Roommates with a Player

Chapter Four: Hide-and-Seek a Hot Gardener

            “Ready or not, here I come!” Charlie’s shrill voice pierced the afternoon sky. I ducked down in the large shrub I was hiding in, hoping I was well camouflaged.

            Charlie and I were in the middle of an epic game of hide-and-seek, which spread out all around the jungle of the Stephens’ garden. Charlie had the head start, as he knew his way around. I couldn’t even go in a circle. Flowers, trees, lawns, statues, fountains, two tennis courts, a basketball court, a giant swimming pool equipped with a slide, a waterfall, a volleyball net, and a Jacuzzi were all spread out across the garden. It was truly a site to see.

            “Found you!” Charlie squealed and jumped on top of me.

            “It looks like you did,” I said, laughing. “Now get off me so I can start counting.”

            He got off and I quickly reached the “counting place”, as Charlie called it. It was just a big willow tree. I closed my eyes and began counting. Charlie insisted that I count to 200, but there was no way I was doing that. I simply opened my eyes and waited a bit.

            I was still a bit jumbled up by Ricky this morning. First of all, how long had he been in my room before I had woken up? It was a bit strange to think he might’ve been watching me sleep. I hardly knew him. My friends would tell me some things; like that he wasn’t a virgin and the type of shampoo he used. Secondly, what was with his attitude? I wondered if maybe he was hiding something. I bet he kept a diary. I was laughing out loud before I’d realized it’d been over two minutes.

            I took my time looking for Charlie, smelling flowers and admiring statues. The Stephens really had a wonderful garden. This would be a great place to read or take a stroll. It was just so damn peaceful.

            Many gardeners tended to shrubs and watered flowers. A few looked a little older than me, but still in their teens. Hmm, that was a bit strange. Usually gardeners were elderly or middle-aged; never in their youth.

            “I’ve never seen you around here,” A voice came from behind a shrub. A boy about my age stepped from behind and ambled over. “Are you a relative of the Stephens or something?”

            As he came into view, I drank this mysterious boy in. He was dressed as a gardener, so I assumed he worked here. He had sandy colored hair that curled at the edges. His eyes were a piercing blue that looked like a newborn baby’s. He was only a few inches taller than me. I had to confess, this gardener was a total babe.

            “I-I’m living with the Stephens at the moment.” I stuttered. I internally punched myself for being so awkward.

            “Wait a sec, are you the adopted daughter? Emma?” He asked, suddenly intrigued.

            Did everyone know about this?

            “You could call it that.” I mumbled.

            “Well, you’re a lot prettier than I imagined you would be,” He smiled. “Sophomore, right?”

            “Uh,” I was taken back by his compliment. “Yeah.”

            “Cool, so am I! The name’s Nathan. I’m surprised I haven’t seen you around school.” His brows furrowed.

            “I try to keep a low profile.” I joked. Nathan didn’t seem to get it. Another internal punch.

            “Anyway,” He changed the subject. “What’s it like living with the oh-so-amazing Ricky?”

            I smiled at his sarcasm. “Just wonderful.”

            “Emma! What are you doing?!” Charlie called and suddenly, he was tugging at my shirt again.

            “Hey, little man. What’s happening?” Nathan said to Charlie and they exchanged a made-up handshake.

            I blinked. Did Nathan know everyone?

            “How long have you known the Stephens?” I asked him.

            “Ever since I can remember. My grandparents know their grandparents. They always help me out with work and stuff. They are really nice people,” Nathan’s face soured a bit. “But I could never get along with Ricky. We just never bonded.”

            Charlie frowned and gave Nathan a pat.

            “So, how do you know them?” He asked me.

            “Long story.” I muttered. He took the hint I didn’t want to talk about it.

            The shouting of a fellow gardener caught Nathan’s attention.

            “It looks like I have to get back to work. I’ll see you around, Emma! We should catch up later!” He called and backed back into the shrubs.

            “Uh, sure!” I replied and gave a weak wave.

            Charlie looked up at me and laughed. “Oh Emma, you’re so weird!”

            “Whatever, Charlie.” I joked, pushing his head away playfully.

           

            We played for a bit longer before heading back inside. Grass stains covered our clothes; we were a mess. I was glad Charlie and I had gotten to bond together. At least one of the Stephens brothers liked me. Michelle had dinner prepared for us and this time, she made sure to give me tofu. Henry joined later on and for a while, I felt like everything was going to be okay. You know that feeling you get when everything in the world just feels right? That feeling was bursting inside of me. It was truly the first time I was happy after the death of my parents. I couldn’t get enough of it.

            Everyone headed to bed early to get ready for school and work the next day. Since Ricky still wasn’t back, I was able to shower peacefully. I snuck my toiletries in and hid them under the sink. Ricky had a huge bathroom, which was nice. The steaming hot water calmed me down and finally, I was able to brush out my hair. I was feeling so refreshed when I climbed into my bed. I was lightly dozing when I heard a ruckus coming from the hallway.

            I got out of bed and cracked my door open to quietly investigate. What I saw made me take a double take.

            Ricky was fiercely kissing some girl who was trying frantically to unbutton his jeans. He inched against the wall, trying to get to his room, all the while making out with this girl. As much as I wanted to, I couldn’t pull myself away. Did he seriously have a girl over this late?

            He finally reached his room, swinging the door open. The girl ferociously jumped on top of him, making him fall to his bed. And I swear, in seconds her top was off and he was pulling his shirt up. Disgusted, I shut the door and hurdled back into bed.

            “What a pig!” I whispered to myself, diving back into the sheets. I reached for my iPod, which lay on the bedside table. I had a feeling things were about to get noisy. I turned the volume up all the way, trying to block out anything from the outside world.

            Soon, I was lulled from the sounds of The Shins and drifted into an uneasy sleep.

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Hey guys! Thanks for being so supportive and what not. You are so awesome and I love y’all! <3 But I don’t want to waste energy posting if not many people are reading. I have a lot of other things on my plate (school, friends, family, activities) and I don’t want this to be for nothing. I really like how the story is going, but I just need to be better known. I will not post any more chapters until I have 20 fans, 35 votes, OR have reached 500 views. I know that seems hard to reach, but I just need to know my efforts aren’t for nothing. Thanks for understanding. Tell you friends! :3