♥Chapter 39: ᴡʜᴇʀᴇ ꜱʜᴇ ʜᴏʟᴅꜱ ᴀ ꜱᴡᴏʀᴅ ᴀɢᴀɪɴꜱᴛ ʜɪꜱ ᴛʜʀᴏᴀᴛ♥

✿Kennedy✿

"Okay so basically we just speak the lyrics to each other as if it was our daily conversation. Got it?" I ask as I gather my hair in a ponytail. "It's like a try not to laugh challenge."

He frowns at me, shaking his head.

"Oh come on." I press. "You got anything better to do then?"

"Yup."

"Keep it for later." I respond, "I'm in the mood for some talking right now and judging by how much I know you, whatever you got has nothing to do with talking, am I right?"

He narrows his eyes at me.

I slide my hands over Jake's shoulders, looking him in the eye.

"Hey girl," I grin up at him, "I can see your body moving."

A single eyebrow lifts on Jake's face. "That's some creepy ass shit you just said right now."

"Oh come on, it's a lyric from the song! Continue!"

He frowns at me despite the corners of his lips struggling to remain in a straight line.

"Your turn," I say, "Just go with it. Any line from the lyrics."

He continues frowning at me.

I thought he was finally going to tell me to shut up and throw me out the window while having his precious time pretending to be a statue and staring at his textbook.

Instead...he put his hand on his face, covering it while squeezing his eyes shut as if already regretting this.

"Oh, baby, when you talk like that."

A huge grin spreads on my face and I hold in a burst of laughter.

"You make a woman go mad." I continue.

"So be wise." He says.

"And keep on."

"Reading the signs of my body."

Jake removes his hand from his face, looking at me.

We both stare at each.

We burst out laughing.

Jake throws his head back as he laughs and while I'm outwardly in sync with his laughter, inwardly my chest is exploding into a million fireworks.

Oh my God! Jake is laughing!

Is he really laughing for real?

Why isn't someone recording this?!

His laugh is so beautiful! Someone hold me before I slap him!

Wait, no, I meant kill him.

Wait, no! I meant kiss him!

Yes, kiss him!

Definitely not kill him. 

He grabs my hand, spinning me around the room making me gasp.

"Hey, girl, I can see your body moving," He continues, grabbing my hips, "And it's driving me crazy."

I laugh before slipping my hands around his neck, "And I didn't have the slightest idea. Until I saw you dancing."

Jake spins me around once more, "And when you walk up on the dance floor, Nobody cannot ignore the way you move your body."

"And everything so unexpected, the way you right and left it." My hands trail from the bottom of his stomach to his chest as his hands trail from my hips up to my waist.

"So you can keep on shaking it." He pecks my lips.

"I never really knew that she could dance like this." We both sing together.

"She make a man wants to speak Spanish." I spin away from Jake before spinning right back towards him as he locks his arms around me.

"Cómo se llama? Sí! Bonita! Sí!" He dips me.

"Mi casa! Sí!" He lifts me back up.

"Su casa! Sí!" He dips me on the other side.

"Shakira! Shakira!"

He lifts me and we both drown in the voices of our laughter again.

Our laughter cuts short when we suddenly hear a small bang from out the door followed by a few hissing curses.

The smile and laughter wipes off Jake's face in an instant, replaced by his frown.

Nooooo! Please keep smiling!

A scowl comes onto my face. I'm going to murder whoever disturbed us!

Jake walks over to the door and pulls it open.

Three bodies fall into the room, tumbling one after the other.

Cole immediately jumps up, thrusting a finger at Corey, "It was his idea!"

"Whaaat?" Corey's mouth opens wide.

Cole nods vigorously as Jake's eyes narrow into a hard glare.

"It was hers!" Corey thrusts a finger in Toothy's direction.

"Speak for yourself!" Toothy snaps, straightening her dress as she stands up. "They picked me off while I was on the way to the kitchen."

Corey shakes his head, "Shame on such liars these days."

"Truly." Cole shakes his head, agreeing with Corey.

I shake my head too, without any reason.

"They forced me to eavesdrop with them." Toothy narrows her eyes, placing her hands on her hips.

"Don't act as if you didn't enjoy the things you heard." Corey points making Toothy's cheeks turn red.

