WHOOOOOOOOSH

Zaire’s familiarity with Angel Grove was limited so when space churned and he appeared from his most recent Jump, he was forced to quickly pull his steering wheel to the right.

He avoided a very well-hidden ditch.

‘Fuck!’ He internally cursed. “That’s what I get for choosing a road I only saw from afar…” he complained.

Usually, The Jumper would familiarize himself with every inch of a place before attempting even the shortest distance of Jumps but with all the chaos of the recent days, his grip on certain rules was loosening.

Zaire parked the Hummer at the end of the road, leaning out of the window to try and identify his current position.

This particular unpaved, shrub-filled road was something he glimpsed from the party of the previous night.

Angel Grove was not somewhere he ever thought of coming back to but it was exactly for that reason that The Jumper decided to return.

‘And maybe Kimberly had a part to play in that decision…’ He internally admitted.

Zaire was confident his traces in Reston needed to dry up for a day or two – thankfully, Reston’s residence tended to forget fuck ups as soon as they happened.

After all, Bill Boone had to kill someone every other month… if they could ignore that, Zaire saw no reason why they couldn’t find a way to ignore what happened to Brenda and Patty.

‘Thank God, they are okay…’ He mused. ‘And also keeping quiet…’

Zaire was pleased that he didn’t even have to visit the girls… after all, if he was forced to visit them, only one of two things could have happened.

“I would either marry them both or kill them both…” He voiced.

Though the words leaving his mouth were held with a hint of distaste, Zaire's experience in his past life taught him that it was better to voice the darker thoughts dwelling in his mind.

That way they wouldn’t fester.

“There!” He saw the familiar, Victorian-esque house that hosted the previous night’s party.

Even from nearly half a mile away, Zaire could see hints of the large pool behind the house.

The Jumper leaned back into his car seat, re-started his car, and continued down the road, hoping he would eventually find his way to his destination.

……………………………

Twice…

Zaire had to stop and ask for directions two times… he briefly considered checking the mapping app on his phone but his paranoia got the better of him.

Before The Nazi attack, Zaire refused to add a GPS computer to his car, and after The Nazi attack, he became allergic to everything technologically capable of revealing his location.

The more analytic part of his mind told him it was an unnecessary paranoia but it made Zaire feel more comfortable in his own skin, so it couldn’t have been a complete waste.

A couple of minutes later, Zaire saw the large buildings of the school in the distance… it was no way near as large as Stanford but it held the charm only high schools could manage.

Also, The Jumper felt more comfortable in a setting with foolish teenagers than in semi-smart college compounds… in college, there would always be the one weird kid that could see through Zaire’s façade.

At the previous party, that was Kristen.

But in high schools, especially one as isolated as Angel Grove High School, Zaire knew he would have nothing to worry about.

…

The Hummer came to a stop.

The parking lot was full… not that Zaire ever had the intention to park in the correct place.

The Jumper checked the time on his phone. ‘Almost three…’ He noted, knowing classes would soon be dismissed and Kimberly would exit from one of the many doors of the large building.

He didn’t know which door… and it would be a challenge to find her amongst all the hormones, steroids, and general high school disasters.

“I’ll manage…” Zaire convinced himself.

His eyes watched the occasional student darting from one section of the building to the next, and further back, he could see a football being tossed across the field.

Obviously, the football team was practicing already.

Reston didn’t have the liveliness of Angel Grove but as someone who had been to New York quite recently, Zaire knew that both schools still had small-town energy.

“Big City schools are weirder…” The Jumper admitted.

Zaire was confident he could Jump to any Big City School at the moment, and one of the first things he would find would be a student overdosing, a nerd pretending to be Neo on the front lawn, or even a random blonde girl attempting to suck someone’s dick in the trunk of a car.

He chuckled to himself and shook his head.

The thoughts were an amusing waste of time and knowing the deep shit he was in, Zaire treasured the brief moments he could waste time.

Any time wasted is just another second spent working against his survival.

RING – RING

The bell rang and Zaire slipped out of his Hummer for better visibility… as if the floodgates had been opened, students rushed out of the building.

Zaire’s sane mind fought against his paranoia… every fiber of his being was geared toward Jumping half the continent away.

