Half the people inside the party were passed out, the rest were in their own minds and worlds. Jack searched for Skate while I searched for Cousin Jack. I found him in the bathroom making out with the two chicks from earlier, he was half naked and it was something I really didn't want to see.

"Dude," I spoke with a raspy voice. "We gotta go. Your mom came home early and she's pissed."

"Fuck," he groaned. "Well, ladies, if you'll excuse me."

The girls whined, pulling him back down as he attempted to get back up.

I sighed and pulled him back up. "You'll see him at school for fuck sake. Let's go, Jack."

I yanked him out the bathroom and he grabbed his clothes off the floor on the way out. I found Jack who got the car keys from Skate and we headed outside.

On the way back to the house, which would be a very short ride, I had to keep nudging Cousin Jack to wake up and put his shirt back on. All while putting my number in Gilinsky's iPhone. We pulled up and Cousin Jack crawled out of the back seat, groaning toward the pavement.

"I feel like shit," he yelled. I immediately shushed him and turned to look at Gilinsky.

"Um," I bit my lip. "So I'll see you later, yeah?"

"Yeah...later," he grinned.

I quickly moved in and kissed him deeply, softly moaning into his mouth.

"I wish you didn't have to go," he said in a husky voice.

"We can't all be 18 and legally free like you, at least not for a few more weeks," I sighed.

"Hmm, can't wait." He kissed me again and I pulled away to get out the car. Halfway out, I got back in and kissed him again.

When I finally got out of the car, Cousin Jack threw up on the grass.

"Fuck my life," he groaned.

"Come on, Cuz." I picked him up, putting his arm around my shoulder and we walked inside the house.

Aunt Sophia was sitting on the couch with her arms folded and drinking a martini. She downs it, olive & all, and walks up to us.

"I'll deal with you both in the morning. Take his drunk ass upstairs. Make sure he sleeps on his side and put a bucket by his bed. I'm not running a barn here," she demanded.

I just nodded and did what she asked. We had to make a pit stop at the bathroom so Cousin Jack could throw up again. I rubbed his back and ran downstairs to get him a Gatorade to drink before bed.

"I can't drink anything anymore, please don't make me drink it," he pleaded as I helped get his smelly shirt off.

"You have to stay hydrated or else you'll wake up feeling shittier than you do right now. Trust me," I informed him. "Are you wearing boxers?"

"Uh huh." He sounded like a child.

I unbuckled his pants and let them fall on their own before getting him into the bed.

"I'm not leaving until you finish drinking it."

I sat on the edge of his bed and went through my phone as he took small sips from the bottle. He silently groaned everytime he had to swallow. i went on Facebook to look for Gilinsky and I found him. Most of his page was public and I looked at pictures from his childhood that he was tagged to. I chuckled silently to myself as I scrolled through them, getting lost in the time. Cousin Jack ended up falling asleep, having finished only half the bottle. It's funny because it's usually people taking care of me. Never the other way around. I rolled him onto his side and placed the extra pillows behind him so that he wouldn't roll back.

After taking a much-needed and soothing aromatherapy bath, I retired to my room...still full of unpacked boxes. Maybe I was in denial about being in Omaha and thought it would only be a matter of time before my mother calls me and asks for my return. But that's a crock of shit. She hasn't talked to me since I left. My Aunt didn't say anything about her. She really didn't ask about my wellbeing or how my flight was...nothing. Classic motherly love, right? I don't even have a true mother figure in my life. Aunt Sophia is hardly that but she's a tiny fraction of something close to that.

I started unpacking the first box and took out my candles, old sketchbooks, and cute collectible figurines. Among them was a bobblehead Batman figure, a golden Dragon, and a tiny Star Wars Stormtrooper. Going through my old sketchbooks, I realized how my sketches transformed from happy and bubbly into dark and twisted. I drew a lot of dragons and overtime they became more detailed and scary, sinister. I thought about getting into Tattoo art but that might be too much for me to handle. Those are lines that cannot be erased.

