Chasing the Past (Starla)

[Jacob Titus]

Well of all the places in the world... If JT was a gambling man (and he is, but he'd never admit it for some odd reason), then he probably would set the odds at a meager 30:1 that he'd be back here. In human terms, that means he didn't think he'd be back at Hogwarts for another pointless year. He didn't necessarily plan on attending classes, or talking to anyone for that matter. Well the women at Hogwarts were also nice to look at... but right now he wasn't in the mood for that.

He had always had only one reason to be here, and that was the same reason that stood alone for why he would try remotely at anything. Starla was his dear childhood friend, and his best friend at Hogwarts. She had always been there for him, through all the different detentions, punishments, and even flakey girls. Through the nearly failed exams and his unequivocal indifference, Starla was there for him. When they were younger, everyone thought that they would be together, but the thought grossed them out more than anything...

...well kind of. The thought of being with any one girl bothered Jacob since he was little, but he got that from his father his mother told him. Not to mention his mother brought home a revolving door of men, so a stable relationship wasn't even in his vocabulary. The only "normal" relationships that he saw seemed to be boring more than anything else. Still, if it was going to be someone, why not Starla? Oh that's right! Because he cared about her and wouldn't want her to be with a jerk like him. Not that she'd want him anyways.

It was painfully obvious to himself why he was sitting in the Slytherin common lounge. He knew that if he was going to see her, it would be here. Did he want to see her? Well if you asked him, he'd tell you no. To a man, honestly, of course he wanted to see her. He wouldn't tell her, but the last few months he'd gone not talking to her were terrible. Without her, he was just a loner, cycling in women for no good reason. What would he even say to her if he did see her? Sorry? Not likely. He would mean it, but she should know JT isn't good about sharing his feelings.

He sat there lounging on a couch with his head back, just letting the thoughts flow through his head. People passed him and smiled, but no such action was returned. He wasn't in the mood to smile. Classes would begin soon and what motivation did he have? He needed to get out of this funk, but as usual, JT could drown himself in his pitiful sorrows.

[starla]

Starla was out in the sunny grass outside of Hogwarts hanging with her friends, she so wanted to go and swim in the lake, but she knew that they’d probably get in trouble for doing so. So tanning was the best option, they couldn’t say much about that now could they? She was wearing super short shorts that showed off her slender legs, while wearing a spaghetti-strapped shirt that was also mid-drift that showed off her cute bellybutton ring.

As Starla was lying in the grass, her mind whirled off into some distant memories that she used to put behind her, but now they flowed around her like fireflies at night. Images of Jacob came into her mind for some apparent reason, she wanted to push those thoughts away, but instead she let them flash across. The earliest ones she could think of was when they were ten, Jacob was so cute with his shaggy brown hair and brown eyes that glinted in the sun when he smiled. What was she thinking? They haven’t talked in how long the gods know, he didn’t want anything to do with her, well that’s what she though so anyways.

She had always liked him, but not in that friendship way. Yeah she dated a lot of boys and he sure did his heck of a lot of flirting, so she had no way how he felt….was that wrong of her to just punch some of those girls in the faces? No not really, she did that one time, but she never told Jacob that. Starla saw the image of the last time she saw him in her mind and wonders where he is now. Probably out flirting with some girl more beautiful than herself, well actually who can be more beautiful? Come on really?

Starla just shook her head, sat up, and noticed that she had a honey tan that she was reaching for, and smiled. Only if Jacob could see her now, all tanned up and more womanly than she was the last time they seen each other, the though made her smile with pleasure. She took out her wand and waved it, sending her things back into the Common Room, yeah its dumb doing that cause someone could go through it. But, she has a charm to prevent that, if they touch her bag, they get shocked, like electricity.

It took a few minutes to get back to the Common Room, plus a stop to the bathroom to touch up her make up, non magically for once. As Starla walked in, she seen a figure on the couch and she didn’t pay attention to it at first, going for her bag first. She put the bag over her shoulder and seen who it was, the girl almost fell over. It was Jacob, just sitting there like nothing, looking just as more handsome as he did before. She couldn’t let him see her emotions, standing there she stared at him, And you came back because…..oh and thanks for the warning…. she said to him. No hi, no hug, no nothing. He just walked out on her life, like their friendship was nothing. But secretly, sh wanted to jump in his arms and hug so tight that it hurt.

[Jacob Titus]

With his hands cross and his memory criss-crossed into the past, intertwined with his current attempt at understanding the present, he faded for a second.

