Living Arrangements

Chapter One: Probation

CHAPTER ONE: PROBATION

Caroline ran after her Dad with an annoyed scowl, stumbling over her own feet in her haste.

"Dad I just don't understand why he can't stay somewhere else."

Her father turned around with a sigh, his expression weary. Lines of fatigue were etched into his features and Caroline felt an immediate stab of guilt.

She was well aware that the last week had been stressful for him. Heck, it had been stressful for her and she wasn't even aware of the full detail of the case. Somehow, she doubted that the numerous rumours covered the whole story.

Trying her best to ignore the feeling of guilt, Caroline pressed on.

"Are there no... rules for stuff like this?"

Despite having known about this for months, her dad had somehow deluded himself into thinking that the best way to handle breaking the news to her was by leaving it until last minute.

It was at exactly nine o'clock this morning that Caroline had been informed of Drake Stevens' living arrangements throughout the course of his probation. By this time of course, it was far too late for her to do anything to change the situation.

Looking back, she figured it was very likely that he'd planned it that way intentionally.

Still, it was safe to say it hadn't been one of the most pleasant surprises Caroline had ever received.

In fact, it was right down there at the bottom of the list, along with receiving an ant farm from her uncle for her seventh birthday. They'd escaped before the day was up, and she'd refused to sleep in her bed for a week for fear they were hiding under the covers, biding their time.

"Caroline, I've told you, he's on probation. It's much easier to closely monitor him this way."

Caroline let out a long sigh and ran her fingers through her hair in frustration. Seemingly oblivious, her father continued down the stairs and pulled open the door.

Drake leant against the doorframe with a lazy grin, fist raised up to knock again. The sight of him after such a long time was a shock to the system to say the least, and Caroline paused on the last step.

"Well if it isn't little Caroline Rivers. Why the last time I saw you..." He trailed off with a casual smirk, but there was little need for him to continue. Caroline remembered it well. She'd been short and pudgy with frizzy red-brown curls and a weakness for sweet foods.

In the year that Drake had been in prison she'd changed.

She was still a little on the short side, sure, but nowhere near as bad as she had been, and her hair had lost most of its red tint. The weakness for sweet foods was still there, but fortunately she'd also discovered this little thing called willpower.

She'd gone from being a complete doormat, to someone independent, somebody who wasn't afraid to stick up for herself and answer back.

"I remember." She completed the sentence for him.

"You were a dick, and I was too pathetic to say anything about it to anybody's face."

Drake looked a little taken aback for a moment before his face settled into an amused smile. Caroline's dad tutted from beside her at the foul language, but didn't say anything. Obviously he'd sensed that it had needed to be said. Still, she couldn't help but wince slightly at the sign of disapproval.

"Something like that."

Drake's lips curled up at the side. It wasn't quite a smile, but it was more than his usual smirk.

Caroline took in his appearance as he stepped into the doorway, his tall frame blocking the sunlight from the room.

He'd grown far more than she had, and his face had hardened, his chiselled features accentuated by the light tan on his skin. How he managed to still have a tan after a year of being locked indoors I had no idea.

His blue eyes sparkled with a strangely childlike mischief, and as her gaze travelled down the rest of his body, she reluctantly admitted to herself that she was impressed.

If she hadn't known first-hand what a douchebag he was, she may have even admitted to having a small crush on him once upon a time.

Thankfully, any misconceptions she may have had about him were long gone now.

"So princess, I've heard we're going to be living together."

His eyebrows quirked suggestively and Caroline sighed. It seemed he hadn't changed one bit.

"It's a little bit like skipping a couple of steps." He continued, and Caroline looked at her dad, her eyes wide with disapproval. Surely he couldn't expect her to live with this.

Her father determinedly averted his gaze and she turned back to Drake, narrowing her eyes.

"You know, I'm thinking maybe we should just skip all the steps. See, my plan is to pretend you're not living here. It'd be real helpful if you could play along and stay out of my way."

She smiled triumphantly and turned, storming back up the stairs.

"And don't call me princess, douchebag."

This was the last thing Drake heard before the slam of her bedroom door.

Caroline's father sighed, turning to Drake with an apologetic grimace.

"I'll admit, that actually went better than I was expecting it to."

Drake smirked, raising his eyebrows in agreement. Even before he'd gotten arrested last year, he hadn't been the friendliest of guys. Even though he'd never been especially cruel to Caroline, it was safe to say she probably wasn't his biggest fan.

It was clear that her dislike for him had developed in the past year, as had she.

Her eyes shone with a newfound confidence, which with her body, Drake thought, was utterly reasonable. She'd always been pretty, but now she'd grown into her curves and begun wearing clothes that showed off her body, as oppose to the awful jumpers she'd used to cover herself with. Her tanned legs went on for miles, and she certainly wasn't afraid to show them off with those shorts she'd been wearing.

"... So depending on how your behaviour is during the course of your probation, you will be gradually granted more freedom. The investigation into your involvement in the case is still ongoing, so I'm sorry to say we have no idea how long you'll be here for."

Drake tuned back into the sheriff's lecture, and he couldn't help but feel slightly guilty. The man was being unimaginably generous to him, giving him a chance to escape the measly hellhole they liked to call a jail cell. He'd been trapped in there for the last year and finally, he was free.

There he was, repaying the favour by thinking about all the naughty things he could do to this guy's daughter, and how just how far he could go before she snapped.

"I got it, thanks."

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

So, this is the reason I haven't updated 'In The Dark' in forever. This will be second priority to that but I've had this sort of idea floating in my head for a while and so when I sat down to write the next chapter of 'In The Dark', I ended up with this instead.

So I hope you enjoy it...

-Lena