Jaded

[1] A Thief With No Loot

It is at this point that I know I am truly and utterly screwed. I crash into a wet mop, almost gag because whatever the liquid was got in my mouth and hair, and watch in horror as the mop knocks over the toolbox on the shelf. The combined weight of the screwdrivers and hammers flips the plank of wood underneath which in turn topples the fan beside it. The fan tips the box of laundry detergent over, coating the dog completely.

I feel like I've just watched a less dramatic montage of my life in the past two days. And bitch ass Will would be the damn mop that started all this bullshit.

The lights to the garage are flipped on within seconds, the door whipped open. Those would be the owners. Great, I ran away from several screaming adults right into the arms of more screaming adults. I remain seated on the cement floor with dripping hair and keep my eyes closed.

This will pass. It has to. I'll listen to whatever these people have to yell and accept my fate, whether it be the police or parents. Same thing in may case, but whatever I guess.

To my surprise, no one screams. Instead, I hear laughter. Hysterical laughter.

When I open my eyes, I see two guys wedged in the doorway. The first one is flabbergasted, mouth hanging open; while the second one is laughing, baseball bat clutched in one hand.

"Ha! My mess saved us from thievery! I saved us! Suck on that Atty!" the second one manages between his chuckles. The first, 'Atty', finally takes his eyes off of me and onto the dog.

He raises an eyebrow and sarcastically drawls, "I didn't think Otis could get any uglier."

The remark earns him a playful smack on the shoulder from someone in the back. The boys move aside to reveal a slender woman, grinning from ear to ear. "You're just jealous Otis can run faster than you," she teases.

She then whistles and reaches her arms out. On command, Otis whips up and runs for her. Damn, that is a fast dog. She cradles him in her arms and saunters off, mumbling something about getting him washed up. I think I hear her mention something about taking care of me too but I'm too high on adrenaline to be sure.

"You. Thief. What were you looking for?" Atty asks. Right, they still have me to deal with.

"Don't worry Atty, I'll get out of your hair." Time to leave.

"It's Atticus. And I asked you a question." His voice firm, matching the rigid state of his jaw. 

Yeah, well Atticus, I'm not giving you an answer. Sometimes we don't get what we want, deal with it.

His brother, I'm assuming, glances between me and Atty. "Let's bring her inside first."

"Why?" I ask.

"Yeah, I'm gonna have to agree with the thief here. Why?"

"Because," the brother grins, matching the woman from before. "She's pretty."

Atty retorts instantly, "she's a thief."

"Yeah but she's a pretty thief."

This earns him a groan from Atty, who grumbles, "you'd probably let anyone rob you right down to the fluff between your cheeks if they were hot enough." His brother simply chuckles and shrugs.

"At least you've got your priorities sorted," I mumble, rolling my shoulders.

Atty seems to consider the initial suggestion for a bit then nods. "I can practice some interrogation techniques on her for... yeah, okay, bring her in."

His brother scoffs, "no, she's not your research monkey."

As he turns to head inside the house, Atty replies, "she should have thought of that before she decided to steal."

With only one person standing in the doorway now, this seems to be the perfect opportunity. He's all the way in there, and I'm right beside the open garage door. Plus, there's all this junk between us. Slowly, I move into the right position to roll out, angling my palms to launch me at a moment's notice.

The boy left clears his throat. "Before you make any sort of a decision, I should probably tell you that I'm a national track champion."

Pfft, right. I chuckle, coiling my body to launch.

"I'm serious," he adds, "I will catch you and I will tackle you, no regrets. Whatever you choose, choose wisely."

I look him straight in the eyes. "I've never been wise." I'm not starting now. I take a deep breath and push, bracing myself as the cement scratches against my cheeks. I'm on my feet in an instant, sprinting for my life.

No way I'm dealing with the weirdos in that house. I'll head back to my car then think about wha-

My shoulder connects with the asphalt of the road before I've even crossed the street. Son of a bitch. He actually tackled me. We roll as a mishmashed flesh-ball for a few feet before collapsing in a heap on the grass beside the sidewalk. The wet grass actually, seems morning must be close by since there's cold droplets of dew every where- my butt is wet and my socks are wet.

"I can't believe you tackled me!" I check my legs for scratches and sure enough, there's a rip on my knee. "You owe me new tights."

He gasps, his big hazel eyes widening. "I owe you?! You're the one who-"

"Shh. Settle down, you'll wake the neighbours."

"But-"

I place a finger on his soft lips, shushing him again. He flounders, searching for the right words. Good, if I can't outrun him I'll just confuse him, then slip away.

A gasp sounds from his driveway. We both glance at the source of the noise. Its Atty, standing there with both hands stuffed in the pockets of his sweatpants, head tilted back.

"Unbelievable. You made Jay chase you? So not only are you a thief, but you're a rude thief. No money no manners."

I purse my lips, glaring at him. "You talk a lot of crap Atty, you know that?"

He rolls his dark eyes upwards, looking towards the speckled night sky and taking in a deep breath. Atty opens his mouth to respond but Jay beats him to it, his stomach grumbling loud enough to echo in the empty street.

"Atty I'm hungry."

"Yeah no shit," I say, heaving his leg off my thigh. Come to think of it, I'm starving too. My last meal was over 12 hours ago.

"Both of you inside, now." Atty takes a few steps forward, the moonlight illuminating his cheekbones and brow-bone, as they cast deep shadows on the hollows of his jaw. "And you," he stares right at me, "no more idiocy. Don't make me put handcuffs on you."

I'm this close to commenting on the kinkiness of that threat but think better of it. His eyes are narrowed and he's got those lines on his forehead, right above his scrunched eyebrows. I think I've stressed him a lot already.

Time to make my first good decision of the week. "Will you feed me?"

"Will you come inside, without anymore chaos?"

"If you feed me."

Atty sighs, rubbing his nose bridge. "Fine."

/\/\**/\/\**/\/\

So that's the first chapter!

Please please let me know what you thought :)

About either of the characters, or the writing or anything really (if you just wanna talk, that's cool too)

Chp pic: a rough idea of what the house looks like (though it's not snow season for them lol)