Chapter 23

"Why do you have a picture of Nicole?" Marcus looked at Jack, "do you know her?" He asked.

"Of course I do. I know Nicole, and I know you know her. Be straight with me. Why are you here, and why are you acting so strange?"

Marcus looked around, "me acting strange? You are the one who is acting all weird. I don't have time for this. I have to go."

"But Marcus?" Jack grabbed his arm, "why are you running?" Marcus looked at Jack and pulled away, "let me go before you get hurt."

Jack opened his hand, "I am just looking for answers. Relax, man."

Marcus shook his head, "you looking for answers?" Marcus's face started to turn red. "Maybe the answers you are looking for are right in the mirror."

Jack frowned, "can you stop speaking in riddles and be straight up?"

"Straight up? Sure Jack, perhaps you should be out there looking for your sister than standing here interrogating me."

Marcus walked off as Jack stood there, " what does he even mean?"

Jack turned and took the escalator down. While going down the escalator, he saw Claire. She was by the ice cream machine. She looked up at him and let out a faint smile. She stepped out into the light, that girl with blond hair, a thousand shades of gold that made new mosaics each moment in the warm summer air. From afar, you could say her soft curls were the color of rich cream, but up close, it was a chorus of hues. The emotion in her eyes was profound, yet they carried the warmth and life of the sunlit surface. They had a thousand hues of blue and a slight touch of hazel radiating in softly swooping arcs. She smiled and fluttered her eyebrows. He felt his heart quiver. He never had the guts to ask her out when he was around her alone; he was speechless, he nervously scratched in his pocket, searching for his phone as an escape mechanism to avoid awkwardness, but it was too late. He had reached the bottom of the escalator, and she was standing right there at the bottom.

"Hey, Jack, you again." She leaned over and hugged him as he awkwardly stood there like a frozen statue, unsure what to say.

"Hey? How are you?" He responded.

"Dude, why are you so stiff? What is wrong with you?"

"Nothing, what must be wrong? I mean, we are both here talking , hanging out, and getting to know eachother." He scratched his head. He had never been alone with her. This is the first time.

"Chill, we friends, what are you up to?"

"Nothing, just the usual window." Before he could complete the sentence, Max came from behind. He was a popular, charming guy in the school and had a wealthy family.

"Sup Jack in the Box."

He playfully punched Jack on the shoulder, "are you trying to take my girl?" He kept a severe face until he noticed how awkward Jack was.

"Im kidding, man." He placed his arm around Claire's neck, "have you heard anything of that girl."

"What, girl?" Jack lifted his right eyebrow.

"What's her name? Nicole?"

"Omg, you mean she is still missing? Her poor parents must be devastated, thats probably why her brother is back from London."

"No, I haven't heard anything, but they suspect the worst has happened to her."

Jack thought for a moment. She never mentioned she had a brother, and how does Claire, of all people, know him? She was popular and had in on the latest gossip, but Nicole? Claire? Her brother? There must be a piece of the puzzle he is missing.

"Say, man, are you here alone? I mean, you could hang out with the rest of the crew. We are going bowling." before Jack could say anything, Claire answered, "Yes, Jack will join."

Claire looked at Jack with her ocean blue eyes as she bit her curved lip, sandwiching it between her canines, letting out a smile.

How could he say no to someone so beautiful? Her amazonian figure sat well on her wafer-thin body.

Her crescent-shaped eyebrows inclined slightly, "you are okay going with us, right Jack? I mean, it would be great having you there."

"Let's go, guys," said Max slapping her butt. As they walked to the bowling alley, Claire decided to walk with Jack, who was walking in the back, they were a group of five, and they all knew eachother but would never have expected Jack to be joining them.

Max walked with Claire's best friend, Melanie.

Melanie had long blond hair and light skin. She was initially from the Netherlands and had relocated. She had a perfect shape body.

She wore black biker boots and a biker jacket with a black dress and had a strong personality. She got along with anyone. When she laughed, she laughed loudly.

People loved her because she was not stuck up, and with her, it was a matter of what you see is what you get. Her beguiling, oyster-white teeth lit up the room when she broke into a smile. It could jolt you like an electric current when that megawatt smile gave you her full attention. Filed to perfection, her Venus-red fingernails ran through her shiny blond hair with a copper glow. Spools of it plunged around her photogenic face and hid a swan's neck, elegant and smooth. Everyone loved her nebulous, Eden-green eyes, which sparkled with the 'Joie de Vivre. They were like two beryl-green jewels melted onto the snow.

Her calamine-pink lips tasted like rose petals. It surprised Claire that they were plump and botox-boosted, as she had a timid, introverted personality.

Claire was secretly jealous of how Melanie looked, but Melanie was too confident to notice Claire's Jealousy even though they were best friends.

Claire looked at Jack and smiled, "why are you this serious, dude."

Jack smiled, "me serious, never. People aren't always what they seem, so I pick my company more carefully than others do."

Claire was surprised at Jack's response. Claire stared at Jack's red lips as he spoke, his perfect eyebrows and smile. "So, Jack, how is your sister doing?"

"Why am I starting at his lips." She asked herself. There is something about him that makes him appear mysterious and daring. He walked confidently. "Well, my sister is at the campus. She is doing well. Thank you for asking Claire," he replied in a thick stern voice.

"Do you come here often?" She stared at him again, "shit, what am I doing? I have a boyfriend."

"Claire?"

"Yes, sorry, what is it you were saying? My mind is elsewhere." Jack smiled, "It's okay. I was asking if you come here often?" A guy walked past and bumped into Max, "watch where you are walking, asshole."

The guy retaliated, taking out a knife with an eleven-inch blade.

"What did you just call me?" He walked up to Max. He was a few inches taller than Max. Max backed up, "Chill, man, I was just saying watch where you are walking."

Melanie jumped in front of Max, pushing the guy with the blade, and two men came out of nowhere holding knives. They all had hoodies and carried unfamiliar tattoos.

"What? You have your girl standing up for you now?" The two men moved in closer, "security help over here." Melanie shouted, but there was no security.

Claire jumped in, "listen, can we please go our separate ways? We aren't looking for trouble."

"Well, trouble found you." He pushed Claire to the ground. The crowd started to gather around them. Max jumped in as the guy punched Max so hard in the face that he fell flat.

Jack became angry. They had just hurt Claire. He jumped in and grabbed the guy by the chest, kicked him to the ball, and used his elbow, knocking the guy's teeth out of his mouth as he fell to the ground. The other two men jumped in and tried to grab Jack by the arms, but Jack's reflex was too fast. He pulled away and pulled out a 9mm colt, standing in front of Claire, protecting her, "enough now, boys."

He looked them in the eye. He was standing sideways with his gun out between the crowd. Everyone ran off when seeing the gun.

"Jack, put that thing away." Claire screamed, looking around, "yeah, put it away, Jack," replies the thug. Jack then hit the thug in the face with the back of the gun and kicked the other on the ground. Blood was over the tiles. The thugs realizing what they were up against, put away their knives and dragged each other out of the mall.

All of Claire's friends stood there watching Jack. His anger had blinded him. He looked at his hands with their blood on and put away his gun, "I am sorry, I have to go."

"Jack, wait," said Claire. He kept on walking as Claire was about to run after him. "Claire, where are you going?" Said Max lying on the ground with a bloody nose.

Claire looked back as Jack stopped, turned around, and smiled. "It's okay, Claire, im okay."