Jason

"Father. How are you this morning?" I spoke into my phone.

"Cut the crap, Jason." I heard him speak. "It's all over the news. What the hell is wrong with you?"

"According to mum, I have IED." I told him dryly.

"Jason." He spoke in a stern tone. "I will not have anyone associated with me - much less one of my sons - embarassing me in any way. What in the world brought this on?"

I looked on to the front seat and was suddenly grateful that I had asked Joey to drive me instead of Greg. Joey had been with my family longer and actually knew my history.

"Answer me, boy." He ordered.

"Bella." I spoke gruffly. "It's Bella. She broke things off... officially."

I could practically feel him rolling his eyes over the phone. "Well what the hell did you expect with the way you were acting while she was gone. You didn't even bother looking for her. You just sat around on your butt feeling sorry for yourself while entertaining a bunch of random girls. And when she did come back, you spent all your time entertaining that nobody girl to make her jealous. You must be stupid if you're surprised that she didn't want you back."

I gritted my teeth, fighting the urge to snap back. Instead I responded the customary way. The way he had trained us.

"Yes sir." I let out.

"Oh for goodness sake, be a man and tell me something other than that pathetic response."

I clenched the fist that wasn't holding the phone. The one that was still bandaged.

"I have nothing to say, sir." I spoke again. Just like I was trained. Like a little brainwashed soldier.

"I really don't know when you'll learn to stop royally messing up. Isabella is the best thing that happened to you and you managed to screw that up too. Even if your Uncle Ben is practically like a brother to me, it took a lot to get him to agree to that engagement. You're just lucky it's already set in stone."

"What?" I asked.

"Isabella has no choice. She already made a commitment to you and our family. Eventually, she will have to go through with it."

I couldn't believe what I was hearing. "Are you telling me that you're going to make her marry me?"

"You know that arranged marriages in our family are not something we take lightly. Isabella was promised to you when she was twelve, since then we've incorporated her into our family and trained her to be a Callahan wife. She doesn't have to marry you now but she will have to eventually. We'll give her whatever time she needs to get over this little tantrum then we can proceed."

"But she doesn't want to." I told him.

"Son, arranged marriages don't usually concern the intended. That's the point."

"But she won't agree to this. You can't make her." Of course I still loved Isabella and it has been my dream to marry her since we were told about the engagement. But I didn't want to force her into something she wouldn't be happy with.

"I can't make her but her father can. What's wrong with you? Are you forgetting what you've been taught your whole life? Marriages are about partnerships and creating stronger ties."

I fought the urge to roll my eyes as I remembered Kate's words on what love is supposed to be. Her voice in my head was the last thing I needed especially when I was talking to my father.

"And what ties are we making stronger, father?" I knew I shouldn't have been speaking out of line like this but it needed to be said. "After what I did to their family, maybe it's not such  bad thing that we break up this whole damned thing."

"People die!" He yelled. "Sure it was a tragedy but things like that happen and it was as much his fault as it was yours."

The way he said it infuriated me. Like it was just a part of life. Like it could happen to anyone. But it didn't. It happened on my watch. Sure it was an accident but it was an accident I could have prevented if I had been smarter. If I hadn't been trying to impress my father.

"I have a meeting I need to attend in a few minutes. I'll call you again later. I assume your mother recommended therapy."

"Yes, sir."

"Good. You'll have your hearing with the council when I  get back tomorrow. In the meantime, for goodness sake, keep your head down, boy! You better not be going home from some club as we speak."

"What?"

"It's 3.am over there. I'm not stupid. You're obviously in a car."

I fought the urge to groan at how he always noticed such things.

"I'm on my way somewhere." I told him. I didn't want to lie. He could always tell when I was lying.

"Where are you going?"

"To see someone." I responded as vaguely as I could.

"It's the girl, isn't it?" He guessed.

Right again.

"Yes, sir." I replied gruffly.

"Stay away from her too. The sooner you break ties with her the better."

"Father."

"Oh, you can't possibly be smitten. Come on, I really hope you're not that stupid. Your mother has told you that she's nothing but a social climber. You need to listen to her and get your head out of your ass. Stay away from her. That's an order."

"Yes sir." I replied.

"Talk to you later." He spoke before hanging up.

I didn't realise I had been squeezing my phone until I heard a cracking sound. I looked at the device and spotted a crack going all the way up the screen.

Great.

I tossed the phone aside. I didn't want anything to do with it at the moment anyway.

"We're here." Joey spoke up.

I looked out the window and realised that the SUV had stopped moving. Joey had packed a further distance away from the buildings just like I had instructed him.

I opened the car door and hopped out before throwing my hoodie over my head and slipping on my sunglasses.

It was still dark out and I doubt anyone was even up or would be able to see me but I didn't want to take any chances.

I walked up to the driver's window.

"I'll probably be here a couple of hours. I don't have my phone so if anyone calls asking about me, just tell them I don't want to be bothered."

"What if it's your mother?" Joey asked.

I fought the urge to roll my eyes. "Especially if it's my mother."

"Jason, your mother is my boss." He reminded me.

I sighed. "Fine, tell her I left without telling you where I was going or something."

"She's just gonna hunt you down." He spoke in a sing song voice.

"I'll deal with her then." I told him knowing that my mother was very capable of turning the city upside down in a matter of seconds just to track me down."

"And if your father calls?" I could tell he had overhead our conversation and was dreading asking the question.

"Trust me, he won't. His had enough of me for one day."

