Someone Like You - Jackson -

[camille]

Camille just whistled sweetly to some music she had playing as she had a white carnation tucked in her hair. Her fingers slipped over her flower patterned dress, flattening it softly as she just walked around the house, cleaning some things. She was rather happy at the moment, thoughts of Leon on her mind as she just continued, plucking up random pieces of mail, opening them and tossing all of them because they were nothing important. Life could not get anymore perfect right now but that usually meant one thing, that something was about to fall on her. She could feel it in the air, but she would not dwell on it. All she wanted to do was focus on their relationship and everytime she thought about it, it only made her smile more.

She heard someone enter the house, wondering who it could possibly be, not expecting anyone. Her heart lept for maybe Leon crossing to her, but as she swung around, she felt her heart drop and suddenly her prediction came true. She did not say anything, just stood there, having dropped the papers in her hand just watching him. Everything came back to her, the night he was here, the fact that they had both said they loved each other, all the drinking, the conversing, the kissing. She could not get it out of her head like a stitched image. She remembered part of her hoping he would not return because she knew he had broken up with Ari then. Her heart pounded and she knew this would be the first and the last time she really saw him as something else.

Normally, Camille was one to be happy to see Jackson, all except for right now. It was unavoidable that this would be bad because she had found someone else. The one person, Leon, that she was dating that did not seem to have a shot, worked into her heart. She just waited for the inevitable to hit her like walking straight into a brick wall. How stupid could she have been to not even have given him a thought? She had waited so long for him and now, she had forgotten so easily.

[jackson]

He hadn't been able to keep the idea out of his mind. A chance at a life that he had considered nearly impossible. It had always been bad timing between them. No two people were more perfect for each other, or so he had thought before. Yet, the fates seemed to be conspiring against him. It was as if their union would result in disaster and the world was trying tear down any chance of them having something resembling a relationship. It was almost as if he had to push against the restrictions. Press past the boundaries. And he should be entirely willing to do it. Compromising his morals... It seemed to be a social norm for the dark-aligned, didn't it? But he was in danger of losing himself. Who he was. He didn't play these games. He didn't deal with this sort of bullshit. He was entirely intolerant of individuals who treated things such as love like a joke. Like the ties that held two individuals together were anything but sacred when in reality, the ability to embrace ones flaws, put similarities into perspective and hold together the fragile bonds that were created despite all odds was nothing short of miraculous.

So why was he contemplating this? Why was he so open to the idea of leaving a girl that he loved for a woman that he'd loved longer? It was a horrible situation. A horrible idea that he should have been entirely opposed to. But Camille. She was so special to him. Something different. Someone different. And throughout this process, he hadn't spoken with Ari. Not once. If Ari found out about Camille kissing him, the two would be at each other's necks. To be honest, he wasn't sure how such a confrontation would turn out. Camille had age and experience, something that Aariana lacked in full. But Ari was young. More spontaneous. He'd seen learned individuals fall victim to these crafty, new age teenagers. If a fight ensued, he resolved to be there. He would keep the peace as best as he could. Someone was likely to get badly burned during the process. But he was not above "hitting a girl" when the situation called for it. He hated himself for such things, being as chivalrous as he tended to be, but when it came right down to it, he wasn't going to allow them to kill the other despite being on separate factions. If they were going to murder one another it would be because of the war. Not because of him.

He hadn't officially broken up with Ari. Not yet. He needed confirmation. Just one more thing before he made a decision. Maybe Camille had something to tell him. Something that would make everything so much easier. Sitting alone and thinking on it himself had obviously not worked very well. So perhaps she could say something. Anything. He didn't bother knocking. She wouldn't mind. He waltzed in, walking not too far into the home when he saw her. The papers in her hands scattered everywhere and he was confused by her hesitance. Jackson placed his hands into his pockets, staring almost guiltily at the papers on the floor before looking back up at Camille. "I missed you," was all he managed to say at first, feeling much like a child. "I couldn't stop thinking about what happened. The kiss. Instead of thinking of ways to remedy the situation, I couldn't get that out of my mind."

