Three: Just Friends

My stomach is twisting in knots and my throats feels tight. The air in the room seemed colder as goosebumps began to form on my arms. I don't cry. I could, but I don't.

I listen closely to the news anchors voice as he stands in front of the bar I was just at two nights ago; the bar where all my friends and I visited every week. His stern voice continues talking, giving details about the murders taken place.

Three dead.

"This is crazy," Haley whispers, her voice shaky as fear has already taken over.

We lived in a small town. Murders rarely happened, but when they did, it was usually over drugs or theft. Not premeditated murder on a bar that everyone loved.

I bite on my bottom lip as pictures of the deceased showed on the screen.

The owner of Joeli's, Joeli himself, dead. The bartender who occasionally flirted with me when I was the one who had to get the groups drink, dead. The security man who never even bothered checking my ID anymore after my many nights there, dead.

It seemed surreal.

That's not it, either. Three dead and two severely injured from gun shot wounds. It may not even be just three. At any second now the toll could go to four or five.

It was a scary thought.

I knew I would be busy at work tomorrow. Maybe it was a good thing I had the day off. Either way, the station is going to be chaos for the next few days.

"Text Jace and tell him to come over when he gets off," I tell Haley.

Usually we argue who has to text Jace first, and usually I am always the one who has to do it, but this time it's different. Typically, Haley throws in the argument about how I know him better and how I have known him longer and that we're closer. She makes good points. I just wish she didn't make them when I am trying to get my way.

"Octavia, you don't think it was planned do you? It could have been a robbery," She says, trying to convince me that the situation was not as severe as it was.

"It could have been a robbery. Jace will know," I rationalize, finally sitting on the couch beside her.

I immediately go to picking at the nail polish on my fingernails. I had just painted them not even a couple of hours ago, but I knew a coping method to the anxiety I was feeling over this horrible event was much needed. It was either picking the nail polish off or biting my nails off completely. I prefer having to paint my nails constantly over having no nails at all.

I can feel Haley's eyes burning a whole at me, probably staring at the nails I am ruining.

I know why she is concerned. I haven't been working at the station long. It hasn't even been long enough to deal with anyone 'interesting.' Just the usual robbers and drug addicts. A murderer? That's completely different.

I would have to interview a murderer. Someone who was capable of killing three men at once.

That's if they catch him alive, if at all.

"You know the town is going to go crazy over this," Haley whispers.

I can't even imagine the speech her Dad, the city mayor, is going to have to give in regards of this. Her dad was a sweet and gentle man, calming down scared and angry citizens might be difficult for him.

"I'm going crazy over this. I mean, Joeli's? We go there every week. It's like the town hangout," I point out.

She bites her lip and shakes her head, feeling the same exact feeling I feel.

"If it was premeditated," Haley starts, but is quickly cut off by me.

"If it was premeditated then it has to do with Joeli. The murder would probably have had motivation that involved Joeli himself. It's not a serial killer or anything," I say, justifying what could possibly be the perpetrators actions.

It felt wrong coming from my lips - to admit that Joeli was dead. It felt even more wrong to say that it could be a serial killer. For all we know, it very well could be the start of a spree of killings in our small town.

Haley places a hand on my arm and rubs it, trying to be comforting. She never really was the best at comforting, but I always appreciate her for trying.

"We'll know more when Jace gets here. Don't worry about it too much," she ordered.

I let out a shaky breath and nodded my head. She was right, if anyone could give us information about what happened it would be someone who was actually at the scene of the crime.

It takes a total of five hours for Jace to reply to Haley's text. I was worried that it being so late in the night that he would make us wait, but he came through and is now sitting on the chair beside the couch where Haley and I both sat.

"Do you know who did it?" Haley immediately asks as soon as Jace makes himself comfortable on the gray cushions.

"Honestly, we don't know anything really. There was no sign of forced entry and there was no cash taken from the registers. It didn't look like a robbery. There wasn't a sign of struggle either, which means-" Jace starts.

"Which means he knew his killer," I whisper.

Jace nods to confirm my words, making me look down to process my thoughts.

It shouldn't bother me as much as it is that this happened, but it is. Joeli was a sweet, old man. He loved his bar and he loved every customer he had. Now him and two other people I saw weekly were dead.

"What about the two that survived?" I ask, finally remembering the survivors.

"You mean the one?" Jace comments. "Brian died just a few hours ago during surgery."

Brian. The head bartender. He was always nice to me too. He had a son he always talked about whenever I ordered my drink. Said he couldn't wait for him to work here when he turned 21. I can't imagine how he feels knowing his dad wouldn't be coming home.

"So the one? Is he going to be okay?" Haley asks.

"Honestly, we don't know. He's in a coma and we really don't know when or if he's going to be responsive again," Jace informs us.

I could tell this is bothering him. Jace is a person who puts a lot into his job. He probably won't sleep knowing there's been four people killed and possibly a fifth and the killer is still out there. I love his determination, but at what cost?

"Let me get you something to drink," Haley says, hopping up from the couch and rushing away into the kitchen.

