-Jack-

Long, cold fingers tightened around my neck. I clawed at his hands, but it was a waste of energy. "Listen here, pretty boy." His breath reeked of different alcohols I couldn't place.

            My arms were starting to go numb.

            "I need you to..."

            I couldn't hear him. His mouth was moving, but I was hearing nothing.

            I lifted my hands from his fingers around my throat, placing them on his face in a failed attempt to get him away from me. I looked at my fingers through a hazed blur, seeing them covered in a red substance.

            Blood.

            But it wasn't mine.

            Or was it?

            I looked around me, trying to take in my surroundings. The edges of my vision started to go black. Everything was going black. I heard my name being called by a familiar voice. One I knew well. She was calling my name over and over again. I did my best to look around, but no one was here.

            Only me, this guy, and a dead body a few feet away.

            I couldn't even make out the guys face.

            Just as he loosened his grip around my neck, he slammed my head back into the cold pavement.

            My name was being called again. The voice. I couldn't picture the name of the voice.            

 That was until it became clearer. Juliet. She was calling my name, but I didn't see her. I couldn't. I was close to death and my eyes wouldn't open. Everything was cold. It felt like bricks were weighing on my head—

            My eyes flew open and I took a gasped breath. My hand slowly moved to my neck. It was a dream. My breaths came in small pants now. I let my eyes adjust to the darkness of my room.

            It felt so real. Everything about it felt real.

            Juliet's hands were on my face as she hovered over me, "What the hell was that?" She breathed.

            I closed my eyes again and leaned into her touch, "I-I think it was a memory." I spoke softly because I still haven't steadied my breathing.

            "I couldn't wake you up. You scared the shit out of me."

            I wanted to laugh at Juliet's language, "That's how it happened before." I opened my eyes and looked at her. The room was faintly lit from the sun just starting to rise, "It was almost the same one I had before. Except more vivid."

            "What happened? You couldn't breathe..."

            "Someone's hands were around my throat and I couldn't hear anything he was saying. He slammed my head against the ground and everything went dark. And I heard you calling my name."

            She continued stroking my face, "Were you ever in the hospital?"

            I nodded, "That's where I woke up. They told me I was only there for a day or so. My head..." I trailed off, feeling a dull ache against the back of my head, "I hit my head. I couldn't remember anything. That explains why I couldn't remember anything. The doctors told me I hit my head, now I remember how."

            The head injury didn't add up to me when I was in the hospital. It was stupid, I guess. But when I woke up, I had no idea what happened. I didn't remember the blood or the guy with his hands around my neck. And when I was ready to go home, I had police officers waiting for me with handcuffs.

            None of that made sense until now.

            "Jack." Juliet's fingers trailed over my temple, "That means it wasn't you."

            But there are things that are still blurry and don't make any sense at all. Like what happened before all of that? Why was I there? None of that is making any sense. "I know it wasn't."

            Juliet's lips were on mine in a heartbeat. I lifted my hand into her hair, letting my fingers get lost. She pulled back and leaned her forehead against mine, "You're going to get out of this. You're not going anywhere."

            "I'm not going anywhere." I smiled and tilted my chin up to kiss her again.

            There are still things I need to figure out. Like finding out who was with me that night since I can't remember. And of course, none of my 'friends' have contacted me since I got in trouble. I need to find out who the guy was. I couldn't make out his face in my haze. He's still out there, probably laughing at my face on the news.

            Juliet curled against my side, her face against the side of my head. She kissed my temple and sighed, "I was so scared." She whispered, "But things are going to be okay. Most importantly, you're going to be okay."

            It was weird having someone care this much for me. Especially since Madison. They remind me a lot of each other, but Madison wouldn't argue the way Juliet does. Juliet takes what I feed her and throws it back. She doesn't take any of my crap. And I needed someone like Juliet.

            Every time I talk to her, I want to tell her everything. Not just about my case, but everything about me. I want her to know everything. And I'm just grateful she's been around when no one else was.

            I held her close like I didn't want to let go.

            Because I didn't.

            She was breathing softly, in even timed breaths. I knew she had fallen asleep. I fell asleep shortly after, and for once, it didn't take too much effort.

            I woke up hours later to Juliet stirring a little beside me. We were tangled together again. She nudged her face against my neck and kissed the sensitive spot right below my ear. I smiled to myself and tightened my hold on her.

            "Good morning." She said softly from her spot.

            "It's nice to finally wake up with you here."