—

He was eleven again, tall for his age, and just relaxing on a swing. The swing was made of wood, long enough for two people to sit on as it hung under a large tree that provided nice shading. There was a large house not too far away, and young JT was watching it intently, and one grand wooden door in particular. His soft blue eyes showed hints of gray under the blockade of sun.

Slowly, the door slid open, moved by a small foot at the bottom of the door. Slowly, young Starla appeared, her dark her gently blowing at the bottom in the wind. She was dressed casually for a nice summer day, shorts and a small pink t shirt. She held a tray in both hands with drinks on them, tall glasses of ice cold lemonade no doubt, and scooted out the door, trying not to bump her elbow and spill anything.

Jacob sat back in the swing now, more relaxed. He got that ever-present feeling that he would get when she left him. Even if it was to go inside just for some lemonade, a tinge of pain would sweep over him, and he would feel like she was never coming back again. Of course, he would never tell her or anyone else this. He really only felt it this much when it came to Starla, though now and again he would feel it at random times. There was no reason to tell Starla about this because no matter what happened, she always came back to him.

Despite the fact that she never failed him, he still got scared. He cared about Starla, his only real friend in the world. She was the last person he got close to, the only other person being his mother. Since that didn't turn out so well for him, he always had a feeling in the back of his mind that it could happen again.

When she finally reached him on the swing, she held out a tall glass of lemonade to him, with the sweetest smile on her face. Everything about her was just so... kind. JT would never understand why he deserved such a friend, but instead of actually earning it, soon he would do the opposite.

As the two children swung, not really saying a word, just enjoying each other's company, JT looked over at her and noticed how peaceful she looked. "When we get older..." he started and stopped just for a moment when she turned to him and looked at him as if his words would be the last spoken on Earth because she cared that much. "... Just make sure you don't forget me." He wasn't sure if that's what he really wanted to say, but that was all that came out. She looked at him like he was crazy for asking for that, but before he heard her reply, he snapped back to reality.

—

Her words stung him. Those weren't the words his mind wanted to hear. He was thinking more along the lines of "I could never forget you," but instead he heard, "And you came back because?" He closed his eyes for a time period only twice as long as a blink, all the time he needed to gather his thoughts. "I came back because I go to school here. Some crazy girl convinced me six years ago and sadly, I keep coming back," he said in a calm voice as he turned around to see the person he already knew was addressing him.

It had been a while since he saw her, and he wondered what could happen in a year to have her change so much. Her tone, it was so powerful, and her look, well she was definitely different than the Starla he remembered. She looked, well girly. Girly like the girls that JT had been ripping and running on for the past three years since his body would allow it. But there was a difference between her and the other girls, she was Starla, and she was beautiful. She was all grown up too, oh what time could do.

In the past he saw her every day, so while she was always changing and growing, he just saw it so slowly that he didn't notice it. Having been gone for some time though, he was doing a lot more than noticing. She had a woman's body now, and a face that was so angelic, even if the words coming out of that pretty mouth had some sting to them. He couldn't just let her be mad at him, especially when much of what happened was out of his control.

He breathed in slowly, controlling himself so as not to give away too much of what he was thinking. His mind was moving a mile a minute, and with Starla, he was careful about what he chose to say. He stood up to face her, and his height made him feel more comfortable again because he'd always been taller than her. He slowly reached out and grabbed her hand loosely. "Do you really need a warning? I thought you'd be happy to see me after all this time. You of all people should know that I can't predict where life takes me." He knew this wasn't going to help much. She heard "you of all people" out of his mouth so much.

"If you'll just give me a chance to explain, you'll see why I had to leave. Won't you just sit with me for a while, I haven't had anyone to really talk to in so long." His request sounded more like a plead than anything. His demeanor wouldn't show it, but the tone of his voice would let her know that he was serious. He slowly pulled her gently down by her hand towards the couch as he set himself down, hoping she wouldn't fight back.


Tags: Starla
Words: 1040
Notes: Sorry so long! The flashbacks help me understand them lol.

