I don't wanna live this way

Gonna take my things and go

Chapter 06 ~ Runaway

Jamie Myers

The mystery that surrounded Scar was much bigger than I originally anticipated. Walking in on his unconscious alcoholic mother and observing a less-than-friendly altercation with his sister has made me more intrigued with him. I knew he had to be suppressing a memory of something, or someone, in the back of his mind. He was hurting on the inside, but he was too stubborn to let anyone know.

Looking at him now and watching the sunlight hit his face, he truly was beautiful. His turquoise colored eyes seemed almost inhuman, the way they looked under the sun. His short tufts of brown hair stuck out in all directions, but that kind of messy looked great on him. His teeth caught onto the corner of his lip and he couldn't have looked more sexy biting his lip like that.

"Can you stop staring at me like that?" He asked suddenly, not turning to face me but continuing to count the money in the collection box for the thousandth time, and biting his lip in concentration.

I leaned against the booth and chuckled to myself. "Don't flatter yourself, Patterson. I wasn't looking at you. I was looking at that hot guy over there."

As if to confirm, Scar's attention instantly snapped into the distance, searching for alleged hot guy. He glanced over at me, sighed, then continued counting his money. "So far, we've made twenty dollars. That's way worse than yesterday."

The sun was starting to set and in a couple of minutes, the carnival would close for the day. I watched as girl after girl passed by the kissing booth without giving it a second glance. They continued on their merry way, giggling as they did so.

I already knew the reason why the kissing booth was so unpopular today was because Francesca was going around and talking smack about Scar, making all the girls want to stay away from him.

Scar sighed once more and slumped against the booth with his head buried in his hands. I didn't know why I felt the need to comfort him, considering that the money wasn't even going to a good cause, but I had the sudden urge to hug him. But that might've been for other reasons.

I stood up straight and dug into my back pocket for my wallet, pulling out a folded hundred dollar bill. I handed it to him. "Here."

Scar lifted his head from his hands and gave me a puzzled look. "What's that for?"

"For you," I answered. "It may not be as much as you made yesterday, but I know how much those uniforms mean to you. So, take it."

His brows knitted together in confusion as he stared at me a little longer with his intense green eyes. He was reluctant for a few more moments before he took the cash and stuffed it into the metal box, not once removing his eyes from mine. "Thanks."

I offered him a genuine smile. "It's no problem, really."

"Yeah," he said absentmindedly, still looking at me with that same puzzled look.

I opened my mouth to respond but was interrupted by a delicate female voice. When I redirected my attention to the gril with the big gray eyes and thick brown ringlets surrounding her chubby face, I smiled.

"Hey!" She greeted us.

I could practically feel Scar snap. "Amy," he seethed. "I told you to stay home with Mom. Why are you here?"

"Mom's okay now and one of the first responders told me I should have some fun instead of moping around all day and gave me a ride. He was really nice."

A dangerously low animal-like growl erupted from the back of Scar's throat. "Amy, I swear if you don't-"

"You look great, Amy," I interrupted, already knowing everything that came out of Scar's mouth was anything but productive.

She pulled her brows together in confusion. "Do I know you?"

I shook my head. "Nope. I just have an eye for beauty and felt that I should probably let you know how beautiful you are."

Her cheeks instantly flushed red and she attempted to hide the embarrassment by burying her face in her scarf.

Scar tapped his finger impatiently against the booth while simultaneously biting down on his lip so hard that I was sure it would bleed. It was obvious he wanted to say something, but he thought better of it and remained silent.

"Do you want to donate?" I asked her suddenly.

She caught Scar's deadly glare which made her inch away from the booth. "Um, no. I don't really have any money. I'm sorry."

"Ah, come on!" I exclaimed, flailing my hands in the air. "You get a kiss in return."

Her bright eyes went wide and her gaze darted back and forth between Scar and me. "W-with y-you?"

I gave Scar a sideways glance. "Unless you'd like to make out with your brother. In my opinion, that's kind of weird. Not because you two hate each other, but because you're related, you know."

The intensity of Scar's stare was starting to freak me out more than it freaked Amy out.

