Honey and spice

𝐶ℎ𝑎𝑝𝑡𝑒𝑟 13

In a few months, I'll be 18 and I'll take over as leader. Some say I'm too young, that I won't be able to do it. But I have been trained for this my whole life, it's all I know. I'm more than ready. And even if I wasn't, I don't have much choice. The only reason my father is handing down leadership to me is because he's become gravely ill. The last thing the blackwoods need is a weak leader, we can all agree on that. As his only daughter and heir, it's my responsibility.

"The red dress or the yellow?" Theo, one of my female friends, asks. My father is hosting a dinner party in the main house and all members are welcome. Of course Theo needed my help picking out an outfit even though she knows I'm hopeless.

"You know you look good in both," I say, rolling to the other side of the bed.

Theo spends another few minutes switching the dresses in front of the mirror and feeling the fabric, trying to decide.

"Well do you know how formal the dinner party will be?" She pouts. She's hopeless in making decisions.

"As usual Theo, you know how our gang is. We can't be formal for shit, all the men show up wearing stinky old jeans," I laugh. It's very true, some women try to dress up nice but the men are impossible.

"Hmm yeah that's true," She says as she puts away the red dress. "Anyway, is your dad still mad at you for taking Lily's file?"

"Yeah, very mad. I think he debated choosing someone else as his successor for a bit there. I mean what I did was pretty messed up Theo. I gave over the information of a vulnerable single mum to her abusive ex partner."

"But you did it to save an innocent bystander. Lily was always kind to us but she has made mistakes over the years, mistakes which have put her kids in danger countless times. Whatever happens, she kinda has it coming," She says as she strips down to her underwear and puts on the ruffled yellow dress.

I stare at her perfect body as she puts her dress on and adjusts her breasts to fill it. Theo is comfortable in her body and for a good reason, she is gorgeous. Her dirty blonde wavy hair, striking blue eyes and tan skin is truly something to marvel at. And if she wasn't as straight as a floorboard I would have made her mine a long time ago. Theo is 20 and throughout my middle school years I had the biggest crush on her. However my crush has dulled down over the years and a beautiful friendship formed in its place.

"So the girl you saved," She says she grabs her makeup bag and empties the contents of it on the floor," Do you know her well?"

I haven't really told Theo the details, just that she is someone I know. It's been easier not to talk about her since I have to stay away for good. It shouldn't be this hard so why is it?

"I mean she doesn't go to my school but we've hung out like once," I tell her. Hung out once...more like me barging in on her meal. Callie was reluctant to give up their location but I can be pretty persuasive if I want to be.

"Is she pretty?"

"Very," I say, my breath hitching.

Brooke is truly beautiful. She has this soft delicate face and an innocence in her eyes that no one should be able to possess. Maybe it's because I've grown up in a gang all my life but I have never met anyone like her. Everything about her calls to me.

"You like her, don't you?" Theo smiles as she starts to apply light makeup.

"Yes," I admit and instantly regret it. What am I doing?

"So do you know if she's gay?"

I haven't even thought about that. I always do this to myself, fall for straight girls. Theo is an example of that standing right in front of me. But the way Brooke looked at me when we first met seemed different. I didn't find myself questioning her sexuality, it just kind of was.

"I don't know for sure but I did get the vibe she could be."

"You mean a gaydar?" She raises her eyebrows.

"Maybe but that's not the point. Theo I'm bad for her."

"Why? Because you're in a gang? You know how people look at us but once they get close they see that we really aren't so bad. It's not like you can get her into any more danger than being kidnapped," She says.

She does have a point, it can't get much worse than being kidnapped. But Brooke is not like me, not like us. Even if she did get close enough to see we aren't so bad she would never fit in. Around here you have to prove yourself to be respected and with her timid nature she will get beat down. Plus I can't take the risk, I can't bear the thought of her getting hurt again because of me.

"I don't know...I just don't want her to get hurt. I can't let anything happen to her," I say.

"Wow you really care about her. I've never heard you talk about someone that way."

That's because I haven't.

"Because I've never met someone so vulnerable. I have the power to destroy her."

"I think you're being too hard on yourself there Fay. You're not a bad person, you would do anything to protect the people you care about. I just don't want to see you lose someone you see a future with and regret it later. It may have been a rough start but that doesn't mean things have to be like that. This could be your chance at love."

Maybe she's right, maybe I could be able to protect her. It seemed like I didn't have a choice when I saw her so frail and beaten down that day when Jasper handed her over. But surely it can't get worse. Maybe There is a chance, maybe I have a chance with her.

I have a choice to make but for now I have a dinner party to get to and face my father once again.

~

So this was a longer chapter than usual! I love how much the story is progressing. Thank you for reading and I would appreciate it if you voted and left a comment, thank you :)