by Lannah Smith
Looks like they weren't getting the cool James tonight, he thought sullenly.
James walked toward them, weaving through the tables, and the people stopped to stare at him. He wasn't a big man like Nick but he commanded respect just the same. He was also handsome, magnetic and very successful.
To them, he was the most powerful man in the room.
But to Leon and John, he was a pain in the ass and a perpetual nagger.
Loosening his tie, James slid in the booth in front of them. A glass of whisky was then given to him by a waitress, his preferred drink.
"Why did you call us here?" John immediately asked, wasting no time.
James lifted a finger, telling them to shut up, and then lifted his drink to his lips.
"It's late, James," Leon muttered. "What are you thinking, making underage students come to a bar?"
"And not letting them drink?" John inserted.
James gave them a look which made them shut up completely. He always had that John slid his gaze to the side and let his eyes wander around the high end luxury bar. The bar was near the outskirts of the city and was owned by Nick Gage and James Black. Both were in a silent partnership however and a man named Fred George was known by everyone who weren't patrons to own the place.
"I have to be early tomorrow," Leon said as he rose to his feet. "So I'll be going ahead—"
But James blocked his exit by putting his feet up on their side of the booth. "Not so fast, brat."
"You only need him right?" John asked hopefully and Leon gave him a look of the betrayed. "So can I go first?"
"No. No one leaves. It's been awhile since we last saw each other after all."
John groaned.
Shit. This didn't bode well for the both of them.
"And it's Uncle James when we're out of school."
This time, John planted his face into his hand.
"Now let's talk about your recent activities."
John lifted his head. James glared at Leon, his jaw tightening so much, a muscle ticked there. John swallowed nervously when he saw Leon do the same.
"Let's not," Leon muttered through clenched teeth.
"If I hadn't been so busy I would have smacked both of your butts for making me busy," James started. "And to think you promised me you won't cause any more trouble when I talked to you last summer. I should have known when you missed two weeks of school."
"Sorry?" John offered.
James' eyes went to him. "You think an apology will cut it? I had to deal with an angry father last Christmas asking why I let you two run amok in my own school and why I didn't stop you. Next, I had to deal with a very angry investigator who bitched on me about why I let his son and his friends deal with drug dealers and why I didn't find out and stop you."
"It's none of his business," Leon growled. "And we already had this conversation."
James took a sip of his whisky, glaring at them over the rim of his glass. "You still having dinner with him?" he asked Leon.
Leon looked like he was about to blow. But he couldn't really talk back to James so he muttered, "Yeah."
"You still giving him shit?"
"Not... not that much anymore."
"You want to consider letting him be your father again?"
Leon didn't answer. And James didn't look like he was letting this go. As much as he was protective of Leon, he was also quite protective of Nick, his best friend.
The tension was stifling and John could almost see the electricity crackling and zapping in the air.
"Can - can we talk about our grades now?" John interrupted, trying to put an end to the glaring contest. "You know, since this is what you really made us come here for, Uncle James? My grades are fine, right? I even started on the research papers for this year."
"And you?" James asked Leon, never removing his gaze from him.
"Almost done," he grudgingly admitted and John whipped his head to look at him. Jesus, summer had yet to end and he was already finished? "But I'm not going to the summit."
"What?" John burst out. "You always make me go alone. This isn't right. The both of us are in the same program. Do you know how boring it is there?"
"You like Math."
"You're the genius in Math."
"Can I have a drink?" Leon asked James.
"You're free to step in my bar anytime you want but you know I'll never let you drink until you're legal," James said wryly.
"The only time we set foot in your bar is when you summon us. Do you think we'll come here knowing we can't drink and knowing you've got eyes?"
James lifted his glass. "Touché. And don't you kids want to see how cool my bar is becoming?"
Cool, his ass.
"So can I go now?" John asked. He didn't like these reunions. James like Leon's father, always made him feel inferior and reminded him, reminded the both of them, that they were still brats even though they act mature for their age.
James swallowed a long drink then rested his back against the booth. "Promise me first that the stupid shit you both pulled won't happen again."
Leon didn't say anything. John sighed.
"Can't you just tell his father that you had words with us and we looked real contrite?" he suggested.
"Like Nick would believe you brats are ever contrite," James grumbled.
John let out another sigh. "So can I go now?"
"Where are you going, John?" James idly asked. "To see Terry Evans?"
John's head jerked back. His eyes cut to Leon and Leon immediately shook his head furiously. "I didn't tell him shit."
"Then how the hell does he know about her?" he demanded.
"Language," James admonished lightly, the hypocrite. "And I know everything that happens in my school."