In the back of his mind, The Jumper could already see his destination… a beach in Rio – birds flew overhead and the breeze was warm and welcoming… a fisherman was pulling his boat to dock at a small wharf on the right.

Zaire gritted his teeth, dismissing the image – it went against a Jumper’s control of their abilities to peer at a location if they didn’t intend to Jump there.

At some point, if a Jumper was accustomed to peering without Jumping, their bodies would stop listening… at that point, every random thought would take them somewhere new.

Zaire leaned against his Hummer, attracting the winks of plenty of females… he returned amiable smiles to the girls he knew would not approach.

His gazes tended to avoid those who looked brave enough to actually talk to him.

“Nice ride…” A voice commented.

Zaire frowned – he had been too distracted with looking for Kimberly… he didn’t even notice someone had drifted so close to him.

“Is that an air suspension?” He inquired.

Zaire smirked, a bit appreciative that someone could recognize a hint of the work that went into his Hummer. “And it has a Central Tire Inflation System,” He commented, gesturing to the tubes running into the wheels.

“Well, fuck me!” The teenager stated, extending a hand toward Zaire. “Jason…” He mentioned.

They shook. “Zaire,” He replied.

Jason continued to admire the Hummer for a few seconds before he noticed that Zaire’s eyes were wandering the compound in search of someone.

“Who you looking for?” He inquired. “Maybe I can help.”

The Jumper hesitated for a couple of seconds. “Kimberly Hart?” He ultimately replied.

Jason frowned for an instant – a normal person would not have noticed but Zaire was not normal by any measure of the world… just Jason’s frowning caused his paranoia to flare.

Zaire’s eyes darted left and right, wondering if there was an ambush waiting for him somewhere nearby.

“You may want to check the girl’s bathroom on the south section of the second floor,” Jason responded, placing a hand on Zaire’s shoulder. “—that girl has had a bit of a rough day.”

‘Have a picture of the bathroom?’ The Jumper wanted to ask but knowing that would seem strange, Zaire could only nod his head and make his way toward the building with normal walking.

Such was the curse of a Jumper – not reaching everywhere in an instant took years of discipline.

Halfway to the building in question, Zaire was forced to turn around when he recalled the key was very much still in his Hummer.

“What is happening to me today?” He cursed under his breath.

………

A long walk across the compound, into the building after having to divert two routes due to locked doors, and an annoying set of stairs, Zaire came to the corridor outside of the bathroom in question.

He could already hear the sobbing.

The Jumper winced and spun on his heel, decisively intending to depart and never return to Angel Grove but his feet halted mid-step.

Something was keeping him from departing.

Was it guilt?

Was it longing?

Zaire was frightened by the long-forgotten emotions bubbling inside of him… it disgusted him to feel so vulnerable toward someone.

The sobbing became sniffles…

Without really intending to, The Jumper pushed open the door to the bathroom – he heard scampering as if a rat trying to hide in a corner.

Only… it was no rat.

Zaire extended a hand, catching the liquid soap tossed at his head… and when he set the soap back on the nearby sink, he saw a semi-sorry sight.

Kimberly met Zaire’s eyes… she was defensive for a second, confused for the next two seconds, and embarrassed for the following five seconds.

Zaire noticed several things at once… there was makeup on the sink, scattered pads tainted with blood on the ground, and a broken phone stuck into the toilet of the opened stall.

There were wireless headphones in Kimberly’s ears.

Zaire checked his phone, knowing Kimberly would not snap out of her shock any time soon… he quickly activated his Bluetooth and linked to the phone in the toilet.

“Thank you, Bugg…” He whispered under his breath.

Zaire was quick to open the mirror app on his phone… it was the same application that allowed him to freely roam through Brenda’s messages.

Still, the app had a greater utility.

The application could allow Zaire to mirror the screen of anything with an outgoing connection – of course, the limitation being the person had not rooted their device.

Time passed…

Zaire had watched the first few seconds of a very compromising video… he knew the girl in the video was Kimberly and he assumed the guy was her ex-boyfriend.

‘What’s so bad about anal?’ The Jumper thought.

“Why are you here?” Kimberly inquired, having gathered herself enough to quickly continue applying makeup over some darkening bruises.

Zaire didn’t reply… his mind was tracing the series of events.

Kimberly was called to the bathroom by friends most likely. There was a bit of roughhousing that Kimberly found strange… she probably realized that she was being bullied a little late.