"Really, it's okay.."

I rolled my eyes deep into my sockets and crossed my arms against my chest. I absolutely hated the fact that Scar and Amy couldn't get along. And even more than that, I hated that Amy gave in to Scar's every command. I've only known her for a few minutes and I was already starting to see the signs of a controlling relationship.

So I jumped on top of the booth and swung my legs to the other side, rooting my feet into the ground just a few inches away from where Amy stood. I took her hands in mine and gazed down at her under my lashes, the corners of my lips pulling into a smile.

Leaning down to her height, I captured her soft lips in a kiss. Her lips stiffened but she began to let loose as I worked my hands up, cupping the sides of her face and entangling my fingers into her hair. She followed my lead when I began to move our lips together and swiped my tongue over her bottom lip, begging for entrance. She melted into me when my tongue slipped past her teeth, exploring the realms of her mouth.

I pulled away from the heated kiss when I felt a pair of hands grab onto my shoulders, separating me from Amy. I tried to fight a smile as I stumbled backwards and turned to face Scar, who was fuming with anger. "What the hell is your problem?"

A sloppy grin made its way onto my face - something I was known for having. "I don't have a problem. Do you have a problem?"

Amy cleared her throat, announcing her presence. "Please don't be mean to him, Scar." Her lips spread into a soft, sweet smile as she handed me a dollar bill. "Thank you for that." If it was possible, her cheeks turned even more pink.

"No problem," I responded with a reassuring nod.

Her silver eyes shone with excitement as she sent me another small smile and a slight wave before leaving Scar and I along to settle our disputes. When she was out of sight, I folded the dollar and waved it in front of Scar's face teasingly.

He scowled. "You can't just kiss my sister like that!"

"And why not?" I questioned as I lifted an inquiring brow. "It's for charity, isn't it?"

Scar's intense green eyes grew hard and unfriendly. "Don't kiss my sister again," he said in a stern voice. "If you do, I promise I'll beat the shit out of you."

I faked a surprised expression as I fished in my pocket for a cigarette and stuck it into the corner of my mouth. "Duly noted," I said absentmindedly while I flicked the dial on my lighter, lighting the end of the cigarette. "If you're just going to act all macho, I'm out of here. I've got better things to do."

"Wait, no! You're supposed to be helping me with Francesca," he reminded me with a pleading look in his eyes. I realized how desparate he got when it came to Francesca, and that made me slightly peeved.

I sighed. "Then cut the attitude."

Scar's lips parted slightly and he blinked several times before he finally sighed, giving in. "Sorry," he said under his breath and turned to face the booth again, placing his hands against the wooden counter and leaning on it. "So, how do I fix things? With Frankie?"

"Frankie?" I questioned while trying to bite back a laugh. "That's such an unfortunate nickname."

He opened his mouth to speak but when I shot him a deadly glare, he quickly closed it.

"Frankie," I continued, kicking up my feet and pacing around in circles, "is like any other girl. She gets jealous easily. For you to get her back permanently, you need to offer her something that she can't get from those other guys." I rubbed my chin, pretending to be in deep thought. "Understand?"

He furrowed his brows. "I understand, but how do I do that?"

I held in a laugh as I circled around him. "Make her jealous, obviously."

Scar narrowed his eyes into thin slits as he folded his muscled arms against his toned chest. "What? With you?"

I thumbed my lit cigarette between my fingers and gave him a mocking smile. "I meant with an equally air-headed brunette, but if you want me to be your pretend boyfriend, I'll be happy to oblige."

He shook his head slowly, unsure of how to respond. His hands balled into fists for a brief moment before they fell limp at his sides again. He seemed to be going through an ongoing debate in his head, not knowing what to do, or say. Finally snapping back to life, he set his eyes on me. "You want me to get a girlfriend? Just anybody?"

I rolled my eyes. "That is what I said, Patterson. Learn to catch up."

He swallowed hard. "How do you expect me to get a girlfriend?"

My mouth fell open. He had to be kidding, right? "You're easy on the eyes and you play football. Any girl would kill to be with you. It's not rocket science."

