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Thirty-nine (R)

"Thought we've groomed you enough to not collect things from strangers?" I look down at the kid.

"It's not from a stranger. It's from the delivery guy and he said it's for you." He complains.

"I'll get you chocolates later. For now, come finish your lunch." I pull him alongside me and we go back into the kitchen.

His unfinished plate of pancakes still sits on the counter, untouched. He's yapping about not having appetite, but he just took his meds so he has to eat.

We are alone in this house. Jid came with my mum few minutes after Theresa and Joan went somewhere earlier in the morning. I don't know where because I didn't ask, but I think she forced Joan to follow her to the book club; said something about Joan not reading her books and uni opening in few weeks.

As for Mr. Ash, he didn't come back yesterday. And I don't give a fuck.

I stared at my drenched self in the bathroom mirror for approximately three minutes last night after the cops dropped me off, trying to convince myself not to care whether or not he was with Ingrid. Thankfully, it worked.

It didn't.

And you might be wondering; cops? Yes, cops. I don't know how they got their intel or for what particular reason exactly, but Paul was pulled over for DUI. We both tried to explain to them that he only had few glasses of wine earlier on, but they weren't exactly buying anything we were saying.

One of the two law enforcers insisted on taking me home in their patrol vehicle, while the other drove with Paul to the nearest station in his Spider. It was a really sour end to the night, I swear, but we couldn't do anything about it.

Thankfully, Paul sorted it all out few minutes after getting to the station—he texted me.

"Alaina." Majid calls me, pulling me out of my thoughts.

"Mm?"

"Will you still let me swim if I don't finish my lunch?" He innocently asks.

We made a deal. He said he likes the pool out back; I told him that if he ate to my satisfaction, I'd let him in the pool.

I look at him for a few seconds, pity gnawing at my heartstrings. He's really forcing himself to eat that. "Okay, fine. You've had enough. Drop it. I'll go put on swim gear and meet you back here. How's that?"

"Awesome!" He grins and immediately sprouts up from his seat to go wash his plate.

I get up from my own chair and head for my room. Since no one's home, I can at least have some fun with my lil cousin.

I don't spend much time in my room because all I do is take off my extra large Princess And The Frog t-shirt and panties; and put on a purple two-piece swim suit with a nude see-through robe, before I head back downstairs.

When I get to the top of the staircase, I hear some sort of commotion. It sounds like there's a ruckus...and it's coming from the living room. Like dozens of people are in the house.

Did someone break in? A robber? Or worse...an armed robber?!

Oh, no. Majid's all alone in the kitchen.