Songs for the Chapter:

Panama- Van Halen

Dirty Diana- Michael Jackson

{M A U R A}

I watched as Jon seamlessly pulled a Jenga block from the bottom of the tower. It didn't wobble in the slightest.

"I don't understand what I'm doing wrong," I sighed with frustration as I selected a record from the closet to play. "I'm doing everything I usually do, and that always works."

Macy laid back on my bed, watching me. "You can't expect to waltz right into his heart, girl. This is definitely gonna require some heavy-duty finessing on your part."

I nodded agreeably. "1984 or Van Halen II?"

"1984," Jon said quickly, with a smile.

"No, I'm feeling pretty '70's," Macy said with a smug smile. "Put the other one on. If you don't like it, you can always leave." She looked up at Jon, but he went back to absentmindedly pulling Jenga blocks.

I shrugged and pulled 1984 off the shelf. "Well I'm feeling Hot for... Jax."

I went to the record player and put it on, sitting down on the edge of my bed with a huff. Macy crawled on her stomach over to me, trying her best to appear sympathetic.

"I guess following him around like a puppy might not work, you wanna try something else?"

"Yeah," I smiled at the sound of Alex Van Halen on the drums.

"Well..." Macy said slowly, staring at her fingernails for dramatic emphasis. "I happen to know that Jax works at that ratty old boxing gym on the border between here and Indiana. It's called 'Machine'. I also heard that he participates in the guerilla fights they have there. Maybe show up at one of those... cheer him on?"

I hopped to my feet. "When's the next fight?"

"Tomorrow night," she grinned. She loved to be the center of my attention. "Usually doesn't happen till after dark, of course. Don't want the cops sniffing around."

I immediately swiveled around and looked at myself in the mirror. I was going to need to be extra-irresistible if I wanted to catch his eye amongst a crowd of other women, especially outside of school. I looked down at my toes and frowned when I realized that the paint was beginning to chip.

"Well, you can prepare after we get back from gymnastics," Macy yawned as she pulled herself out of bed.

All I could think about was my chipped toes and being perfect.

"Not before we repaint my nails," I told her quickly.

She rolled her eyes. "Fine, I'll get the paint."

Just then, I took a look at Jon's Jenga tower. There was literally one block left on the bottom, balancing the rest of the tower. He smiled down at it with pride.

"Jon?" I said curiously, eyebrows furrowed with wonder.

"Yeah, Freckles?"

"You've got pretty steady hands there, don't you?"

His smile widened. "Yeah, of course. I'm a guitarist."

I went to the bed and kicked my feet up. Macy sat in front of me with the bottle of nail polish, poised to begin covering up the flaws in the red sheen of color.

"Actually," I inhaled quickly. "I want him to do it."

Jon turned. "What?"

"If you're not gonna get out, I might as well use you to my advantage. Come put those steady hands of yours to good use."

Reluctantly, Jon came and kneeled beside Macy. He took the bottle of polish, removed the little brush, and expertly began to paint my toes. He looked oddly pleased with himself.

"Well," Macy said with irritation, "since your new pal's helping you out here, I'm gonna go ahead and go."

"Yeah yeah, I'll catch up," I said and waved her off.

Jon's hair fell into his eyes as he worked, frowning with concentration. I didn't even have to ask him to get up and flip the record to the B side when the time came- he knew what I wanted.

{...}

The air was sticky, but it was far from sweet. I felt a thin layer of sweat collecting on my skin, weighing down my hair- but it was nothing like Jax, who looked like he'd just emerged from a swimming pool without a towel.

Calling this a boxing match was a stretch. I could see the passion in Jax's dark eyes as he pounded his opponent into the dirt, quite literally.

We were gathered in an alleyway behind the boxing gym. The moon was practically nonexistent, and the stars were nothing but cold pinpoints of light far away. All that could be heard was the grunts of Jax and the moans of his opponent, as well as considerable chatter from the crowd.

I stood there in a half-shirt and tight jeans, watching with horror as he completely mangled another human being, with a certain hunger that was far from normal.

If he could be this passionate about killing someone, could he feel the same about me someday?

In the corner sat a group of skeezy looking men, wearing fedoras and nice coats. The gold rings and chains they sported told me they must be the ones running this game, growing rich off illegal bets and tournaments. They grinned as Jax worked, surrounded by promiscuous women.

The man who'd taken all the bet money prior to the fight eventually stepped to the center of the ring to declare Jax the winner. At that point, his poor opponent couldn't even move.

The circle surrounding the makeshift 'ring' went up in cheers, but Jax did not say a word. He removed his mouthguard and spit in the dirt, which is when he saw me for the first time.

His eyes narrowed. As the crowd dispersed he turned to get his things. I waited patiently, smiling and holding my purse.

When he turned to me again, the crowd was gone. He paced one way impatiently, and then came back, before he ultimately stopped beside me with an irritated expression.

"Everywhere I look, you're there."

I tossed my hair. "You could call me reliable."

"You're following me around like a puppy," he spat. I tried my hardest not to take offense.

"Hey, maybe I do like what I see."