She looks away from us.

"Get the fuck out of here!" Jake snaps.

"Don't get your panties in a twist, man." Cole rolls his eyes, "Mom told me to come here and call you both lovebirds down for fish and steaks."

"Noted. Bye." Jake dismisses them.

Corey, Cole and Toothy walk out with Toothy being the first one to march out.

The door slams shut behind them.

It's Jake and me all alone in the room again.

"So..." I start, raising my eyebrows and looking over at Jake, "What song are we doing next?"

✯✯✯

❆Jake❆

My leg bounces as my eyes follow Kennedy's every move as she plays around with my little cousin sisters.

I'm not even forcing myself to stare. My eyes automatically fix on her.

And when she catches me staring, she smiles and waves at me making my insides bloom with a small jittery excitement.

Maybe that's why I'm staring at her; for her to look at me and smile.

We are at the back of Toothy's house, around her giant kidney-shaped pool while our parents got the barbeque and steaks going.

Beside me, two assholes sing the lyrics of Hips Don't Lie, mocking me by screaming the lyrics in my fucking ear.

"She makes a man wanna speak Spanish!" Cole and Corey give a lap dance to their chairs.

"Como si llama! Si! Bonita! Si!—"

"Shut the fuck up!" I snap, grinding my teeth together.

Cole and Corey hoot out laughing, clapping their fucking hands on my back before collapsing on the chairs on either side of me.

"I should have recorded that. Too bad the door wasn't see-through." Corey grins.

"You sounded so booty-ful," Cole throws his head back and laughs.

I put my hand on my temple, sighing deeply.

Can I toss both these bitches into the pool and drown them?

"Give it to Ken to make this hard-asshole sing Shakira," Corey smirks.

"Let's ask Ken to make him do Beyonce next," Cole suggests, standing up to go to Ken.

I grab his wrist and yank him back down on his chair.

"Don't," I hiss.

Knowing Kennedy, she'll definitely ask me to do Beyonce.

And I might even do it.

For her.

Fuck.

"Don't worry, man, we'll join you," Cole assures.

"How about you join me for the meeting with Death who's waiting for you?" I suggest.

"He knows Beyonce? Man, I never knew Death could do Single Ladies." Cole raises his eyebrows.

I shake my head at Cole while he chuckles.

Someone's gonna lose a life tonight if I sit with these assholes for five more fucking minutes.

"Jakey's all wheeep-ped." Corey sings wiggling his eyebrows at me.

I raise an eyebrow in warning, and he shuts up.

"MOOOOOOOOOM BRANDON'S TRYING TO THROW THE FISH FINGER INTO THE POOL!" Callie yells in her tiny high-pitched seven-year-old voice.

"I'M NOT! SHUT UP!" Brandon yells back.

"MOOOOOOM BRANDON'S TELLING ME TO SHUT UP!" Callie yells again, "TELL HIM TO SHUT UP!"

"TELL CALLIE TO SHUT UP!" Brandon scowls.

I sigh and slump into my chair as the tiny twats' yell so fucking loud only two feet away from me.

"Never tell a girl to shut up, Brandon." Cole educates the eight-year-old. "It always ends up with either two things; with you apologizing or you dead." 

"Hear that?" Callie smirks at Brandon.

"And what about boys? What if girls tell us boys to shut up?" Brandon questions back.

"Impossible. The ladies love when we talk." Cole winks.

"I hate when Brandon opens his dumb mouth though." Callie glares at Brandon.

"Because you're siblings, it's different," Cole explains.

"MOMMY!" Callie yells suddenly, "CAN I GET RID OF MY SIBLINGS?"

Cole shakes his head before turning back to Corey and me.

We three ignore the screaming kids.

I turn back to look at Kennedy to see her sitting on the ground with various hands of the girls in her hair.

"That's called braiding, right?" Corey asks, his eyes on Ken as the girls do something to Kennedy's hair.

"Last time, Toothy called it a pig's tail." Cole furrows his eyebrows.

"Toothy said it's called plaiting the hair." I furrow my eyebrows.

"I understand the ponytail cos it looks like a horse's tush," Corey says.

"Remember when Toothy once called a hairstyle Bob?" Cole snorts.

