29. Jealousy and Lows.

[Ace]

I lay in bed and for the first time in forever I didn't feel like getting up, my mother was recovering well from the hospital and she would be discharged in a few days.

I'd received an email last night that the results of the paternity test were ready and I'm sure my father had also received it.

My family was not a functional one, it was not filled with love and whatever else a family should have but it was still a family and I didn't want anything to affect it.

I was genuinely scared, my father had been raving, he'd asked the maids to pack all of my mother's luggage and he was going to send her out of the house if he discovered that he'd raised another man's child and they would get a divorce.

Honesty he was a very confusing man, he was not actually upset that she'd cheated on him because he wouldn't kick her out if the two children were his.

He probably was also cheating on her, this was my parents' relationship, fucked up and you expect me to believe that there's something called love.

My phone buzzed beside me and I picked it up, I unlocked it and saw that I'd just received a message from Caleb.

Caleb: You up?

Ace: Yeah.

Caleb: You received the email last night didn't you.

Ace: Yeah I did.

Caleb: No matter what happens….

Ace: No matter what happens, brother.

Caleb: I love you, bro.

Ace: Love you too, Cale.

I dropped my phone after the last text and I decided to get out of bed. I'd received other messages from Max, she was worried because I hadn't been to the warehouse in days, I hadn't even gone to school.

School, right?

I got out of bed and jumped into the shower immediately, Emily.

I hadn't been to school and I had no idea how she was doing. I hoped nothing had happened to her because I was not in the right frame of mind for any other wrong thing to happen.

It was a few minutes after four when I left the house, I hoped that Emily's mother would not be home because I didn't want to get Emily in trouble.

I arrived at her house a few minutes later, I packed my bike on the other street to avoid any suspicion and then I walked to her backyard. I was about to climb into her room through her window when I heard a car pull up.

I tiptoed to the front of the house and I was shocked to see Emily get out of the car, she was smiling at the person who dropped her off and I instantly grew angry.

For some reason, I didn't want her smiling at someone else.

Her smile was very rare, she rarely smiled even at me, I still remembered how I felt when she smiled at me for the first time.

"Who was that?" I walked closer to her and asked as the car drove away.

"Ace, Dio Santo, you startled me." She placed her hand on her chest like she always did when she was spooked.

"Who was that, Em?" I asked again, walking closer to her.

"You weren't in school today." She said,

"Is that why you allowed someone else to drop you off."

"I don't understand." She frowned, taking two steps backward.

"Open the door, Em, and go in." I tried to keep the anger from my voice.

She looked at me with uncertainty in her eyes but she opened the door and went in, I followed after her and shut the door behind her when I got in.

"Um, give me a minute, I'll be right back, I want to change out of these clothes." She said and my eyes followed the part she trailed with her hands as she gestured to her body.

"Fine, one minute or I'm coming up there to find you," I said and watched as she hurried up the stairs. I sighed and began to look around the house for any sign that the mafia had been there or sent someone to watch over the house.

I didn't understand what she had that they wanted from her, the boss was wrong, nothing about Emily was pretense, nobody could pretend this much.

"Ace, are you okay?" Emily asked me when she got back, she had changed to a short sundress and she looked nice.

"You look nice." I complimented her and chuckled as she turned red and looked away from me.

"Thank you." She whispered and nervously tucked her hair under her ear.

I couldn't help it. I stretched my hand and helped her. I wanted to see her face. I pushed the stray tendrils behind her ear and caressed her cheek.

She closed her eyes and I stared at her plump pink lips, she was very tempting.

"Em, open your eyes," I whispered and removed my hand from her face.

"Who dropped you home?" I asked her.

"Oh, it was Dave." She said and I frowned. "Jen had an after school lesson with Mr. Ivan so I wanted to go home alone, he saw me and offered me a ride."

"Dave huh?" I moved away from her and pocketed my hands. "Same Dave you followed to the backyard at Olivia's party."

"It wasn't his fault." She said and my scowl deepened.

"Tell me something, do you like this Dave?" I asked her and she gasped in surprise.

"He's a… friend."

"But you want him to be more."

"Why are you asking me such questions?" She asked.

"Because I like you, I haven't hidden that from you and I want to know if you like someone else."

"No." She whispered.

"Speak up, Em."

"No, I don't like him like that." She said,

"Great, then don't allow him to drop you off ever," I said and she frowned.

"He's nice and he's my friend."

"Trust me, Em, he doesn't want to be your friend."

"Well, what about you?" She asked.

"What about me?"

"What do you want from me?" She asked and my eyes darkened as I began to think of all the things I shouldn't be thinking of now, not when she was this close to me, not when I knew how responsive she was to my kisses.

"That's a dangerous question to be asking, sweetheart."