            She laughed, "I told you I didn't plan on getting up before you. But living with the elderly, you're always up early."

            "I'm glad I wasn't alone last night."

            Juliet lifted her head, her face barely hovering over mine, "I told you. You're not going to go through this alone. I promise you that."

            I leaned on my elbows to kiss her, but she jerked back. She started laughing and backed off the bed, "Morning breath."

            I rolled my eyes and laughed, "Guest bathroom right across the hall has an extra tooth brush."

            She ran out of the room and across the way to the bathroom. I heard the water running and I got up. I walked into my bathroom and brushed my teeth and took care of other business. I walked back into my room when I was finished and dropped back into bed. I folded my arms under my head and let out a sigh as I stared up at the ceiling.

            I could still remember everything last night. All the details were still fresh in my mind and weren't going anywhere. I was going to share this information with my parents when they got home later tonight. I already know they're going to tell me not to say anything. I don't know if that's a good idea

            But it's something. It's something that could help me get out of this.

            All of it's slowly coming together.

            I was brought out of my thoughts when Juliet jumped on the bed and climbed on top of me. She straddled my hips, gripped my face, and kissed me.

            I was weak when she kissed me first.

            My lips moved effortlessly against hers in a heated motion.

            I unfolded my arms from behind my head, setting my hands against her bare thighs. My fingers poked under the hem of her shirt and she gasped against my lips. As she pulled away from me, she bit down on my bottom lip, "What time do your parents get home?" She whispered against my lips.

            "Not until tonight."

            "Good. You're stuck with me all day."

            Not that I have a problem with that.

Juliet wanted to watch a movie, so that's what we ended up doing. Being on house arrest leaves you to limited things to do. It sucks I can't take her anywhere, but I don't think she minds. Still, I hate that. Hopefully that will be changing soon.

            My phone buzzed on the bedside table and I reached over to grab it. I had a new message from my mom. I opened it up and my heart fell. "They're five minutes away." I mumbled to Juliet.

            "What?" She jumped up, "What time is it?"

            "It's barely two. They're early."

            She pulled the shirt I let her borrow over her head and tossed it aside.

            My eyes widened as I got out of bed, "What—"

            She smiled at me, grabbed her dress, and put it on, "No time for modesty." She ran up to me and threw her arms around my neck, "Good luck tomorrow and Tuesday. I'll come over Tuesday night, maybe we can celebrate." She stood on her toes and kissed me quick.

            "Can't wait." I kissed her again and she left.

            Two minutes after Juliet left, I heard the front door open and my mom's voice. I threw on a shirt and walked down stairs. My mom was in the kitchen and my dad beside her. She smiled when she saw me, "Hi, Honey." She walked up to me and hugged me. She kissed my cheek and stepped away.

            It wasn't odd for my mom to be affectionate at all. I know she loves me, and I know my dad does too even if he doesn't show it often. They hate the way I am and the choices I've made. Maybe my acting out is a weak excuse for a cry for help. I was pathetic in many ways.

            "Are you nervous about tomorrow?" Dad asked.

            I shook my head, "Not really." I had really great help.

            I looked at my mom, her smile fell into a frown, "I'm sure you'll do great, Jack."

            "Yeah, I'm sure." I turned to my dad, "Can I talk to you?"

            "Of course."

            We left the kitchen, walked through the living room, and into my dad's office located to the left. I closed the doors behind me and walked further into the room. I want to talk to my dad about this before my mom. She'll freak out. My dad will tell me what I need to do. If it's a good idea to tell my lawyer or not, or if it's just digging myself a deeper hole.

            We sat on the small couch that was pressed against the far side of his office. I'm not sure why he has the couch, no one comes in here. Unless he secretly takes naps—I'm getting distracted.

            He settled back against the couch while I sat on the edge. I'm ready to bolt if I have to, but there shouldn't be a reason to. "It must be serious." He commented.

            I swallowed the lump in my throat and nodded, "While you guys were gone, I started remembering. It's like it's coming back in...waves...or blocks, I can't explain it."

            Dad raised his eyebrows, "You're sure they're memories and not dreams?"

            "Dad," I exasperated, "These were not dreams. I can feel it. I remember hitting my head and how it happened."

            He leaned closer, his elbows on his knees, "What else, Jack?"

            I went into the full story, telling him about my first wave of a memory. It was blotchy, but I remembered the blood. And then I told him about my one from last night. I mentioned I couldn't make out the guys face and I didn't recognize his voice. "Could this help?" I dropped my voice down to a whisper.