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[kacie]

just gonna stand there and watch me burn

well that's alright, 'cus i like the way it hurts

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Aariana's mouth almost dropped as she laid eyes on the beautiful mansion before her. It was amazing, and she'd give anything to live there. She probably wasn't the only one who thought this either. Anyone less fortunate and didn't live in one these humongous houses would agree. She was driving oh so slowly. Only a measly five miles per hour. There was no need to drive faster, however. No one else was on the street, plus, she needed to stay a good ways away from Jackson. She watched him move towards the huge house as she stopped her car next to the sidewalk a few houses away. Taking a deep breath, she got out of the car also. It wasn't hard to be sneaky or stay hidden, she was a faerie, and they caused trouble. Sneakiness was in her blood.

This is wrong. So wrong. This is a bad idea. Those words, and more of the like, went through her mind over and over. Jackson had just been acting so.. weird the past few days. He hadn't returned any calls or texts, and wasn't there when she went to his house. It was completely unlike him. Ari had tried to convince herself that she was following him for is own good, but if she was being completely honest, it was for her own curious benefit.

She swiftly moved up the path to the house just as Jackson entered. He didn't go too far into the house, she observed before the door started to close. She put her back against the outside of the house, holding her hand out to hold the door right before it closed. Ari didn't hold it far open, so she didn't give herself away, but from the inside it just looked like he let it rest closed without actually latching it.

Ari was completely taken back at his statement. She sucked in a breath of air and felt her eyes instantly start to tear up. His voice was quiet, but she heard what he said perfectly, as if he took a megaphone and screamed the words at her heart. Before she was able to control herself, Ari pushed the door open slowly. She took a step inside the doorway, not really caring much for using her manners. On a normal day, she'd never go inside someone else's house without permission. But today was anything but normal.

"You kissed her?" She asked, her voice quiet, but still loud enough to be heard in the silent room. Her eyes were wide with surprise, and clearly glassy, as if she was on the verge of tears. Her gaze moved to the female standing in front of Jackson. She was pretty. Gorgeous even. But her surprise turned to anger as she looked back at him. She'd never actually been mad at Jackson before, and for a moment, she wondered if he knew what she was really capable of.

[camille]

Camille just stared at Jackson, something keeping her frozen to that spot as she thought of what would happen now. What would happen now? The answer was clear in her head from the logical side that always seemed to rear its head. Then there was the part that wanted to make the wrong decision and cheat on him, but she could never do that to Jackson, not in a million years. Still, she felt horrible for now loving someone else and kind of moving past this. Then he said what he did, making her feel even worse as she still stayed quiet, as her eyes flickered to him as he said that he could stop not thinking about this. Her heart was zapped to life for merely a moment before she realized again that she loved someone else. She had missed him too, but the words were stuck in her throat as she just tried to say something. “I have to tell you something, Jackson. Something you might never forgive me for,” She said softly as she just looked him straight in the eyes because she knew she owed him that much. She was not sure what would happen after this, or if they would even remain friends. Surely he would despise her if she now loved someone else after being so sure of her loving him, but she had not expected herself to fall in love with someone as much as she loved Jackson.

Suddenly, she heard words escape not her own mouth as hers dropped open to say something, but suddenly closed as she saw a petite girl walk into the room. Her words echoed in her head as she felt another roll of shock run through her. She looked at the girl, then to Jackson, knowing this suddenly became potentially worse for them. Camille just felt her head grow rather light, as she just steadied herself on the wall near her. She had done this, she had kissed him and she had told him what he asked her to tell him when she should have just kept her mouth shut, but of course she did not do that when it mattered most. She needed to say something to defend him, to do something, to move, but she was frozen and the words seemed to escape her thoughts as she just looked away from both of them. She needed to tell Jackson what was going on even though it was the most painful thing she would have to do to him and to herself. It felt like she was ripping her own heart apart with her sharp fingertips.

She just looked up at the girl for a second, knowing she would be furious just by the look of how tense she was. “No, I kissed him. If you’re going to blame someone, it’s my fault,” she said as she just looked into the girl’s eyes, assuming this was Arianna. She knew the girl would not believe her and she just stood there. What could she say right now? She did not look away from Arianna. There was a long silence in the room, it rather torturous.