"Toothy once called her hair something by a fish's tail," I say.

"She even names her hair by places," Corey says, "Sometimes it's Dutch, sometimes French. Last time she named her hairstyle Waterfall."

We three frown in confusion for a long time.

Then shrug.

Kennedy goes through five more hairstyles before she finally brings her hair back to her original ponytail.

Then she looks at me.

This time she carries herself over to me.

"Ooo looksey, who's coming?" Corey grins.

I roll my eyes and stand up, walking over to Ken before she reaches Cole and Corey.

I take her hand and she gives me a slightly tired smile. I guide her inside the house where no one was and take her to the living room couch.

I sit down and pull her onto my lap.

"You okay?" I ask, nuzzling my face in the crook of her neck.

Her hands play with my hair making me internally groan when she unintentionally tugs, "I'm fine. Getting a lot tired lately, but I'm good. You?"

My hands roam over her back as I nod.

"You realize we touch each other like every second we get?" She asks, suddenly.

"You don't want me to touch you?" I ask.

She shakes her head, "I was just saying. I like it when you touch me."

My mouth moves to the soft spot below her ear, "Touch you where?"

A blush rises through her cheeks, "I don't know? Like this?"

"Like how?" I tease, a small smirk on my face.

"You're waiting for me to innocently say something inappropriate that'll make you hornier." She narrows her eyes.

A chuckle comes out of my mouth.

"You love it when I'm horny." I nibble on her earlobe.

"Who said?"

I pull away and look at her.

She plays innocent by maintaining a frown.

"You do," I state.

She shakes her head, "I never said that."

I roll my eyes, "I know you do."

"How so? Do you live in my head?"

I give her a flat look, "Don't play."

"I'm not. I'm just clarifying things that you assumed so confidently."

I narrow my eyes, "You like it when I touch you, so you like when I'm horny."

"Meaning you're horny every time you touch me?" She raises her eyebrows.

"Every time I look at you." I nod.

She shakes her head, "There should be consequences for being horny all the time."

"Like?"

"I don't know. How about death?"

I narrow my eyes.

This girl wants me dead in the next second.

"You want me to die?" I ask.

"DIE MOTHER LOVER!" She yells suddenly, jumping off me and pretending to hold a sword against my throat.

Her face looks all playful and serious at the same time.

I go to give her a flat look but realize that it'll ruin her mood. For some reason, something in me tells me to just go along with her.

"Oh dear, what did I ever do?" I place a hand on my forehead.

She bites her lip to hold in a laugh before clearing her throat and pressing the invisible sword closer to my neck, "You have debts to pay, young warrior. Which you have utterly failed to do so."

"Oh have mercy. What have I done wrong?"

"You've failed to meet my expectations." She lets out a sad sigh, "You've failed to make me feel all the things you've promised me. All those dreams. We would have been perfect if you hadn't betrayed me, Bilbo."

What the fuck did she just call me?

I hide my distaste for the horrible name and continue with the act.

"My lady, please let me make it up to you. What can I do?"

"You've betrayed me, Bilbo," Kennedy gives a sad look, putting her sword down. "There's just no making up for it."

I stand up from the couch and walk over to her. Gently, taking her chin between my fingers, I lift her face to meet mine.

"I have betrayed the morals you believe to be true. I have never betrayed you. The love I have for you still blooms in my chest every fucking day like a flower-"

"Jake, people didn't cuss like that in the old days." She hisses.

"-the love I have for you still blooms in my chest every repeating day like a flower chosen directly from Eve."

What the fuck am I even saying?

She searches my eyes with hers, "I don't know...I'm afraid to get hurt."

"Let me take all your pain away. All I ask is for another chance." My hand caresses her jaw, slipping under her hair to softly grip her face. 

She slowly leans towards me and I too bring my head down, closer to hers.

"Promise me," She whispers.

"I have given you everything I have, my lady. My heart, my soul, my body. It's all yours. If it is a promise you ask, I'd be happily willing to give it too."

"All I ask for you is to not leave me," Her hands fist the front of my t-shirt, pulling me closer, her green eyes drowning me in a completely different world where I see myself floating peacefully.

Fuck, when did this play get so intense?

My mouth hovers over hers, barely inches away.

