The Cliche Gone Wrong

Chapter Twenty-two

He won't stop glaring at me.

I laugh along with Mrs. Hayes who sits on one of the couches as I simultaneously play with the twins in the recessed area of the family room, but I can feel his eyes all the way from the kitchen. Killer is in there with him, helping make a salad to go along with dinner. Their whispered conversation barely reaches me, carrying the mushed sounds over the bar area toward me but I can't pick out any of the separate words.

"You seem worried, Jude," Mrs. Hayes observes, drawing my attention back to her.

"Worried?" I laugh, picking back up the doll I using to play with the little girl. What did they call her? Bear? "No, I just hope I'm not putting you out at all, ma'am."

"Honey, we cook enough food to feed a small nation. One more mouth isn't anything new." She laughs happily, her head tilts up to the ceiling as she laughs at a joke I apparently don't understand. "But actually, on the weekends the kids normally invite their friends over for dinner, so it's a lot less formal. So you don't have to worry about your 30 seconds tonight."

I let out a breath I didn't realize I was holding. She laughs again as the little girl pulls on my arm, trying to get my attention.

"You missed it!" She pouts, hitting me roughly in the arm with the doll in her other hand. I wince, a sharp sting radiating from my forearm.

"Rowan!" Mrs. Hayes says roughly, her mood changing drastically and in an instant. "Little girl, have you lost your damn mind? When is it ever okay to put your hands on someone else?"

I attempt to assure Mrs. Hayes that's its really no problem but the look she cuts me makes me swallow my sentence. Mrs. Hayes stands up and halls Rowan up by her arm, and starts escorting her across the hallway and through a door next to the staircase, which probably leads to a bedroom. My eyes are wide as I watch them disappear, and I flinch as the door slams behind them.

Holy shit, what just happened?

I look to the little boy left next to me but he looks as if nothing weird as happened, his eyes glued to the Nintendo DS in his hands as he plays a video game. I sit there and watch him for a minute, still pretending I don't feel the eyes burning a hole into the back of my head. 

How does he have so much time to glare at me while cooking an entire meal?

A few minutes later Killer calls out my name, and I stand up to turn around, prepared to meet the eyes of the man who I am positive hates my guts. But for once he isn't even looking in my direction, his back to me as he stirs an industrial sized pot on the stove.

"Help me get out the dishes," Killer commands.

I walk over to her, grabbing the bowls out of the cabinet opened. "Should I set them up on the table?"

"No. Saturdays we eat on the couches or at the bar, or even in your own room if you want." She smiles as she opens a drawer to grab out a bunch of silverware. "More relaxed, you know?"

I nod to her as I spread out 7 bowls on the small island, hoping that's enough because there isn't any more room for others amidst all of the other things already on it's surface. As I'm doing that Killer hurries out of the kitchen, disappearing around the corner to answer her ringing phone.

"Welcome back," Mr. Hayes says, standing right behind me.

Oh fuck.

I freeze immediately; my hands wrapped around one of the ceramic bowls as I try not to make any sudden movements. He laughs, his large hand clapping onto one of my shoulders as he pulls me roughly towards him.

"Twice in one day!" He laughs again, although the sound of his chuckle makes me even more terrified. "You must really be something!"

"N—no, sir," I mumble, my eyes straining from being held open so wide.

"That's right," he agrees, his hand tightening to an almost painful grip. "Always remember that. Because if I even suspect that my baby girl isn't happy and you're the cause of it I will have no problem going to jail for murder."

I suck in a shallow breath, his death grip on my shoulder making me realize he is absolutely telling the truth. I don't have time to respond before another voice adds into the conversation.

"Travis, what are you doing?" Mrs. Hayes asks from somewhere behind us.

His hand disappears as he turns to her with a smile, all of the malic in his voice gone. "Oh nothing, honey. I was just getting to know Jan a little better."

I don't even think of correcting him, my hands shaking slightly as I struggle gather my composure. But I flinch when I feel a hand on my shoulder again. As I finally get the courage to look at whom it is I see Mrs. Hayes smiling at me, her hand lightly rubbing the area Mr. Hayes was gripping so tightly.

"Don't worry about him," she whispers, her hand calming my jitters. I almost relax into her half-embrace, the smell of something resembling chocolate entering my nose.

"Help me get the cornbread out of the oven, would you?" Mrs. Hayes asks as she moves away from me and points to the oven underneath the stove.

I nod as I grab the mitts and take the pan out, placing it onto one of the free burners on the stove. As soon as I do that Mrs. Hayes calls out loudly that dinner is done, making me jump from the unexpectedly loud sound. At that its almost like the entire house comes to life, running feet coming down the stairs and people begin appearing out of nowhere. I step out of the way of the stove as three middle school boys run into the kitchen, snatching the bowls off of the counter and spooning large helpings into their bowls, before the each grab a piece of cornbread that Mrs. Hayes cut up while I was distracted.

They disappear back up the stairs with nothing but hastily yelled "thank you"s left in their wake. I frown at the four bowls left on the counter, realizing that they aren't going to be enough. As I walk back over to the cabinet  and reach up to grab out some more bowls I hear a high-pitched screech come from behind me. I spin around to see a wide-eyed freshman standing in the doorway with Jazzy right behind her.

"Told you he was here," Jazzy smirks, her arms crossing over her chest. The other girl doesn't respond, her eyes locked on me as her hand covers her mouth.

"Uh..." That's the only sound that can escape my lips as I struggle to figure out what to do. "Doooo-- you guys want me to make you a bowl?"

I almost think the girl is going to pass out from surprise, or lack of air, but Jazzy steps up and pinches the girl roughly on her arm. "That's so sweet of you, Jude. We'd love you to."

I smile awkwardly at her as I turn to the stove with two bowls in hand, spoon some of the chili into them before I grab some pieces of cornbread and place them into the bowls as well. I turn around again and walk up to both of the girls, handing them each one of the bowls as I try to smile warmly.

The girl doesn't even attempt to take one of the bowls from me, her eyes widening even more as I stop in front of her. I look at her bewildered, before I turn to Jazzy her help. Her smirk turns into a flirty smile as she gently takes the bowls out of my hands.

"Thanks, Jude." She winks coyly at me before she guides the speechless girl out of the kitchen and back upstairs where they came from.

They barely disappeared out of sight before Killer slides in front of me, an unexpected nervousness in her eyes as she chews on her bottom lip. "So we might have a slight problem."

I'm not even able to ask her what it is when the front door slams open. My head jerks over to see who it is, as a petit black girl steps inside, her hands held up in the air in a "look at me" type posed as her bright white teeth flash for everyone to see.

"I'm baaaack!" She calls out, finally closing the door as she turns to the left and walks into the family room. "Did y'all miss m—"

Her sentence cuts out and her smile fades as she spots Killer and me standing in the kitchen. I watch as her mouth drops open and her eyebrows pinch together. She rubs her eyes frantically before she leans in and squints at us. Killer groans quietly as she steps away from me, a hand reaching up to scratch her neck lightly as she refuses to look at either of us.

The girl looks from me to Killer and then back to me. "What the fuck?!"