Forest Lake

Chapter 9

Mason POV

"Are you serious?" I asked in disbelief.

"As a heart attack." Chris nodded. "They aren't canceling it."

"We are going, right?" Jax asked, scrolling through his phone.

"Yes." I nodded. "I'm not missing an opportunity to get drunk. I need it after the week I've been having."

"What is wrong with your week?" Jax asked, looking from his phone to me.

I raised my eyebrow. "You are kidding, right?"

"Oh, you mean your sister being in our group made your week tough?" Jax smirked. "I think that it is a good thing."

I rolled my eyes and sighed. "I don't."

"Keep lying to yourself, dude." Jax said, looking back at his phone. "I'm looking forward to seeing how long you will last like this."

I clenched my fists and glared at him. He really wants me to beat the shit out of him. I don't really know why I haven't done it yet. He's been getting on my nerves a lot lately. He thinks that he knows what I'm feeling and what I want. He couldn't be more wrong.

"Do you think Emma and Hazel will go to the party on Friday?" Chris asked.

My head snapped toward him. Of course not. She is not going. I'm not watching dudes stare at her the whole night. I'm not letting her get kidnapped and killed. She is staying here where it's safe.

"She is not going." I said through my teeth. "I'm not letting that happen."

"And why is that?" Jax asked, looking up from his phone. "Is it because you care?"

I gritted my teeth and clenched my fists. I narrowed my eyes at Jax, but I stayed silent. I couldn't speak. I wanted to say that I didn't care, but the words got stuck in my throat.

"Or maybe you don't?" Jax continued, taunting me. "Maybe you wouldn't feel anything if she was the one found dead in the forest?"

That's fucking it!

I jumped up and wanted to launch myself at him, but Chris grabbed me, locking his arms around my shoulders.

"What the fuck, Jax?!" Chris screamed at him. "Do you want him to kill you?!"

My chest was falling up and down rapidly. I wanted to grab Jax by the neck and squeeze until his eyes popped out.

The image of her lying on the ground dead was so real that I wanted to run to her to make sure that she was here, alive and I only imagined it.

"I want him to admit that he fucking cares about her!" Jax screamed back. "He is my best fucking friend and he is only hurting himself!"

Chris' grip on my shoulders tightened because I started trashing. I will beat the shit out of Jax!

"There are other ways of doing that, Jax!" Chris shouted, tightening his grip on me again. "You are only making it worse!"

Jax sighed and looked at me. "I am sorry, Mason. I shouldn't have said that. I just don't want to see you hurt, okay? I don't want to see her hurt. She seems like a nice girl. You should talk to her. I don't know what happened, but it could all be just a giant misunderstanding."

I clenched my fists and took a deep breath.

"If I let you go, will you kill him?" Chris asked me.

I shook my head, and Chris let go of me.

"You have no fucking idea what you are talking about, Jax." I said through my teeth. "You don't know why I'm angry at her. You don't know if she is a nice girl. You don't know her. Stop assuming things."