Page 47
jack of spades
“ W as it worth it?” Jerome growled. "Cutting me in line?"
The men shook their heads, their mouths gagged.
“Yeah, I didn’t think so.” He laughed.
It was a good release for the both of us.
We sat on the floor of the kitchen after Jerome found a bottle of gin in a cabinet and I took out a smoke. The two corpses sprawled across us like broken art.
“So, how are you feeling?” Jerome asked, pouring the drink straight into his mouth.
“Fine,” I muttered. “You?”
“Way better.” He ran his fingers over the many scars on his face. “Is it really bad?”
I glanced at him, they must have commented on his scars. “I don’t think so.” When people look at Jerome and me, they get scared, just another thing we have in common. “It gives you character.”
“Character,” he laughed.
“A conversation starter,” I added.
He shook his head. “Why did they do this to me? I can’t go anywhere without being stared at.”
I didn’t answer, there’s nothing I could say that would make it better.
“I tried to go to an arcade a couple weeks ago with some people I knew.” He sighed. “They wouldn’t even let me in. ”
I furrowed my brows. “Just because of your scars?”
He nodded. “It was so humiliating, I pretended I got an urgent text and let them go without me.”
“Want to go now?” I asked.
He turned to me. “I don’t want to go back there for them to tell me again that I’m so ugly I scare children.”
I chuckled. “Scars don’t mean you’re ugly.”
He let out a small breath. “You don’t have any on your face.”
I do, but they’re not as visible. I took out my knife and pointed it at my cheek, I grazed it down to my jaw, blood pouring out. It stung, but I’ve felt worse.
“Oi! What are you doing!” he shouted.
“Now we’re matching,” I said, putting my knife away.
“You didn’t–Why did you do that?”
“Because you think you’re so ugly with all your scars, but I think they tell stories.” I turned to him with a smirk. “Now let’s go scare the kids together.”
He put his hands over his face. “Gods,” he chuckled. “I think I’m in love with you.”
“Why aren’t we together?” I joked.
“Because unfortunately you’re not a girl.”
I knew a girl version of me, but she’s mine.
I cleaned the wound so it wouldn’t get infected and stopped the bleeding, before we went to the arcade to anger parents for daring to show our faces to children.
“They won’t stop glaring at us,” Jerome said in a low voice as we tossed balls into baskets, competing against each other with who could score higher.
“Who cares?” I said. “We’re minding our own business and so should they. They don’t know shit.”
He glanced at me but continued with the game. Jerome, as confident as he seems, actually hardly leaves his house because of how he looked.
We decided to eat there too, and I could see the parents talking to the staff about us, but they seemed reluctant to approach us and eventually decided not to.
It made me wonder—why are scars on a face so offensive? How could visible stories etched into skin be so controversial? Why would they assume he's dangerous, when they don't know a thing about how he got them? He's the victim, yet they treated him like the threat, and so he became a threat.
“This is the best date I’ve ever been on,” Jerome teased.
“Oh, honey,” I mocked, “only the best for you.”
We laughed.
“Cinth!” Lin called for me.
Shit.
“Hey, why didn’t you tell us you—” Jamiel’s words halted. “What happened to your face?”
“Are you okay?” Lin took my cheeks and analysed the wound.
I gently pushed him away from me. “Matching scars.” I nodded towards Jerome. “These are my friends from school. Jamiel and Lin.”
Jerome nodded. “I’m Jerome.”
Jamiel slid into the spot next to Jerome. “So, how do you know Cinth?”
Lin took a seat next to me.
“Cinth,” Jerome repeated my real name, but it sounded weird coming from him. He knew my real name, he just always called me Vulture. “We’ve known each other forever.”
That's what it felt like. It’d only been two years, but we had one of those friendships that just seemed to click instantly.
“What are you two doing here?” I asked, taking a bite of my food .
“Just hanging out. Iri’s with us too, but she ran into Cel.”
“Where?” I asked them.
“I think they’re still outside,” Jamiel said, stealing one of Jerome’s chips. Jerome looked so confused with how comfortable Jamiel was around him.
She’s outside? She’s so close.
“Gods, Cinth , just go see her,” Jerome said, mocking my nickname.
I can’t.
Lin and Jamiel snorted. “Why would Cinth want to see Cel?”
“They hate each other.”
Jerome just became more lost in the conversation. “You really live a double life, don’t you?” he asked.
You have no bloody idea.
Luckily, Jamiel and Lin didn’t pick up on what he said, distracted by a birthday party near us.
“Jamiel,” Iri came over to our table. “You have my scarf.”
I didn’t look at Iri, I knew Celestine would be right next to her.
“Hey, Cinth,” Iri greeted me. “And who’s this?”