[starla]

Starla went to the armchair next to the couch he was lying in, he looked so good, those eyes, that hair. It drove her crazy looking at him; she knew she couldn’t stay mad at him for too long. Oh after a few months after it started, oh yeah very smart move. I’m surprised they let you in. she said then lightly laughed at the girl he was talking about, Oh yeah, this crazy girl always convinced herself that you would come back also. And now you’re here… she said trying to keep back a smile. Finally giving up, a smile grew on her womanly face that reminded her from childhood. Just the look of him brought back so many good memories, none that are really bad, well maybe a few bad ones. There was one memory that hit crashed on her like the waves crashing into the sands at the beach:

- - - - - - - - - - -

It was Christmas break and her parents threw a huge party for her friends and her parent’s friends. They were both fifteen years old and she had brought her boyfriend to the party and JT was with some girl that she remembered from school, but didn’t know her name. Starla didn’t know why, but she was super jealous that he brought someone to her party; she half hoped that he would come alone, then again she had someone. She was wearing a black dress, a little short and low cut for someone her age, but she did have the money to buy a dress like that. She wasn’t fully figured yet, but there was a bit of one on her body, her hair was curled, with it draping almost to her butt. That was before she cut it.

Looking around, she seen him, he was wearing a nice dress shirt, slacks, and a tie. Gods he looked good, his hair still messy, something that he pulled off very well. Lately, he’s been acting like a little troublemaker, always doing something, but she didn’t care. She always had seen the JT that was ten years old on the swing at her house when they played together. His blue eyes glint in the sun, his summer-tanned face and his still, messy brown hair. It drove her crazy seeing him, but the girl he was with was ruining her image, she was definitely prettier than herself, but no way was she going to say that. She was blonde, tall, tan, and by the looks hit puberty early.

As Starla and her boyfriend danced and talked to grownups from time to time, it was getting late and he needed to go home, he kissed Starla good night and disapparated home. Sitting alone at a table where she was eyeing a diamond necklace that her father had given her, she wondered where JT was, she didn’t see him anywhere. He was probably with that girl in one of their thirty bedrooms in the house, which made Starla roll her eyes and sit back in her chair. She wanted to be with him so bad, but that would totally ruin their friendship if they ever had a messy breakup, well he probably wasn’t into her anyways.

Sighing, she put her elbow on the table and held her chin on the palm of her hand, smiling as she seen her parents on the dance floor. They looked like they were having the time of their lives; usually older couples with lots of money never paid each other any attention and/or cheated on them, but her parents were something special. She always seen them dancing in this ballroom when they had a days work while the maids cleaned the kitchen after dinner, always looking like they fell in love all over again as their feet swayed to the Muggle artist Frank Sinatra. That was a kind of love that Starla hoped to find one day when she was older and out of Hogwarts, she wants to become an Auror hopefully, that or just be a stay home mother with her children, that sounded better.

As she watched she noticed that a song came on, that was a slow dance, O-Town amongst them. When she was a little bit younger, she loved their band, not like cry when she seems them fan. Just a regular fan, and her favorite song came on, [white]Care to dance with me? I knew you loved this song.[/white] someone said holding out their hand. Looking up she seen it was JT, Where’s your date? she asked looking around. She wanted to be polite and acknowledge her if she was here, but she hoped that she wasn’t. [white]Nah she went home hours ago, I was taking care of some business. Come on, dance with me.[/white] he said again smiling.

Knowing that it was nothing serious, she grabbed his hand as he led her out to the dance floor, as she wrapped her hands around his neck, and he around her waist. They twirled on the dance for a little bit and she smiled at him, So how are you liking our famous party? she asked smirking to him. Seeing him shrug and looked around at everyone dancing, [white]It’s nice, you always have nice parties. By the way you are looking stunning tonight.[/white] he said looking at her. Starla couldn’t help but blush, he’s always being suave with the ladies, and she was no exception to one of those ladies. Oh stop, I look ok. You look nice yourself, clean up nice. she said looking up at his eyes, they looked dark from the darkness around them, but they always seemed to shine.

[white]Yes but you don’t have a necklace on, maybe this will help.[/white] he said stopping and then pulling out a golden locket. [white]Yes, I know it’s corny a locket, but I thought you would like it, open it.

[/color] he said handing it to her. Starla was speechless, But, but, I didn’t get you anything! I should have now, I swear I’ll make it up to you. she said shaking her head as she opened the locket. Inside there was a picture when they were eight years old, a few months after they first met. She had long, black, curly hair, and a few freckles on her nose. He looked the same but younger version, blue eyes and brown hair, she was speechless. I love it, thank you so much, but why is the other side empty? she asked him. But he never did reply he just shook his head and helped her put on the necklace and danced.[/i]

- - - - - - - - - - -

Getting up, she felt the necklace that hung around her neck, she always had it with her when he was gone, so he wouldn’t forget him. She watched as he got up, he was taller than her, and grabbed her hand. She shook her head as he talked and smiled sweetly up to him, I’m sorry, it’s just when you left you have me no warning, just poof and you were gone. Can you blame me for being angry with you? she asked him shrugging as he looked at her. It was true, she was mad for at least a few months, but now that he was here she couldn’t be mad.

