04

SAINT

There were two things in this life that I was sure about: Pineapple didn't fucking belong on pizza, and my mom was hiding a fuck ton of secrets from me.

After my rendezvous with Luci in the break room, I went back out into the restaurant and joined my friends at the booth.

"Dude what took you so long," Greyson asked. His face was stuffed with nachos and he took a big swig of the sprite.

I let out a nervous laugh and sat down quickly next to Emma. "The line to the bathroom was long. Sorry about that."

"Well, your food came!" Emma chirped, she clung to my arm for the umpteenth time and grabbed a fry off my plate and held it up to my mouth.

I gave her a faux smile and took the fry from her chewing slowly. I didn't have much of an appetite. All I could think about was how I was or could be an angel. I didn't feel like an angel and I certainly didn't act like one.

But it would also explain the anomalies that happened throughout my life. For one thing, I was constantly cold. It felt like each year that passed my body temperature would decrease significantly.

My back was always hurting resulting in many visits to the doctor's office. I wasn't sure if that point correlated but my gut told me it did. The way my cuts and bruises healed at an alarming rate was scary, but I didn't think too much of it.

I always seemed to be able to control the mood around me. If I was angry, so was everyone else. If I was happy, everyone else became happy. I didn't think anything of it at first but now pondering, it was fairly odd.

I was taken from my thoughts when I felt a small hand run up my thigh and rest underneath my waist.

I looked up to see Emma smiling at me. She bit her lip and leaned in closer to whisper in my ear. "Can I come over again?" She asked.

I locked with her deep blue eyes and let out a sigh. Emma and I weren't together. We just hung out a lot and had casual sex. I could tell she liked me though but I was not planning on being monogamous to one person any time soon.

Visually, she was perfect for me. She had long light brown hair, and her eyes resembled a deep cerulean. Her frame was small and she didn't garter much weight. She was nice when she wanted to be, and truthfully I didn't know too much about her since we rarely did any talking. One thing | did know though: was she was fucking annoying. But she made up for it with how good she was in bed. It cancelled out; like PEMDAS or something like that.

I wasn't planning on getting with Emma tonight but God did I need a release.

I smiled back at her and tucked a stray piece of hair behind her ear.

"Of course Em."

She smiled at me and nuzzled into my neck. I knew we couldn't keep using each other like this since Emma was starting to attack other girls I was interested in. She was loyal. I'll give her that, but she needed to know her loyalty would never be reciprocated.

We finished dinner and I didn't see Luci for the rest of the night. The thought of her crying in the break room and being scared of me was satisfying. Truth be told I was terrified of her now. She held all the right cards and I felt like a pawn waiting to be bossed around. As long as I kept belittling her and holding my ground she would never be able to.

I walked Emma to my car and she hopped in eagerly. I never let girls into my car unless something was going to happen. As bad as it sounds they always knew what I expected anyways.

She sat quietly in the leather seat and admired the interior of the car while I drove off the parking lot.

The drive from Rugrat Diner to Gated Estates was short but it felt like an eternity. Emma kept trying to make small conversation and asking me if I wanted to go out next week.

"We could take a trip next week with the group or something. Or it can just be the two of us. I feel like we never spend quality time together you know? Or we could even get dinner."

I suddenly slammed the brakes and tightened my grip on the steering wheel. She quickly put her hands on the dashboard for balance and looked at me perplexed.

"For the love of God, shut the fuck up."

She immediately went quiet and lowered her head. I ran a hand through my hair and double-checked my burned wrist.

My hand that Luci had previously burned healed rapidly and the fresh burn aching on my wrist began to fade.

Emma looked at my wrist then back to me and attempted to say something. I threw her a look and put her head down in response avoiding my gaze.

I huffed and backed out of my car then continued on the road.

Once we reached the Gated Estate, I drove up to the large metal gates. Punching in the key code the gates opened and I drove in.

Pulling up to my house, I got out of the car fast and went to open the passenger door. Emma was struggling with the seatbelt as her small fingers tried to press the release button.

Growing impatient I undid her seat belt for her and grabbed her by the wrist.

I speed walked to my front door with Emma next to my hip and I fumbled with my keys until I got it to unlock the door.

I bolted inside the house and practically ran up the stairs. In the corner of my eye, I could see the living room where Rod was drinking a beer and took notice that my mom was not home yet.

I continued my stride and climbed the stairs to my room.

I busted the door open and pulled Emma inside. I locked the door and dimmed my lights so that only the outline of our silhouettes could be made out.

I pushed her onto the bed and she gasped when I came down and sucked on her neck. I pinned both her arms to the side of her head and paused for a moment to catch my breath.

"Do you want this?" I asked her innocently. I dragged my hand down her breast and squeezed it gently. It wasn't much but it was satisfactory.

