♥Chapter 34: ᴡʜᴇʀᴇ ꜱʜᴇ ʟɪᴋᴇꜱ ɢᴇᴛᴛɪɴɢ ʜᴀɴᴅꜱʏ♥

✿Kennedy✿

Alex and I almost reach home with me playing this cute lil' game called 'how many buttons do I need to press to find the flashy lights until Alex cuts off my fingers'.

I push in random buttons while lying to Alex that I'm finding the radio button even after he specifically pointed to me which one was it.

I pretend I have memory loss right after he shows me.

Pretty much, I'm winning the game because I know I'm close to finding it.

On almost reaching home, something catches the corner of my eye.

Even Alex sees and hits the brakes so hard, that I nearly fly out of my seat and body slam into the windshield.

"What the hell is he doing?" Alex frowns while I unbuckle my seatbelt and throw open the door.

I bolt down and towards Jake who was halfway down the street from the house.

He looked like he was about to pass out with his face scrunching up in a grimace and his hand pressed to his temple. He takes one step at a time, slow.

"What the flipping fudge are you doing out of bed?" I yell running towards him.

His eyes snap up to me at my voice and his entire body slumps as he gives out a big sigh of relief. "Kennedy!" He calls out.

He suddenly glares. "Wanna tell me what happened to your fucking phone?"

"It died out of battery."

The moment I stop in front of him, he puts his arms around me, dropping his head onto my shoulder, exhaustion clearly consuming his body.

I hold him for a moment, letting him slightly lean on me. His skin still felt hot to the touch even though he was shivering.

"Thanks for calling Alex," I murmur, running my hand up and down his long hoodie-clad back.

He says nothing instead his hand fists the back of the hoodie I'm wearing.

"What happened with the creep?" He asks.

I shake my head, "You need to rest. Let's go back."

He lifts his head off my shoulder, narrowing his eyes at me.

"I will tell you but not right now," I say, taking Jake's hand and turning around to walk back to Alex's car.

Alex was still in the car, watching Jake and me.

I take a step forward and stop at the tug on my arm when Jake doesn't move.

"What the fuck happened?" He nearly yells.

Getting confused at why he's angry, I turn around and look at Jake looking at my hands.

Red lines of thin scratches marks on my skin from when I fell from the creep's arms.

"I fell," I say and pull my hand away from Jake.

"Fell?" Jake raises his eyebrows at me.

"It was a rough fall. I almost died."

"What happened?" A slight warning tone laces his voice.

"I fell and almost got an asthma attack. Well, I already did feel like I was going to die because I seriously couldn't see anything and there were these big black spots covering my vision. It's like having junior black holes in your vision, you know? But my eyes weren't pulling anything in like how the actual black hole does. It was more of a just the face of a...you know? The black hole—"

"What. The fuck. Happened?" Jake's expression turns hard with his eyes narrowing. His hand fists the front of my hoodie, pulling me towards him.

"I fell while the creep was trying to carry me away."

Jake's eyes widen. Anger flashes through them. "That fucker was carrying you away?"

I wave it off. "But he didn't succeed. Obviously, since I'm standing right in front of you. I nearly kicked his face into his skull with the way I moved my legs. See like this." I say and start kicking the air beside Jake.

Jake stops me by grabbing my chin and making me look at his still angry face, "What else did he do?"

I shake my head, "Jake you need to rest, we can-"

"Tell me."

"ALEX!" I yell.

"Don't call my fucking dad!" He snaps.

"I'm calling a cop," I state in a matter-of-fact tone.

He continues glaring at me.

I take his hand and guide him to Alex's car. This time he follows me without another word. Although an unhappy frown still sits on his face.

We both sit in the backseat. Jake sits upright in his place clearly not wanting to be in Alex's car, keeping his eyes open even though tiredness and weariness made his eyes droopy with dark circles under them.

Alex doesn't say a word too and starts driving the short distance back home.

The memories of what happened to me tug at my mind but I try pushing them away. No need of thinking about it anymore. I'm safe and am going back home.

Jake clutches my hand the entire time as if he's scared I'm going to vanish again.