[jackson]

After all this time, he had returned to her. He still hadn't been sure of his answer. But he felt that something was going to be said. Something groundbreaking would happen this day. She would confirm a belief that they should be together and all would be well. She would fill in the holes, fill in the pieces. And he would do right by Aariana and break off what they had. He wouldn't allow himself an opportunity to be an adulterer. The kiss had been unanticipated, unplanned. He already felt like he had done wrong, despite the fact that he hadn't initiated the contact. Then again he hadn't pushed her away, not really. It had been his first instinct, yes. But he let it happen. It hadn't felt so wrong. In the back of his mind, he had known that the contact was nothing but wrong. That what he was allowing was considered cheating. And to allow his principles to be compromised because of some wayward idea that he and Camille were meant for each other was something that didn't sit well with him. And it was perhaps why he was taking so long to think all of this over. What kind of woman would come back after seven years to confess love to a man who had claimed mere friendship with her for so long? And what kind of man reciprocated such attention? Camille would fix this. She would have something to say. Something to make everything better.

Jackson had tried to smile. He had tried to gage some sort of positive reaction out of the vampire but all he saw was anxiety. He saw something resembling regret. And so he let the tentative smile fall from his face. And then she spoke and he felt the blow before it was even dealt. "What are you talking about, Camille?" he inquired calmly. His words dripped with venom but he remained poised. There was nothing to worry too much about, not quite yet. But, clearly, whatever the girl had to say would cause even more problems for him. More drama in a life that had been previously just fine. Before Camille could continue on with whatever she needed to tell him, there was another presence in the room and then a voice that made Jackson's blood run cold. He turned quickly to face the newcomer, eyeing his current girlfriend quietly, ashamedly. "Ari. No, please, you have--" Camille's words cut through his explanation and he turned to look at her. She was trying to help. To fix what she had undoubtedly broke. To ease what she was about to break. He'd never felt so foolish. It was like he was a child again. Looking back at Ari, he nodded briefly, "It's true. All of it. I shouldn't have put myself in the situation but there it is. And I... I came here to talk about it with her. To find out who I belonged with."

Glancing over at Camille, gaze cold, suspicious, he moved toward Aariana. "I wasn't planning to do anything rash. I wouldn't be dishonorable, not intentionally. You have to believe that. It's confusing. I was planning on thinking on it for a while longer." This couldn't have turned out worse. And now, he was entirely unsure of how it should be handled. It looked bad on both his and Camille's part. But he didn't cut corners. He told Ari just what he needed to. What she would find out anyhow. That was the best he could do for now.

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[kacie]

just gonna stand there and watch me burn

well that's alright, 'cus i like the way it hurts

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Aariana's gaze flicked back to Camille when she spoke. "It's all your fault?" She repeated. Her words sounded deadly. A low, venomous hiss. For the first time all day, she controlled herself. She didn't say everything that was floating around in her head. She had so many insults, so may rude things to say to this woman who was standing here trying to take the blame. Ari hardly doubted that she held Jackson against his will and forced him to kiss her. No. He went along with it "So I assume, since it's all your fault, you held him down and put a gun to his head?" Ari asked the rhetorical question. "No? Hm. Surprising." Sarcasm dripped from her words. She looked back at Jackson, completely disregarding the woman. If she kept paying attention to her, she would most likely say something she'd regret.

She looked at him long and hard, her face a mask of disgust. She thought she loved him, but now, she didn't even want to be in his presence. It was funny, how quick people's feelings could change. With almost catlike reflexes, Ari backed away when he came towards her. "Don't come near me." She spat. "Is this why you've been ignoring me for the past few days?" She asked him, narrowing her eyes at him and tilting her chin towards Camille in a nod, showing that she was talking about her. "Because of that?" With the word that, a sneer appeared on her lips.

She put her hands behind her back, twining her fingers together, and looked at the ground for a second. She didn't know what to say. She actually didn't even want to say anything. Ari didn't know what to think right now. The last thing she would've ever thought that Jackson would do to her would be cheating. Suddenly she was thankful for not giving up her oh-so-precious virginity to him. Because then she'd be really mad right now. "To find out who you belong with?" She repeated, in complete shock. "We're fine, then she comes along, and now you need to find out who you belong with? She's that important to you?"

Her question was almost a trick one. His answer would decide alot of things for Aariana. She watched him, her eyes narrowed with suspicion.

[camille]

Jackson’s words had stung more than anything, not necessarily just the words themselves as much as the tone he used. She knew this was the end of them, that this would change their friendship, if they even had one. She knew what it would look like to him, that it would seem like she was purposely trying to break them up, but she honestly was not trying to. Despite the fact that she was evil, she would have never done this to him intentionally. All she wanted was to go back and change the moment that she had told him, that he pressured her into. There was nothing more she could do to ease the situation because everything she said only made the problems only go more downhill than intended.

