{"id":981,"date":"2015-08-08T18:29:54","date_gmt":"2015-08-09T00:29:54","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.winter-publishing.com\/welcome-to-winter\/?p=981"},"modified":"2015-08-08T18:29:54","modified_gmt":"2015-08-09T00:29:54","slug":"midnight","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/winter-publishing.com\/welcome-to-winter\/2015\/08\/08\/midnight\/","title":{"rendered":"Midnight"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>((\u00a0 <a href=\"http:\/\/www.winter-publishing.com\/2015\/07\/25\/a-noble-sacrifice\/\">Part 1<\/a>\u00a0 ))<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>At midnight Jade dragged Riley out of her house and into her truck. Sleep-deprived as she was, Riley barely registered what was happening until Jade slapped her shoulder when the truck shut off. Riley jerked forward in her seat, the seatbelt\u2014she didn\u2019t remember buckling up\u2014locking and tightening against her chest. She leaned back against the seat, unbuckled, and rubbed her eyes.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhere are we?\u201d she murmured, a yawn marring her sentence.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAt Aris\u2019 college.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Riley blinked. Jade was willingly on campus? She cast a glance to her red-headed kidnapper and couldn\u2019t help but grin.<\/p>\n<p>Jade wore all black\u2014from her solid black sweatshirt, to her cargo pants, to the bandana tied over her red hair. Her feet were hidden by the dash, but Riley assumed Jade was wearing black shoes, too. Jade gestured to the backseat, where, somehow, some of Riley\u2019s black clothes were waiting for her. They were in a pile, so no doubt Jade had grabbed whatever she saw and tossed them into the truck. Which, hilariously enough, was also black. Though the paint was beginning to chip and reveal the metal beneath.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou said you\u2019d help me decorate.\u201d Jade explained, pulling two plastic bags from behind her seat and placing them on her lap.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDid I say that when I was sober?\u201d Riley countered, arching a brow. She grabbed the clothes and pushed her seat back to change out of her pajamas.<\/p>\n<p>Jade shrugged and looked away. \u201cI talked to a few people during the day and found out Aris\u2019 schedule. We can hang things around there.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou <em>talked<\/em> to some people?\u201d Riley pressed, smirking as she pulled a jacket over her arms.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cTalked, threatened, I don\u2019t really see the difference.\u201d Jade grinned back at Riley. \u201cLooks like you\u2019re decent now.\u201d She gestured to the building in front of them, one of the many on the large campus. \u201cThis is her first class.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI\u2019m going to guess you didn\u2019t get permission to do this.\u201d The two exited the car and walked onto the grassy lawn in front of the cement building. Jade laughed.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cPermission? Hell, I couldn\u2019t even get half the student body to talk to me.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cMaybe if you didn\u2019t look like you were going to punch people half the time.\u201d Riley offered. Jade sneered and walked up to the front steps of the building. Two large pillars stood on each side, framing the doorway. Jade dropped her plastic bags and pulled out\u2014oh, well, definitely not birthday decorations.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou brought <em>spray paint!?<\/em>\u201d Riley hissed, grabbing Jade\u2019s wrist as she reached for the red can. Jade grinned madly.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHey, if I tried to put up banners, they\u2019d be down before Aris even got here. Enough spray paint around the campus and she\u2019s bound to see it.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cShe\u2019s going to get in so much trouble.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI didn\u2019t say to write her name! Fuck, I\u2019m not <em>that <\/em>much of an idiot. Just write things like \u2018happy bday champ\u2019 and things generic like that. She\u2019ll know it\u2019s for her, but she won\u2019t get in trouble. And neither will we, if we can get this done fast enough.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Riley groaned and released Jade\u2019s hand. \u201cIf house arrest wasn\u2019t bad enough, Aris is definitely going to take away your drinking privileges.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cShe\u2019s not my mom!\u201d Jade griped, frowning as she shook the red can. \u201cShe can\u2019t house arrest me and she <em>can\u2019t<\/em> take away my booze.\u201d She rolled her eyes and turned to the pillar, beginning her first word.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI don\u2019t know, she was pretty angry when you got out of jail.\u201d She whistled and grabbed a green can. She shook it as she said: \u201cAnd you looked pretty scared when she locked eyes with you.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI was <em>not<\/em> scared.\u201d Jade huffed, shaking her can again. \u201cBesides, you still owe me for saving your tail from the slammer.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201c\u2018The slammer,\u2019 really? That\u2019s what you\u2019re going with?