When we reach home, he wastes no second to get down the car to walk inside the house but I dig my heels into the ground to stop him. "Jake, stop. Alex."

I turn my head around. "Goodnight, Alex!" I shout to him while he gets down from his car.

He gives me a salute in return.

I look at Jake.

He doesn't say anything and stares back.

I kick his shin.

"Ouch!" He mumbles. "What?"

"Do it!" I hiss.

"Do what?" He asks

I nod my head in Alex's direction.

Jake lifts his eyes and looks over at his father. For a moment, something glazes over his eyes as he looks at him. But that disappears within seconds.

"Thank you, Alex." He says with a meek nod.

Alex's eyes widen for only a millisecond before he composes himself and nods back at Jake.

Finally, Jake and I make our way into the warm heat of his room.

"Oh, I am so tired. You wouldn't believe it but I actually ran." I say as I pull Jake's hoodie over my head and take it off, leaving me in my thin t-shirt.

"Kennedy, we need to talk about what happened," Jake says, taking a seat on his bed.

"I wasn't done speaking," I say. "Anyways, I got you the medicines and coconut water. Gary tells it helps with the fever." I fold the hoodie that's in my hands, midway realizing that's something that I usually don't do. I just dump it on Jake's chair for him to fold it.

Weird. Maybe I'm turning into a clean-freak like Jake too. God, he's infected me!

"What happened?" Jake presses me on the topic.

"Again, Jake, I wasn't done speaking." I start. "Would you like to meet Gary sometimes? He might come off as completely uninterested at first but he actually listens. Once this new nurse brought me onion soup and Gary yelled at her saying I didn't like onions. I remember I told him that months before, he still remembered."

"Kennedy, you're trying to change the topic," Jake interjects.

"I wasn't done speaking—"

"You're avoiding it! Tell me what happened. I know you were terrified. If you don't talk about it, it's going to remain in your head forever."

"Jake, seriously, it's nothing. I got back. Nothing happened."

"Kennedy."

"Please." I plead.

Tears spring to my eyes at that moment.

Jake immediately gets up and walks over to me, taking my hand in his.

"Please, Kennedy, tell me what happened." He's looking at me with a look so intense. "Don't lock this away thinking you'll forget it because you won't. People don't recover from things like that too quickly."

I don't ask him how he knows that when the answer is too obvious; Toothy.

My face crumbles all of a sudden. I try to quickly cover it up but it doesn't work, the tears are already falling out of my eyes and without me even comprehending, a sob escapes my lips. Jake encases me in his arms, holding me against him.

"He almost took me away," I whisper, letting the trauma of it all wash over me.

He almost had me, he almost took me away. The sound of his voice rings in my ears and I feel panic gripping me all over again.

"I forget sometimes that this world has bad people too." I fist Jake's hoodie in my hands, prodding him to hold me tighter.

"This world is filled with bad people, Kennedy. You forget that there are still good people sometimes." He murmurs.

I can't exactly let myself think that I've suffered something worse...

What just happened doesn't even compare to even a quarter of what other people go through.

So many people suffered worse than me. So many are still suffering.

My heart sinks with sadness as I remember stories and news and various other cases of people that I heard about in my life.

Mothers kill their own children, fathers rape their daughters and even their sons, woman and children are abused in every corner of this world, siblings molest each other. Toothy got raped and god knows what else happened to her that she feels anxious at every moment of her life.

"This world is so cruel," I whisper.

"It is."

"People suffered way more than me, Jake. Nothing happened to me as much as them—"

"Don't you dare say that." Jake cuts me off, angrily.

"But—"

He pulls away from me, looking into my eyes, "There are girls and women in this world who are traumatized just because some guy stared at them. They go crazy in the head thinking 'was it because of how I dressed? Was it because I smiled too much? Was it because I look like I'm asking for it? What's even worse is that most of these girls are just kids. Barely the age of ten or eleven."

I grip Jake's hands.

He continues, "Don't think what happened to you was something less. You have the right to complain and make an issue about it even if someone looks at you in the wrong way. Men do that because most girls remain silent and suffer silently. Girls think it's their fault and don't do anything about it. They slowly lose control of their freedom."