The girls started tossing their pads at her… the bloodied ones. Things took a turn, and Kimberly slapped someone. They jumped her and beat her. They kept the slaps light and only to her face.

Something went wrong… someone got stabbed.

Too much blood and too few pads – they tried to stop the bleeding by using new pads that were left in the bathroom dispenser.

The stabbing was not serious… so Kimberly probably stabbed someone with a pen and they decided to leave her alone since she was threatening to stab someone else.

Instead, to keep her silent, they showed her the video of her fucking her boyfriend. Obviously, he videoed it without her consent and now, she is fucked.

‘They probably told her no one would see it as long as she didn’t tell anyone what happened here but…’ Zaire flicked through the messages, noting the video had been sent to twelve different people in the past hour.

And there was no telling who those twelve people would send the message to.

“This is troublesome…” Zaire muttered.

“WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE!” Kimberly questioned, pushing Zaire in the chest. “WAS IT YOU?”

He remained quiet, knowing she needed to vent on all the other possibilities before accepting the reality.

“DID YOU TAKE THAT VIDEO?!” She exclaimed, voice becoming simultaneously vicious and hurt. “DID YOU DRUG ME AT THE PARTY AND RAPE ME!”

Zaire frowned… he had to hold himself back from slapping the girl - she was venting but there were lines that he wouldn’t allow to be crossed.

Ultimately, The Jumper’s better nature won and it helped that Kimberly was not half as annoying as Henry.

Zaire wrapped his arms around the girl and surprisingly, Kimberly not only allowed him to hug her, she craved his comfort and similarly snaked her hands around his neck.

Humming…

“HMMMMMMM…”

More humming…

“HMMMMMMM… HMMMMMMM…”

Zaire realized belatedly that the hum was coming from his mouth, and that he was swaying with Kimberly in his arms.

‘She brings out the worst in me…’ He thought.

And it was true… he was the least efficient version of himself when with Kimberly, but it was also known that humans who were the least efficient were often the happiest.

“HMMMMMMM… HMMMMMMM…”

Kimberly mimicked his humming – she leaned more into his arms and allowed her body to drift along with his swaying. She felt better already but not all the way there… somewhere deep inside, Kimberly was aware her life was over.

Then… Zaire did something unexpected - his soft humming turned into a sensual, whispering melody meant for an audience of one… Kimberly.

Every day is so wonderful,

Kimberly’s eyes widened – she tried to pull away to examine Zaire’s face, unable to match the soft, comforting voice to the careful, borderline-paranoid eyes of The South African.

And suddenly, it’s hard to breathe,

Zaire pulled her closer, leading her body along as he made for the door… her heart was still heavy with unrealized emotions and his goal was to lead her out of the emotional stump before it could materialize as trauma.

Now and then, I get insecure,

From all the pain, I’m so ashamed,

They exited the bathroom.

I am beautiful, no matter what they say,

Words can’t bring me down,

Zaire led the way as they danced down the hall… Kimberly felt the world spin and suddenly, her back was against a locker and she was looking up into Zaire’s eyes.

‘Such wonderful eyes…’

He leaned in closer and her neck craned forward – she wanted to partake in his lips but his mouth settled on her shoulder, whispering lyrics into her ears.

I am beautiful in every single way,

Yes, words can’t bring me down, oh no…

Kimberly pushed off the locker, and for the next couple of seconds, she led Zaire in their twirls, steps, and spins.

Eventually, The Jumper wrestled back control from her hands… Zaire hooked Kimberly’s waist and tilted her body backward into a dip.

So, don’t you bring me down today,

They danced down the hall.

To all your friends, you’re delirious,

So consumed in all your doom,

Trying hard to fill the emptiness,

The pieces gone, left the puzzle undone,

At some point, there were dancing down the stairs – it wasn’t long until Kimberly figured out the rhythm to the song, and her voice echoed in the empty building.

Needless to say, she sounded a thousand times better than what Zaire could manage.

That’s the way it is,

You are beautiful, no matter what they say,

Words can’t bring you down,

You are beautiful in every single way,

Yes, words can’t bring you down, oh no…

They exited the building, laughing and dancing across the green lawn.

The few students who lingered on the compound pulled phones from their pockets, videoing what they could for later gossip.

