♥Chapter 11: ᴡʜᴇʀᴇ ꜱʜᴇ ᴜɴᴄᴏᴠᴇʀꜱ ᴀ ꜱᴇᴄʀᴇᴛ♥

✿Kennedy✿

What would happen if I faint right now?

Because I'm seriously wanting to.

Alex woke me up this morning and even after my constant protests, he dragged me into the bathroom to freshen up.

I like Alex, but he just picked up some real beef by waking me up when I had only five hours of sleep!

I thought of screaming at him but decided that would just scare the poor fella.

I brush my teeth while trying to keep my head up to not let it fall into the sink.

Last night, I thought about Jake so much. Like so, so, much. I didn't want to, but my crappy mind keeps making movies about him.

Those were some darn good movies by the way.

I dress into a pair of shorts and an off-the-shoulder top. Taking a few pumps from my inhaler, I strut down the stairs.

I point an accusing finger at Alex who sits calmly sipping his coffee.

"You want me to get dark circles?" I ask.

He looks up from his newspaper and smiles at me, "Good morning. How are you?"

"Terrible!" I groan and seat myself on the barstool, "I don't know how people can survive with only two hours of sleep but mama, I feel like I'm a soulless zombie creeping around."

"What were you doing so late at night?" Alex asks tilting his head at me.

Opening up to your son and asking him why doesn't he kiss me?

"Murder," I answer.

We both look at each other.

He breaks off with a shake of his head.

"How many bodies?" He plays along.

"Seven and a half."

He looks confused, "Half?"

"One didn't have legs." I shrug before making a peace sign with my fingers. "Bless his soul."

I hear the all too familiar footsteps thudding down the steps and prepare myself to see the gorgeous ocean-eyed trashman.

Jake appears in the view wearing a dark hoodie and jeans which makes my heart swoon. Oh mama, he is gorgeous.

He walks over to the front door but before he could open the door, the door bursts in making him jump back.

"Who let the dogs out?" Corey hollers in before shrieking when he sees my Yoda, "Dammit! This thing always gets me." He scowls.

"Move." Toothy pushes Corey out of her way, strutting inside the house.

"What the fuck are you people doing here early in the morning?" Jake growls.

"Isn't he so pleasant, today?" Corey smiles at Jake before his gaze flickers to me in the kitchen, "Yo, babygirl!"

I smile back, excitement already in place, "Hi!"

"Papa Bear!" Corey greets Alex before his eyes find something, "Ooo breakfast!"

Corey marches into the kitchen and takes a toast from the plate. His eyes land on a box of donuts but before he can get any thoughts I quickly snap.

"Those are mine!"

His eyes widen at me before he raises his hands in defence, "Never steal a girl's food. Learned it the hard way." His eyes flicker to Toothy's manicured long nails.

"What the fuck are you people doing here again?" Jake narrows his eyes.

"Oh cool off." Toothy flips her long brown hair behind her back, "Just here to see Ken."

I wiggle in my seat in excitement, "Me?"

"You can't just tell a girl your passion and just leave her hanging. Besides, I need help and these boys are anything but." She glares around at Corey, Jake and Alex.

Corey shrugs, taking a bite of a pancake, "I told her blue looks better."

"Yeah, that's why I need help." Toothy states.

"I can help!" I smile brightly.

Help with what though?

I hope it's not stripping.

Does Toothy look like a stripper?

She looks like a model.

Do I look like a stripper?

"I'm a professional stripper," I say and all eyes turn on me.

"I'm the Quarterback," Corey replies and smiles at me.

"I'm the Head Girl." Toothy replies.

"I'm a police officer." Alex joins in.

"I'm fucking done," Jake replies, moving towards the door.

"Yo, yo, yo!" Corey stops him by putting a heavy arm around Jake's shoulder, "Decided we'd all go school together."

"I go to fucking college." Jake pushes Corey's arms off with a glare.

"Smartass keeps reminding us who's the oldest." Corey grumbles before grinning at me, "Fine then, Ken, you're with us."

"Okay!" I grin.

"No." Jake cuts in sharply. "She's not going with you."

Everyone looks at Jake.

"Why not?" Toothy asks playing with a strand of her hair.

Jake realizing what he said, clamps his mouth and glares at everyone.

"Eat up, eat up, we gotta go!" Corey ushers.

I quickly try to stuff all the bread and pancakes in my mouth. Ugh, I'm gonna get so fat. I need to start exercising.

Just thinking about exercising makes my noodle arms tired.

No exercising then.

That doesn't mean I can't dance. Just dance, gonna be alright.

