When we reached the office I sat down in a chair. I heard Mrs. Trenton tell the principal the we "love birds" were caught on the bleachers about to make out. I groaned and slunk deeper into my seat. Jace's hand managed to go from his leg to mine. I froze and looked at him.
"You wanted this to happen!" I sputtered. He just looked at me and grinned his hand sliding up closer to my crotch. I got up and moved to another chair.
After we got out of the principal's office we both had gotten detention for skipping classes. I sat and stared at the wall for what seemed like ages. When we both finally got out I turned to head home. Jace grabbed my arm to stop me.
"Where are you going?" I looked at him.
"I'm going home. My parents are expecting me." He shook his head. "We have an English paper due call them and tell them you're going to be at the library."
I glared at him. I got my phone out and and called my house. My mom answered the phone. "Are you out?" She asked.
I grimaced."Yes, but I'm going to the library I still have an English paper due." My mom didn't respond. "My partner missed English class so we decided to skip history to think of a topic and that's why I got detention." I continued.
I sighed. "I will even have the librarian call to say that I'm there." I finally said after my mom still hadn't responded. I heard my mom take a breath. "Fine, but if I find out that you weren't there you will be grounded got it?"
I relaxed. "Got it thanks mom." I hung up and turned to Jace who raised an eyebrow. "What? No I love you?" He asked.
I gave him a dirty look and walked to his car. He walked to the drivers side and got in reaching over to unlock the passenger door. I got in and slammed the door shut. Jace looked at me. "This is an expensive car."
I gave him a nasty look. "I could care less." I snapped. He grinned. "You need to let it go." I whipped my head around to look a him.
"I need to let it go? You got me detention and now that I think about it I feel like you knew that Mrs. Trenton was there." He raised his eyebrows. My mouth dropped.
"You cocky fucking son of a bitch. I am going to hurt you when we get to the library." He looked away. "Why not here?" So I did what he said. I reached over grabbed his chin and forced him to look at me. Then I slapped him so hard the sound echoed off the car walls.
We stared at each other, me in horror and him in shock. "I was not expecting that." He said and started driving. I rubbed my head feeling like shit. When we got to the library I just sat there.
Eventually I started to talk. "I am so sorry I really didn't mean to slap you that hard. I mean it was mainly your fault because you told me to but then again I went through with it."
I was babbling like an idiot. Jace just stared at me. "Can't you say anything?" I asked him. What he did next was not what I expected.
He leaned across the seat and kissed me. I mean really kissed me and I surprised myself when I kissed him back. The kiss became more intense and I went from apologizing to the hottest guy in school for slapping him to making out in front of the library. When I pulled back I looked at anything but his face.
"We should head inside, we still need a topic for our English paper and I don't want my mom to think I lied to her again." I opened the car door and got out. I headed for the library's front steps not looking behind me.
I watched Annie head into the library. I took a shaky breath. I hadn't meant to kiss her but I had and there was no changing that. I turned the car off and headed in after her. I searched for her and found her on the second floor playing with her phone.
I sat across from her. I decided to avoid asking her how she was feeling. "So what do you think our topic should be?"
Annie asked looking up with a blank expression on her face. I looked at her and shrugged. She sighed and looked at the shelves of books. "I really don't want to make this suggestion but maybe we should do it on your dad's death. I mean it is what takes up most of your time right?"
I just stared at her. She looked away again. "Right well it was just a suggestion. I mean it could be an excuse for skipping classes. After all you do go to the woods each time."
I hated to admit it but Annie had a really good point. "I don't know Annie." I said slowly. "My uncle wants me to put this whole bear slaughtering thing behind me. Just let it go." I moved my hands in a fly away motion.
She snorted. "No one told you that you can't have the direction of your life changed by an outside force? Your uncle can't force you to not want to investigate your dad's death. I mean hell if it was my dad, I would want to find that stupid bear and kill it for revenge too."
I nodded thinking it over. She raised her eyebrows and we sat there looking at each other until I made up my mind.
"Fine, but I really am begging to think it wasn't a bear that slaughtered my dad."
She smiled. "Hey all the more adventure for us right?" She got out a pen and some paper from her bag and titled the top. "Okay we need to jot down some ideas. Maybe we can start with the day your dad went hunting?"
I shook my head. "I already told you everything. He was going hunting for the money. He always went hunting for the money. Half of it went towards my college education."
Annie nodded. "That's good, now do you know of anyone that would want him dead? Seeing as you found no evidence whatsoever of a bear in the area?"
I grimaced. "No, he was liked by everybody. He took on jobs in this town that no one else would take on because they were too lazy to do it themselves. That or they claimed that they were too busy."
Annie finished writing down what I had just said. When she looked up she seem preoccupied. "Maybe our paper could be on the reasons why you think that it wasn't a bear that killed your dad. We could give evidence and other stuff like that to support you theory."
I raised my eyebrows. "You really believe me? I mean you don't think it's just paranoia?" She snorted.
"Of course not I think you're perfectly insane." She grinned and I rolled my eyes.
"Jeez thanks."
She looked at the shelves of books again. "Maybe we could get some books on bears and get some information on like the signs we should be looking for if we were tracking a bear down."
I gave the shelves a sour look. "I know a lot about tracking, I don't think these books have any new information. I got all my tracking skills from my dad."
Annie pursed her lips. "Huh, hunting was really important to your dad."
I nodded. Annie got up. "What if your dad really was murdered? How the hell will we prove it? I mean maybe your dad stumbled upon the killer by accident and was killed to keep his mouth shut?"
I thought it over. "It is possible isn't it?"
She gave me a sad look. "So you really think that guy you saw coming out of the woods might be involved?" Annie had paled some.
I shrugged my shoulders. "I don't know. I mean he was pretty suspicious."
Annie sat down again for a couple of minutes. Suddenly she sat straight up. "Maybe we could see if we could find a body or any evidence that the guy is a killer."
I furrowed my brows. "You want us to go into the woods and try to find a killing? You're crazy."
She rolled her eyes. "Oh please, its crazy people like us that make this world exciting. Without us a lot of things would be boring and dull. Plus there is a fine line between good crazy and psycho crazy."
I looked at her with admiration. "I'm starting to hate it when you make a point."