For the first time that night, Leon began to grin.
"I still can't believe it," James murmured with amusement. "Terry Evans, the only daughter of the CEO of the Shimizu-Evans group. You know what they say. The most intelligent people lack the most common sense."
"You mean to say she's brilliant on paper but clueless in real life?" Leon supplied unhelpfully.
James' grin widened. "Exactly."
"You didn't give him this shit when you heard about Sophia Gideon," John snapped.
"Hey, don't you dare insult the brat's girlfriend. And I have already promised him I would not meddle in his affairs as long as he kept his grades up."
"I didn't insult Sophia."
Strange vibes started to emanate from Leon. James didn't notice it, he was signaling a passing waitress to give him another drink, but John did. Leon caught him staring and he shrugged like it was nothing.
But John knew this wasn't nothing. Ever since the bonfire party, Leon had become strange and a little withdrawn from Sophia. She didn't notice, thinking it was part of his behavior. But John did and it was slightly bothering him.
Actually now that he thought about it, it started way before that.
It started when April confronted him at his home.
James finally let them leave an hour later after engaging them with college talk. John mostly spoke for Leon because Leon barely spoke but James was used to that behavior. He was only checking up on him regardless.
"Want to go to a club?" John asked, suggesting a place where they could actually drink, as they left the bar.
Leon shook his head. "Not tonight. I want to rest."
Worried, John turned to face him when they were in his truck and finally voiced out his suspicions. "You're not going to do anything stupid, right Leon?" he spoke as soon as Leon slid in the passenger's side.
Leon didn't look at him when he answered, "Depends on what you call stupid."
Alarm bells began to ring inside John's head.
"I meant doing shit that will hurt you and hurt others, especially your girlfriend," he said through clenched teeth.
Leon didn't reply.
John tapped his fingers, his rings making tiny clinking noises on the wheel. "I wish you'd let me ins
ide your head," he muttered unhappily.
It took Leon some time to finally reply.
And when he did, he said it with a sigh, "I wish I could too."
I wished I didn't agree to this, I thought grumpily as I stared at the crystalline waters of the beach. Sitting on the sand, leaning back on my hands, drying myself, my gaze went to Sophia and Hannah, who were still frolicking in the waters.
It was Sophia's birthday today. We were at Skull's private resort, celebrating it. And though I was happy to be spending her birthday with her, I truly wanted to be everywhere but here.
Haru had given me permission to come. When he called to check up on me, I mentioned Sophia's party in passing and he urged me to come, even though he knew John was going to be here. He sounded amused over the phone, like he knew how much this was going to stress me out. Ending his instructions by telling me not to let John accost me again, he said his farewell.
I closed my eyes and sighed on an exhale. I tried to relax, tried to let errant thoughts and my anxieties burn away. I breathed and listened to the sea, to the waves crashing on the beach and to the seagulls flying over us.
Then I was listening to Hannah yelling and stomping to my direction.
"Terry! Terry!"
A pair of hands landed on my shoulders, shaking me, and I peeled one eye open. "What?" I grumbled.
Hannah pointed out to the sea. Sophia was drifting further and further away on her float and idly, I calculated the distance and decided she was in no immediate danger.
"And?" I turned to Hannah. "You know she can swim right? She stays in her grandparent's house in Miami every summer and if you recall, she mentioned loving the beach growing up."
"But she doesn't know the sea here," Hannah hissed, pulling me up. "You forget we have sharks and whirlpools and-"
"Do you seriously still believe your mother's lies until now? She only told you that when you were a child so you won't stay too far out in the sea."
But she wasn't listening anymore. "Sophia, come back!" she yelled as she dragged me towards Sophia's way. "Sophia!"
Ugh, there goes my peace.
"Sophia, get over here," I shouted but the blonde girl seemed to not hear us. She was looking at the sea beyond, seemingly daydreaming.
She really needs to stop daydreaming all the time, I irritably thought.
I was deciding whether to swim out and catch her float when Leon suddenly appeared and jumped into the sea. Hannah and I watched him swim towards Sophia. When he reached her, Hannah then turned to me.
"Do you want to play volleyball?" she asked with a wide smile, as if she just hadn't panicked a moment ago.
"Want me to drown you?" I deadpanned as I waded back to shore.
She followed me, laughing. "Come on. Let's play, please?"
"No."
"Please."
"You already got me drenched. I'm not going to tire myself out playing with an exuberant you."
"Oh, come on." Hannah tugged on my arm incessantly. "Let's play volleyball."
Before I could reject her again, a hulking shadow loomed over us, blocking the sun. I turned and saw Skull, grinning down at us.