Nodding her head, she sat next to him on the couch slowly, leaning on the backrest of the couch and crossing her legs. Yes you better explain…in good details pretty please? she asked smiling to him. She knew that if she pleaded enough and gave him her one thousand dollar smile he would tell her the truth…at least that’s what she hoped.


Tags: JT
Words: 1,295
Notes: Sorry!!! I made him a lush in this one, I figured he was one around Starla haha. And sorry it's so long!!![/blockquote][/size][/font]

[Jacob Titus]

He watched her attentively, in a different way than normal. His trust issues as a boy led him to be always scared that Starla would leave him. Not that she would necessarily, just like childhood. But exactly like childhood, if she did, it would mean he had no one. He only cared about two people, and one was his drugged up irresponsible mother. Starla was the only stability he still had in life. This time however, he looked at her intently not because she was walking away, in fact she was walking towards him, but because she was pretty damn easy to look at. He didn’t know she even had a belly button ring, much less that she would show it.

He didn’t know how he felt about it right now. He heard her mocking his late arrival, joking with him as always. Even he had to laugh a little at the thought of them letting him in. “Yeah well I had to charm the receptionist for a little while, not talking about that though,” he said with a small smile that accompanied his suppressed laughter. She always knew just how to lighten the mood. “Hey after dealing with that old witch, I’m pretty happy I ran into that crazy girl again. Still haven’t lost all hope for me I see.” JT said in a way that sounded arrogant, though on the inside he was more relieved than anything.

As her hand was in his, he realized that it wasn’t as playful as it used to be. They weren’t holding hands this time because they were partners in the three-legged race, but by choice. Her hand was so soft in his, and he did feel like it was easier to talk to her, even if he knew this was going to be a tough conversation for him. “I can’t blame you for being mad. I’ve messed up in the past, and I can’t say I’m sorry for leaving, but I do apologize for not giving you a warning.” He wouldn’t normally apologize to anyone because his actions were for only him to judge, but as usual, Starla was an exception. He didn’t give gifts either, but gazing down at Starla’s neck showed again that she was an exception.

He was relieved that she agreed to sit down with him as he gently guided her down. Her body language was still very guarded even though she gave him that smile that comforted him so much. She asked for the details with that pretty smile, and he hoped that she knew what she was getting herself into. “Okay Starla, but just remember that you asked for it,” he said as he took a deep breath and adjusted his shirt. He was nervous, but he wasn’t sure why. Well there was only one thing to do, get on with the story.

((For the sake of simplicity, I’m just going to depict the scene and you can imagine JT telling this story))

Back in the heart of Houston, TX, the most puzzling of places held some of the most dangerous, hardened criminals. Only five miles from the courthouse in Downtown, the heart of one of the most crime riddled cities was a small building that almost looked suspicious for being so unsuspicious. The place was a pale blue, looking like a residential house. In fact, it was a residential house. Mama Gigi, well that’s everyone called her, lived in this house… but the real fun, well that was all downstairs in the basement.

In Houston, basements weren’t exactly common. The city was right at sea level, so the odds of having a basement that wouldn’t flood were slim to none. Underneath Mama Gigi’s house, the basement did not flood, much money was put into seeing that it didn’t. The Underground Mafia was housed here, and it was aptly named of course. JT had a little run in with them in his younger days. His mother’s revolving door of men that she either tried to settle down with or fucked just for rent turned dangerous one day when she brought the wrong man home, and that led to JT’s first visit with the UM of Houston.

--

When he was seven his mom brought home a man that made some really big promises about taking care of her and Jacob, but of course it was all a big lie. He ended up forcing JT’s mom into prostitution and became very abusive to both of them. In his sleep, a young JT unlocked their bedroom door and snuck in, butcher knife in hand. The boy had enough of his shit, and knew that the only way to get his revenge was under the veil of night and with the element of surprise on his side.

In seconds, it was over. JT was a murderer at the age of seven and he barely made a sound. He slit his throat and drove the knife straight through his heart as if he’d done it before. He woke his mother up who completely panicked. She frantically packed all of their belongings and dragged him out the door. While in his car, she explained to JT that he was a dangerous man and people would be looking for them, so he did the only thing he could think to do, he sought out the UM of Houston. He needed them, for protection. In return for this protection for he and his mother, they asked him for one thing: loyalty.

