Loving the Innocent Criminal

Chapter 2 I'm insane

As he licked my lips clean, Zach yanked me closer to him. Smiling, I said in between kisses. “What do you want?” I asked. It's always a sign that he has something on his mind when he acts this way. Pulling back, he caressed my cheek using his thumb. “I don’t know if it’s a good idea.”

“Come on. Just say it.”

Matthew snickered, and both of us looked at him. We were in the parking lot of our campus, and that is the place where we usually hang out with the group. Matthew was holding an apple in his hand, and he took a bite first before answering me. “He wants to say he’s signing up for the Vaulters.”

“Vaulters?” I asked, c*****g my eyebrow at my boyfriend. While I was lying on his lap, my hand on his neck slid down to his chest and pushed him away.“What’s that?” I added.

As if on cue, Matthew answered instead. “It’s auto-racing, Angelic. He wants to join us.”

“Sure,” I said and threw my hand back to Zach’s neck. “As long as it’s legal and won’t get you in trouble,” I whispered, tilting my head while caressing Zach’s neck. “Right, love?”

“Well, good luck,” Natasha spoke and I saw her putting her Prada bag on the hood of Zach’s black ford mustang, "because it’s gonna be illegal and fun, babe,” she added and kissed my check to greet. “How was the exam?” she asked me.

Natasha is Matthew’s younger sister and my best friend. She is known to be the fashion queen in school, yet she is also the top student in Stumberson High. No one can beat her intelligence – even me. And yes, we are still best friends, despite the heated academic rivalry that erupted in every class.

“It was fine,” I nodded, pressing a thin line of my lips because it was not. I forgot a one-word term. Just one, and I hate it so much. I won’t tell her about that, though, because her older brother, Matthew, would make fun of me.

“Good. I actually aced it.” She said it with oozing confidence. Zach must have noticed my shiver and smiled as he lowered my skirt with his hand.

“How about you Zach? Did you even answer one?” Natasha asked, and there was humor in her voice. Zach had grown accustomed to her snarky responses, so he responded in the same way. “I would rather flush my d**k in the toilet bowl than study for an exam.”

Matthew let out a laugh. Natasha and I smiled at each other and shook our heads. “So, the Vaulters?” I asked my boyfriend. He thinks he’s getting out of that, huh?

“What is it about, really, Matthew?” I asked and turned to face him. The apple was gone from his grasp, and I spotted the vestiges of it on the ground. Jeez.

“Well, it’s in Manhattan and Zachary wanted to try out for the team. Well, guess what? He got first place and will be joining the next game, together with the official team.”

“Wait, so you already tried it out? Without telling me?” I asked, looking at Zach, who’s eyes were glaring at Matthew. “Ops,” Matthew threw his hand up in the air, “sorry man, I didn’t mean to snitch.”

Zachary mouthed him a “f**k you.”

Sighing, I put both of my hands to Zach’s cheeks. “Why didn’t you tell me?” I couldn't be angry.

“Because of this.” He gestured his hand in the air.

“What?”

“You won’t let me do it.” There was sadness in his eyes. “Yeah, typical Angelic who wants nothing but trouble.” Natasha cooed to us, and I shot her a glare. Her only response was a shrug and a clutch of Matthew's arm to signal that she was ready to depart.

But then, Matthew started snickering and whistling like he saw his prey – waiting to be eaten out. “Look who’s here!” My eyebrows raised, and I looked behind Zach to see a familiar face. He’s a guy with an average height, and he has brown hair. He looks cute with his jacket. I think I’ve seen him somewhere. I just couldn’t comprehend where.

“My boy! Come here! What are you looking at?” Matthew shouted at the guy. He looked terrified and was about to walk away when Matthew had already massaged his shoulders and pushed him towards where we were sitting.

“Aren’t you from that public school – what’s the name again?” Matthew asked his sister, Natasha, who just crossed her arms and arms up and down, probably judging the guy’s fashion taste, and sighed. “Thornhill High. A government-supported school for unprivileged kids. No clean public facilities. sounds are full of graffiti with some weird quotes from a frat.” She sounded disgusted.

When I look back again at the guy, he is now staring at me. That’s when I finally found out and recognized his face – the waiter at my birthday party last month. Was it him?

I remained silent in my seat. Then, Zach pulled out from me and decided to join in the fun with his best friend. “Hey there! Watcha’ looking at?” he said in a friendly tone.

“Please let me go. I was just passing by – “

“Passing by?” While Zachary grabbed his collar when Matthew pushed him towards his companion, the hoodie of that guy's clothing was still in his hands like some wild animal he caught in the forest.“I saw you looking at my girlfriend.” I heard Zach’s harsh voice, yet he maintain his calm and cool.

“Isn’t she beautiful, man?” Zach asked again. This time, you could hear him gritting his teeth. “Aww too bad, you ain’t her man.”

My heart started beating loudly. I have this gut feeling this is going to end so, so, badly. “I’ve seen you not just once, but thrice here. Are you stalking Angelic?” Zach asked and pushed him with so great force that he landed his cheek on the pavel.