"Yes," she moaned. She started to writhe under me as my hand massaged and squeezed her chest.

I smirked up at her and sneakily stuck my hand around her throat instead. She gasped and grabbed onto my wrist as her eyes rolled back when I pressed down.

She put her hands on my waist and lifted my shirt off throwing it into the dark abyss. She dragged her hand slowly down my chest until she reached my pants.

She glanced at me to catch my reaction before palming roughly.

I cursed under my breath when she pulled down my zipper with her teeth. She removed my pants and placed them down my ankles. I was now under her as she switched positions swiftly.

She ran her fingers through my hair and tugged my roots. "Do you want this?" She challenged me.

I gave her an unreadable expression and let her enjoy this brief transfer of power. She got cocky however when she traced the outline of my lips with her fingers.

Straddling my lap she pressed her core onto mine and ground her hips.

My lips parted and she took the opportunity to bring her lips closer to mine.

Before our lips made contact, I grabbed her by the shoulders and pushed her back into the bed. Hovering over her I glared as she pouted at me.

"You know the rules," I growled, "no kissing."

She whimpered and placed her arms around my neck. "Why not?"

"Because I said so," I seethed.

Kissing was too intimate for me. It was a slow and tantalizing act that I believed was made for two people who were deeply involved with each other. I couldn't remember the last time I kissed someone on the lips. It just wasn't for me.

She whined and squirmed underneath me and brought my hand from her shoulder down to her breast.

"Touch me," she stared into my green eyes and it was almost as if I could feel the deep sea of lust radiating out from her.

"Then beg for it," I teased. She steadied her breathing and placed my hand between her thigh.

"Please," she begged.

Her eyes squeezed shut as I started to work my fingers in between her thighs.

I stroked inward gently, just enough to get a rise out of her.

"Please, what?" I pressed my thumb over her jeans to her centre. I gave slow tantalizing strokes and put some pressure on her area.

"Please sir," she breathed out.

I suddenly stopped my movements and froze. Typically that word alone was enough to get me going. It was supposed to be a big turn-on for me. I looked down to my front and saw no reaction. All I could think about was the way the word had rolled off of Luci's tongue so effortlessly earlier tonight.

And the more I thought about Luci, the angrier I became. On instinct, I felt the cold rush over me. I pinned her arms over her head and I felt the ice start to form at my cuticles.

"Saint," Emma whimpered. She looked up to where my head had trapped hers and plastered a worried expression on her face. "Your hands are so cold,"

I could see ice attempt to secrete from my fingertips, onto Emma's wrist. I panicked and immediately removed myself from her body. I wiped my hands onto my jeans and pulled up my pants. I got off the bed and turned on the light. I took a deep breath and placed my hands on top of my head. I started to pant out and my hands started to sweat.

Emma sat peculiarly on the bed and stared at me wide-eyed. "Is everything okay?" She asked while readjusting her shirt.

"Get out."

"What?"

"Get the fuck out Emma!" I screamed. I ripped my blanket off her body and pulled her off the bed. I found her shoes thrown haphazardly onto the floor and threw them at her feet.

She bit her lip and nodded. I could see tears start to form in her eyes as she quickly picked up her shoes.

"C-can I at least get a ride?" She sniffled.

"You live five houses down," I pushed her body out of my bedroom and into my desolate hallway, "you can walk."

Slamming the door in her face I took another deep breath and closed my eyes. It was too close of a call. Had Emma been vigilant enough to notice what was happening I would've been fucked. I needed help controlling whatever this was.

The only person I could think of to help me was the same person I wanted to avoid. Besides, I couldn't give Luci the satisfaction of her knowing that I needed her.

I would have to ask her eventually though. Maybe in exchange for something? Suddenly I remembered the memory card I had taken from her that lay deep inside my junk drawer.

I got up from bed and went over to the drawer. I dug for a few seconds before pulling out a black square with a small print on it.

I plopped myself upright into my swivel chair and inserted the chip into my computer. I drummed my fingers against my desk as the memory card loaded onto my screen.

There had to be something in here I could use against her. She carried her camera everywhere and took pictures of pointless objects daily.

The memory card finished loading as my computer screen began to flood with images. I scrolled to the bottom of the screen to see just how many and gasped when I saw the number.

She had over 4,000 pictures in that dinky camera she carried around. I knew she had been in the photography club but I didn't think it was a serious hobby of hers.

I began to scroll, my eyes scanning for any picture that seemed out of the norm. Most of the pictures were of our school, animals, flowers and a lot of sunsets.

There were many pictures of Marcus and Celia doing random tasks. I slowed down my scrolling speed when I saw the pictures she had taken of Marcus in the tattoo parlour. I knew he had worked there since he was skillfully good at art, but I didn't know how good.

