear.

I shook my head rapidly.

"Alright, okay. We're going out, okay? See? I'm getting out. Will you let go of me now?" He asked, sounding choked.

I realized I had my arms around his neck in a choke hold.

I let go of him, falling to the sand. I jumped up, tears of embarrassment and fear in my eyes. "You never, ever throw me in water, Kent!" I yelled.

"I-I'm sorry, I forgot-"

"How can you forget something like that, Kent? How can you forget that I can't swim?"

"You never talk to me anymore-"

"That's no excuse Kent. You knew how I was. It's no different now!" I ran past him, and into the house.

I probably looked like a drowned cat. My hair was soaked, and my white T-shirt was completely see through, showing my black lacy bra. Mom burst out laughing, and, not really caring about her tearing me a new one, I flipped her the bird, making her gasp, sobering instantly, and Logan bust out laughing.

"Can someone please just show me my damn room so I can get out of these stupid clothes?" I asked, not in a very good mood at all.

Victor lead me up the stairs. I didn't talk to him, and he didn't talk to me...much.

"So you're afraid of water."

Silence.

"Well we all have our fears, I mean, I'm afraid of jell-o...well, not really, I have heard of some people that are, though." He said.

Silence. Stone cold silence.

"So are you-"

"I don't really want to talk. Kay?" My voice was quipped and sarcastic.

He didn't answer, so I looked away. 

He led me down the hall, and to the fourth door.

The door swung open to reveal a guest room with a perfect view of the ocean. I wanted to pull the curtains over that stupid view. "Thanks." I mumbled before shutting the door.

I changed into some clean clothes, closing the blinds over the window. I didn't want to see the evil water that plagued my fears. I grabbed my black leather jacket and slipped it on, walking down stairs.

"I'm going out." I muttered.

"Don't go to jail again." Mom called, reading a magazine.

"Like you would notice." I snorted as I opened the door.

"Hey, take Logan with you, you're under protection, remember?" Victor called from the kitchen.

"No." I said bluntly.

"If you don't take someone with you, I'm taking away your cookie priveliges." Mom said.

I groaned. I wanted to be alone. I wanted to wallow in self-pity. I would probably punch Logan. I would not be responsible for when he pushed me over the edge of my proverbial-anger-cliff. 

But I knew that I couldn't argue with Mom. She would probably threaten my chocolate milk if I argued further.

"Come on, Logan." I turned on my heel, stomping out of the house.

I bounded down the stairs, hoping that I could get far enough away from Logan to lose him. He was a cool guy and all, but seriously, I didn't want to deal with anyone.

I stayed across the beach from the ocean, following a path to what looked like a crowded dock. Logan caught up with me, unfortunately, and walked with me.

"You know, black leather jackets aren't really ideal for the beach." He said, tugging on my Dad's leather jacket sleeve. I jerked my arm away from him, covering the sleeve with my hand. "I never leave home without my jacket." I snapped.

"Sorry." he held up his hands, as if in surrender.

I sighed heavily. "I'm sorry, it's just, I was forced to come here after sitting in jail for three days, and then I was forced to come here after being told that my stupid worthless life was in danger. I'm just a little cranky right now, okay?" I ended my rant with an indignant huff.

"Something tells me that you're independant." He muttered sarcastically.

"I can take care of myself." I said, crossing my arms.

He raised his eyebrows. "Oh?"

I gave him a dry look. "What is that supposed to mean? I'll have you know that my father taught me every move he could when he visited." I said confidently.

"He...visited?" Logan stopped walking, looking at me with an incredulous surprise.

"Yeah." I shrugged.

"Huh." He seemed to think about that for a while.

I looked ahead as we walked up to the dock, where hundreds of people gathered.

"Ooh!" I exclaimed, running for the cotton candy stand.

I jumped up and down excitedly as I watched the man make a blue and pink swirl. He handed it to me, giving me a charming smile.

"It's on the house, for the pretty lady." He said.

I gave him a wierd look. "Thanks."

I did not look like a lady. I was wearing a leather jacket, short-shorts, and a cut off mid-stomach stomach shirt that said Bite Me.

I skipped along the dock, humming to myself as I ate my candy. Candy was my weakness.

"You look like a little kid." Logan said, glancing at me.

"I didn't have a very...childish childhood, so I'm making up for it." I explained lamely, watching as two little kids who looked like twins joined hands and began spinning.