"I don't want to make it an issue though," I murmur. "I just want to move on from it."

"It's your wish whatever you want to do." He tells me. "No one can force you. But never ever hesitate if you have a problem with someone."

I nod slowly, letting my head fall against Jake's chest and wrapping my arms around him. He hugs me back. Slowly, I release the breath I had been holding in, letting my body fully relax since what happened.

"I brought you coconut water," I say.

"Yeah, you said that already." He runs his hands through my hair.

I pull away causing an unhappy look to come on Jake's face. I grab his medicines and coconut water, handing them to him while he sits on the bed.

Jake takes off his hoodie leaving his upper body bare for me to drool at. I must say, he looks quite edible. He's sick, you idiot. I shake my head at myself.

After making Jake take the medicines I got along with two sips of coconut water, I pull down the blankets for him to get in.

He gets in and I tuck the blankets under his chin.

Realizing how tired and sleepy I am too, I decide to go to sleep beside him.

Jake's arms come around me pulling me towards his body with my back pressing to his front. Once we both got comfortable in that position, it was only a matter of a few seconds before we both fell into a deep sleep.

✯✯✯

My body stretches into a stretch as a big groan comes out of my mouth on waking up. Sunlight pours into the room but a body shields me from it.

I blink away the sleepiness from my eyes and give a big lazy sleepy smile to Jake who sits in front of me like a bulldozer.

"You're awake," I say, rubbing my eyes before remembering something, "Wait-" I bolt up, looking around me.

The room looks clean, hoodies folded in a corner, the medicines, cups and bowl which were on Jake's desk aren't there anymore. Jake himself looked showered and fresh in a dark hoodie and jeans. He did all that while I was asleep? Am I that dead when I'm sleeping?

"Are you okay?" I ask, looking up at Jake. "How are you feeling?"

I reach to place my hand on his forehead and smile when I feel his temperature back to normal.

Jake takes my hand in his, pressing a wet wipe to my skin. Where did he get the wipe from? Don't tell me he pulled it out of his butt.

Confusion envelopes me on why he's wiping my hands when I realize he's cleaning my scratches from last night. The scratches were already pretty much healed, but they still stung a bit. I think we both had completely forgotten that my hands were scratched last night.

"Medicine studies coming in handy?" I wiggle my eyebrows at him, "Eh it's just a wipe. I think even everyone can use a wipe without having to get a medical degree."

He stays silent, focusing on my hands.

After wiping my hands, he puts an ointment, gently spreading it on my hands.

"Is this a care for care thing? I take care of you, so you take care of me?" I ask.

He shrugs.

"Thanks, Barbie." I smile patting his cheek once he was done.

I hop off the bed and saunter into the bathroom to freshen up.

I walk back to Jake's room once I'm done.

"Hey, you know where my tiger plush toy is? I've been trying—oof."

Jake pins me to the wall just as I enter his room, shutting the door with his foot.

My eyes widen as I take in his hooded eyes and serious face. His hands hold my wrist on either side of me with one of his legs, pressing my body to the wall.

"Oh mama-"

I start but he cuts me off with a deep hard kiss which makes me wanna yeet myself out the window again.

His lips move hard and fast on my mouth until my knees weaken. One of his hands leaves my wrist and goes around my waist, under the t-shirt I was wearing, and grips my side so hard, I gasp.

Jake slips his tongue into my mouth taking me more by surprise. His tongue moves everywhere in my mouth, ravaging me. His other hand comes under my thigh, lifting it so it wraps around his waist, lifting the skirt I'm wearing way too high until it raises to the freaking heavens.

Oh mama is this appropriate?

I don't even wanna remember God at this moment.

He lifts my other thigh until my legs completely wrap around his built torso. Strange noises come out of my mouth as he holds me to the wall with his tongue deep inside my mouth.

He pulls away abruptly making me gasp with strange panting noises I've never made before.

"You make me so mad at people who want to touch you." His deep voice causes something to flip in my stomach.

For some reason, I want to squeeze my legs together. Warmth spreads everywhere throughout my body.

"You have me wrapped around your fucking finger, Kennedy." He grumbles, his mouth lowering down to my neck, taking my sensitive skin between his teeth.