Then that was when Arianna said what she did with a sort of attitude. Camille just raised an eyebrow as though she was taken aback by her attitude. Camille was not the type of woman most people insulted unless they wanted to watch their backs. She was powerful and controlling and she did not have it any other way or allow any wiggle room. She just shook her head as she looked towards Jackson, “So this is the little faerie you’ve been tangling yourself with?” She asked him rhetorically. The conversation was now full of them before she just hissed, her fangs baring as Arianna so rudely referred to her. She wanted this faerie out of her house, she wanted both of them out of her house. When Jackson looked at her, they both shared a cold glare for each other. He said what he did and now that he hated her, the least he could do was leave because she wanted none of this. “Arianna, you may leave because this is my property and you are crossing lines. If you don’t, I will happily force you out,” She said her foot tapping as she took a step forward.

“And as far as choosing goes, you know what Jackson. I fell in love with someone while you were deciding what you wanted, but it does not even matter now does it? So Arianna congratulations, there you go, have fun,” She said, her lips forming a fine line. Camille was done being nice because now she was royally bitter and angry to the bone. Jackson has never really seen her lose her temper, but she was about to.

[jackson]

This would be maddening. Trying to reason with someone whose immaturity was beyond natural levels would be a horrible, terrible experience. He was not looking forward to it. This situation in general: he had never looked forward to anything turning out this way. Aariana was having a tantrum. Understandably so, of course. But a tantrum was a tantrum. There would be no talking her down from it. She began by rushing into the very first thing that he knew she would grab a hold of. No. She didn't hold a gun to his head. Shocker. Such a form of argument was silly. Flat and two dimensional. He understood the complexity of feelings, of human emotion. He knew that there was never black and white when concerning romance. There are grey areas. Areas which do not pass society's standards. They needed to be recognized. They needed to be heard. Yes. In all technicality, he had cheated on her. But she needed to see the circumstance, understand the emotions involved in this particular mistake. He was not going to beg for her to take him back. He was not so desperate for her approval.

Ari was a formidable enemy. But her influence in the world was limited. Extremely limited. She would not dream of trying to hurt him, not fatally. She understood just how many allies and how much personal power he had gained after thirty-nine long years. She was not stupid. But she would try her best to leave her mark. And he knew this. He understood young people. Revenge was all that was on their minds. Revenge for to sustain their foolish pride. He was entirely prepared. Camille and Aariana turned on him all at once and Jackson felt his temper flare. It was a good thing that he didn't wear one of his nice jackets today. Camille bared her fangs as Ari retorted with her own insulting comment and Jackson let them stare each other down. The only one who had a right to anger was Ari. But he had to admit that if they wanted to turn on each other instead of him, he rather preferred it. He was as much a victim as Aariana. He was used, as far as he could discern. As both girls tossed each other dismissive expressions, he only stared back at each in turn, waiting for the childishness to end.

At this point, he had his hands out of his pockets, arms at his side. He didn't want things to come to the worst but if they did, he wasn't going to be caught off guard. The girls were finished for the moment. Finished ripping into each other. Finished tearing into him. He stared off at the wall ahead of him for scant few seconds before moving into his own defense. "I apologize, Aariana. Either you take it like a grown-up or you continue on in a rage that would better suit a three year old. I understand that you're upset. You have a right to be." Jackson looked over at his now ex-girlfriend, his face still mostly blank, not betraying the outward calm that he was trying to project, "Either do what Ms. Sanders asks of you or put yourself in the middle of a danger that I can't promise will work in your best interest." He didn't turn his back to her. As aforementioned, he was not going to be unprepared if either of them decided to do something stupid. But he moved his gaze toward Camille. "As for you," he spat, hurt to an impossible degree, "What you've done to me is despicable. And now, you try and turn your bullshit around make yourself out to be the casualty. Oh, but you're Camille Sanders. And as you always so proudly advertise, in place of your heart is an empty void. With a constitution like that I'm sure that you have no issues believing that all is fair in love and war, isn't it Camille?"

"What's done is done," he told them both, first looking to Aariana. Looking over to Camille, he stared into the eyes of the person who had utterly betrayed him, "And what could have been will never be. Make of that what you will, ladies."