When they found out that he’d gone off to Europe, they were disappointed. As a boy, he was a stone cold killer, carrying out any task asked of him. They lost an up and coming star, and had to figure out what to do about it. His mother called him while he was on break from Hogwarts and told him that they demanded she work for them in his place. He had to go home and settle it once and for all. He couldn’t allow them to drag his mother, no matter how bad of a mother she was, into his mess.

--

Jacob was shaking with a blend of emotions. He was shaking because he was scared, scared to relive some of these moments, things even Starla hadn’t known before. He was shaking because he was angry, angry that he put himself in this predicament. Most of all though, he was shaking because he didn’t know how she would react to this. Maybe she’d be scared of him and walk away. He looked at her and tried not to burst. “I’m sorry, it’s tough. I really need to tell you this though… should I continue?” he asked with a shaky voice. He knew that part of this battle was going to be facing his fears. If he couldn’t do it with Starla now, he never would.


Tag: Starla
Words: 1164
Notes: Word count as always is before formatting, just for you dear.

[starla]

Starla rolled her eyes and laughed lightly when he said that he had to charm the receptionist to get back in, Who aren’t you charming? You always did know what to say. she said. The girl never encountered one of JT’s charms, but she hoped that she wouldn’t for a while, his good looks is better than his wandwork. Thinking about that made her laugh a little, poor guy always hated charms; she remembered staying up half the night with him helping him so he wouldn’t fail the class. Those were the best times, Starla was happy that they both were put into Slytherin house, because if they weren’t in the same house, she’d probably die of bordem. Smiling, Starla gave JT a big hug, Well that crazy girl did kinda miss her best friend, and she’ll never lose hope on you. No matter how bad things get. she said.

As they held hands, Starla smiled at the feeling, even though she’s making herself the traitor in her own relationship. That was something that she was not going to tell JT right away, he just came back and she wanted to spend as much time with him as he’ll allow, she didn’t want to see him upset. She was dating a Healer at St. Mungo’s, a very famous on at it, his name was Phillip Harding. He was 26 years old and was a friend of her family, they met last year through her parents and they talked non stop, letters always coming in and going out. He was a good looking man, has a successful career, and as her parents put it, was a good at financially supporting her. For right now, they’ve been dating for a little over ten months, yes, they got into the relationship status pretty fast.

JT was always like that big brother kind of thing, at least that’s what her mother used to tell her when Starla got boyfriends and he would be upset about it. Sometimes it confused Starla and made her wonder why when she laid in bed at nights and couldn’t sleep. Nodding her head, she knew he was right, he couldn’t say sorry for leaving, Ok I can’t blame you there either, if you had to leave you had to leave. I forgive you of that, is that ok? she said to him. Just him leaving him made her so bored, he always knew what to do to have fun, or just helping him with his homework or a test, made her world just a little bit brighter at times.

As they sat down on the couch, he warned her that she asked for an explanation, I know, I know, I’m sure it won’t be that bad. she said smiling at him. But as he told the story, her face fell more and more, plus getting white. Well she did know about how his mom was in bad shape with the drugs for when they first met, but he has never told her about his past before he moved. She couldn’t believe it, he killed his mother’s boyfriend…slit his throat worst of all! Starla didn’t know how to react to that: shock, sad, upset, she didn’t know. But at least that’s why he left, to go help his mother, at least that’s what she thought.

As he stopped, she noticed that he was shaking, well she was too, but for him to relive that must have been traumatic. His face looked so content that it made her want to kiss his cheek, in a friendly way, just to make him calm down a little. Starla took his hand again and rubbed the top of his hand and leaned into him just a little, Oh my goodness JT, why didn’t you tell me? I’m so sorry that this kind of trauma had to happen to you at such a young age at it. Yes, please continue, I want to know everything. You know you can tell me anything. she said all joking aside. If he never told anyone, this must have been killing him inside to keep it all in, she was really glad to be his friend at this point.


Words: 700
Tags: Jacob 'Troublemaker' Titus lol
Notes: Hope you like it!!

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[Jacob Titus]

As the friends shook together, and Starla calmed herself enough to take her hand into his once more and rub it to calm him, the effect was sadly lost as soon as it was realized. His shaking soon stopped too, and his eyes narrowed, his eyebrows sinking slowly liked balled up aluminum foil over the ocean. Light enough to attempt to float, and yet surface area diminished enough to allow it to be consumed by the world’s most present and popular solvent.