"You're always looking at me," he repeated. "You're always around. Everywhere. You're the reason I'm going to that bullshit rich school in the first place."

He was circling me, studying me.

I placed my hand on my hip and straightened my posture.

"You're lucky you know," I said primly. "Don't you know that no one's had me yet? But everyone wants to. I was so bored of them chasing me, though. I like that you're distant... but it drives me insane."

He laughed. It wasn't a beautiful sound, no- it was far from it. He laughed like a hyena. It was twisted, dark, and not the least bit amused.

"Forgive me, but I missed something here. When did I ever state my interest in something like you, Little Red?"

I cocked my head slightly. That was certainly a strange question. Guys didn't have to state their interest in me, it was simply implied.

"Well-"

"That's right! I didn't!"

I jolted, and suddenly I wasn't so comfortable. His face transformed into something of such malice, such... displeasure. I wasn't used to someone looking at me with such an expression, I didn't know what to do.

"You're everything I don't want. You're too... perfect."

He said the word like a curse, with such disgust.

"Oh?" I squeaked.

"It's ugly to me. So I'll make it clear to you, girl. I only approached you because I thought you were a whore, that's what I wanted. I don't want some... richie-rich school girl in puppy love with me to catch feelings. I suggest you get the hell out and leave me alone, before you start something you can't finish."

I hadn't really heard the last half of that speech- I was caught on the part in which he'd called me ugly. I almost felt like crying as he brushed past me like one would a pest, or an annoying sibling.

Then he was gone.

{...}

I was more than a little angry.

I'd skipped dinner just to come see him fight, only to be quelled like nothing but a hopeful freshman?

I stormed into the nearest mini-mart, set on making myself feel better with saturated fat, sugar, and high-fructose corn syrup. I went right for the junk food aisle, deciding I'd make myself a slushie once I'd selected my poison.

"God... damn," I heard someone say.

Okay, pause again. All I can say is the guy... the man standing next to me was truly the definition of an ice cream cone on a hot day. He took my breath away in an embarrassing manner- I saw him and dropped the contents of my hands.

His eyes were piercing green, his skin was caramely and smooth. He was tall- taller than Jax, muscular, and something to truly marvel at.

"Cherry... you are a sight for sore eyes." He grinned at me and I nearly peed myself.

I stopped for a split second to think. Jax had been my primary target, even though he'd wounded my pride, he was still everything I wanted. I knew I shouldn't go nuts over some model-like stranger just because I was feeling low, but...

"And you yourself," I said smoothly.

Who was I kidding? I could never resist the game.

"Oh I know."

His voice was slick. He wasn't a Jock and he wasn't a Teenage Dream, I knew that for sure. I couldn't take his eyes from him while his slid up and down my figure.

"I think I've been confused for a while, but you baby... you make a whole lot of sense."

"So I've been told," I replied and calmly stepped over the things I'd dropped. I swiped new products from the shelf and went to the back of the store to make a slushie. Just as I suspected, he followed me there, wolf whistling as I walked.

He came up behind me and placed both hands on the counter, both his arms surrounding my figure.

"What do you say we make sense together?"

I laughed and put the lid on my slushie. "You think I'm that easy? Two pretty green eyes and a smile won't win me, sweetheart. But then again, you don't know who I am."

He scoffed and leaned against the counter beside me. "Oh yeah, Cherry? Is there a brain buried in all that pretty... curly... red hair of yours?"

"Like you wouldn't believe," I said sarcastically and headed to the front of the store.

"Come on. What could be better than having fun with a stranger?"

I put my stuff on the counter. The middle aged woman behind the counter gazed at Green Eyes with such a passion, I had to snap my fingers to her her attention.

"I don't spread my legs, cowboy."

He didn't look surprised. "Whose are you?"

I narrowed my eyes as the woman went to work scanning my items, sneaking a look up at Green Eyes every so often.

"Excuse me?"

"Nobody refuses me, unless she's dirty or she's got a guy. It's plenty obvious that you're not dirty, so who do you belong to?"

"Me, myself and I, thank you. I don't belong to anyone, because I'm not for sale. I'm simply not property, you got that? Like I said before, you don't know me."

He looked at me seriously for a long while. Then he whipped out his wallet and removed a few bills, but that's where I had to draw the line.

"No, no thank you. Trust me, I don't need your money."

I paid and grabbed my things, strutting toward the door with my head held high.

"You're quite the ballbuster," he called after me. "Makes me feel alive. I like it."

He was still behind me. I decided I'd take the subway home, but not with him- no matter how irresistably delicious he was.

"Don't even try. No one's gotten me yet, I doubt you will."

"Oh yeah, Cherry? Wanna bet?"

I turned and looked at him for a split second. He was grinning after me. I didn't smile back.

"I'll be seeing you."

I disappeared around a corner.

"Little Red."

I was getting pretty fed up with the nicknames people were assigning me- until I recognized Jax's voice. I looked around violently in the dark, but I couldn't figure out where he was.

"Jax?"

"Watch yourself. That guy's a ticking time bomb."

{A/N}

THERE'S A JAX CHAPTER COMING!

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