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[kacie]

just gonna stand there and watch me burn

well that's alright, 'cus i like the way it hurts

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"Too bad I don't give a shit." Aariana rolled her eyes in a bored fashion. There was no way in hell she was going to leave at the moment. Especially with both Camille and Jackson talking down to her, as if she was scared of either of them? She didn't expect to get into a physical fight with Jackson. She knew there was no way she could win, anyways. A faerie and a fire tamer? No competition. He could burn her and be done. But the vampire. Yeah, they were powerful and strong, but Ari believed that she could actually hold her own in a little confrontation between the two. "I would love to see you try." She added, also taking a step toward the vampire. Her eyes were no longer glassy, but now just cold and hard.

"I don't want him anymore." She said simply. "Especially not after he's touched a vampire." Ari didn't turn towards Jackson. She kept her eyes and body turned to Camille. Like she said, Ari believed she could be a worthy opponent in a fight against her, but that didn't men she wanted to give her the upper hand by turning away from her. You never turn your back on an enemy unless you want to be beaten for sure.

All this tension in the room was overwhelming. Fae were known to feed off negative feelings, and right now it was a whole buffet. It was hard to keep the whole human-looking thing up for a moment as she took in all the hatred that was piling up and up. She was supposed to be pissed off- which she was- but it was getting a little hard to keep up the look, considering the surplus energy around her. It was pleasing, and it was delicious. Not as much as a humans.. but it would do. Ari tensed her body, coiling her muscles, ready for Camille to strike. She would be ready, and she wouldn't let this man stealing whore get an advantage.

"How can I take it like a grown up, when you're the one who's playing around with everyone's emotions like a fucking highschooler?" Aariana didn't want to talk to him. She wanted to tell him to shut up and go away, because now he's the reason for the two women to be feuding right now. If it wasn't for him acting so childish and- it almost hurt to think it- cheating on his girlfriend, then there would be no confrontation right now. Whatever. He was just an afterthought as she kept her attention on Camille, her senses heightened and her body ready to react.

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[camille]

Camille just raised an eyebrow at Aariana, as she gained control over her expression, just smiling at her words as though it amused her because it truly did. Camille was smart enough to know that faerie’s were fickle business to deal with and she was rather tempted to attack her right now and throw her out with her bare fingertips. There was nothing that could stop her, not even Jackson himself, although he could burn her alive if he so pleased, but she knew he would not, not on fair ground. Plus, he still loved her no matter how much she betrayed him, there would always be a love that they built between each other, something that bound their friendship. She did not just say anything, her irises shifting black like her heart at the moment. Nothing but evil filled Camille right now, as all she did was laugh coldly.

Jackson then finally spoke up to both of them and she knew when it was her turn that she ought to care, that she ought to be brought down by his words, but this situation had turned her completely cold to everything, even to him which never really had happened before. The words would have hurt her on any normal day because she cared for him to the point that his words would hurt her. Aariana could try but she would come up short in her attempts. She definitely underestimated Camille from the looks of it and Aariana may have the wickedness of a faerie, but Camille had the cunning side from the wisdom she had obtained over nearly two millennium. It would truly be an interesting battle if she chose to pursue Aariana because of how she was acting and perhaps because of who she was as well.

Camille just shook her head at the young faerie at her words about Jackson acting like a child when truly she was. She just looked between them, some form of amusement in her eyes as she just said, “Well, it certainly was nice for both of you to visit, but I’m out of this conversation, except for one thing,” she said, picking up one of the letters that fell on the floor and grasping it with her thin, white fingers. “This is for you, you can burn it if you hate my soul, or leave it until you die. I figured I’d never see you again and for that I am deeply sorry,” she said, her eyes returning to normal, her apology as sincere as she can ever be and suddenly her invincibility to her emotions vanished. Tears lingered in her eyes as she just set it on the table nearest him, “Goodbye,” she said as she disappeared in a blur, descending down her stairs as she just sat behind the bar, listening to them. She wanted to leave to respect him and to not look foolish, but make a mature decision to walk away instead of attacking someone he cared about and she hoped he understood that.

Tears rolled down her cold, pale cheeks as she knew this was over, it was done. He may still love her, but she knew she had brought him pain beyond belief. They both blended so well until it came to love, despite their potential to be brilliant. She truly wanted this to work, but it was done now. Her letter contained exactly what had happened the past few days, how she had felt, but it brought the news, the explanation of her feelings towards the person she now loved, though she refrained from mentioning his name so he would not do anything rash, although she trusted him not to.

