Close To The Dangerous Bad Boy novel Chapter 49

"Busy house." I commented.

"Yeah…"

We sat in silence for a few minutes but then suddenly a thought popped into my mind. "Lucas once mentioned a youth home…"

"They put him there after they took him away from his dad. A horrible, horrible place."

"Why? What happened?" I asked.

Jimmy looked at me. "Well, you know his worst secret, he was bound to tell you this one too, once…He won't mind if I tell you."

I looked at him with anticipation.

"Okay, hm, so they put him into a youth home, and everything went great at first, but then…You see these people, the people who ran the youth home, they weren't exactly…how to put it…the way they seemed at first. They made Lucas run errands."

"What errands?"

"Lucas was young, just a kid, and those people made him, and a few other boys, traffic drugs for them. See, the cops wouldn't suspect kids, so…"

"So what, they just used them? Why didn't they go to the police?" I got frustrated all of a sudden.

"Because if they went to the police, those youth home people made up stuff, like - that they stole something or they planted evidence, or something…They got juvie records and after that nobody would believe them that somebody made them traffic drugs…How do you think Dashwood got a juvie record?"

"Lucas has a juvenile record?"

"Yeah, they said he tried to brake into a car, but they didn't report it because they thought he won't make any more trouble, but then those drugs…"

"But, wouldn't the cops notice some pattern, that only the kids from youth homes are forced into…"

"It's not just kids from the youth home, there are others too. And believe me when I say that Lucas was one of a few who dared to go to the cops, the other one was Dean…and he wasn't so lucky."

"Who's Dean?" I asked.

"Lucas's friend from the youth home. He actually got sent to juvie…and he got the crap kicked out of him…he even got raped."

"Raped? How…what did…"

"He ran his mouth to the wrong people." Jimmy sadly sighed. "Anyway, Lucas was never the same after that. He needed to get out. No matter what."

"And he's not going back again." I had no idea Lucas had it so hard. It seems like with every secret comes more darkness. I understand now. The pain in his eyes. I understand.

I'm not letting go of your hand. Never.

"Over my dead body." Jimmy smiled at me. "Oh, let's discuss some other topic, this is making me depressed." He laughed. "So, what's up with you and Dashwood?"

"Um…" I murmured and started nervously twisting the end of my sleeve. "I just…I don't know. He didn't…he didn't ask me to be his girlfriend…or said that we're t…together or anything."

"So?"

"What?"

"What are you waiting for?" Jimmy smiled.

"Life's too short, right?" I smiled.

"Right." He smiled back.

I am going. I am walking. I am going to ask him. To tell him. To…

I saw Cookie hugging him, wrapping her arms around his neck, trying to kiss him.

"No Cookie, you can't…" He tried to push her away.

"But why? What does she have that I don't?! She's just a plain, boring girl!" She demanded his lips like a spoiled child demands a toy.

"Cookie get off.." He growled and stopped. He saw me. His dark eyes pierced mine like that time. I ran. Like always. I just ran.

"Skye!" He ran after me. "Skye!" He yelled again and grabbed my hand. "It's not what you think…"

"I know!" I yelled at him.

"Than what is it?" He got confused.

"She is right!"

"What?"

"I'm just a plain, boring, stupid girl…why would you even…" I didn't understand. I really didn't. Why would somebody like him be into me? Just some…silent little gray mouse.