Her sweet warm breath makes my skin tingle. It raises an excitement in my body with something much warmer pooling inside me.

"I shall never leave you." With a whisper, I bring my head down to kiss her.

The living room bursts into applause before my lips could touch Kennedy.

Kennedy jumps away from me with a yelp.

I spin around to see half of China's population in the living room, clapping and recording Kennedy and me on their phones.

"Oh sweet mother of..." Kennedy mumbles under her breath, her face burning bright red as she hides behind me.

I resist my face from turning red but judging by Cole's whistle, it must have been redder than a 'stop' sign.

"You rocked it, Jakey!" Corey hoots, throwing up his fist in the air.

My lips purse into an embarrassed expression with my face burning up like the sun.

"This was a whole lot better than Shakira." Cole claps his hands.

"Leave the poor children alone." Aunt Emma says, grinning wide as if she's seen a fluffy puppy trip over itself.

"They were in the public living room," Cole says, "should have gone somewhere private if they did not want to be seen. Not that I minded." He grins at me.

The camera's still flash in my eyes with my aunts and uncles laughing their asses off. My cousins start making jokes and try to replay whatever Kennedy and I did.

I hate my life.

✯✯✯

✿Kennedy✿

I never expected in my entire existing life for Jake to go that serious in the play.

It was all fun until Jake's family came and caught us.

I got over it quickly though.

Guess who didn't get over it and is still sulking on a pool lounge chair wearing a Mexican hat on his head, twirling a cocktail drink and staring at the pool with a moping look?

If you didn't guess it, it's Jake.

I told him it was fine and that it was only his family, but he said that his cousins would never let him live it down.

Also because he didn't get to kiss me.

I sip a similar cocktail juice, sitting beside Jake with my eyes following everyone in the pool.

I so badly want to go into the pool. But I can't swim. Also I'm afraid I might suffocate between everyone and might ruin their mood with my asthma.

So I just sit here beside my sulking boyfriend in the same lounge chair, holding his warm hand while sipping my cool cocktail juice.

"Why aren't you going?" I ask Jake.

"Why aren't you going?" He asks me back.

I shrug, "Isn't is obvious?"

"What is?"

"My asthma," I reply.

He gives me a look of confusion.

I sigh and continue, "I might suffocate and ruin everybody's mood. Plus you can't really swim with Asthma."

"You can." He states.

"You can't."

"You can."

"You can't."

He takes in a deep breath, "Kennedy," He says, "Swimming is highly suggested to people with asthma."

I give him a weird look, "What in the weird Mamba Jamba are you talking about?"

He nods as if he's true.

"It is?" I ask in disbelief.

He nods.

"Your doctor never told you?" He asks.

"I asked but Gary said I should avoid it because I might drown myself or someone else. Also, he said that the water weakens the lungs and makes it look like plastic, then we'd have to melt that plastic and replace it with new lungs"  

"He was kidding."

"I knew it!"

"Come on." Jake stands up and tugs my hand.

I stand up with him and together we walk over to the corner of the pool.

"Are you teaching me to swim?" My face lights up with excitement and he nods.

Jake gets into the pool gracefully while I stand over him, suddenly awkward.

He looks so beautiful and perfect with water lapping over his bare-toned chest. The gentle blue light from the pool made Jake's eyes look like they were two circles of clear water.

I might look like a frog who's choking on a slug.

Also, I'm scared of drowning.

What if I drown?

What if there are sharks?

I mean think of it, who wants to get bitten by a shark on the butt?

You'll be buttless!

I really don't wanna get in the pool now. I love my butt.

"So how do I swim?" I fiddle with my fingers.

"Step one," He says, "Get into the pool."

"Nice one. So how do I avoid that step?"

"You can't."

"Sure I can."

"You can't swim if you don't get into the pool."

"Teach me to swim in the bathtub then."

He moves as if he's going to jump out of the pool, "Sure let me just go and fill it up."

"Really?" I ask.

"No." He deadpans.

"I'll fill it up then," I say and turn around to run into the house.

A hand latches onto the back of my t-shirt and I yelp, throwing my legs around as Jake drags me to the pool and throws me in.

Water gushes into my ears, nose and eyes.

This is it.