I couldn't help the groan that comes out of my mouth, my eyes fluttering close.

"I've been angry all fucking night, all fucking morning just thinking about someone touching you." His mouth moves up, trailing hot kisses on his way. "It makes me want to fucking kill them."

"Hey killing is my job," I interrupt, "I'm the criminal here."

He responds by slipping his hands under my skirt and gripping the fabric of my underwear.

My hands fist his hoodie in surprise, "What-what are you doing?"

His mouth comes over my neck once again and this time his fingers play with my underwear below.

My eyes bulge at first, then my head moves back letting Jake have more space to do whatever he was to my neck. My grip tightens on his hoodie.

"You drive me fucking crazy." Jake breathes.

As if you aren't driving me crazy right now.

I think I might as well pass out. What's happening to me? I can't handle a neck kiss and a little handsy down there?

I'm stronger than that.

Yup, I'm stronger than a mountain full of rocks.

I almost blurt out to Jake to get more handsy just to prove my point but then realized I'd really actually faint.

That'd be embarrassing. But since when did I care about if I'm embarrassed or not? I mean I am a human being and I do feel embarrassed.

Nope, can't remember a single moment when I did.

My hands rake through his hair.

"So fucking gorgeous." Jake's mouth whispers against my skin, "So fucking beautiful." His mouth comes over mine in a sudden hard kiss that lasts only a second before he pulls away with a groan. "Can I say I love you?"

I nearly scream and jump out the window.

Wait no, don't do that. He might be traumatized and might never confess his love to another girl ever again. Not that I want him to, he's mine. A sudden possessive feeling envelops me and a little bit of anger that's enough for me to blast off any other girl who'd try to take him.

Wait, Jake said something to me, right? 

What was it again?

"Kennedy, you're frozen," Jake says.

"What?" I blink in confusion.

"I asked you a question." He looks at me.

"What question?" I ask, confused.

He sighs. "I asked if I could say I love you."

"Sure," I reply. "To whom do you wanna say it? Corey?"

"You, idiot." He gives me a flat look.

I freeze again.

I open my mouth to speak but get cut off when three knocks rap on the door.

Jake and I turn our heads to the closed-door beside us.

"Uh Kennedy you in there?" Alex's voice comes from the other side.

"I love you," Jake whispers to me. 

My eyes widen. I look back at Jake. He's starting at me. My heart starts beating faster while melting at the same time. 

"Kennedy?" Alex's voice comes again.

I stare at Jake. The words 'I love you too' hangs on the tip of my tongue. I don't wanna say it back to Jake like this. Not when I'm in a hurry in placing my feet back on the ground and fixing my skirt along with my hair and all.

I want Jake to have a special moment.

"Papa bear calling." I gesture towards the door, giving Jake a smile before turning around and opening the door.

"Good morning!" I greet Alex, bright and cheery.

He returns my smile.

His eyes flick behind me where Jake's standing with a now blank look on his face as if he wasn't dead on horny two seconds ago. Alex gives him a sort of expression that resembles a half-greeting, half-smile.

Jake nods in response.

The air is getting heavy all of a sudden...

"You called me?" I ask Alex, making him look at me.

"Oh right, yeah." He nods. "I was calling you for breakfast. I didn't find you in your room so I thought you'd be..." He cleared his throat, the tips of his ear turning red. "Yeah, I'll be waiting downstairs."

Alex turns around and starts walking downstairs. I do too until I realize Jake isn't following.

I turn around to look back at him, raising an eyebrow, "You coming?"

He stares at me with a thoughtful look before nodding and taking my outstretched hand.

✄ ✄ ✄ ✄

The way people dislike Jake but absolutely love Kennedy seems so hilarious to me sometimes.

My exams just got over yesterday and I'm SO RELIEVED! But guess what? My next grade started today. THEY DIDN'T EVEN GIVE US ONE MOTHERLOVING DAY TO TAKE A BREAK!!! They directly started the next academic year!

Do you people have any study tips or something? I really need them for this academic year as it's gonna be really hard. 

Words: 3,250

Date of publishing: 25th May 2022