Alexa
"My Alexa!" Michael said, picking me up and running away, giggling.
"Michael! Get your ass back here!" Andrew demands, running after us, while Elliot and Jackson exchanged annoyed looks.
Andrew tackled Michael to the ground, causing me to be at the bottom and crushed.
"Arghhhh," was all I was able to say. It was not fun having two heavy guys on top of you.
Andrew got off and dragged Michael over to Jackson and plopped him right next to him. "Stay there!" Andrew tells him.
It has been three weeks.
Three weeks since Veronica's murder, and Dad's and Ryan's imprisonment. Things were still a little gloomy, but we're moving on, I guess.
In these three weeks, Andrew and I hang out with Elliot, Michael and Jackson, a lot. Occasionally, with Ryder, Blake and Ethan, though not too much. Zach and Cameron have been giving me a watchful eye. They are even wary to let me be in the kitchen alone, because the kitchen has knives. Oh, and my stepbrothers have started teasing me like actual brothers. Not bullying like how they were, but they love to be sibling like mean.
I giggle and walk up to them with a smile. Andrew glance at me. "This one is a demon," he tells me, pointing a finger at Michael.
In response to that, I sit next to Elliot, placing my head on his shoulder. He was reading and oddly didn't seem to mind. Didn't do much as do a double take or anything.
Andrew gasped. "I'm telling Zach!" he says. "Or Cameron!"
"Don't you dare!" I sit up, knowing how protective my older brothers were. If they know how cuddled up I am to Elliot, they might become stricter about letting me hang out with them so much.
"Ha!" Andrew says, sitting between Elliot and me. Elliot looked at him with a blank expression.
"You need a girlfriend," Jackson tells Andrew with a sigh.
"Don't act like you're not protective when it comes to other guys," Andrew said.
Jackson shot him a glare.
I smile slightly. It felt nice to have people that care about me. I feel happier than I was.
"I love you guys," I tell them. With our friendship, we can say stuff like that without it being weird.
"Love you too, Lexi," Andrew said.
"Love ya, kid," Jackson says.
"You too," Elliot said.
That's weird. Michael normally says it back first.
I was about to say something, when I realized that Michael had gotten up and then literally jumped on me, causing me to fall. "Love you too, bestie!" he says.
"Michael!" Andrew complained.
***
Andrew and I were walking home when I thought I saw something—more like someone—in the distance. Benny.
My heart dropped, but when I blinked, he was gone. I had stopped walking, so Andrew looked at me with confusion.
"Are you okay, Lexi?" he asked me with concern laced in his tone.
I slowly nodded, but I wasn't so sure. I don't think that was my imagination.
Andrew squints his eyes at me. Not a glare, but kind of like a glare, I don't know. "Lexi, you promised no more lies!"
"I don't think I promised that—"
"Lexi!"
I sigh. "Andy, I—I—think I saw Benny. My eyes could just be—"
"What?" Andrew says, grabbing my arm, starting to walk faster which led me no choice but to as well.
"Andy—"
"We have to get home," Andrew says. "We have to let Zach and Cameron know—"
"What, why?"
"Because they're our guardians?" Andrew said as if I was stupid. "You saw Benny—"
"It could just be my eyes planning tricks on me," I told him, trying to think positive.
"I'm not willing to take that chance," Andrew said. "I said I'll protect you, and I am keeping my promise."
We made it to our house and we quickly go inside. Andrew looked around before closing the door. "Zach! Cameron!" he called, pulling me with him.
Zach and Cameron quickly enter the living room, looking confused.
"What's up?" Zach asked.
"Alexa might have seen Benny on our way home," Andrew explained. "So we quickly hurried back."
"What?" Zach and Cameron both exclaimed and gave each other glances.
"Oh this is not good," Cameron says.
"No shit," Zach told him. He looks at me. "Okay, Alexa, just for now, you can't go anywhere without one of your older brothers." He glances at Andrew.
"What?" Andrew said. "Are you saying I can't protect her?"
"That's not what I'm saying," Zach said.
"Sounds like that's what you're saying," Cameron says.
"Shut up, Cameron." Zach sighs. "Listen, Andrew, you and Ryder are both only in eighth grade. And so is Benny. So it'll probably be best if the older ones keep an eye on her, don't you agree?"
Andrew sighed heavily. "Fine."
I raised my hand.
Zach looked at me, confused. "...yes?"
I put my hand down. "I don't think I need a 24/7 babysitter—"
"Yes you do," Cameron says. "For once, I agree with Zach."
Zack nodded. "Thank you, Cameron. Listen, Alexa, cops are on a lookout for Benny, so until he is behind bars, please just cooperate with us."
I nodded, even though I didn't like the idea, I get where they were coming from.
Zach looks at Andrew. "Please inform your friends that if they see Alexa by herself, they are to contact us immediately." Well, damn, he has no trust in me. Zach looks at Cameron. "Inform our other brothers of this, and tell Ryder to tell his friends the same thing that I told Andrew to tell his friends."
Cameron nodded and walked off.
I sighed. There goes my freedom, I guess.
But I'm sure it's only temporary.
Zach takes out his phone. "I'm going to call the cops and tell them that Benny has been sighted." He does just that, and when he hangs up he looks annoyed. "They're not going to do anything...They didn't give me any details on why they weren't going to."
"What?" Andrew said, narrowing his eyes.
"He's no longer being searched for?" I asked.
"No... sorry, Alexa... guess we're going to have to watch you for awhile...."
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sʜᴀᴛᴛᴇʀᴇᴅ
قصص المراهقين{Sequel to Broken} Alexa Hart has had a terrible life, but it seemed to have been getting better. She had brothers that cared, an uncle who was willing to be a father figure, and friends who loved her from the start. But her moment of happiness ende...