\u201d Riley snickered and turned to draw on the opposite pillar. \u201cAnd I do not owe you. I paid for your drinks when you got out! It\u2019s not like you were in there long, since tall, dark, and handsome paid for you ticket out.\u201d She said her last sentence with a hint of revulsion.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI didn\u2019t ask him to, if that\u2019s what you\u2019re implying.\u201d Jade began to paint the words again.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cOh, you don\u2019t have to.\u201d Riley chuckled. \u201cI think he\u2019d do <em>anything<\/em> for you. I\u2019m pretty sure you have your own personal creep-slave.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cOkay, okay, you\u2019ve made your point.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI\u2019m not sure if I have\u2014have I said he\u2019s too slick for you? Maybe that he\u2019s up to something? Oh, I know, maybe he\u2019s just in this to get in your\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWow! Okay, Sherlock, calm down! Shit, dude, it\u2019s not like we\u2019re dating or anything.\u201d Jade stepped back from the pillar, where she had written \u2018party!\u2019 in big letters. She nodded, satisfied, and tossed the can in one of the two plastic bags. She looked over at what Riley was writing.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cRi!\u201d Jade yelped. \u201cWhat are you doing!?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat\u2019s it look like? I\u2019m confessing your undying love to Aris in the shape of a heart.\u201d Riley stepped back where a massive green heart had been drawn. She grinned over at Jade, who grabbed exasperatedly at her face.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cRemind me why I keep you around?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBecause I\u2019m the other corner of the triangle?\u201d She tossed her can into the bag before Jade picked it up.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI don\u2019t even know what you\u2019re saying. C\u2019mon, let\u2019s move to the next place.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Riley followed her with a large smile on her face. The next area was a rectangular brick building. The entrance way was rather unexciting and didn\u2019t have any surfaces to draw on. Jade dropped the bags on the grass and pulled out gasoline from one. Riley\u2019s eyes widened in surprise.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou want to burn a message in the grass?\u201d Riley asked, crossing her arms. Jade walked forward a few paces and, classically, shrugged.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHarder to cover up that way. Spray paint the door over there, or something.\u201d She gestured to the brick building. Riley shook her head as Jade began to spill gasoline.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cShe\u2019s going to hate this, you know. Why didn\u2019t you just get her a card?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cCards are lame.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI got <em>you<\/em> a card for your birthday.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou said it, not me.\u201d Jade smirked at Riley. Riley stuck out her tongue. \u201cBesides, I had all this around the house, and with my low funds, I can\u2019t really go out and buy her anything cool. She\u2019ll at least remember this birthday.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Riley shook her head and picked up a blue can of spray paint.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDon\u2019t draw another heart,\u201d Jade warned.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNo promises.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>A moment later the smell of fire filled the air, burning grass making the darkness shudder around the small flames. Riley turned around to see \u2018hapy bday\u2019 burning in the grass. She frowned.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou forgot\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI know I forgot a \u2018p.\u2019\u201d Jade grumbled. \u201cMakes it\u2026better\u2026that way.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Riley arched a brow and laughed. \u201cReally? Well, she\u2019ll definitely know it\u2019s from you.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat\u2019s that supposed to mean?\u201d Jade crossed her arms and pursed her lips. \u201cI spell fine most the time.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHey, I\u2019ve been victim to your text messages, Red.\u201d Riley shrugged. \u201cThe truth is in the pudding.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cOh and <em>I\u2019m<\/em> the one that uses lame phrases.\u201d Jade chuckled. \u201cC\u2019mon, there\u2019s only a few more places to hit up.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>A flashlight shined on Jade\u2019s chest. Riley and her whipped around to see\u2014<em>Oh for the love of God!<\/em><\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat a surprise to see you here, Private.\u201d A\u2019doxia said, sneering at them several feet away. She wore a security guard uniform and her hand sat atop her tazer.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhy does she call you Private?\u201d Riley whispered.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDon\u2019t ask me.