This heart dissolved for the moment, and anger fueled his emotions to tip back the scale of trauma. He heard what she said, in fact, he’d heard it all. The forgiveness, the shock, the horror, and even her attempt to reassure him that she was there. He knew she was. “I’m going to continue…” he said, his voice trailing with his mind. A wave of synapses came crashing down on him as his mind put him back in place he didn’t want to be, but needed to be.

((Back to story time, Yay!))

On the plane ride back to Houston, JT sat first class, and even bought the seat next to him so that he wouldn’t have to interact with anyone save for the flight attendant. Talking was the last thing on his mind, even for a social butterfly like Jacob. It was shocking that he still had teeth since they were grinded together the entire plane ride. He knew exactly who he needed to see, the one man heartless enough to drag someone’s mother into a personal beef, Giovanni, who JT call Gio.

Talk about the worst kind of man, if you could even call him that. He was a sloth, albeit a well dressed one, but he was disgusting. One of those tough-talking guys who wasn’t really about shit. Always had people do everything for him so he felt like he was somebody. If JT could just catch his fat ass alone, there would be a lot less business for Frenchy’s down the street in third ward. The little shack of a structure housed the world’s most amazing, greasy fried chicken a man’s heart could clog an artery on. In fact, it was so good, JT considered stopping to eat at Frenchy’s on the way there, but shook the thought off again as the pilot finally announced that he was ready to make the final descent.

At that point, any speck of gray left in JT’s eyes was washed away by the icy blue that scanned the room like something straight out of Transformers. As he made his way to baggage claim, his limo was there to pick him up and the one man can trust was right along with him. “Mr. Plaskett,” JT muttered as he gave him a nod once in the limo. Sean gave but a nod and opened up a duffel bag on the floor. All the money he was going to need for this trip, and his knife. JT didn’t do guns as he felt like they were the tool of a coward. It could be a mistake, but he didn’t plan on making any of those. His best friend had been with him as a child, and they rose through the ranks together. He always remained loyal to JT though, even if he almost never spoke.

With the help of Sean, he was able to find out the exact moment when he could get Gio alone. In fact, it was thanks to Sean that this whole thing was possible. Sean had propelled himself to new heights in JT’s absence and was now Gio’s right hand man. Every night at exactly 10:26pm, Sean would go to the restroom, leaving Gio alone awaiting his return to finish their nightly game of dominoes. Gio hated when people talked during the game, so naturally Sean Plaskett was the best person to play with. It was the last thing they did before going to sleep in the basement under Mama Gigi’s house.

At exactly 10:13pm, JT gave mama Gigi a kiss after spending some time talking with her and catching up. If he didn’t, then she would suspect something was wrong and not let him in the basement. He tucked her in and walked into the basement, just one door separating him from a man that ruined his childhood and was now trying to ruin his mother’s life as well. He steadied his breathing in the way that only JT could and just simply waited. All sorts of thoughts ran through his head as the seconds blinked by on his digital watch.

After an agonizing thirteen minutes, JT slipped into the room at the exact moment that Sean left to the restroom because he knew that Gio’s head would be turned. Without so much as a word being spoken, or a question being asked, JT was across the room with a sharp knife right at Gigi’s throat. His eyes bulged, not used to being vulnerable, and he knew JT well enough to know that if he tried to scream, his throat would be in pieces before so much as a sound let out. He shook in terror; the fat under his eyes even seemed to press back into his skin for fear of death. “What the fuck… were you thinking?”

JT’s question hung in the air, the weight of the tension suppressing his rage temporarily. Sean listened from behind the bathroom door, knowing that it would be over soon, and he would take over the number one spot in the UM. With Sean in charge, this would all be over. For now, Gigi’s round stomach sucked in and out as he knew that his life was hanging by a thread. Just when he found the words he wanted to say, his ability to speak ceased. A pool of warm dark blood spilled onto the floor, and when the smell arose, Sean knew it was safe to come out. JT simply wiped the knife onto Gio’s jacket as he lay there in a heap, like someone dressed up a sack of lard and spilled syrup and ketchup on it.

For a long while, the childhood running mates stared at each other. After the moment of eerie silence wrapped in understanding passed, the words that filled the room next were a surprise to JT. Sean spoke, for the first time in years, “She’s free.” A flash of emotion passed over JT like a passing ray of sun into a small crevice in the earth. JT put up the number “2” with his fingers, not for peace, but to symbolize their old partnership. He joked with Sean that they were the only two needed to get a job done. While everything was different for them now, nothing was different in the end. Sean would be running the Houston UM, and JT would be trying to get his life together an ocean away.