Jamiel pulled off the scarf and handed it to her.
“Jerome,” he introduced himself.
“I’m Iri,” I could hear her smile. “It’s nice to meet you.”
He nodded towards where Celestine was. “Celestine.”
“You two know each other?”
“We met last night.” Her soft voice almost got me turning to her, but I kept my eyes locked on my glass. I’m not allowed to be near her.
“Move over, Jamiel,” Iri told him, wrapping her scarf back over herself .
Why is everyone here tonight? If Symeon and Kahlik appeared, I wouldn't know what personality to use anymore.
Lin scooted closer to me to make room for Celestine and I was squashed against the wall.
Bloody hell. She doesn't need that much space.
“What happened to you?” Iri asked me, noticing the gash on my cheek. She reached over and pulled Jerome's plate of chips closer to her so she could nip a few.
“He wanted to match scars with me,” Jerome answered for me, giving Iri and Jamiel an annoyed look for stealing his food. “Isn’t he romantic?”
“So romantic,” Jamiel mocked.
I couldn’t help my chuckle.
Jerome got along with everyone at the table, I’m not surprised, he’s refreshing to be around and no one commented on the scars on his face nor stared too long at them.
“Are we going to play some games or what?” Jamiel asked the table after they had finished the last of Jerome's chips with absolutely no remorse.
Jerome locked eyes with me, I think he felt weird because my friends were different from everyone else. They didn’t judge, and they didn’t care who you were as long as you knew how to have fun. That’s why I liked being around them, they simply never cared.
“Let’s go,” Lin said, and they all got out of their seats.
“Are you not going?” I asked Jerome.
“Uh,” he hesitated.
“Jerome, come on,” Iri took his arm and pulled him out of the booth.
“What time is it?” Celestine asked.
“Half past ten.” Lin showed her on his phone.
“I should probably get going,” she said. “But I’ll see you. ”
I finally turned to look at her, she was in her assignment outfit, probably just having been with Niko when she bumped into Iri.
“No,” Jamiel whined. “You just got here.”
She gave him a soft smile, “I have a curfew.”
She’d need to leave within the next half hour to make it on time, but Jamiel managed to convince her to stay out a bit longer.
I followed everyone to the different machines. As Jerome, Iri, Lin, and Jamiel competed in a racing game, Celestine stood next to me, watching. “Niko told me you weren’t training me anymore,” she said in a low voice.
“I’m not allowed to see you,” I said, avoiding her eyes.
“I know,” she said. “We have to keep it this way.” Celestine gently grazed her hand over my cheek, avoiding my scar, but I still didn't look at her. “You almost look as cool as Jerome.”
Her light touch sent electricity through my veins, causing me to lose my train of thought. I smirked. “Tell that to him.”
“No, that’s weird.” She took her hand back.
“Jerome,” I called, “Celestine thinks you look cool.”
“Why would you tell him that?”
“Cel,” Jerome groaned, tilting his head back with a big smile.
Lin laughed. “Do you really have a thing for bad boys, Cel?”
“Oh, she definitely does.” Iri giggled.
“I think she’s making it quite clear now,” Jamiel teased.
She wasn't confirming it, but she wasn't denying it either.
“Bloody hell, Celestine,” I muttered.
Jamiel shouted a curse as Iri passed him in the race, causing a few parents to shoot us disapproving looks, ushering their children away from our group .
“Do you trust me now?” Celestine asked me in a whisper.
“What?”
“You met with Silias this morning,” she said. “You've put it all together now, haven't you?”
I shook my head, “I'm not the child of Phobus. You've got it all wrong.” I'm not even sure how to feel about the clans and Celestine suspecting that I was. Flattered? Debatable. Offended? Possibly.
“I never said you were,” she laughed.
“But you're what everyone is looking for.” I didn't want to say exactly what out loud in case someone overheard us, even if we were speaking in whispers. “Aren't you?”
We locked eyes for the first time that night. She gave me a small smile, brushing past me and taking her leave without telling anyone.
My friends groaned, “Why are you so good at these games, Iri?”
“Honestly, it's no fun playing with you guys.” She laughed, getting out of her seat. “There's no competition.” She turned her head side to side. “Hey, where's Cel?”
“She left,” I said.
“I should get going as well,” Jerome announced. “But it was really nice to meet you all.” His words were genuine.
“I'll come with you,” I said.
He nodded, and we said our goodbyes.
“They're really nice,” he said in a low voice.
“You should hang out with us more,” I said, taking out a cigarette.
He chuckled. “Well, bloody invite me then.”
I try not to mix my normal life with my Underworld one, but this went better than I expected. We were passing an alley and Jerome noticed Celestine first. He grabbed my arm and pulled me back, nodding towards the alley .
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