\u201d Jade muttered back. \u201cTo be honest, I think she just doesn\u2019t know my name.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou realize you\u2019re defacing university property, right?\u201d A\u2019doxia cooed. Her flashlight hadn\u2019t wavered from Jade, almost like she hadn\u2019t even noticed Riley was standing there. Jade groaned.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cRelax already\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou\u2019re resisting arrest. Afraid I\u2019ll have to take you in.\u201d A\u2019doxia unhooked her tazer. Jade turned and sprinted.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI fucking hate those things!\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Riley blinked, A\u2019doxia\u2019s light flickering to her.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAnd you, too? Boy, oh boy, are we going to have fun tonight.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Riley felt vomit bubbling up in her throat. She grimaced and raced after Jade, A\u2019doxia following right on Riley\u2019s heels. Riley caught up with Jade and yelled: \u201cWhy does shit like this always happen to you?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou tell me\u2014I only get into this much trouble when you\u2019re around!\u201d Jade shouted. She turned and rushed to the parking lot, the truck almost fading into the darkness around it.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHow mad do you think Aris is going to be if A\u2019doxia follows me home?\u201d Jade said.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI\u2019d say pretty pissed.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThink I could pass it off as a birthday prank? Dox doesn\u2019t seem to hate Aris as much as me, so maybe she\u2019d\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cGo along with it? Are you insane?\u201d Riley cast Jade a look. \u201cI think that\u2019s probably the worst idea you\u2019ve had all night.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Jade huffed. \u201cYou\u2019re always so dramatic. \u201cOh hey, I never asked, what\u2019d you get Aris?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou\u2019re asking that <em>now?<\/em>\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cRunning from Dox is sort of a normal occurrence for me.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI got her a starbucks card.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAh, what? Dude, starbucks sucks.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhatever! I see Aris there all the time!\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYeah, and you\u2019re not helping her bad habits!\u201d The grass ended and Jade ripped open the driver side door and jumped in, locking it in the process. Riley did the same with the passenger, and A\u2019doxia stopped when the lights turned on.<\/p>\n<p>Riley glanced at Jade, who had a crazed look in her eyes.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHey, no.\u201d Riley said, snapping her fingers in front of Jade\u2019s face. Jade swatted Riley\u2019s hand away.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt\u2019d be so easy. Hit the gas petal\u2014no one would know.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201c<em>I<\/em> would know. I don\u2019t want to be connected to a murder.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt was in self-defense.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou were defacing property.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Jade pursed her lips. \u201cYou\u2019re no fun. Do you and Aris have tea or something together? You sound just like her.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAs a matter of fact\u2014is A\u2019doxia on the phone?\u201d Riley paused and watched as A\u2019doxia calmly walked up to the driver window and tapped on the glass with the phone.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt\u2019s for you, love.\u201d She said. Jade rolled the window down just enough so A\u2019doxia could drop the phone in and held it up to her ear.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWho is it?\u201d Riley asked. Jade\u2019s face went white.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cStop\u2014no I wasn\u2019t\u2014calm down\u2014okay that\u2019s fucking fantastic\u2014no, no I don\u2019t\u2014why does Dox even have your number? Aris! Calm down! Chill\u2014you\u2019re <em>what!?<\/em>\u201d Jade pulled the phone away from her face and shoved it through the crack in the window. She started the car and veered out of the parking lot. Her and Aris didn\u2019t live far away from the school, yet Jade felt the need to speed through ever light, every stop sign, and didn\u2019t even shut off the car when they rolled into the apartment driveway. She threw herself out of the truck and Riley scrambled after her.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat!?\u201d She howled for the hundredth time. \u201cWhat\u2019s going on? Was that Aris on the phone? How did A\u2019doxia have her number?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Jade entered the tall building and skipped the stairs with her long legs, making Riley work harder to keep up. When they reached the third floor, Jade dashed through the hallway and unlocked her room door. It slammed against the wall, probably waking whoever lived on the same floor. Jade stood frozen at the door. Riley walked in beside her, peering into the room that was no bigger than an average hotel room. The kitchen stood by the large glass doors that exited onto the balcony and, standing at the sink, was Aris.