Scar grew silent as he slipped back into his thoroughly perplexed state, thinking hard about something as he started to pace around the booth. "And what happens if my new girlfriend gets attached to me? That'll only create more drama."

I exhaled a long, heavy sigh. I didn't expect Scar to take this so seriously. It wasn't like I actually thought Francesca would get back with him after seeing him with other girls. She was way too busy screwing everyone to even notice Scar. But I wouldn't tell him that. "Fine," I gave in. "How about you let my sister be your pretend girlfriend?"

He stopped pacing and turned to face me, scratching his neck. "Your sister?"

"Yeah. That way, you can have a pretend girlfriend and not have to worry about her falling in love with you."

Scar raised a skeptical brow. "Is she a lesbian or something?"

I lifted my chin slightly and glared at Scar defiantly. "No," I spat, just as I threw my cigarette to the ground and stomped on it, crushing it to pieces. "She's straight."

"Then how do you know she won't fall in love with me?" A comical grin had spread onto his face as he waited for an answer.

Because she knows you belong to me, I wanted to say but decided it would be best for both of us if I just played along. "Because, Patterson, you make it very hard for anyone to fall in love with you." Flashing my eyes up at him, I gave him a cheeky smile. "Anyway. It's about time that I head home and you should do the same. I'll let my sister know of our little plan and we can start as soon as possible."

Scar nodded. "Do you need a ride?"

I didn't know why, but that made me smile. Not a fake, mocking smile, but a real smile. The kind of smile that stretched ear-to-ear in pure happiness. "No," I replied. "But thanks, though."

He nodded again. "Well, uh, I guess I'll see you around Jamie."

"Yeah, see you around." I whipped around quickly to hide the color that was obviously rushing to my cheeks and trudged through the lawn with heavy steps, still smiling that elated smile.

**

There was something about driving in an all-black leather seated Ferrari that made me feel important. I couldn't quite place my finger on it, but the roar of the engine, the comfort of the seats and that wonderful new-car smell made the thrill even more exciting.

That, and because I was scared out of my mind.

I nibbled on my thumb and glanced at the rear view mirror every couple seconds, making sure no one was following me. No amount of experience would ever let myself get used to this life, but I didn't have time to sit and complain. I had to do my job. No work, no pay.

Pulling onto a rocky dirt road and allowing myself to relax a little, I released my tight grip on the steering wheel and proceeded down the road with caution. My gaze kept shifting towards the passenger seat where my phone was placed, silently hoping that I made it on time. The boss had no tolerance for people being any second later than the designated time.

As if magically complying with my wish, the phone's screen lit up and a soft vibrating noise followed. Even though I was expecting it, I still jumped.

I plucked the phone from the seat beside me and pressed it to my ear. "Hello?" I asked, voice shaking.

"Garage," the voice on the other end responded before the line went dead.

I tossed the phone to the back seat and continued on the dirt road, keeping my eyes peeled for the large garage. When it finally came into view, I brought the expensive car to a stop and stepped out, instantly greeting the cold air.

I clutched my black leather jacket tighter to my body and took a shuddery breath as I descended the narrow dirt road with extra cautious steps. No matter how many times I've done this same process, I still couldn't get used to it.

As I got closer to the garage, I caught sight of two large men standing on each side. Their hands were intertwined behind their backs and they both wore serious facial expresstions - lips pressed into a tight line and dead, llifeless, eyes.

They didn't even budge when I approached them. "Here for the boss," I said, announcing my presence.

One of the men stepped forward and studied me with his intense, dark blue eyes. "Name?"

"Myers," I responded, slightly intimidated. If I said one wrong thing, he wouldn't hesitate to pull out his gun and shoot me dead.

"Code?"

"Five-one-six-two," I let the numbers fall off the tip of my tongue.

The man glanced over his shoulder at his partner, who nodded. Mere seconds later, the garage door opened. I never knew what building the garage was connected to, other than its vague walls and boring monotone coloring, because the boss didn't want anyone to know. Afterall, I was just a replaceable chess piece.