A strange thought ran through JT’s mind, he wanted to hug Sean. He never did, and the man just granted his mother freedom. He did try before, but he didn’t succeed. Sean backed away from him as little boys and simply said “We can hug right before we die, it is bad luck.” JT had to laugh at his good friend, his only friend, for he had hugged plenty of women and didn’t have bad luck… well maybe he would stop hugging. He shook off the thought so as not to offend his friend, put his knife in his pocket, and simply nodded.

For the next several months, JT spent some time working on the one thing in his life keeping him from being “normal” or so he thought, he hung out with his mother. They spent many days relaxing at home, enjoying the safety that Jacob now afforded them. He took his mother everywhere, trying to show her the life that she could have if she would get things together. Sean even came with them to the Downtown Aquarium, but he didn’t speak a word. Life was good, but JT knew that he couldn’t stay here forever. His mother implored him to return to Europe and be something special. He knew he couldn’t do it, at least in his mind, but he figured for once in life, she might actually be right.

--

There was no more shaking for JT. As the story winded down, he was breathing hard, mostly from the shock that it was all over, that part of his life. Now he had no direction, no worries, nothing. He wanted to be home eventually, but he had no jobs to carry out, no one coming for his head, what was he supposed to do? Every now and again when he made a little cash, he would send it home to his mother, but even she was doing alright.

Coming back to reality, JT stared at Starla. Here she was, still the same, friendly Starla. Her green eyes still looked at him as if he could do no wrong. “I’m sorry I didn’t tell you, but I didn’t want to lose my only friend here because of my life.” He knew it sounded dumb to her, because thinking about who she is, it sounded dumb to him. “I’m going to get a headache,” he said with a light smile, acknowledging how tough it was for him to share these things with her. Emotionally, he was taxed.



Tags: Starla
Words: 1610
Notes: Annnnnnnnd there's the story.

[starla]

As Starla held onto his hand, she couldn’t help but not feel bad for him, he was so young when tragedy hit him in that way. Now the puzzle started to fit together slowly as she thought way back when he was always distant with people and such, well except for herself. He was always kind of honest with her. The look on his face was the face she’s seen rarely, the look of anger in his eyes, and the way his jaw was set to show how masculine it really is. She didn’t like to see him like this, but he did look pretty hot right now, but she couldn’t say that of what he would say. He told her that he was going to continue, all she did was nod her head.

Listening, she couldn’t believe it, JT was so….fearless, first off, she didn’t know what a plane even was. Then just going to Giovanni’s and killing him without even talking, she didn’t know how she’d take that though. Starla was glad that his friend had taken over the business, even though she still didn’t know what kind of business he was running in the first place. But she didn’t want to ask as he still told the story, she was glad that his mother was free, out of all the years they’ve known each other, she only met her about six times. Starla knew that she had problems with….drugs…if she knew what that was either, must’ve been a Muggle term he used. But she did sound like a very nice lady.

Once he was done, he apologized for not telling her about it, now she felt like a total idiot. All she cared about was herself and didn’t realize him leaving was something way bigger than she expected, all she thought was that he was meeting some girl or something stupid like that. Shows her how mature she was about the whole thing. Oh my gosh….that is a reason to keep it low key. I’m so selfish, I’m so sorry. she said. She wanted to hug him or do something, but she want to look clingy or anything. Looking around, she was glad that there was no one in the Common Room right now, or people would start saying things. When JT said that he was going to get a headache, Starla took out her wand and conjured up a liquid, she handed to him, Here drink this, it will prevent it from coming about, it’s really good. Trust me. she said smiling.

Looking at him, she wondered about one thing, Um…I have one question, why didn’t you let Giovanni get a word in? Or why didn’t your mom come over here with you? I’m sure that we could’ve found someplace nice for her to stay at. she asked. Thinking about it, she asked two questions instead of one.

Words: 482
Tags: JT
Notes: Sorry it's small haha

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[Jacob Titus]

Perhaps the last thing JT wanted to hear from Starla was I’m sorry, and if it wasn’t that, it was her feeling like she was somehow a bad guy in this story. He didn’t think she was selfish at all. He couldn’t know what she thought about his leaving, but one way or another, she had every right to be suspicious of Jacob. It would be extremely hypocritical of him to do as much sleeping around and partying as he had done in life and then not expect anyone to believe he was up to no good when he all but falls off the face of the earth for months at a time.