[jackson]

A child. After all of this time, he finally saw Aariana for exactly what she was. She was a damned kid. He was foolish for having pursued this. The placement of a law on the age restrictions for dating now seemed as if it was more for the benefit of the cradle robber as opposed to what lie in the cradle. And for the first time he saw faeries as something dangerous. Not to him. He wasn't worried for his own safety. They were dangerous to themselves. Childish imps they were. Anger was an entirely understandable emotion. In this case, it was perfectly logical. To be devoid of anger would be unsettling. But to allow anger to control you, to cloud reason and take over completely; that was inexperience. That was something that would twist things into something of a frightening caliber. It would cause problems to multiply tenfold. It would doom their relationships to absolute destruction, romance being only one aspect of said relations. Aariana Becton was a reckless, unreasonable fool. And he felt sorry for her. Sorry that he'd placed her in such a situation, sorry that she couldn't get a hold of her emotion.

And then Camille. Camille was not the fool. But she was guilty of an entirely different kind of monster. She was a puppeteer, a manipulator who got sloppy. Her motives were unclear, selfish. She watched the display with little remorse for his actions and Jackson felt nothing but near hatred for her in this moment. She pretended to be this strong, uncaring creature. As if she had done nothing wrong. She mocked both him and Aariana. Mocked them with her laughter and vague, insignificant words. Everything she spoke was dripping in superiority of self, so immersed was she in her own well being. She hadn't even allowed Jackson the slightest bit of discontent. And even in this situation, she had defended him once and then leapt to her own aid, holding the barracks of her mind with everything she had, unworried that she had left the alleged man that she loved far behind. He was sickened by her behavior. It was disgusting and hypocritical. And this is where he wondered how the hell he had fallen in love with her. Was it merely the time? Was more than seven years a time frame that only instilled a feeling of importance into this woman? Time was his enemy, as he frequently realized these past few weeks.

Aariana had gone in again, all fire and illogic. Quickly, he turned his head to the faerie and said something that was extremely out of character for him. "Shut up, Aariana." There. It was out there. And almost as childish as her own words. But it needed to be said. Not in hopes that she would actually refrain from speaking. That probably wouldn't happen. But at least she would know that her silly words weren't reaching them. Her arguments were backed up by a middle school level logic that Jackson hadn't the patience to deal with for quite a long time. "What are you going to do? Talk this all into nonexistence? You're unreasonable and you're letting your emotion cloud your judgment. No one wants to sit here and listen to your bull shit. Either be a big girl and tell me something that can advance this conversation into something resembling intelligence or so help me, I will walk out that door and live the rest of my life with two stakes holstered to my sides at all times: one wooden, the other iron. If you would decide to pursue some ridiculously justified revenge then I wouldn't hesitate to defense. This is a time of war, after all."

And then Camille had seemed to have enough. She had handed Jackson the letter, overwhelmed by the direction it would undoubtedly take. He didn't burn it. However, he didn't wish to read it. He was torn between an indecision that he only wished he could forget. So he shoved the paper, crumpling it in an undignified way, into his pocket. He'd deal with it later. Maybe. Now, with Camille gone, the room was surprisingly more suffocating. Jackson felt the presence of unfamiliarity: he didn't enjoy being in peoples' homes without them nearby. It was worrying. Looking back to Aariana, he maintained a serious countenance, still not allowing his anger to get the best of him. He moved a hand to his forehead, rubbing his temples with his index finger and thumb. "Say your piece. But have something meaningful to say, please or I am out that door, simple as that. Prove to me that what we were wasn't a mistake. Not only would it help me sleep at night but I think that it would help you toward a little peace as well."

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[kacie]

just gonna stand there and watch me burn

well that's alright, 'cus i like the way it hurts

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When Camille walked away, Aariana was relieved. She wanted to hit the bitch, but she was more mad at Jackson for letting this whole thing happen. It was easier and there wasn't as much pressure on her when the vampire left the room. She sighed, but her breath caught and stuttered, breaking the wall she had put up and allowing her tears to fall down her cheeks. She hated herself for crying, but she was about to leave anyways. Hopefully she'd never have to see either of these two people again. She wasn't surprised when he told her to shut up, but she did for a second. She closed her eyes to steady herself, and sighed once more, another hitch in her breath. "I trusted you." She whispered. Ari couldn't find a way to make her voice loud again. She felt like such a stupid person for being pulled into this situation. "I loved you." She added, looking up at him tearfully.