Oh, no.
"Did you say volleyball?" he asked.
Oh, dear God, no.
Hannah had hid herself behind me as soon as she spotted Skull. But when she heard Skull's question, she repositioned herself in front of me, her game face on.
"You play?" she asked him.
"Like you wouldn't believe," was Skull's cocky response.
Recognizing what was happening, I slowly backed away, distancing myself from the duo. Hannah seemed to have gotten over her fear of Skull and I knew it was because she loved volleyball and Skull represented a challenge. She liked challenges.
But before I could completely get away, I hit a wall of warmth behind me. I glanced over my shoulder and saw a bare chest. My eyes inched up to see John and I tensed. My nails embedded into the flesh of my palms for a brief moment. Then I shot my gaze to the beach towel under an umbrella a few feet away where Skull, Leon and John used to be sitting. Only Rohan remained there, playing his PSP.
My gaze slid back to John and I took a couple of steps forward, eyeing him all the while. He was wearing sunglasses so it was hard to see where his attention was. His rings twinkled under the sun and his hair, which used to be so short, was getting longer, almost covering his eyes.
I felt a muscle on my cheek twitch as I looked at Hannah and Skull, who seemed to be in a deep discussion.
Did John forget how he ignored me this whole time? As in full on ignored my existence?
I'd been fully prepared to avoid him, to tell him off if he tried to talk to me but he never made an approach. Even when I was in a sundress, knowing how much he liked me in a dress. Even when we bumped into each other at the buffet. Even when I came out of the beach house in my bikini.
I'd mulled over it while I was sitting on the sand.
Was he sulking?Was he ignoring me on purpose? Or was he giving me a taste of my own medicine?
After all the stuff I said to him, I shouldn't be really surprised. I still felt the pain of seeing the hurt I'd given him stamped in his features. But damn, if it didn't wound and cut me deeply, seeing this sudden change in attitude.
I'd immediately pushed those thoughts away. I was a strong, independent woman. I shouldn't be mooning over John freaking Steele when I did everything to make him leave me alone. Why I can't make up my mind when it came to him was a freaking mystery to me.
John finally moved, walking past me, heading to Hannah and Skull.
Still, he was acting suspicious and I wasn't born yesterday. He may have neglected me the whole time I was here but I was sure he was brewing something beneath that façade. So I was on guard.
I thought I saw John's head tilt to me as he did but I wasn't sure, considering he was still wearing his stupid sunglasses.
"We're playing volleyball with them," Hannah declared as she rushed to me. Immediately, I whirled around and walked opposite her. "Wait, where are you going? Don't be a spoilsport! Let's play."
Pulling in breath, I stared at her when she came to a complete stop in front of me, blocking my way. "Move," I muttered darkly. "I'm not playing."
"Are you scared to play with them?"
Scared? I wasn't scared. I just wanted to avoid John.
I didn't tell her that. Instead, I said, "I gain nothing playing with you guys."
"Skull said that if you won't join us then it's true after all," Hannah muttered.
I frowned. "What's true?"
She grinned. "That Asians can't play any sport because it's hard to see through your squinty eyes."
The asshole.
He knew how much I hated racist Asian jokes.
Charging at Skull, I said through gritted teeth, "My eyes are not squinty, you racist bastard."
Skull immediately threw the ball he was holding at me and I caught it. "I'll apologize if you win. On second thought, you probably will, considering you're vision is on full screen mode."
"You jerk—"
"Alright, alright. Places, please," Rohan said in monotone, appearing between us. "I don't have all day. And you better give me back my PSP after."
"It was her fault, referee." Skull pointed at me.
I slapped his hand away and shoved the ball into his chest. "Shut up and let's just play."
Annoyingly, John just stared at us. Hannah looked equally worried and amused.
Rohan sat under the umbrella again and in a dry tone, requested for us to begin. I grumpily positioned behind Hannah and after a coin toss, let Skull and John serve first.
In the beginning, the game went on just fine. Hannah was amazing and Skull, although he was a difficult opponent, was soon overpowered by her skills. I helped as best as I could but I wasn't an athletic person like her. John, on the other hand, just waited for the ball to come to him, which was seldom considering Skull loved to hog the ball.
"T-Terry, help me!" Hanna
h screamed as she ran on the sand with Skull closing in behind her.
Dang. I forgot what a sore loser Skull was.
Hannah and I had just won two sets. Rohan was now playing his PSP. Leon and Sophia were still in the water, swimming. Skull had the volleyball in his hands and he was trying to hit Hannah with it like we were playing dodge ball instead.
