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I don't want you close to this marginal part I

Sophie's voice brought me back, finally she broke us out of that trance. But still, I felt that something was taking me towards him, even though I looked away to look at my friend. I felt the need to look at him, but I forced myself to stay still in my place and focus my attention on her.

"Hey guys! I'm still here if you forgot, please wake up?" she says as she waves her hand in front of our faces.

"What's up So?" I asked, still a little distant.

"You two there. Out of nowhere you stopped and looked at each other for about two minutes as if there was no one else here!" she says, making me feel embarrassed.

"Sorry Sophie, I don't know what happened, I just couldn't help it," he said, and I could feel that he was still looking at me. His voice was husky, and it was so beautiful that I couldn't help but smile a little.

"Is everything OK Ju?" Sophie said.

"Everything's great, it's no big deal," I said.

"Come on, tell me, I know you." she insists.

"It's nothing..." at that exact moment my cell phone started ringing, it was dad.

"Guys, one moment." I left the two of them and went out to answer my father, who was calling insistently.

Active voice call:

"Hi Dad!" I spoke as soon as I answer.

"Julie, I want you to return home immediately," he says, and I notice that he is very upset.

"But why dad? I'm going to sleep at So's house, remember?" I spoke to him.

"No way, young lady! Did you know that this friend of Sophie's is a bum?" he says nervously.

"What do you mean daddy? I met him and he seemed so nice." I comment.

"Julie, I want you away from this boy, do you hear me?" he shouts.

"But dad..." I tried to reason with him.

"But nothing, I'm sending someone to pick you up right now." he said.

"Father..."

"I already told you what to do Julie, I'll wait for you here at home." he says authoritatively, making me take a deep breath.

"He is well." I spoke in vain.

"And I repeat my daughter, I want you to stay as far away from this criminal as possible." speaks at the end and hangs up the call in my face.

He hung up without even saying anything else and a sadness fell over me. I took a deep breath, patted my cheeks twice to try to ward off the tears that were threatening to come, and then I went to Sophie because I needed to tell her I was leaving. I confess that I didn't quite understand why my father reacted, but from his voice it sounded like he was very worried and nervous, just because I was there.

"Who was in the Ju line?" asks my friend.

"John". I took a deep breath "My father, he wants me to leave." I told her, still upset.

"But why?" I insisted.

"I don't know, okay? But he wanted me home urgently, he said he'd send someone to pick me up." I said nervously.

"But you should sleep at home..." she says, upset.

"Yes, I know, but suddenly he called, sounding crazy and told me to leave. I'm really sorry, I didn't want to ruin your night even more, so when I managed to get out of that damn prison, something happened." I said, annoyed.

"How? Prison?" Jordan questions.

"It's just that Uncle John doesn't like his little girl mixing with some people. Julie hasn't even gone out on the street since she was fifteen. And when she does, she has to carry three of those brutal security guards behind her." Sophie tells him.

"Wow, I'm sorry about this but... Calm down, your father's name is John Smith? Are you his daughter?" Jordan asked me.

"Yeah, since when have you known my dad?" I asked him and his expression quickly changed, making him serious.

"Of course I know him! He and my father have a relationship. Let's just say that once, or rather, a few times, I got into some trouble with Mr. John." she confesses.

"So that's why he called me and told me to stay away from you. But why? What does that have to do with me?" Knowing that really upset me, because I had nothing to do with their problem, I wanted to have my moment, breathe some free air and, damn it!

"Well, you can imagine what yours are, right?" he said.

"I know one thing or another, but I hate it. Because of shit I don't have freedom and that's so bad. You know I feel like a prisoner because of this. My father took me away from everything and everyone and my only friend is Sophie. I hate my life." I'm sorry for them and I feel like I would cry right there a little longer.

"Hey don't be like that Julie, we already talked about this," says my friend.

"Look, I'm going to take a break outside, I need some air before those idiots come." I said, referring to the security guards.

I left Sophie in Jordan's company and only ignored them when they both called my name. I felt my cheek get wet and I quickly dried it. I let out a breath of air and sat down on a decorated cement bench that was in that garden. It was under a tree where, a little further on, it was full of rose bushes of different colors. I smiled, looking at that charming place.

I was thinking about everything that had happened to me. I couldn't take it anymore. When I manage to leave the house without security guards, my father decides to ruin everything. I knew this was very easy, I was strong, I could handle a lot, but it all ended with me in the same way. I quickly dried my tears when I felt someone approaching. I thought it was Sophie trying to comfort me, but I was completely wrong.

"This is my favorite place, it's where I come to ease my mind when I'm confused." he said, making me lower my head, embarrassed for him to see me all red from crying.

"I'm sorry, I didn't know. I thought it was so beautiful here and, I felt protected, you know, it seems like there's such a comforting presence in this place." I told him.

"No problem, I feel the same way as you. My mother planted this tree and the rose bushes when I was a child," he said, and sat down next to me.

"You know, I have no memories of my mother. She died when I was four out of five and if it weren't for Claire I wouldn't even know what it's like to have a mother." I told him.

"I'm really sorry, as I also lost my mother, I understand your pain. At the time, I was sixteen. Today I'm twenty-three, and I still miss her a lot, and this is where I go when I need her to feel her presence with my mother." Jordan confides in me.

"Well, at least we have something in common, even if it's depressing. But because you're a man, you still have your freedom, which is different from mine. Because my father keeps me locked up inside the house and that's so frustrating. If you had any idea, I only dated once and if my father knew, the boy and I would be dead." I laughed and he followed me.

"At first, Peter kept me a little more trapped inside the house, too, but over time I ended up getting involved with his business, and that's when my father and your father started fighting." he says as he looks at me.

"Do you work with that too? I mean, do you really get involved with the things my father deals with?" I asked in surprise.

"Yes Julie, I was very lonely after my mother died, and my father wanted to keep me away from things. I didn't want to, so the only thing that made him stop locking me in the house was me getting involved with it, and I know that it's wrong. I tried, and I was trying to get out. I don't want to get involved anymore so, Peter, my dad gave me a week, and soon I'll be free of all this shit." he reveals leaving me shocked and surprised at the same time.

Jordan would still surprise me a lot.

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