At the moment, she didn't even know what else to say. She wanted to scream at him and claw him and throw a real temper tantrum. She just wanted him to hurt like she was hurting right now. "But you kissed her back." As if they didn't know the whole issue here. But she said that, more to beat the reality into her head than for his benefit. "..You were going to pick her over me." Her eyes, though watery and dark, were cold and showed no more emotion. If it wasn't for the tears falling down her cheeks and the slight hitch in her voice, you'd never know she was dying on the inside.

Ari looked at the ground, where her keys had slid out of her pocket and fell to the floor several minutes ago. She blinked a few times, confused on what to do next. For the past.. however long they were together, she had planned her days around seeing him. She spend her whole day waiting for the moment they would meet up, then she'd spend all night with butterflies just thinking about it. But now? Bending down, Ari swiftly snatched up her car keys. "You weren't a mistake. You were a lesson." She said quietly, her bottom lip quivering slightly at the thought of saying goodbye. Until now, she had the silly idea in her head that she would never get hurt. She'd never be the girl who got cheated on and lied to. Clearly, this was untrue. But before she could change her mind, she turned around and started to walk out of the house and t her car. She was in very need of an expensive shopping trip.

[jackson]

They needed this. They needed for Camille to walk away. He had intended to leave Aariana for her. Sort of. When he'd come to her home today, he was still undecided. He had hoped that Camille would clear things up. That she would make this decision so much easier. That she would have something to say that would solidify his tentative solution. That was all. He was not planning on more kissing, touching; nothing of that variety had ever crossed his mind. The kiss itself had felt right. But he was uncomfortable that it had ever happened. Jackson wasn't adulterous. He never would be. The situation was a unique one. A strange one. One that he hoped that Camille would sort out. Instead, he walked into a trap. She destroyed him. Told him to take all of the time that he had wanted and then went back on her word. And he had to remind himself that these were times of war and his belief in her had gone too far. And now he stood here, Ari nearby. He knew how horrible it looked. He also knew how horrible it actually was. They were of two differents levels of unsavory. One was much worse than the other. But he didn't defend himself. Not now. There was no reason to. Breaking up with Aariana had begun to seem more imminent in the passing weeks. It was only a matter of time.

She told him that she trusted him. A mistake on her part. A weakness that most light-sided creatures seemed to possess. He didn't begrudge her the ability to trust. He lived just fine without it, moving along cautiously, carefully in order not to get his own toes stepped on. Except for in this situation. This crazy, fucked up situation. I loved you. Mistake number two. Loving a man like Jackson; it was something that should have been avoided. Jackson seemed to be the guy that parents didn't want their daughters with. That manipulative and unreasonable monster that tore women apart in an effort to get what they wanted and needed. Of course, he was not so terrible as that. But he seemed so. Some of the decisions he'd made had hurt a good many women. Then again, some had hurt a good amount of men as well. He did not discriminate based on gender. He would step on who he needed to, do what he needed to do, to get where he needed to go, despite the casualties along the way. Aariana was now one of those casualties. And he felt ashamed. The guilt was momentary, he was sure: remorse didn't come easy to him. It was difficult to come by, except in certain circumstances where it couldn't be helped. Aurelia's case, for existence. That was the closest he'd come to long term guilt. Likely, it was the closest he ever would come.

A lesson. It wasn't a cheery state of affairs. None of this was humorous. No one would find this at all funny. But he was remarkably impressed by what she had said. And proud of the conclusion she had come to. And so he smiled. It was a sad smile. Nothing remarkable about it except for the fact that it conveyed nothing that a normal smile should. He nodded in agreement, watching her face as sad as it was, "You're right." He didn't admit to Ari being right because, for the most part, he believed that she usually wasn't. But she had hit the nail on the head, this time. She understood what had happened. And she would grow from it. Maybe she would get all of those silly ideas out of her head. Ideas of peace and love and only god knows what else. The girl turned to leave and Jackson hesitated only a moment. He followed after, at a respectable distance, leaving Camille's home and closing the door behind them. He felt as if he was closing it on yet another chapter of his life that hadn't turned out any better than the last. He hoped that the story would find itself ending, if not happily ever after, with his sanity still intact. He glanced up at Ari for a split second. He hoped that she would forget about him. Deny his existence. He didn't say so. Instead, he turned to walk up the street, hands in his pockets, defeated for the time being.

fin

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