Before he could really respond to that though, and thankfully maybe because he really wasn’t sure what he could say that would make her feel better, she was already pulling out her wand. He knew Starla was the nice one in their friendship, and she was really hard on herself at times when it came to being there for JT. For now, he’d just let it go and hope that in time she would see that she did nothing wrong in this situation. One thing was clear though, her concern for him slowed his anger considerably. His mind was not stuck on vengeance at the moment, but on his friend feeling bad.

“I do,” he muttered as he took the glass from her hand. The warm cup contrasted his icy hand, cold because it wasn’t the one that she was currently holding. He did trust her, and she had to know that now, and he would have died there if she wanted to poison him because he had no doubt she would never try to hurt him. He took a sip at first, and then tossed his head back swiftly so that the contents of the cup could drain into his body the way that he often did with his emotions, taking them all in at once.

He set the cup down on a coffee table and licked his lips a little bit, making sure the curative liquid would be consumed at full. “Thank you Starla,” he said with a smile. He knew that the headache would retreat into the emptiness of the world soon enough. Then she finally spoke after looking at him like she wanted to. He gave her a light laugh, “If you weren’t so pretty I’d be tempted to only answer one of those questions, but I guess I can answer them both… even if you lied.” He finished his statement with a wink and sat back into the couch to really ponder these questions, because he hadn’t necessarily thought about one of them.

The second question was an easy one, so he answered that one first. “My mother wouldn’t come here; she doesn’t want to be on the same continent as my father. Plus, my entire family is back in Houston, and she didn’t want to leave them,” he said, almost smiling at the end at the thought of family. The second question though, well his brain faltered a bit. JT never really let people speak before he killed them if he could help it. Why though… well he wasn’t entirely too sure, but he could guess. “I guess I just didn’t want to hear anything he had to say. Some people don’t deserve a last word, and he was one of them. He’s just lucky I made it quick.” The last part of his sentence came out harsh, just the way he meant it. Certainly this was a side of JT that Starla wasn’t used to, and hopefully one that wouldn’t stay around for long either.


Tag: Star "Trek" La!
Words: 634 in character
Notes: Short is good these days! Haha back to Earth with our word count.

[starla]

Starla watched as JT took the glass from her hand, she noticed it was cold, was he cold or just from the flashback? She wouldn’t know cause she wasn’t going to ask him that, it maybe was just cold in here, looking at the fireplace she started it up with her wand. As the fire roared she noticed it was getting a little warmer in here, guess that’s what happens when your Common Room is in the basement part of the castle at Hogwarts. When he put the cup down on the coffee table, she made it disappear and then another glass with pumpkin juice and a little whiskey in it to calm her nerves, she picked it up and took a drink. It was refreshing to the heat in the room now, between the feelings for him and the fire in the back.

Oh your welcome, you know I take care of you. she smiled and winked at him. It was easy to be herself around him, that was one thing she liked, never an awkward moment with JT. Starla laughed when he said that he will answer her questions, Oh yes, I’m just that beautiful that I can do no wrong. Nah I’m just kidding. she waved her hand. Starla was kidding with him, there has been a few little things that she knew it was wrong and he got upset at, but that wasn’t important right now. All kidding aside, she really did want to know what she had asked him.

He answered the second question first, so she had a hunch that he had to mull the first one over, Oh ok, well I could see that…I think, the thing about your father. But yes, it would be hard to leave your family to go to a whole other country. I’d miss my family. she said. Starla looked down at her hands and then took another drink and the edge went away a little more, it was very yummy. She noticed a small smile on his face when she looked back up. Starla nodded her head when he answered, Well…I don’t know what to say about that, cause I would have let him speak, what about his wife and children though? What are going to happen to them if he had a wife and children? she asked. Questions kept spilling out of her today.

Starla sat back on the couch and looked up at the ceiling for a minute, she wondered how she was going to tell him about Phillip, she just wondered about his reaction the most. She sat up and took another drink, then folding her legs under each other and smiled at JT, Oh so lets get to a happier subject Jacob, so other than what happened. How have you been? How’s life? Seen any Texan hottie’s? she smiled. Yeah, this subject was a little touchy with her, about the girls, but she wanted something happier to talk to him about.


Tag: J.T….idk what nicknames to tell you…not like Prophecies haha
Words: 509
Notes: Yes short is good lol

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