Page 56 of Fox
Torch: Dementors?
Me: Fuck yeah! They were flying all over the place! They’d suck the soul out of your body.
Me: Shit hurts!
The three dots appear, then disappear, and suddenly, a FaceTime call is coming through.I shouldn't answer it…
I hit accept, and I see Janie’s face appear on my screen, and it fills me with such a warm sense of relief, like I’m home, safe and warm.
“I nearly pissed myself,” she laughs, and there goes that warm feeling.
“And what? You instantly think, ‘Gee, Fox is going to want to hear this’?”
I watch her blue eyes roll. “I meant you made me laugh so hard with that text, dickweed.”
I grin at her brightly. “Have I ever told you that your pet names for me make my knees go weak?”
She palms her forehead. “Why am I talking to you again?”
I give her a half-shrug. “My guess is you missed my adorable looks and magnetic charm.” Her laugh is small and forced as she looks away. The screen is shaking, and I know her tremors must be high because even her head is affected. “Hey,” I say softly. “How about you set the phone on the table or something?”
I see her creamy cheeks go pink as she winces. “Yeah, sorry, my tremors are pretty bad today.” She sets her phone down, propping it up against something before sitting in front of it. She tucks her hair behind her ears and I notice a large mark on her arm.
“What’s that?” I ask, gesturing to my arm. Janie looks at the same spot on her arm, and I watch her face scrunch up before she looks back at me.
“Okay,” she says calmly, and instantly, my hackles rise. Something happened, and she’s about to lie about it.
“Donotlie to me,” I warn forcefully. “What. Happened.”
“She was jumped.” Ren’s voice mutters before I see her flopping on the couch behind Janie.
“What!?” I roar while jumping up, trying to figure out what I need to do and who needs to die.
“Wait!” Janie says after punching Ren in the thigh. “I wasn’t jumped! I just…”
“Spit. It. Out.” If I didn’t need this fucking phone to speak to her, it would be through the wall right now.
Janie takes a deep breath while shooting Ren one more glare before looking back at me. “I had to go to my apartment to talk to the landlord. Someone recognized me and shoved me. I stumbled off the curb and got scuffed up. I’m fine.”
“I’m coming home,” I state simply before hanging up. There’s no chance I’m sitting here talking to a bunch of idiots for the next three days while Janie is back home unprotected and getting hurt. My phone rings, and I hit the speaker button as I continue to pack.
“What?” I ask.
“Fox!” Janie yells through the phone. “You are not coming back here! You are not my babysitter! I’m fine! I am going to the meet and greet tomor—”
“The fuck you are!” I yell into the phone, earning a loud groan from her. “Your cute little ass is not going anywhere near those people.”
“Fox, while the alpha male protective thing is very endearing, it isn’t going to work on me! I’m not your girlfriend. You can’t tell me what to do.”
I chuckle lightly. “Baby doll, I’m easily twice your size and a foot taller than you. I will sit on you if need be, but you are not going anywhere.”
There is a moment of silence before I hear a loud sigh. I smile, feeling victorious. “Fox?”Fuck. She’s got the Pissed Off Pierce voice. “If you come back here and try to stop me, not only will we only carry the vegan ink line, but I will scratch the finish off, Vanessa.”
“Okay, brat, that’s too fucking far,” I growl in annoyance, sitting down in the chair and turning the video call back on. She answers, her dark blue eyes holding no humor. “Fine, but I want updates, got it?”
“Fox—”
“Janie,” I snap, silencing her. “If I’m staying here, you gotta give me something. I will lose my fucking shit if I’m left to imagine what’s happening with you.”
