"Is it something that you saw down there babes, 'cause if you aren't ready to... Then we won't." He sounded calm and understanding.
"No Jordan, It's just that I've been..."
"Weeew! Weew! Weew! The sound of sirens quickly emerged and interrupted the rest of my sentence. Looking above the wall I saw about 3 police cars making their way towards Cayla's house. Seems one of the neighbors had tipped off the police, Heath field was a much quieter suburb than Kenilworth and Claremont anyways.
That's when we both instinctively grabbed our clothes from the bed, picked up our feet and used the last stamina we had to run out into the passage where other party peeps where heading to as well.
Finally reaching, and running down the, confusingly congested staircase I could already see the chaos that loomed in the lounge. It felt as though were suddenly in the titanic during its first 20 minutes after hitting the Iceberg. Jordan kept pulling my hand and keeping me motivated as we skipped several bodies and clashed into several people as well, whether they were tipsy, high or just plain wasted.
Though running towards the towards the back door, we could already hear the police shouting: "Freeze!". Time was not on our side, the night was no longer young and my heart was pounding against my chest, begging me to find my sister. I couldn't help but entertain the thought: "What id she's still behind us? What If she's drunk and the cops already got ahold of her"
"We have to jump over to the neighbor's yard, we'll probably lose them there," He asserted as he raised her eyebrows while offering his thigh as a step to help me jump over. I just responded with my feet, for no audible response moved upon my tongue.
Jumping over, thanks to the help of a random guy who had a red hoodie, I almost slipped onto the wet grass before that random guy helped me regain my balance again, Just in time for Jordan to jump over and quickly blurt out something about a church nearby, maybe 4 minutes away.
"What about Audrey and Nigel?"
"They are gone, I know Nigel well" He said proudly, keeping his serious expression embroidered across his face.
The neighbors dogs could be heard barking from the surrounding houses, other's were still jumping over the law in order to escape the law. Sirens could still be heard so we ran alongside other wall jumpers toward the other wall, until we got to a street and witnessed our fellow jumping mates scatter into the darkness of the night as Jordan, Red hoodie random guy and I run with a few redemption seekers as we ran down the long road towards the Church which we had heard would be several blocks away. It was nothing but faith that kept our feet in motion; believing that Lord Jesus was guiding us, his flock of lost sheep, towards the sanctuary.
Despite our jeans and baggy jackets, Jordan and I soon walked into church, playing ignorant to the emerging sound of sirens and inaudibly greeted a few ushers before joining and singing along those who stood, singing praise and worship. It wasn't long before a two cops entered, their eyes turning left, right and centre as they scanned for any possible escaping culprits.
Jordan and I now had to slip through the crowd and run. So we briskly began walking through the crowd, and brought that idea to fruition, while slightly bending forward to hide from the cops while slightly bowing our heads in honour of the Lord. Deep down I felt bad for using the house of the Lord for our own selfish reasons, running away from the police.
"The Lord will definitely not forgive us," I said just after uttering a ragged breath after we'd jogged for almost a minute, just after running through the a small park across the road from the church.
"We'll pray soon baby, but right now we have to hide and get an uber," he joked, inciting me to laugh, long enough to reach the jungle gym and sit. We were still feeling warm from all that running.
Her voice then cracked as we saw two cops walking a hundred metres away, using our exact trail as they walked towards us. One of them had a similar uniform to the one that my father had worn during his early years as a cop and the other just had a scary walk and something long in his hand
"There are here," Jordan absurdly stated the obvious.
In that moment i felt like sarcastically complementing the growth and development that the brain that sat behind his beautiful eyes had attained. But when a car, familiar to the one I had seen in his posts, pulled up behind us I had to dismiss such thoughts.
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My shirt was soaking wet by the time i got home and marked the end of our little escapade. That bittersweet stench of sweat and cologne ascended into my nostrils I sat before my mother and gave her a summarized version at to what had occurred during the night.
It was after I'd just gotten out of the shower and joined my mother, sister and aunt Anastasia in the lounge as we watched "In the dark," when I accidentally tapped on Cassidy's message as it appeared from nowhere onto the top of my chats.
"Why ruin my moment with Jordan... Why would you do such a thing Ashleigh?"
"He's MY boyfriend, and he's got my lipstick on his cheeks to prove that"
"No Ashleigh, you can't just leave for 2 weeks and then come back and take what's mine, He and i were on the verge of dating," he yelled as the the anger and jealousy poured out within her voice note; luckily I had my earphones on.
"Cassidy honey, you should just move on, Jordan is mine," I folded my toes with rage as my fingers furiously typed.
"Yet all this time you were pretentiously giving me your blessing fully knowing that you wanted him all to yourself heyy?"
"Well, there's nothing more i can say except that i love the guy and that the boy loves me too, so just pick up your losses and bounce," I responded assertively.
"Guess he's been using me all this time, after I'd clearly told him where I stand... I'll just have to teach him a lesson for toying with my heart for these past few weeks, and a very memorable one too." Reading her text, I could picture her fiery eyes as she pursed her lips with punitive intentions, her anger written in the redness of his lips. I could imagine her fuming eyes becoming distant as she contemplated about the most fitting lesson for Jordan.
"Cassidy, just know that if you dare touch him, the two if us will play that game," I promised her.
"So 'Leigh, you're seriously choosing him over me?" She finally said two weeks later after I'd arrived late from school school and found her in the kitchen with Audrey.