            He leaned back with a sigh, "I don't know. It's not much to go on, Jack." He scooted closer to me and placed a hand on my shoulder, "I know you didn't do it. Your mom does too. But we can't risk this right now. Things are starting to come back to you, so maybe it'll all come back. And when that happens, we'll go straight to the lawyer." He squeezed my shoulder, "Don't do anything stupid, please."

            "I won't."

            He smiled, "I know you, Jack. I was you when I was younger. If I can break my bad habits, you can too." He got up and fixed his suit before walking out of his office and leaving me alone.

            Great talk, Dad.

            I wanted to believe he had it in my best interest. But nothing they've done has helped me. Yeah, they've kept a roof over my head, but they've done nothing for me mentally.

Today's Tuesday, the last day of my testing. French and Chemistry will be included today, so I help all my studying paid off. I'm confident about it. I did well yesterday, or at least I feel I did. I didn't have as much trouble as I expected.

            The two officers followed me inside the school like they did yesterday. It's not like I'm going to run. They had to know that would be stupid of me to do. But they aren't the ones on house arrest.

            I sat in an empty classroom except for one teacher that monitors the testing. The two officers stayed outside. I sat in the front and looked to my right where there was a wall of windows.

            Yes, smart.

            But I'm not stupid.

            The first exam was easy. French seemed to be easier than I expected it to be. Chemistry was a bit tougher though. I only had trouble with minor questions that took too long. And my last one was English. Something I know I'm good at. I breezed through it with no problems and I definitely felt good about that one.

            When it was over, I handed everything in and was greeted by my officers the second I stepped outside the classroom door. They escorted me to their car, but before I got in, they put handcuffs around my wrists again. I just rolled my eyes and they put me in the back of the black vehicle.

            The ride back to my house was a short one. My parents were home. The second I stepped through the door, my mom came from the living room with a smile on her face, "How'd you do?"

            "Good." I gave her a weak smile.    

            One of the officers kneeled beside me to activate my cuff again while the other removed the handcuffs. I shook my wrists and clenched my fingers. They left after a short conversation with my mom.

            She brought me into the kitchen and gestured towards the giant spread of food on the island, "I couldn't remember your favorite, so I got it all."

            "You didn't have to—"

            "I did." She took a step towards me, "I talked to your dad. He told me about your memories. Do you remember anything else?"

            Did she actually feel sorry for me? "Not yet."

            She smiled sadly and touched my cheek, "You will."

            We went ahead and ate without my dad. He'll be held up in his office until midnight probably. It would be hard to sneak Juliet in, but I wasn't worried about getting caught. The house is big enough, and his office is on the other side of the house.

            My mom didn't have much to say. She asked about the test and that was it really. She didn't push anything about my memories. I don't think she wanted to know all the gory details.

            She went to bed without my dad around eight. He never even came out of his office and she never bothered him and neither did I while he was in there. It was kind of like an unspoken rule.

            Around nine, I went up to my room and walked to my window. Juliet was sitting in her window seat with a book in her hands. A smile touched my lips as I lifted my window. I leaned out and whisper yelled her name to get her attention. Her head shot in my direction and she smiled. She opened her window and leaned out as well, "Want me to come over?" She asked.

            "Please?"

            "Give me a minute and I'll meet you outside." She scrambled from her seat once he window was closed. Her light shut off and I closed my window. I walked out of my room at a fast pace and down the stairs. Just as I opened the door and stepped out on my porch, Juliet came into view.

            She jumped in my arms and kissed my cheek, "I already know you passed."

            I squeezed her gently and kissed the top of her head, "I don't think I could've without you."

            I sat her down on her feet and she looked up at me, "Are you saying you needed me, Jack?" She played with the flutter of her eyelashes.

            I gestured towards the open door, "I already told you that."

            She walked inside and was already walking up the stairs. I followed behind quietly, taking two steps at a time until I reached the landing. We made it into my room and I closed the door and engaged the lock. She was sitting on the edge of my bed when I turned around, leaning back on her hands and eying me.

            So tempting.

            "When do you get your results back?" She asked.

            I took a few steps towards her, "In a couple of days."

            "Have you...you know..."

            I shook my head, "Nothing yet. It has to come back to me." Hopefully before it's too late. But I'm looking on the bright side of things.

            More like a dim lit side.

            She smiled up at me and nodded her head, "I know you will."

