The Quiet Girl

Chapter 15

It's been a long day. Martha and Rachel haven't stopped yelling at each other and when it gets to loud I join in, because I refuse to sit by as she calls my mom out of her name.

Malcolm and I are sharing a guest bedroom and I don't know where the others are. I gave Malcolm his medicine a few hours ago and he's been out like a light.

He cries in his sleep, probably still traumatized from the plane crash. I wipe his tears away and close my eyes and fall asleep.

A hand grabs me. I smack the intruder and meet the eyes of Ghost.

"What the hell are you doing in here?" I hiss.

He wipes a tear from my cheek. "Baby Girl, I could here you crying from my room."

"I didn't think-"

"It's okay Baby Girl." He comforts getting under the covers.

He wraps his loving arms around me and I nuzzle into his chest.

We fall into a blissful silence.

"This will be our secret room for the time being." Ghost whispers.

"Okay Raphael."

"Do you blame me?"

"I do, well did but I can't really be mad at you. If you hadn't yanked me what if I hadn't made it. I was holding Malcolm and I'm just glad you were thinking ahead, because if anything happened to him I don't know."

"Baby Girl, don't even think like that."

"I love you Raphael. I don't know what I would have done without you."

"Baby Girl, say it again."

I turn and face him. "I said that I love you."

He kisses me and for a moment everything if golden, then I realize that wasn't the reaction I wanted. I pull back.

"Baby Girl, what's wrong?"

"That wasn't what I was expecting."

"Baby Girl, you know how I feel-"

"Yeah or at least that's what you keep saying, but whatever forget it, goodnight."

I go to sleep in disappointment.

A knock on the door wakes me up.

"Yes?"

"It is Troy, Mrs. Martha is requesting to speak with you."

"Tell her I said to fuck off."

"That is no way for a lady to talk!'

"Sue me." I advise.

"Don't think Mrs. Martha isn't thinking about it." he mutters.

I get out of bed and Ghost grabs my arm. "I'm coming to." he tells me.

"I can handle her."

He gets up anyway and we leave the room.

Troy looks at us with disgust. "You couldn't have just tried being abstinent. This isn't your house, you can't fornicate like bunny rabbits."

I punch him in the jaw and take a hand full of his hair and knee him in the face.

"That is for talking to me like that. You aren't my father so don't scold me like a fucking child!" I yell as Troy groans in pain.

Ghost kicks him in the gut while he's on the ground.

Ghost takes my hand in his and we smirk at each other. We walk down the grand staircase and see everyone is already sitting on the couch.

"Nice of you to join us." Martha mutters.

I roll my eyes and Ghost and I take a seat next to Rachel and Derrick.

"Junior, I'm not happy with you." Martha starts.

Derrick and I smile at each other knowingly. I've always made fun of him ever since I've heard that nickname.

"Yes I know mother, but I'm just trying to be a man and that means protecting my family." Derrick states.

Derrick's father scoffs.

"You only ask for our help in horrible situations. Did you get her pregnant again?" Martha asks.

"Yes I'm five months." Rachel speaks.

"Couldn't keep your legs closed for the life of you." Martha mutters.

"It's not my fault, your son is...always ready." Rachel smirks. "Maybe you didn't teach him well enough."

Martha laughs as Derrick's father tenses.

"I didn't raise my son right?" she demands laughing. "You're daughter is already spreading her legs and in my house none the less."

"I actually keep my legs close Grandma." I tell her knowing she hates it when I call her that.

She glares at me.

"Anyway," Ghost chimes in, "back to business, we're planning on having into JFAH's main hard drive and erase ourselves from every digital file they have of us."

"And so why are you here?" Martha asks.

"We're here for Father's computers." Derrick answers.

"Junior, why should we, more importantly, why should I let you use my stuff when you brought these people in my house." Derrick's father speaks up.

"Because, you wouldn't be just helping me you'd be helping PJAFA. When word gets out about how JAHP lousy important data, they won't here the end if it and that's when PJAFA comes in with a perfect record. The agency will flourish and you'll be swimming in new recruits."

Martha looks at her husband.

"He's a smart boy." Derrick's father states.

"Yes, that's the only reason we put up with his bullshit." Martha says.

"Oh, I thought ladies weren't supposed to talk like that." I chime in.

"Bitch even at my worst I'm more of a lady then you."

"Actually," Ghost says, "she is more of a lady then you. She has a caring heart when you don't even care for your family. She's willing to put her life at risk when you sit up here with your fancy house thinking your the shit."

"Who the hell do you think you are?!" Derrick's father demands, "You're in my house! You cannot talk to my wife like that! Especially when you're only a play toy to that girl!"

Ghost chuckles and Derrick like he's about to kill his father.

"I'm no one play toy. I'm a technology genius."

"You?" Martha chuckles.

"You couldn't even hack into Walgreen's."

"I was hacking into your agencies files before I was hacking into Walgreen's and Walgreen's has higher security." Ghost mummers.

They stop laughing and glare at him.

"You bastard-"

"Martha, we should let him do what they're planning."

"What?"

"If they fail, we could turn him in for hacking." Derrick's father informs.

"Deal." Derrick encourages.

Martha goes to grab her coat. "Rachel, my church is having a woman's prayer meeting and you should come with me."

My jaw nearly unhinged. After all the shit she said!

Rachel studies her for a couple moments without saying anything.

"You are Christian aren't you?" Martha asks.

"No, Catholic."

Martha scrunches up her nose. "I'll be outside." She announces then walks out the door.