"You seem to forget the fact that you betrayed me first Cassie. in fact, let's just settle this for once and for all," i said stepped in front of her , my heart beating enthusiastically as adrenaline rushed within my veins, towards my fingertips and making me unleash my pink claws. I was ready to rumble.
"Then if this is how it is, then you and i are no longer friends."
"Like I care, 'cause if you want to throw our friendship down the river cause of a guy who doesn't like you, then go for it."
"Girls, surely there's a better way to resolve this", Audrey interrupted our quarrel as she pulled back my arm in order to avoid a cat fight. That's when my father walked in and i walked away, just as she and Audrey turned away and walked away too.
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Not so long after. Nigel invited Audrey for a chill session in Gardens, Cape Town Central Building District. Despite me yearning to see Jordan but not wanting to 3rd wheel. Audrey talked me into going along, so I went for she wanted to see me bond with Nigel.
Upon our arrival my eyes almost dropped out. 'Cause now i was angry and also suspicious, just in case he was actually playing the both of us. Within the clique, Jordan was walking beside Cassidy and he was chivalrously carrying her bag for her. Nigel and the others were slowly strolling at the same pace.
When my sister and I finally caught up, the guys had gotten the best of Cassie and it seemed she was now more motivated than ever to rumble, i was ready too, so i enticingly waved at Jordan, before Cassidy pulled me aside for a chat.
"No! Ashleigh, he almost got suspended today, he's not in the mood right now", She said trying to pull me even further away, motivated by Zoey's childish cheers.
"Cassie please don't test me, i'm here talk to my bae not you", i said just before i gave her a dominant push.
"Jordan bro, take the girls and go, Audrey and I, as well as the crew are just tryng to take some chill pills." Nigel said just before walking away with Audrey, making her blush for some weird reason
"But Jordan, we were still talking, Ashleigh can't just come here and make demands. You're not her belonging," she said loudly just before grabbing her hand and pulling him in an authoritative manner.
"I've had enough of this, you two need to talk and sort out your issues," said Jordan taking charge, almost making my facial expression melt to his voice submissively
"You know what, I'll catch you later, no one shouts at me, not even you Jordan," yelled Cassidy as she waved her hand with a disapproving gesture.
An argument ensued,and minutes later, Jordan began fuming...
" No Ashleigh i don't like this, you and your friends always fighting over me"
"Boo, beauty is a curse and you're my hot property," i jokingly teased him".
"I'm not joking Ashleigh, it's bad enough that all my classmates are talking about this, even lecturers are gossiping.
"Jordan dear, stop complaining and man up and defend." I lifted my eyes from his lips and witnessed a sincere concern lurking in his eyes.
"No Ashleigh, others are accusing me of inciting this love triangle, as well as you and Cassidy's rivalry, as though i'm playing you two."
"But babes, you know that that's not true. It's her who's wrong here," I said convincingly, before drawing a deep breath.
"There you go again, never taking responsibility... You've really changed Leigh", he stated as he locked my eyes in the essence of his gaze." ...Think we should take a break"
"No Jordan, that's exactly what she wants, just so she can strike and officially claim you as hers." There was a slightly burning sensation in my throat as I began fearing that i'd losing him.
"Ashleigh. It's just a squishy little break, there are some things in my life that I'm currently facing." He hesitantly said, biting his teeth in the act.
" Like how do you expect us to get married with this faint-heartedness of yours," I Literally snapped, breaking my bars in two.
"Ashleigh love, as much as i love you, you're too beautiful to be Insecure and clingy"
"At least I don't care too much about what my teachers think... Just let them be and focus on me, on Us, period!
"I'm still adamant about taking a break, your rivalry has been too much for me." Jordan was now cockily playing with his hair as he said this.
"You know what, maybe we should... It's been too draining for me too; even on an emotional level. Cassie and I are always quarrelling and competing over you, drawing unnecessary attention to ourselves... I too can't take it anymore." My mouth was sour as I folded my arms and pouted with cheeks full of anger.
"Uhm! Uhm! I never realized Ashleigh... I've been selfish, let me take you home, I can't leave you like this." He took my hands and gave me a sense of security as his remorseful grin made his nose piercing pop, and brought out the grey colors of his eyes.
Moments later, after several minutes of trying of waiting for a taxi, as well as Audrey. My feet were now sore as Audrey and Nigel walked into my slightly tilted sight, for I was leaning on Jordan; my temple on his shoulder.
As i softly pushed out of his hug, he just looked at me with a guilty facial expression just before I opened the door and said: "Pull yourself together and choose if its Me, or Cassidy", in a tone that was more demanding than before.
As he quickly ambushed me with a kiss of the forehead, i could see that his expression had become a concocted cocktail of sympathy, anger and defiance even as his cute hair danced to the wind.
The taxi drove off, after Audrey hoped into the passenger sit and began singing along to the emotional song that was playing on radio. I was busy looking at the rear-view mirror eyeing into the greenish pastures of my irises in search of answers, but only found a wild, desperate fear lingering within the rings around my limbard rings, confusion lurking within my pupils. So i just rubbed my thumb gently against my cheek which was now sort of stiff, just before I scuba dived into my sea of thoughts.
Unsure as to whether she and I were still an item or not; I solemnly felt bad, ashamed and unhinged as I gave myself to the comfort of seat.