            I leaned over her, slowly pushing her towards the bed. She reached up, placing a hand on my cheek lightly. I rested on my knuckles until we were pressed together. Her hand slid to the back of my neck and she pulled me down to her lips. I quickly responded, my mouth opening under hers.

            Juliet moaned against my mouth and it took everything in me not to cede to her wishes. I wanted her; I wasn't going to deny that. I would be stupid to. But right now she was making it difficult.

            And I wasn't making this easier on myself.

            A growl erupted from my chest and my arm went around her waist. I brought her to the top of the bed and kissed her harder. Her hands fisted in my hair, pulling lightly to get a moan out of me.

            I needed to stop myself.

            Her hands traveled down my torso, her fingers peeking under the hem of my shirt. She pulled down on the hem of my shirt, telling me she wanted it off. If I'm going to stop, I need to do it now.         

            I pulled away, dropping my head beside hers. My breaths came out in heavy pants, hers echoing mine. She twisted her arms around my shoulders and pulled me closer.

            "Parents." I breathed.

            She let out a small laugh

            I turned my head and buried my face in her neck. I smiled and took a deep breath, "There will be a day when we don't have to hide." I muttered, "Maybe from your grandparents."  I joked.

            "They would probably come around eventually."

Eventually.

            Juliet started running her fingers through my hair and my eyes fell closed. I took a deep breath, exhaling slowly. Sleep was weighing down on me, begging me to give in. And I did because it was pointless to fight it.

"What are you going to do about finals?" Matt asked me from across the table.

            I put my beer to my lips, taking a long drink before answering, "Probably failing them, so nothing. It wouldn't matter if I passed anyway."

            Matt and Ethan exchanged a look and Matt looked back at me, "You should at least try, Bro. You won't make it to your senior year."

            I shrugged and chugged the rest of my beer, "Should I care?"

            "You should." Ethan commented.

            I rolled my eyes and walked to the bar to get another beer. The bartender slid it across the counter without asking for my ID again, even though it's fake. I sat back down at the table, interrupting their deep conversation.

            "I've missed too much school." I nearly exploded, "Too much trouble, and too much work. There's no way I'll finish in time."

            "Get a tutor." Matt said.

            I wrinkled my nose, "No way. I'll fail first."

            It was Matt's turn to roll his eyes, "You're being stupid, Jack. Failing this year isn't going to help you with anything. You won't even try."

            I snorted, "And who do you think would be willing to help me? No one would have the patience to work with me anyway."      

            It got quiet after that. Case closed.

            I'm a lost cause, no one would help me.    

            "What about your neighbor? Isn't she smart? She goes that the fancy ass private school, right?"

            "Juliet?" I questioned.

            Matt snapped his fingers, "Yeah! Wouldn't she help you?"

            I quickly shook my head, "No, never."

            "Couldn't you ask?"

            "I could, but I'm not going to."

            "Why are you so damn stubborn?"

            I could tell they were getting tired of me. After all the years, they're finally about to give up on me. I guess that's what I wanted. I want to be alone. But not for the rest of my life.

            The pressure in my head started at my temples, slowing moving in. I squeezed my head between my hands, hoping it would fade. It did in a few seconds, but probably not for long.  "I'm not feeling well." I swallowed the lump in my throat and lifted my head, "I'm gonna go home." The sweat trickled along my forehead and I blinked my eyes.

            "Want us to go with you?"

            I shook my head the best I could, "No, I'm fine. Just need sleep." God knows I haven't had much of that lately.

            As I stood up, a wave of white blurred my vision for a moment. I blinked again and it was gone. I straightened my back and walked out of the bar—

            My eyes opened up to the darkness of my room before the memory could finish. My heart was hammering hard against my chest as a breath caught in my throat.

            An arm tightened around my torso and I let go of my breath.

            Juliet.

            I think there's something about Juliet that triggers my memories. Every time she's here, I remember. I don't know what it is, but I think she helps in some way. It could be because we were talking about her before I left the bar and I can't remember anything after that except the end.

            I need to remember what happened in between.

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Finally an update! And a giant one too, hahaha. This chapter was longer than all the others almost by 1000 words, so I hope you guys enjoyed! And also, yay for Jack's point of view! haha. I don't know if I'll be doing it again soon, but who knows. I change my mind a lot, :))))

Let me know what you guys think and if you would like more chapters in his point of view! :)

PS I'm currently freaking out over the Mockingjay trailer for part 2, honestly chills everywhere and Katniss is my queen.