Kimberly felt shame bombard her all at once… she didn’t know what to think – were they videoing her happiness or marveling at the fact that she had a sex tape?

It was then that she really started to listen.

So, don’t you bring me down,

Zaire whispered the comforting lyrics into her ears.

No matter what we do,

No matter what we say,

We’re the song inside the tune,

Full of beautiful mistakes,

Kimberly was uncertain at first but the more she listened to the lyrics, the more she understood that Zaire had not chosen the song at random.

He was comforting her… he was whispering harsh truths and sweet promises… Kimberly didn’t know which to believe.

The gathering eyes of the students made her feel uncomfortable but Zaire’s hand on her waist, his head on her shoulder, and his soft whispers into her ears made Kimberly calm.

And everywhere we go,

The sun will always shine,

But tomorrow we might awake,

On the other side,

At some point, Kimberly found her body pressed against the hood of a car… she automatically slipped onto the hood, spread her legs, and pulled Zaire close.

Their eyes met with intensity… there existed centimeters between their faces.

Case we are beautiful,

No matter what they say,

Yes, words don’t bring us down, no, no…

We are beautiful in every single way,

Yes, words can’t bring us down, oh no…

Their lips met in a soft burst of wetness that made the surroundings seem secondary.

So, don’t you bring me down today…

When their lips parted, Kimberly had a smile and a memory she would never forget… a beautiful memory of the day that her social life ended.

Zaire pulled Kimberly into his Hummer and soon, the car darted away with no destination in mind.

……………

The scenery rushed by.

“Not home?” Zaire questioned.

“No…”

“What’s on your mind?”

Kimberly folded her legs in the seat, trying to mentally keep to herself in a physical sense. “I’m fucked…”

“In the video or?”

Two punches and a hollow chuckle were Zaire’s reward. “How do you know about the video anyway?” She questioned.

Zaire did not keep the matter to himself. “Whoever threatened you with the video?”

“Yeah…” A pit formed in her stomach.

“It was an afterthought,” Zaire shrugged, briefly meeting Kimberly’s eyes. “—they shared the video with twelve people before they went to threaten you.”

“Fucking figures…” She snorted.

“So, where to?” Zaire questioned. “Running low on gas,” He added.

Kimberly sighed and decided. “Relaxation? Food? Darkness? A bit of fun? And calm?”

Zaire rubbed his chin for a couple of seconds. “I think I know somewhere like that,” He commented, taking a left, then two rights to bring him to a hotel.

And not just any hotel, a three-star masterpiece nearly thirty stories tall with a sizeable pool at the top… a place a certain celebrity had a party a year earlier and Zaire conquered his first famous ass.

………

The Hummer came to a stop.

Zaire and Kimberly slipped out of the car. The Jumper slipped his car keys into the hand of the waiting valet… she was a beautiful blonde who would be better served as a receptionist.

“Strange…”

Kimberly groaned. “Please don’t tell me we’ll be shacking up at this expensive place?” She inquired.

Zaire extended a hand and Kimberly took it – they walked inside with their fingers interlocked.

The Receptionist eyed them the moment they entered the lobby… to Zaire’s surprise, the guards didn’t immediately tense at his presence like most people in Reston would.

‘Seems Angel Grove has a more inclusive setting,’ He mused.

The duo stopped in front of the receptionist – the man in question wore a practiced smile that had turned genuine over the years, patiently waiting for a request.

“How much—”

“With me, you never ask how much,” Zaire insisted.

Though he was enjoying his time with Kimberly, the final barrier to his emotions would forever remain intact… hence, Zaire intended to stick to his identity.

Kimberly knew him as the son of bankers and he would not betray such expectations of wealth.

‘Besides, I do supply a few banks with gold…’ The Jumper internally mused.

Zaire turned to the receptionist. “We want the full experience.”

“You mean?”

“Presidential Suite, Body Scrub, Deep Cleansing Facial – everything,” Zaire insisted, slipping a credit card out of his pocket and onto the desk. “—I trust you to keep the room occupied until I tell you otherwise?”

The Receptionist paused, then narrowed his eyes in understanding. “Of course, sir!” He responded.

Zaire was pleased to know that The Receptionist had had underhanded dealings before… and though it was shadier than his usual methods, The Jumper was pleased he had secured a Jumping location in Angel Grove.