One box was enough for now. I was tired and needed rest before I woke up to the rest of my Aunt's wrath. After turning off the light and finally settling into bed, Gilinsky texted me a heart emoji.

__________

"Jack, you're grounded for a week. Imogen, two weeks," my Aunt dictated.

My jaw dropped. "Why more for me?"

"I know it wasn't Jack's bright idea! I told you 10 PM. That includes weekends!"

I throw my head back until it hit the back of the couch.

"I want you home as soon as group is over, no later than 5 PM," she continued. "This isn't vacation, Imogen. Jack, wake up!"

Cousin Jack groans and opens his eyes.

"I told you to finish the Gatorade," I muttered to him. He weakly taps me on the arm.

"Am I understood? Meet me halfway here for Christ sake," she said.

I threw my hands up in defeat and got up to return to my room. "I fucking hate it here anyway," I expressed while marching up the stairs.

"Young lady, come help Jack get back to bed," she yelled from below.

"He's your son," I yelled back before slamming the door.

__________

His kisses tasted like a green apple blowpop. We had skipped our 3rd period classes to makeout in the janitor's closet that apparently hasn't been used in forever. Jack decided to wear a red beanie today and it made him look irresistable. His lips were now a shade of red thanks to my lipstick. We couldn't keep our hands off of each other.

"Do you want a ride home after group?" He asked me.

"You got your car?"

"Nah. Think between a car and a motorcycle." His arms slipped from around my waist and rested on top of my shoulders so he could play in my hair.

"I'm not riding in a go-kart, Jack," I joked.

His laugh was beautiful. "It's a scooter. Sounds lame but it's actually really cool."

I playfully took off his beanie and put it on my own head, smiling up at him. "Then it's a short date."

"Looks good on you, babe. You can keep it," he said.

"First off, no pet names. They get cheesy after a while," I chuckled. "Second off, I don't want it. I want you to wear it all the time."

"All the time?"

"No matter what," I whispered into his ear, playfully nibbling on his earlobe.

He took a deep breath as my comment had slightly aroused him. We resume the makeout session and he took the liberty to pick me up so I can wrap my legs around him.

We ended up mostly attending the rest of our classes. But just texted each other back & forth.

Jack: So I'm hoping I don't get arrested soon.
Me: Arrested? y?
Jack: Cuz...
Jack: I plan on beatin that pussy up.
Me: Lmao!!
Me: Are you trying to make me orgasm in Chemistry? Bad boy
Jack: You have no idea of the things I'm trying to make u do
Jack: And yea i'm bad ;)
Me: Can we ditch 6th period and group? I'm over this shit
Jack: Your wish is my command. After the bell rings meet me by the place we first kissed
Me: How romantic of you lol
Jack: I know :D

We did exactly like we said and met between those special vending machines in that dark hallway - a great hiding spot. While we waited for the hallway to clear, we decided to makeout some more. His hands did a little more exploring.

"You drive me fuckin crazy," he breathed.

"I hope we make it to my house in one piece," I bite his bottom lip.

He softly moans and locks his fingers with mine.

"Shit, let's go," he smiled.

He checked the main hallway and then we ran. Even when we made it outside without being seen or heard, we still ran until we got into the student parking lot. We made it to his scooter which was burgundy with black seats. It looked more like a motorcycle than a classic foreign scooter which was a good thing, it was sexy. He gave me his helmet to wear and I hopped on the back of the scooter, hugging him from behind.

It was a nice ride. I rode with one arm out when the coast was clear. I wanted to somewhat feel like I was flying. I could see in his sideview mirror that he was smiling. I had him park his scooter in the backyard behind one of our trees so no one would know he was here. We walked inside and immediately went to the stairs.

"What, no tour?" He grinned, biting his bottom lip.

"I am the tour," I teased, continuing to pull him upstairs.

_______________

Author's Note: I'm a tease myself because I'm saving the steaminess for Chapter 11, hahaha :P Vote & comment if you love what you're seeingggg <3