There were photos of him drawing intricate tattoos on different body parts and it seemed that Luci had snapped pictures of every single one.

One particular photo got my attention. I clicked on it and expanded it on my screen. It was taken at a more difficult angle than the rest. It was a tattoo of a vine of flowers going down a girl's back. Her shirt had been lifted and it hung around her neck. The whole tattoo was monochrome red and it started at the top of her shoulders and ended at her hip bones. The petals of the flower were intricate and had sharp details.

The girl's skin was a deep golden brown and the tattoo contrasted against her skin perfectly. "Is this, Luci?" I asked myself out loud.

It couldn't be. Luci wasn't the type to get tattoos; she was too innocent for that. There was no way this was her. I noticed a hand in the picture that was held on the girl's shoulder. I suspected it was Marcus' who was probably the one taking the picture.

I let out a breath and grabbed the water bottle next to my computer and took a sip. While sipping I scrolled down to see the next picture and nearly choked on my water.

It was the same girl I was sure of. She had a hand covering her bare left breast and held it up to the camera to showcase the ink under it. I zoomed into the underboob tattoo and saw it was a continuation of the back tattoo.

It was the same monochrome red flowers but this time the vine was a crescent shape that shaped the outline of her breast.

I coughed hard as I began to choke on my water. There

was no nudity per se in the picture, but it was risqué nonetheless. I zoomed into the picture with my mouth hanging open. I did not know Luci as much as I thought I did, and I'll admit that is what scared me.

"Saint!" Suddenly my room door shot open and I could see my mom standing against the doorway.

I immediately clicked out of the picture and shut down my computer. I grabbed my water bottle and drank a few more sips.

My mom came into my room and closed the door before taking a deep breath.

"Why did I just see Emma Lorens crying outside of our house with no shoes on?"

I rolled my eyes and got out of the chair. Stretching my arms out I went over to my bed and plopped down.

"The "no shoes" thing was her prerogative. She could've put them on when I kicked her out."

"Why did I have to drive her four houses down to her house while she cried in my car, Saint." My mom tapped her foot impatiently on my floor awaiting my answer.

"She could've walked."

"Saint! This isn't a joking matter. What did you do to that poor girl?"

"I didn't do anything!" | yelled, "I just told her to go home."

My mom sighed and placed a hand over her heart. "I thought I would've raised a son who treats women with respect! Let me find out if you do things like this regularly."

I didn't want to talk about Emma right now. I had some many questions for her I didn't even know how to begin. My palms started to grow sweaty and my legs started to bounce up and down.

"And God's sake put on a shirt-"

"Where's dad?" I blurted out. She eyed me and cocked her head to the side, "He's downstairs in the living room."

"No. Not Rod. I mean my real dad." She paused for a second and cleared her throat. "Why?"

"Because you never talk about him and I think I deserve to know. Where is he? Who is he? What does he even look like? Tell me something!" I screamed.

"Calm down honey," she came over to me and placed a hand on my cheek, I could see her eyes starting to water.

"Tell me something please," I pleaded. I rested my head on her shoulder and my mom responded by stroking her hand through my hair.

"Honestly I don't know exactly where your dad is. He left so long ago and didn't even say goodbye," A tear slipped down her cheek and she quickly wiped it off. "You look just like him though. A spitting image."

I kept quiet and listened to her speak. "He's not really from around this area. He was charming too."

I could tell she was choosing her words carefully. A part of me wanted to ask her if he was an angel like Luci had mentioned, but I didn't want to scare her. I knew this was difficult enough to bring up.

"Even before he left us completely, he was barely home. Always off doing work in some estate house in Azure. But when he was home, he loved playing with you. He did love you, Saint."

"Azure? That's like 7 hours from here mom." I ignored the comment about him supposedly "loving me". If he loved me, he wouldn't have left his son here.

"Yes I know but he always said it was important for him to be there. It was really like his second home. He and his friends would meet there very often and discuss God knows what."

"Do you have the address?" She looked at me in confusion and scratched her head. "To the estate in Azure?"

I nodded and she sighed before taking out her giant planner. My mom was old fashion and didn't trust her phone to carry all her important dates and documents.

"I'm sure I do somewhere."

She flipped through her planner to the back and started to slow down her pace. She used her finger to focus on her place before stopping and tapping on a long address scribbled in faded pencil.

"Here it is," she said. I read over the address and tried to store it in my head.

"73444 South Worley Ave, Azure Estates," I whispered silently to myself.

"What is his name?" I asked as I began to secretly type the address into my phone to store.

She made eye contact with me just as I put my phone down and sighed.

"His name is," she trailed off and looked down at the floor. I could see her hand shaking and she abruptly closed her address book.

"What was his name?" I asked once more and held my breath. Something told me I would not like the answer.

"Gabriel. His name is Gabriel."