Joey nodded, not bothering to ask any further questions.

"Go about your business. I'll find a way to contact you when I need you." I told him.

"Your mother told me to take you to therapy today at 1pm."

I cursed. I had almost forgotten about that. I waved him off. "Yeah, whatever."

"Anything else?" He asked me.

"Nah, you can go." I told him.

He nodded and drove away.

It was extremely chilly this morning and I could even see my breath when I breathed out.
I rubbed my hands together and jogged in the same place for a few seconds before breaking out into a sprint.
It wasn't a long run but I needed to do something to get my adrenaline going and to fight the cold.
In no time I was at the familiar apartment building.
I jogged up the staircase that led to the front door. I punched in the security code and walked in.

The place was just as we had left it the day before with nothing out of place. I fought the urge to roll my eyes.

Figures.

I went up the staircase that I knew led up to another open space that had no formal name but it was like a sort of hang out spot with two sofas, a coffee table in between and a pool table in the corner. I made my way to the door at the furthermost end and let myself in.

The room was dark but I could make out the outline of the girl on the bed, the sound of her soft breathing filled up the room.

She almost looked angelic just lying there quietly.

Say what you want about my brother but he has always known how to pick them.

She was beautiful. Extremely beautiful and hot, when she had her mouth shut, that is. I could see why a messed up guy like Harry would be attracted to such a seemingly innocent and clueless being.

I mean, we were all messed up. It seemed like it was a family curse. But Harry had a harder time digesting the fact than any of us. Heck, even Max was coming to grips that he came from a family full of psychos.

I forced myself to look away when I realised I had been staring too long.

I just didn't get her. She seemed to care a lot about everyone and everything.

I thought back to the day before when she had argued with me and was so quick to apologise. How she still seemed to care a great deal about Alex so much so that she was still here after everything. I just didn't get her and I hated it.

I can always read people easily. It's something I've always been able to do.

My thoughts will be the end of me one day. I pushed the thoughts aside and flipped off the light switch causing the to light up.

"Rise and shine!" I yelled.

I saw her stir in bed before she started opening her eyes. She yawned and squinted her eyes in my direction.
"What's going on?" She asked as she pushed herself up into a sitting position.

"Anthony sent me. Your training starts now. I'm here to take you out for a run."

She let out another yawn and looked at the digital clock beside her.

"What the fudge nut? It's 3.15."

Fudge nut? Seriously?

I shrugged. "Which means it's the perfect time to get out there. Even the paparazzi isn't up at this time."

She groaned. "Can't I just have a few more minutes? I'm so tired." she spoke as she grabbed a pillow and threw it over her head

"No." I responded as I walked up to the bed and pulled the pillow away from her. "Now get up."

She let out another groan and sat up. She started rubbing her eyes and spoke through a yawn. "I don't even have anything to run in." I noted that she was actually wearing the clothes she had on before. She slept in jeans. Who sleeps in jeans?

I rolled my eyes as I turned to walk up the stairs that led to the rack where her clothes were being kept.

"That's why you have Gio's number." I spoke.

"Sorry but how was I supposed to know that you would show up at three in the morning for the sake of exercise." She called after me.

I started examining one of the racks, immediately pushing away all the fancy stuff. After a lot of ruffles, I picked out a pair of leggings and a plain tank top which I assumed would suffice.

I went back down and tossed them at her.

"Hurry up."

She picked the top up and studied it. "I don't get why I can't just run here, there's a treadmill in the next room." she whined.

"Because I said no." I told her.

"Gee, good one, you should be a lawyer." She muttered as she got out of bed, carrying the clothes along with her and going upstairs where the room's bathroom was.

I glared at her retreating back. She was such a piece of work.

"Umm... Jason!" She called from the bathroom.

"What?" I yelled back not planning to be polite either.

She hesitated. "Um... how are you doing?"

What the hell? Was she trying to mess with me? Was this some kind of mind game? How am I doing?

What the hell was that supposed to mean?

"Are you done or what?" I asked ignoring her question.

She came out a few seconds later, tying her hair up in the process.

I couldn't help but stare at her body in the form fitting clothes. Of course I had noticed her body before but this time it was different...

I quickly shook my head out of it. Why in the world was I looking at her that way all of a sudden?

She barely got to the last step when I started walking away. "We're going to run a couple of miles so don't faint or anything because I promise you that I will not carry you back."

She picked up her sneakers and started putting them on.

"You didn't answer my question, you know!" she called out.

I was hoping she wouldn't bring that up again. It really pissed me off that she was one of the people in my life who just assumed I was 'mentally unstable'.

I spun around to face her.

"You can stop bullshitting me, okay?"

She stopped, looking taken aback. "I'm not. I-sorry... I was just asking."

"Why? Because you're afraid I'm some unstable freak?" I yelled.

She didn't get to assume that she knew me because she witnessed  some little moment.

Her brief moment of fright faded away quicker than I expected. She folded her arms across her chest and narrowed her eyes at me.

"I was just asking because I was concerned."

"Thanks, but I don't need you feeling sorry for me." I told her making sure to drip as much sarcasm into my words as possible.

You'd think after all this and how I had threatened her the day before that she would just shut up and let it go. But she didn't.

She threw her arms up in the air.

"Geesh! I am not feeling sorry for you, okay?" She seemed to struggle for her next words in frustration. She took in a deep breath to calm herself down before addressing me again in a calmer tone. "Not everyone is out to get you Jason."

With those words, she walked past me out the room.