KENNEDY KINSEY
2002-2021
Died due to boyfriend's violent attack.

Hands grab my shoulders and haul me out of the water, making me gasp.

Oh air! Sweet, sweet air!

I breathe in as much as possible.

"I'm going to drown you!" I yell at Jake whom I was currently gripping for my oh so dear life. My arms latch around his neck with my legs around his hips.

Jake rolls his eyes, "I pulled you out in a second."

"I could have died!" I scowl.

"R.I.P."

"No, I won't be resting in peace because I'll be coming to hunt you, then drag your flailing body to the sea and cut off every single limb of yours then take pleasure as I drown each one of your limbs and feed half of them to hungry dogs!" I glare.

Jake furrows his eyebrows, "Do I need to put Parent Control on the TV?"

I continue glaring.

"I'm going to put you underwater again." He says.

I scream.

A burst of laughter erupts from his mouth as I grip him tighter.

"Please don't," I mumble.

His hands come around me, rubbing over my wet t-shirt soothingly. His wet skin feels so amazing beneath me. I could latch onto this body at any given time without complaints.

"I'm sorry." A small, amused smile tugs his lips.

"I hate you."

"I love you."

"Apology accepted."

He holds me for a few more seconds.

"I'm gonna put you down now-"

I start shaking my head.

"I'll keep holding onto you." He assures, gently prying my hands off him.

My eyes widen when he starts lowering my legs down into the water.

I keep bouncing on my toes, my hands tightly gripping Jake's, as the water laps around my neck. How the heck is the water reaching till Jake's chest, but for me, it's till my neck? This is not fair!

What if someone suddenly jumps and sends a huge wave over my head?

I'm gonna kill Jake.

"Jake." My expressions show fright.

"I'm here, I'm here." He tightens his hold on my hands to show me.

"I'm going to drown."

"I'll pull you out."

"I'll drown you too."

"Then we'll both die together. Side by side"

I look up at him, "You're getting cheesier and sarcastic day by day."

His sea-green eyes gaze back at me in amusement, "Geez I wonder whose fault is that?"

A smile cracks my face, "Mine?"

"Holy shit. How'd you figure out?"

"I'm pretty smart." I shrug and laugh.

He smiles before slowly loosening his grip on my hand a bit, "You'll be fine. Stay on your feet and you won't drown." He says then leaves my hands.

I immediately move to grab Jake with wide eyes, but he moves away from me.

"Jake!"

"All you have to do is stand, Kennedy!"

"And wait for my death?"

"Duh."

I shoot him a look and he grins.

I try planting my feet firmly onto the pool floor, but my body slightly goes out of balance with the water moving across my body in waves making it difficult to do so.

"See, you're doing good so far," Jake says as he moves flawlessly towards me.

He takes my chin and tilts my head up for a peck.

From the corner of my eye, I notice Corey trying to get onto Toothy's back and accidentally drowning her with his body weight and killing her.

Whoops.

Toothy's head breaks through the surface of the water and she charges after Corey while spitting profanities.

She looks like a bikini model with her hair sleek between her shoulder blades in a low ponytail.

A noise makes Jake's head perk up.

"It's my phone." He says and moves to get out of the pool.

"What the heck? Don't leave me!" I jump on his back, wrapping myself around him.

He rolls his eyes but effortlessly jumps out of the pool with me on his back.

He bends down to let me slide off him once we reach the lounge chair where his phone rings under a towel.

Jake hands me the towel and picks up his phone.

I rub the towel over myself as he attends to his call.

Being engrossed in rubbing the towel over my wet skin and hair, I don't notice the expression of shock on Jake's face until he whispers out a 'what'.

My eyes snap to him to see his mouth slightly open with unblinking eyes.

My movements pause on the towel as I wait for him to speak or even look at me.

It takes him almost fifteen seconds before he mutters an 'I'll be there' and ends the call.

"What happened?" I place a hand on his arm.

His eyes meet mine.

Anger flashes across his face, his jaw clenching as his eyes turn dark.

I blink in shock at the sudden change in his expression.

His hands clench into tight fists, "They found Toothy's rapist."

✄ ✄ ✄ ✄

A favourite scene so far from the entire book?

Words: 3,990

Date of publishing: 30th May 2022