"I'll come," Jake says gruffly.

"Don't you go to College?" Corey cocks a teasing eyebrow which earns him a punch to the gut by Jake. "Oof, man, easy there, tryna keep my abs intact."

"I have abs." I grin, "All sixteen packs of them."

Obviously, I'm lying but they don't need to know that.

"Actually I don't," I say, not being able to keep up my lie.

"I don't either." Toothy gives a sad smile.

We both look at the proud guys around us.

"Let's go, let's go," Corey claps, grabbing my arm and pulling me up while slinging my bag on my shoulders.

"I have a reputation with the teachers." He winks, grinning.

"Don't get me started with the lunch lady." Toothy rolls her eyes.

"Girls do be liking me." Corey grins.

"I like you." I smile at him. Jake makes an unhappy sound at the back of his throat.

Corey smiles back at me, "I like you too."

Before anything could happen, Corey pushes all of us; Jake, Toothy and I out the door and into the car.

✯✯✯

The first person to talk to me gets a fainted Kennedy thrown over their body.

I'm never missing my sleep ever again.

Why do people purposefully sleep so late? I feel like dog poop.

You know what? I'm gonna fall flat on this hallway floor. Let people drag my body and dispose of it somewhere. I'll find my way back home once I wake up and had my fifty years of sleep.

I almost do consider dropping unconscious in the hallway but then fear that people would just trample over me until I'm one flat piece of delicious Kennedy pancake.

I drag my feet out of the school and groan at the twenty more steps I have to take to reach Jake's waiting car.

I consider taking out my phone and calling Jake, telling him to come carry me from here.

He'd drive away, leaving me here.

Mustering up some good strength, I trudge towards the car.

Almost there.

I open the car door and carry myself into it.

"Am I really sleepy or what?" I ask Jake.

He doesn't reply. As usual.

Oh mama, Jake's so warm, I can feel his body heat reaching out towards me. His heat was practically telling me to wrap myself into him and go into a deep slumber.

Should I sit on Jake's lap?

He'll push me out of the car.

He starts driving and I have to stick my eyelids far open for them to not shut down.

"Talk to me or I'm gonna fall asleep," I tell Jake.

I'm an ugly sleeper. Mom always used to take pictures of me drooling while I slept. 

I'm a freaking faucet when I sleep. 

Also, mom and dad told me I'm a big talker and sometimes yell in my sleep.

I don't know Jake that well, but I do know he'd ban me from his car if I got my nasty drool on this beauty.

"Jake." I prod when he didn't answer.

"Jake."

"Jake."

"Jake."

"What the fuck do you want?" He snaps.

"Keep me awake." I groan.

His eyes flicker to me, a look masks his face, "Keep you awake, huh?"

"Yes!"

He gazes at me. "How exactly?"

I shrug, "I don't know. You got something in mind?"

The corner of his mouth lifts into a smirk, "I do have something in mind if you're thinking what I'm thinking about." His eyes show a suggestive glint.

"Murder?" I ask, getting excited.

His face falls and replaces with a glare, "What?"

"I've been committing a lot these days. I can teach you different techniques if you want." I offer with a smile.

"Shut up." He turns to look back at the road.

I sigh at his answer.

The next minutes, I spent trying to keep myself awake even if it meant to slap myself or fumble with the radio until I settle on screamo music that shakes my heart into a coma.

Jake has an unhappy frown the entire time. His hands would twitch but he keeps himself glued to his position.

When the car rolls into the same police station he took me before, I turn towards Jake with a horrified look.

"I tell you I commit murder, so you bring me here to get arrested?" I ask, "I thought we were partners!"

He rolls his eyes, "You didn't commit murder."

"I killed my Goldfish."

"I killed my cat." He replies, emotionlessly.

I give him a horrified look.

He looks at my face and rolls his eyes again, "Kidding."

He gets down the car and I do the same. This time I was able to keep up with his pace without my knee hurting like a mother lover.

"Don't touch any guns this time and don't talk to anyone," Jake warns as we enter the police department.

I smile, "Of course." Not.

"Why do you come here anyway?" I ask.

Jake grabs my shoulders and plops me down on a chair near a corner.

"Stay and don't move." He instructs.

"I can stay but the don't move part is a little-"

"Shut up."

I scowl.

"I'll be right back," He says. "For fuck's sake, don't go anywhere and stay right here."

"Aye, aye, captain." I salute him.

He grumbles something under his breath and disappears down a hall.

I look around till then.

Everyone looks so strong and burly. Show off.