The guy shook his head and I saw how terrified he was. “No, no, I’m not stalking her! I swear I just passed by in this area! I swear – “

“Liar,” Matthew growled and picked him up on the ground. “You think we don’t have CCTV cameras in here? We can check it but that would be a hassle.”

“Beat him up until he bleeds.” I heard Zach’s voice. Matthew clasped his hand and started throwing punches at the guy’s face. Suddenly, my attention was drawn to the guy who was hiding his arms behind his stomach as Matthew pounded him with his fists.

“What if he just passes by?” I asked, looking at Zach. He answered, “Trust me. I’ve seen a man’s face before. I was taking the right time, and that was it.”

My lips parted. Seeing Zach’s serious eyes, I couldn’t tell if he was lying or not. What should I do? Damn it. Natasha seems to enjoy looking at her brother beating up someone’s ass. Me? I guess not.

We heard some grunting and yelping, and Matthew’s snickers as it continued. I couldn’t take it anymore so I jumped from the hood of Zach’s car and walked towards the guy.

“Tch,” I heard Natasha’s word.

As soon as Matthew spotted me, his chest started rising and falling. I was at a loss for words, so I sat with my arms crossed over my chest and gazed downward. “Are you stalking me?” I asked in a calm voice to the guy.

“No!” he shouted in response.

“I saw you at my birthday party. You told me someone sent that letter to me. Was it true? Or were you lying?”

“I told you! Someone summoned me to send it to you!”

“Who?”

His lips pressed into a thin line and shook his head. “I won’t tell you who.” So he knew, I thought. “Fine, then. My friend here seems to enjoy knocking you up. You are sure he is worthy of your loyalty?”

He looks at me like I just said something wrong – that I disappointed him. When he gave me that look, I was reminded that I belonged here. That he doesn’t belong here – here, in our place.

“Secret, my ass.” I heard the guy whisper. My breathing hitched because he remembered what I’d said. I told him that I hated those kids too. What a hypocrite, Angelic! With me standing here, I’m doing what my friends do to those guys in that school, Thornhill High.

I didn’t speak nor do anything. It's already visible that he has black bruises and bags under his eyes, but it doesn't stop him from glaring at me with his eyes penetrating into my soul.

Matthew picked him up from the ground and pushed him, making the guy sway and stumble on his feet. “Go home, you piece of s**t!”

“Yeah!” Natasha muttered, hyping up her brother. Natasha’s not on me this time – she hates that group, too. She doesn’t like anything – anyone, that stinks and, just by the bare sight of him, I know her blood boils when she sees the dirt on the guy’s sneakers.

“Oh wait! I forgot that this man was homeless! You gonna be okay, man?” Matthew added and let out a bickering laugh. Zach’s baritone voice was heard behind me. “Let’s go, Angelic. This is wasting our time.”

Natasha nodded and started walking to her brother’s car parked beside Zach’s. When we got inside, I saw another guy helping up the battered guy earlier. Then, my heart beats wilder. Weird. It was a guy named Owen Lacoste.

I tighten the grip on my seatbelt while I roll down Zach’s car to see Owen’s face clearer than the sun. His jaw was clenched, and he was shouting rather than soothing his friend’s. In the end, he helped him get on his motorbike and the two were nowhere to be seen.

“My father wants to have dinner with you tonight. That’s okay, right?” Zach’s voice was heard inside the car as I rolled up the car window. Did Owen see what we did? What would he think of me? And why would I care? Like I give a damn to his friend.

This is driving me nuts. Is the guy okay? I hope he is. God, I’ve never felt this guilty.

“Angelic?”

“Huh.”

“I was asking a question.”

“Yes, yes,” I answered, not even knowing what he had asked. “Good,” Zach whispered and slipped his hand on me, intertwining our fingers while his other hand casually stood on the steering wheel.

I’m insane.

I should never have followed my heart. Why am I here?

Sighing, I turn off my phone when another phone call from Zach shows on my screen. Looking around the dark alley of this empty road, I looked for a sign that the woman gave me when I asked where Owen Lacoste's house was.

It looks like the guy is quite famous in this neighborhood. I'm constrained to wear a face mask since the roadside is littered with canals, and the water from the drainage area spills out.

I saw the dove symbol, the woman told me. So this house must be it.

Walking towards the porch, I stopped when I heard something.

“Ah, yeah! Yes. Oh God. Keep doing that.” It’s not just one voice of a woman, but two. Are they… ?

My lungs are pulling the oxygen out of me, and my eyes are wide open in disbelief because I don't know what I've gotten myself into. I should go. That was my initial thought. Two women's screams and a man's moaning can be heard in the background. Slapping and creaking noises have been heard from the place, and I'm not sure where they come from.

Things happened fast. Even though I knew they were in a tense situation, I decided to enter nonetheless. When I try to turn the doorknob, my hand slips and I fall to the floor. s**t. Way to go to embarrass yourself, Angelic!

“What the f**k?”

“Holy s**t!”

“b***h, you owe me my orgasm!”

