Covered In Ink

Chapter 12|You look like hell

"Dude! Why is your booty call in our living room?"

What booty call? Wait, wait, wait, hold on a second. Is he talking about me?

"She's not a booty call, you asshole."

"I know. I just wanted to see her reaction."

See my reaction? You've got to be kidding. That boy is asking for it.

I cracked both my eyes open, blinking a couple of times to adjust to the light.

"You wanna see my reaction?" I asked croakily.

The guy, who looked quite similar to Ryan, but with less defined facial features and about a weeks worth of beard on his chin, grinned.

"C'mere then," I said, smiling weakly.

He stepped closer to me, and I almost grinned when he stood exactly in the right place.

He looked at me expectantly.

I pointed my toes and ballerina kicked him in the family jewels. He groaned, doubling over in pain.

"Sunshine, that wasn't very nice."

I looked up to see Ryan, who was trying very hard to keep a straight face.

"He had it coming," I mumbled, yawning, and closing my eyes again.

"Wait, stop, you can't go back to sleep yet."

"Wha...why?"

"I have to take your temperature," he said, grabbing the thermometer.

I pouted. I don't like thermometers.

"Don't make that face sunshine, it's not gonna help your case."

I pouted more as he stuck the thermometer under my tongue.

He sighed, taking the thermometer back and studying it.

"You're too adorable for your own good," he murmured. I probably wasn't supposed to hear that. "But you still have a temperature."

He waved the thermometer past my face, it said one hundred and one, which I guess was an improvement.

Ryan removed the towel from my forehead.

"I'll be right back, try not to kill my brother, sunshine."

"What? Why would I try to kill Archie?"

He stopped, spinning around with a smirk. "Not that brother, that one," he pointed to the guy struggling for breath on the floor.

"You've got to be kidding me," I sniffed, as Ryan retreated to the kitchen.

"Nice to meet you too, I'm Evan" he grunted, rolling to sit on his butt.

"Hazel."

"So who are you?"

"I'm Hazel, pretty sure we already established that." Like, duh. Is he deaf?

"I know that. But how do you my baby brother?"

Baby brother? Wow really?

"I'm your neighbour, and we're friends...I think."

I frowned thinking about it. Were we friends? I was friends with Tara and my relationship with Ryan was nothing like that.

"You think?" Evan questioned, raising an eyebrow.

"I don't know... it's complicated."

Evan studied me. "Sounds like you're scared to me."

"Scared? Of what?"