It made me sad, because it reminded me of my brother and I before my Dad became a known robber. I admired my dad for sacrificing so much to keep us safe, but Kent always resented him for it. He felt like he shouldn't have gotten mixed up in all this in the first place. I guess I did too, but he was trying to fix it...right?

The children's parents had to stop them from running into others, and I had to stop as we neared them, as they accidentally spun into a group of girls. The little girl stumbled into me, and almost fell onto the ground. I caught her arms, and helped her gained her balance.

"Are you okay?" I asked.

"Yes. Thank you!" Her voice was so small and squeaky, it reminded me of the little girl from All Dogs Go To Heaven. She had long blonde hair and brown eyes, and her smile was bright.

"I'm so sorry." Her mother came up to me, "She and her brother ate too much suger today."

I smiled at her and waved it off. "Don't worry about it, my brother and I used to do the same thing." I said.

"Well, thank you for being so patient. Wait, Linsey, don't do that, we have to pay for that!" Her Mother got destracted when the little girl took some candy from the counter.

I smiled and shook my head.

"You're a good person." Logan said, as if he had a revelation.

I looked at him and snorted. "What? No! I have sympathy for little hyper kids."

"Oh no. You are a good person. I've been watching you, Jane. I saw how your eyes softened with kindness when you spoke to the little girl and her mother, and just now, when you looked at the little girl, I saw that same look, and you smiled." He said.

I scoffed, but didn't say anything, unable to make a comback.

We walked for a while, and I was lost in my own thoughts, as Logan rambled on about the scenery, and how the Bay came to be.

And this was why I wanted to be alone.

I wanted to think about my problems, and work them out, but it was hard with Mr. History Book over there. Ike was getting closer, and this was the second time we've moved to another city. I didn't want to have to live here until Ike was found, but I was beginning to think I had no choice. I sighed heavily, making Logan pause. In the corner of my eye, I saw him look at me.

"I have the feeling you aren't listening to a word I'm saying." Logan said softly.

We stopped on the end of the dock, and I stared out at the sea. I shook my head, unable to deny it.

"Do you want to tell me why you look like someone died?" He asked me.

I smiled a bit. "He told you it was classified, eh?"

"Yep."

"Well I'll tell you just to piss him off." I said, my smile widening a bit.

He chuckled.

"I'm basically being stalked by one of the gang members that my Dad was trying to pay off. He's paid them off now...but it's not about money anymore. It's about me. Ike is one of the most powerful members in Colleyville, where I used to live. I remember, before my Dad disappeared, he would pace the living room, fighing with my Mom about how unsafe Ike was. My Dad would teach me self defence a lot, when I was thirteen, and then he disappeared soon after that. Ike must have seen me in my pictures with Dad, because a few weeks after my eighteenth birthday, he attacked me. Luckily I had my Dad on the phone, and talked him out of it. He promised me that he would find me again, and I hear from him every once in a while." I shrugged, looking down at my hands as I leaned on the railing.

"You hear from him? You mean he calls you?" He asked.

"Yeah. I change my number, but he always got a hold of it. Usually it's just to remind me that I'm his, and that no one can have me but him," I paused to roll my eyes, "He's a real hard-ass about me dating."

I acted very calm, and very casual about this, but inside I was shaking. I was afraid of what Ike could do to my family, if I didn't comply to his wishes. He wanted me, and he would do anything in his power to get me.

"You act like this is just an annoyance." Logan said, puzzled.

"It is. This jackass comes into my life and pretends to have a claim over me. He hurts my family, and pretends to care about me. He's a sick, arrogant, and he thinks he owns everything he touches." I growled.

"Whoa, I don't feel so good." I turned at the sound of Lindsey's voice.

She looked green, as he stumbled around. I looked around for her Mom, and found her quite a ways down the dock, scolding Lindsey's brother.

I pulled off my jacket, setting it aside as I leaned down in front of her. "Have you been spinning a lot?" I asked her.

She nodded.

I smiled. "You need to stop spinning."

My smile dropped as she began gagging. Uh-oh.

And that's how I got candy chunks and bad smell all over me. I didn't pay much attention to it, as I pulled her hair back and she vomited again.

"Give me my jacket, she's shivering." I told Logan.

Logan handed me my jacket, and I pulled it over her shoulders. "It's okay.