I tiptoed inside the dark garage when it was fully opened and stood in the darkness until the garage door closed behind me. As if on cue, the lights flicked on and illuminated the room in a soft yellow light, and I instantly locked eyes with a tall, dark man dressed in a business suit. His mocha colored skin seemed flawless under the warm light and his full pink lips were puckered slightly.

His gaze lingered on me as he took a few steps closer, studying me with his cold, black eyes. "You're late," he pointed out in a leveled, monotone voice.

I laughed lightly. "Yeah, well it takes time to look this good."

He cocked his head to the side.

I cleared my throat and fixed my posture. "Sorry, um, it took a long time to disable the GPS in the car but I got it done. The license plates are covered and it's in brand new condition."

His gaze tapered off slightly. "What kind of car is it?"

"A 2014 Ferrari, sir," I answered firmly.

The corner of his lip twitched into a small smile and it was the first time I ever saw him smile. "Just when I was thinking about firing you, you turn around and surprise me. You're a very great asset to my team, Myers. I hope you know where your priorities lay."

I nodded. "I am loyal."

That smile again. "Good." He pulled out his wallet from his pocket and tugged out three hundred dollar bills. He handed them to me, not once letting his smile fade. "There you go."

I glanced at the money and sighed. Usually, I didn't ask the boss for extra money. It was a risk I wasn't willing to take. "Think you can spot me an extra hundred? I gave mine to charity." It wasn't a full lie. I did give Scar the money for his fake charity, but it was more because I was trying to cheer him up.

My request succeeded in making the boss' smile fade away. "That's not my problem, Myers. You've earned three hundred for today. You can get more when you bring me another car. As of now, your job is done and you can leave."

Nodding, I shoved the money into my pocket and waited for the garage door to open again. I wasn't exactly proud of what I did - I never was - but I knew this was all for the better. It would all be worth it in the long run.

**

I had to walk home. With no stolen Ferrari to cruise around town with, I was forced to go by foot like most days. Normally I wouldn't have had a problem with walking home, but there was something exceptionally cold about tonight's weather. Winter was just around the corner and I didn't want to be in this exact predicament when it started to snow. I needed to get out of here fast.

When I walked through the front door of what I was ashamed to call my house, all the lights were off. Not even the kitchen light was on, and that always remained on in case any of the other kids wanted a midnight snack.

But I honestly didn't care about why the lights were off. As long as my sister was okay, I couldn't care less about the other kids. They were simply housemates, not family.

I padded my way through the main foyer and through the connecting hallway that led to all of our rooms. My room was at the end of that long hallway on the left, marked by a wooden door that always creaked. I swung the door open and switched on the light, only to be greeted by Jillian who laid quietly on her small bed.

"Why are you just laying in the dark like that?" I asked her as I took off my jacket. "Where's everyone else? Where's Janice?"

She didn't meet my gaze. Instead, she stared blankly at the gray colored wall. "Janice took the kids outside to dig."

I shuffled over to my bed, which was just a few feet away from hers. "And you didn't go with them?"

"I told her I was sick," she replied dryly. "She told me to cook. I saved you some macaroni before the twins ate it."

Collapsing into my bed and letting out a exhausted sigh, I turned to face my sister. Her blonde hair was more tousled than usual and brown smudges stained her pale face. She looked weak, dead almost.

"Are you okay?" I asked her, noticing something was wrong.

She still kept her attention on the wall. "Janice hit me today, Jamie. She hit me." Her cobalt eyes finally met mine and I could see they were filled with terror and desperation. "I hate her, Jamie. I hate her!"

I inched off my bed and scrambled to her side, reaching out and running a hand through her hair. "I know, Jill. I know. We just have to hang on a little bit longer and we can break out of here."

Tears welled in the corners of her eyes as she sucked in a shaky breath. "How much longer?"

"I don't know," I muttered. There was no way to tell when would be the perfect time. For both of our sakes, I hoped it was soon. "But I promise, I'm working on it. Okay?"

She sniffled. "Okay."

Pushing a stray strand of hair behind her ear, I pulled her in closer and allowed her to bury her face into my shoulder, sobbing quietly. I patted her back in a soothing manner and whispered in her ear, "We'll get out of here. I promise."

**