<\/p>\n<p>And she was on the third bottle of wine, pouring it down the drain. Her blue eyes stared right at Jade. Jade collapsed to the ground.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNot the booze,\u201d she whispered.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNot only were you on house arrest, but then you went and did something that could get you in serious trouble? Get you fined, or worse, sent to jail again?\u201d Aris used her free hand to rub her eyes. \u201cIt\u2019s a good thing I was able to convince A\u2019doxia not to say she saw you tonight.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Riley frowned. Oh, this was certainly not good. \u201cWhat did she want in return?\u201d she asked, her voice barely over a whisper.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cShe wants Jade to treat her to dinner tomorrow.\u201d Aris replied.<\/p>\n<p>Jade rolled into her back and stared up at Riley.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cPlease kill me.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Riley snickered. \u201cI told you it was a bad idea.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cOh, c\u2019mon! There\u2019s a knife in the kitchen! It\u2019ll be quick and painless.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDo you need a ride home, Riley?\u201d Aris asked, smiling over at the shorter woman.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI can walk.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cOh, no, you can\u2019t walk at this time of night!\u201d Aris placed the empty glass bottle next to the other two on the counter. \u201cI can\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI\u2019ll do it,\u201d Jade grumbled, standing. Aris arched a brow.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou\u2019re going to run off and buy more alcohol if I let you take her. There\u2019s no way\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI don\u2019t even have my wallet. See?\u201d Jade gestured to the bed nearest to the door. On the side table was a small black wallet. \u201cIt\u2019s right there.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou were driving without your license?\u201d Aris hissed. Jade threw her hands up.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWoman, would you chill? I have my license in the car!\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Aris didn\u2019t look convinced. Jade flipped her off and grabbed Riley\u2019s arm.<\/p>\n<p>When Riley and Jade hit the road again, Jade didn\u2019t turn on Riley\u2019s street. Riley shook her head and laughed.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cReally? How are you going to buy booze without\u2014\u201d Jade cut her off.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cOh, I\u2019m not. I\u2019m skipping town for tomorrow. There\u2019s no way I\u2019m going on a\u2026\u201d She trailed off with a look of disgust. \u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Riley laughed. \u201cYou are so going to get on Aris\u2019 nerves. You realize she\u2019s going to ground you for months, right?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cShe\u2019s not my mom!\u201d<\/p>\n<p>But Riley knew better. She had seen the birth with her own eyes. Oh the horror.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>((\u00a0 Part 1\u00a0 )) &nbsp; At midnight Jade dragged Riley out of her house and into her truck. Sleep-deprived as she was, Riley barely registered what was happening until Jade slapped her shoulder when the truck shut off. Riley jerked forward in her seat, the seatbelt\u2014she didn\u2019t remember buckling up\u2014locking&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_is_tweetstorm":false,"jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":[]},"categories":[5],"tags":[198,72,13,12,200,154,68,199,114,60,97,37],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/s27tjX-midnight","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/winter-publishing.com\/welcome-to-winter\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/981"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/winter-publishing.com\/welcome-to-winter\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/winter-publishing.com\/welcome-to-winter\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/winter-publishing.com\/welcome-to-winter\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/winter-publishing.com\/welcome-to-winter\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=981"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/winter-publishing.com\/welcome-to-winter\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/981\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":982,"href":"https:\/\/winter-publishing.com\/welcome-to-winter\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/981\/revisions\/982"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/winter-publishing.com\/welcome-to-winter\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=981"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/winter-publishing.com\/welcome-to-winter\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=981"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/winter-publishing.com\/welcome-to-winter\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=981"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}