The card was swiped.

Zaire and Kimberly were guided to their room, and then to everything else in the hotel.

………………

Massage therapy…

Body scrub…

Body mask…

Endless cups of Acai Berry Juice with plates of sliced apples, pineapples, and cherries…

Nearly two hours later, when daylight had just given way to the faint darkness, Kimberly and Zaire made their way from the fifth-floor sauna to the roof.

Kimberly slipped out of her bathing robe, revealing a two-piece bathing suit that instantly made Zaire’s dick tighten in his pants.

And he was more enticed by the fact that Kimberly clearly knew what she was doing… after all, she didn’t bring anything to the hotel other than the supplies in her school bag.

She dove into the water…

Zaire slipped into a pool lounger, admiring the drops of water drizzling off of Kimberly’s skin as she emerged from the pool.

“Not coming in?” She yelled.

Still, he observed, running through all the options in his mind… Zaire could see five steps ahead, what every action would result in, but he wanted to make the mistake anyway.

After all, Kimberly was a normal girl… a girl he would never see twice.

“Come on!” Kimberly urged, creating splashes with her hands. “If you come in… there might be a treat waiting for you.”

It was the moment he was waiting for – Zaire smirked. “Turn around let me see the back of your bath suit…” He voiced.

Kimberly shrugged her shoulders, twirling in the water to showcase the prize waiting for Zaire if he dared enter the pool, and when she turned back around… there was nobody in the pool lounge.

There was an eerie quiet.

“Zaire?” Her insides tightened.

Panic breaths powered in and out of her lungs, and just as she was on the verge of a complete breakdown, Kimberly yelped as she was dragged under the water.

She kicked and punched… of course, she hit nothing because the water added resistance to her already weak arms.

Kimberly tried to yell – an act that would no doubt send water tunneling down her throat but instead of chlorine, she tasted cherries and pineapples on her lips.

A tongue snaked into her mouth and even without opening her eyes, Kimberly knew it was Zaire… after all, she was the one who ordered the fruit drink for him.

Actually, she was hoping she would later get to taste the fruitiness from his lips and her goal had now been achieved in full.

Kimberly’s legs automatically wrapped around Zaire’s waist – she trusted him so much that, even when she knew she was out of breath, she still only focused on tasting his lips.

And true to her trust…

Zaire pushed from the bottom of the pool, launching himself and Kimberly upward… they broke through the surface of the water, still tongue-locked and sexually frantic.

The Jumper slipped out of his bathing trunks and Kimberly loosed one arm from around his neck… she eagerly reached between her legs and slid aside the thin panty that protected her womanhood.

Kimberly knew she was acting so bold because of the earlier incident at school, but still, that was something for the future Kimberly to regret… not the current her.

As Zaire slid inside of her, Kimberly’s eyes widened… she dug her nails into his back, genuinely concerned she was about to die but also eager to accommodate the man who had granted her a magic day.

“Zaire! Zaire!” She pleaded.

“Fucking tight…” He breathes, trying not to immediately cum in her depths. “You’re so fucking tight!”

He made it halfway in…

Kimberly expanded to accommodate him… she felt her walls spread, her asshole pucker and her spine instinctively straighten.

It was painful – she didn’t like the pain.

But then, Zaire’s hand gripped her neck and he stared into her eyes with authority that she couldn’t refuse… suddenly, Kimberly liked the sensation of being stretched.

She liked the way Zaire growled into her ear and that was all the encouragement Kimberly needed to start grinding her hips against the rod that penetrated her depths.

And then…

They humped, fucked… switched positions, swapped spit, and ravaged each other with the intensity of horny, desperate teenagers.

Kimberly felt a finger slip into her anus and her pleasure doubled from being fingered and fucked…

“Put me on the ledge… put me on the ledge!” She demanded, drifting backward with each watery stroke. “I want to see you inside me!” She voiced.

Soon, they were on the ledge.

Zaire and Kimberly watched with equal fascination as his considerable length sunk into the pink, small lips of her cunt.

Without even realizing it, they were no longer fucking.

Zaire made slow, deliberate strokes and Kimberly kissed him with a passion that laid her soul bare to be caressed or torn… surprisingly, Zaire didn’t tear it.

They started to make love.