I know exactly what she is doing. Leave to Haley to continuously try to force something between Jace that isn't even there. Leaving me alone with him won't change anything. We still act like friends with company or without company.

"If we catch him alive I won't let you interview him alone," Jace dictated.

I scoff at his bossy comment and he rolls his eyes at me.

"You may be a good five years older than me but I'm not a child. I'll be fine," I reassure him.

"It's actually six years. Either way I just don't like the idea of you being alone with some psychopath," He justifies.

"You know that's literally my job right? I've worked with psychopaths before during my internship. I know how to handle myself."

Jace studied me for a moment. His blue eyes made me feel small and I didn't like it. I have always been someone who felt the need to be in control of any situation, but not with Jace. I let Jace control me most of the time. Not control in a 'do this' and 'do that' type of way, just a guiding way. He never forced me to do something I didn't want to do. I just followed his lead in any situation.

"I'm sorry I left Friday without saying goodbye," Jace apologizes, catching me off guard.

"Why are you sorry? I said I would be back after a few minutes and I was gone a good hour or so," I argue.

"With another guy," Jace adds on.

"Yeah. With another guy. It's none of your business anyways," I say, starting to get annoyed.

"So your safety and well being isn't any of my business?" He defends himself.

"My safety and well being? I was deadass sitting on a bench with a guy. There were people walking the streets. I was safer there than inside that damn bar," I shout back, letting my voice raise more than intended.

I could tell by Jace's clenched jaw that he was fighting his anger with me.

"You said you would only be a couple of minutes and then you were gone for a whole hour. Sorry for worrying about you," He yells at me.

"Jace, don't even try that. I was fine. I didn't realize you were my keeper all of a sudden."

"Just forget it, Octavia," he hissed, my name coming off his lips like venom.

I cross my arms over my chest in sink back into the soft cushions of the couch even more. Instead of looking at Jace I look straight ahead at the TV mounted on the wall. It was turned off, but it was enough to keep me distracted from Jace.

"You know I love you, right?" He whispers, standing from his seat on the chair and moving to sit beside me instead.

I don't say anything, nor do I take my eyes off the television screen. I can be stubborn when I wanted to be.

"Octavia," he groans, drawing out the 'ia' sound at the end of my name.

I wanted to give in. I could never stay mad at Jace, even when he's done me wrong. I can't be mad at him for caring about me, can I?

It isn't until a I feel a jab in my right side that causes me to break my intense stare down with the tv. My mouth drops as I feel a slight pain in my rib cage from Jace's fingers.

"Quit!" I shout, my body immediately bending towards him.

"Talk to me," he commands.

"Get your fingers out of my ribs!" I shout back, grabbing onto his wrists.

I try and pull his hands away from me, but he is way stronger than me and has had actual training on how to take someone down. The only experience I have had is a drunk fight at a party with a girl who barely put up a fight.

"Jace!" I shout at him, making him laugh at my struggle.

God, I love that laugh.

He finally removes his fingers from my ribcage and I am actually able to compose myself. I sit up straight on the couch and turn to sit cross legged, but facing him instead of the tv.

Jace is sprawled out across my couch, his back deep into the cushions and his head laying flat across the top, looking up at the ceiling. He's still in his uniform. The navy blue suits him well.

"Quit staring at me," he says to me.

"You're looking at the ceiling so how do you know I am staring," I tease him.

"Because I can just feel it," he says back, not even bothering to look away from the ceiling.

I sigh and stretch my legs out to lay across his lap. He instinctively lifts his arms up and rests them on top of my bare legs. A simple position but enough to make my skin feel on fire where his hands rested.

"You really should get going," I say to him, reminding him of how late it actually is.

His head pops off the back of the couch and looks up at the clock on my wall. It's only 2 AM, but waiting for him all night made it feel like it's much later. I knew I would be tired and stressed at work in the morning, never a good combination for me.

Jace sighs as he rubs his finger tips up and down my legs. His eyes are dead focused on the clock, but he makes no move indicating he's leaving.

I look up from Jace and look at the entrance to the Kitchen, where Haley is standing. It's been a good ten minutes and she still hasn't returned with anything to drink.

I don't think getting drinks was her reason for leaving at all.

I squint my eyes at her and she smirks at me. I knew she would have something to say to me about the position Jace and I were sitting in right now. It was a friendly position. Jace and I are just friends, that's it.

I roll my eyes at her smirk and she bites her lips, her eyes have a mischievous look to them as I already know where this is going.

"Suck his dick," she mouths to me, making me nearly choke from shock.

Jace looks up at me with concern as I start to cough.

"I'm fine," I gasp out to him, my hands beating on my chest to get the coughing to stop.

"I should get going. You're right," he says, pushing my legs off of his and standing up.

"Text me when you get home and say hi to Kristen for me if she is still awake," I say to him and he nods.

"Will do," he says to me and waves before walking out the door.

Haley comes and sits where Jace was previously sitting. Her long, blonde hair was in beach waves down the sides of her face, making her look as innocent as ever.

"Just friends, right?" She mocks me.

"Yes, just friends."