Five's A Crowd

thirty nine

Adrian was kind enough to walk me home after the ice cream session, and I was more than grateful because it would be awkward having to walk home by myself.

In the end, the walk was only 25 minutes long, but since I was with Adrian, time flew by a lot faster. We chatted about how his sport is going, and what sort of things we are learning in school, right now.

He's coming up to his mid-year exams and practicing hard, so I'm grateful that the boy took time out of his busy schedule to talk to me. 

I had a feeling that my brothers might not be happy, but they have no right to be mad because Levi gave me permission to go out with a friend. And technically, a friend is all that Adrian is.

I stand on the porch and wait for Adrian to walk away before I go into the house. I knock my hand, against the tough wood, and stand back, waiting for someone to answer the door.

I hear a voice say something along the lines of 'coming, just a second, please!' I know that it's probably Axel because his voice is the deepest. 

Finally, the front door swings open, and as I expected, my second oldest brother stands in the doorway, looking at me, as if I am the dirt on the bottom of his shoe. 

"Oh, it's you," he sighs deeply, and steps aside, allowing me to walk into the house. "Where were you?"

I raise my eyebrows in suspicion, and look suspiciously at my brother, wondering what Levi told them.

"I was with a friend," I exclaim quietly, trudging into the carpeted house.

Axel follows after me and waits for a more detailed explanation, but I refuse to give him one. 

In the sitting room, the rest of my brothers sit, either doing homework, or reading the newspaper. How classic of them. 

Matteo has a set of reading glasses over his eyes, and I try not to laugh at the scene in front of me. 

"You're here," my oldest brother states to obvious, and I feel the need to give a sarcastic response, but decide against it, because he already looks frustrated about whatever he's doing. 

"Yes. Sorry I'm late. Levi let me go out with a friend," I say, trying to sound apologetic, but it sounds more lazy.

"Get rid of that attitude, Hazel. No one's mad. Levi told us that you were out, but he never specified which friend. Would you like to share who it was?" He asks, as his eyes skid up from the newspaper he's reading.

I raise my eyebrows, and allow our intense staring contest to start. 

"Just a friend," I eventually say, as I avoid my brother's harsh gaze. 

He doesn't seems affected by my lack of wanting to share.

"Okay," he comments, silently dismissing me.

I sigh in relief, and begin to walk away from Matteo, heading off in the direction of my room. 

I whistle an unnamed tune on the way up, and hum to myself when I get bored of that.

Finally, when I'm able to kick open my bedroom door, I waltz inside, and shut it quietly behind me, so my brothers won't be able come in, without knocking.

I laze on my bed, and pull my phone out from my pocket, and begin twiddling away on it. Firstly, I thank Adrian for taking me out after school, and then being kind enough to drop me home.

The boy replies within minutes, and I feel those pesky butterflies begins to rise back inside my stomach. 

'You're very welcome, darling. I hope that we get to do it again some time :)'

I leaver Adrian on delivered, and go back to the game I was playing. I get so intrigued, that I don't hear my brothers calling me down. 

When a set of footsteps storm up the stairs I quickly throw my phone under the bed, without thinking about the dire consequences. 

Someone opens my bedroom door, and I see Chase, breathing deeply, and trying to catch his breath.

"I could have been getting changed." I scowl, frowning unapprovingly at him. 

"But you weren't, Ze, were you?" Chase exclaims, venturing further into the bedroom, and lightly slapping my lower leg.

"Get out, Chase, unless you actually want something," I groan, rolling over on my bed, and placing a pillow over my head.

"The boys want you downstairs. Something about the contract you finished signing a couple of days ago," my brother explains, turning me over in my bed.

"Fine," I say, slowly standing up, and standing next to my brother, who's smirking at me.

"Also, Ze, if you want to have your phone in your room, ask first, and don't break it," Chase mentions, as his eyes flicker towards the gap in between my bed, where my phone is hidden, and apparently broken. 

"Yeah, whatever, I'll deal with that later," I sigh, and begin to walk out of my bedroom.

After all of the twists and turns I have to make, I end up arriving downstairs, where the rest of my brothers are patiently waiting at the dining table, all of them showing good table manners. 

I furrow my eyebrows, as my forehead lines frown, and I stop myself from letting out a dramatic sigh. 

Without having to be told, I sit down on the seat, closest to Charlie, and decide to make my body comfortable, knowing very well that it is going to be a long night. 

A/N: Hey guys, thank you so much for reading. PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE VOTE, COMMENT, AND READ WHEN I GET A CHAPTER OUT TOMORROW. I have a plan for where this book is going, I just need a little support. Also, thank you very much for 17200 reads and 909 votes (I know that it's not a lot,) but to me, it means the world. Keep slaying in life, and I will see you tomorrow night- or day depending on where you live- when I update tomorrow. Bye <3 

P.S. I know that this is an early update (by a couple of hours,) but I'm at the cricket again tonight, so I wouldn't be able to publish a chapter otherwise. Please enjoy.

P.P.S. Has anyone read the Cat and Mouse Duet, because I'm halfway through the first book (Haunting Adeline,) and couldn't be more invested!