As soon as my lips went limp when I saw the three nude bodies in front of me, a flash of intuition caused me to whirl back, only to be too late because I'd already seen them naked.

“I’m sorry for interrupting – but let me just ask. Is this Lacoste’s house?”

“It’s not! That’s on the second floor!” A woman’s voice said. I shut my eyes. Damn it. I had the urge to slap my face, but then, I let out a deep sigh. “Thanks,” I said in a casual tone. “Uhm, so, uhm, you can now continue.”

Before they could utter a single word, I sprinted to get away from that house. When I take a breath, the air is heavy, and when someone grabs my arm, my heartbeat triples.

“Angelic…” a baritone voice whispered, making my hair stand to its point.

“O-Owen. H-Hi..” I said, biting my lower lip while looking up at him. He’s so tall and handsome as hell with that tousled hair. Looking down, I saw his jeans hanging loosely on his waist and he didn’t have a shirt on. Damn. He has tats? I didn’t know that until now. The waiter's uniform didn’t’ expose much of his skin last time I saw him that night. The scene is still hunting me. Not gonna lie.

"I'm sorry..." he said, panicking.

My eyebrows raised. "N-No, no, no. Why are you sorry? I should be the one to apologize here! I... I'm so sorry. What are you still doing? Go back and continue!"

He looks like I told him to jump off the bridge. "I'm done."

I crossed my arms on my chest. "Are you?" I asked, chuckling a little. He doesn’t seem to find it funny though.

"Why are you here?" Owen asked. I froze in my place and my hand started shaking. Honestly, I don't know what this man has done to me. He frightens me because he's the type of person that screams danger. So, run before he catches you. He's everything I've ever wanted. Yet why am I still standing here?

Maybe it’s because of guilt. Or the tats. I was being a hypocrite to his friend this afternoon. I had the power to stop Matthew from knocking up his friend, yet, I chose not to.

Ready to explain, I clasped both of my hands in front of him. “Listen. I felt bad about what had happened. And I'm very, very, sorry to your friend. My friends shouldn't have done that. And so, to conclude, perhaps he needs this." The moment my hand touched his, I felt a sudden urge to take back my hand because of electrocution. That’s not even possible, but it did.

When he didn’t reply, it was my cue to run away. I said what I’ve said. I gave him money, and when he didn’t seem to argue about it, I bid goodbye to him without minding the awkward atmosphere.

As Owen laughed, I paused and turned around to see him. When I saw how he ripped the money from his hand and gazed at me with dagger eyes, my mouth drew back in horror. He seemed to be annoyed. Yep, offended too.

“What did you do? That's... that's for his hospital bills.” Just shut up, Angelic!

He still didn’t say anything at all. His head tilted to the side, and there was an amusing but irritating grin plastered on his face. The tension is thick, and I couldn’t stand it anymore.

“Come here.” He commanded in an alpha voice. Just then, my back was thrown against the wall, and I froze, my eyes still fixed on him as he grabbed my arm again like he wanted to crush my bones.

“Are you a-angry?” I asked, blinking because one wrong move, and it was going to be the end of the world. He’s invading my personal space, and it wasn’t a situation where you would romanticize our position. He is mad, fuming mad, and one wrong choice of word - that tattoed fist is gonna end up on my skull.

He could break me up any minute from now.

"Why are you here? You could've given this to him." He pointed to the ripped money on the ground. "Or are you here just to see me?"

My forehead creased. "What? No!"

He inches his face away from me. Finally! "Go home, little girl. You don't belong here." Owen pushes down his hands into his jeans pockets.

My feminist side couldn’t’ accept what he called me. "Don't call me that."

"That's better than calling my friend a homeless piece of s**t,” he growled. Funny enough, he looks like he can beat me, but his eyes don’t want to. He was just there, standing with square shoulders, and clenching his jaw. Not laying a finger on me.

"Tell your friends I don't need your money, and we don't need your sympathy. You understand?" The way his voice screams domination provokes me. I’ve never encountered a man who would tell me what and what not to do, even Zach. I was the one who dominated him.

When I didn’t answer, he kept on talking and nodded at the road behind me. "The alley is dark. You sure you can handle my boys?" Boys? That must mean his frat, Alpha Kappha Rho. It’s a popular fraternity in this neighborhood, and I’ve heard worse of it. Even my dad said don’t try to mess up with them – or simply, do your best not to meet them.

Well, I’ve met one. And he’s in front of me right now.

“You became mute there, Angelic?” His voice was sarcastic.

"I...I can handle myself. Of course.” s**t. I stuttered.

He smirked. "They won't touch you, though. Unless you beg for it."

I let out a nervous chuckle. "You're crazy. Why would I beg them to touch me?"

He smiled. “I can sense the sin lurking behind your pink cardigan and Prada dress you wear in school. You’re not that innocent.” This imbecile…

"Go home. Your boyfriend’s probably waiting for you. You don’t belong here.” His jaw moved after he said that, and I nodded at him, stepping back so that he would know I completely got what he'd said. He doesn’t need to say it twice.