A few minutes pass and my leg starts bouncing.

That reminds me of when Jake put his hand on my thigh in the café. I almost passed out.

Did Jake mean it when he said I shouldn't move?

Like at all?

He didn't exactly make me promise...

What if I just stand?

Yeah, I can stand.

I stand and still feel sort of jittery.

Jake said I could walk around right?

Yup, he did.

I walk around the police department and pretend to be in a spy movie by spying on all the officer's computer desks and laptops.

My back accidentally bumps into someone, and I turn around with an apology on my tongue.

"Sorr-Baldy?"

I look at the familiar bald dark-skinned police officer. I took his gun.

He narrows his eyes at me, "Baldy?"

I smile, "How's your gun?" I ask and look at his belt, "I don't see it."

"It's on my desk." He replies.

I shake my head at him, "You uneducated man," I say. "You shouldn't leave harmful things here and there. Anyone can pick it off and run away."

He narrows his eyes on me again, "What are you doing here again?"

"I don't know either." I shrug, "I was supposed to sit on that chair." I point at the chair in the corner of the room. "But then I got bored."

He raises his bushy dark eyebrows at me, "Is Jake here again?"

"Yup, down that hallway." I tilt my head towards the hallway.

Baldy eyes me for a while before tilting his head, "Who exactly are you?"

I smile, "Hi, I'm Kennedy Kinsey."

"Right," He rolls his eyes, "Kinky."

"Kinsey." I correct with a glare.

"Who exactly are you to Jake?" He eyes me again, "I don't remember him having any sibling or friends except..." He struggles to remember the names before snapping his fingers as he remembers, "Corey and Toothy."

"He's getting pretty serious with Toothy's rape case," Baldy says and my smile falters.

A horrified feeling settles in me, "Toothy's...what?"

Baldy watches my expressions and shakes his head, "Nothing."

Toothy got raped...?

Before I could let the ill-feeling settle in deep, someone grabs my shoulders and spins me around. A gasp leaves my lips as I meet the angry eyes of Jake.

"I fucking told you to sit on the fucking chair and don't fucking move!" He glares.

I squeal shaking my head, "Stop cursing so dang much!"

"What are you doing talking to Dean?" He asks, raising an eyebrow.

"You're name's Dean?" I turn towards Baldy.

"Look at me." Jake snaps, grabbing my chin and turning my head towards him, making me meet his mother of sweet Jesus gorgeous eyes.

"I'm looking," I nod. "I'm so very looking."

"You can't just start talking to anyone." He says angrily. "Don't do that especially if you're somewhere outside."

I frown weirdly at him, "Jeez, calm down. I was only talking to a police officer."

He replies with a glare.

Before I could say anymore, he grabs my hand and pulls me out of the police department. I scowl at his back.

He throws open the car door and sits me inside.

After getting in, he starts the car.

My plan was to ignore him till we reach home.

But I couldn't hold it in me to keep quiet and not blurt out what I found in the police department.

"Toothy got raped?" I ask.

The car screeches forward into a jerky stop, making me almost slam into the front of the car. Holy mama, seatbelt, seatbelt.

"What?" Jake turns towards me so fast, I'm surprised he doesn't turn his neck all the way around like a merry-go ride.

I look away from his glaring eyes, playing with the hem of my t-shirt, "Bald—Dean said you were working on Toothy's rape-"

Hands harshly grab my arms, shaking the hairs off my skin. I look up at Jake to see him really, really, angry.

"I swear, Kennedy, if you fucking tell anyone about this I'm gonna make you regret flying here so fucking bad. You'll regret it for the rest of your pathetic life." He threatens harshly. "It's none of your fucking business. Don't think just because you're living in my house, you get to be a part of my life or Toothy's and Corey's. Got that?" 

My throat closes up.

I want to reply with a 'your secret is safe with me', but the way Jake's glaring at me makes me suck in a deep breath that causes some dust particle or something to go down my windpipe. An abrupt fit of coughs leaves my mouth that has me retching my lungs for air. Loud coughs escape my mouth.

Jake leaves my arms as his anger simmers down and he silently turns back towards the road and continues driving.

Meanwhile, I try getting a hold of my coughs that are starting to water my eyes. I reach for my inhaler in my pocket and manage to take in a few pumps.

The coughs die down after a few minutes and my windpipe clears of any scratchiness or hoarseness.

I silently turn towards the window on my side, with tears stinging at the back of my eyes.

We reach home in heavy silence, and I walk up to my room without another word. 

✄ ✄ ✄ ✄

Words: 2,600

Date of posting: 22nd March