"Grandma, I'm gonna spend the night at Callum's place." I said, plugging in my phone to charge on the counter. "What would you like for dinner?"
She smiled as she looked up from her book. "Is Jackson doing well?"
"Yes, ma'am. He says that it's likely he'll get a raise soon, so he is looking forward to it."
"You should invite him over for dinner one of these days, Theodore."
"He usually refuses, but I'll try to ask him under the guise of celebrating his raise." I responded with a grin, pulling out a pan.
"How clever of you, Theodore." She chuckled, then smiled as she replied to my earlier question, "Anything is fine with me for dinner. Make enough to take some back with you, all right?"
"That was my plan."
"You really are a good, thoughtful young man, Theodore."
"Not really, but thank you for thinking of me in such a way, Grandma." I said with a smile, putting the raw, seasoned chicken breasts into the sizzling pan.
She slowly stood up and waddled over the pantry. I tried to stop her, but I was in the midst of washing my hands. She chuckled as she set out the flour next to the olive oil.
"Mushrooms?" asked Grandma, so I nodded.
"Thank you."
"It's the least I can do for a grandson who takes care of me."
I smiled and silently worked on dinner while she went back to the breakfast nook to read. It took about an hour, but I plated my grandma's portion and readied containers for the rest of the meal. A moment later, I checked my phone and saw the missed calls from Jackson and Callum. Oops.
When my phone buzzed on the counter, I answered it this time. "Uh, hey?"
"Teddy!" exclaimed Callum. "What's taking you so long?"
"Sorry, I made dinner for Grandma. I'm bringing the rest over, okay?"
"Ooh, yes!" he squealed, and I could imagine him bouncing all over the place. "Then we'll see you in twenty minutes!"
"Yep, see you. Tell Jackson I'm sorry for worrying him."
"Sure thing, Teddy." Callum seemed to smile, then he ended the call.
I quickly packed everything up and put the containers into a cooler bag, then kissed my grandma's cheek. "See you tomorrow. Sleep well!"
She smiled, waving at me as I left with my backpack and the food bag. "You too, Theodore!"
I locked the door behind me and walked quickly out of the front gate, then down the street. I felt some random gazes and rolled my eyes. Probably the usual guys. I blinked when no one attacked. In fact, the gazes were gone.
"Weird," I murmured, then continued towards my destination completely unbothered.
I hiked up the stairs and walked down the hallway, but as I reached for Jackson's apartment, hands grabbed me and yanked my body backwards. In the blink of an eye, I drove my right heel between one attacker's legs, which made him yelp in pain. I turned and twisted to do a side kick on the second guy, getting him away from me for a short time since the other was incapacitated for now.
I hurried to the correct door and knocked, taking off the cooler bag. As soon as Callum opened it, I shoved the cooler bag inside the apartment and removed my backpack.
"Shut the door, Cale!"
He peeked out, then squeaked when something clattered next to his head. It was a rock. Callum shut and locked the door, and I heard him talking to Jackson and Tyrone in a slightly panicked tone of voice as one of the two guys approached me. The other guy was still suffering while holding his junk, but he was pissed off. No surprise there.
"Why is a cracker-ass white boy wandering around on our turf?" sneered the bigger guy.
"Your turf? Excuse me, I've been coming here for years. You must be new bitches who think of themselves as top dogs."
They both bristled. "Shut your fucking—!"
I dodged the closest guy's fists, then moved closer and kicked my leg up. I caught the back of his knees and promptly slammed my over twenty-pound backpack into his head. The bigger guy was sent toppling onto the other one, which made them crumple into a heap, I then kicked them between their legs while they were down. Their screams echoed in the hallway, so doors opened and other people started crowding around.
"Ha, you think you're going to get off for hurting us, you fucking white bitch?" sneered the smaller one.
I looked at Jerome Grant, the tenant across from Jackson. "Sorry for the noise."
He chuckled and draped an arm over my shoulders. "No problem, Teddy. I think it's amusing that these big guys get beaten by you."
Their faces were full of shock and horror when the tenants on this floor started ganging up on them and not me. I chuckled and patted Jerome's back. "How's the girlfriend?"
"She's hot as fuck as ever."
"I meant between you two, stupid." I pinched his side, which made him jerk.
"Geez, Teddy! It's going great."
"Good." I smiled, rubbing his stinging side. "Do you recognize those brutes?"
Jerome hummed and tapped Kayla's arm. "Excuse me, let me see them again."
"Sure, Jerry." She moved aside and came over to me. "Did they attack you?"
"Yeah, from behind while I was carrying food. I managed to get the bag to Callum before it was too late." I laughed, and she appeared to have a murderous expression.
"I'll fucking kill them!"
"Hey, hey, calm down." I chuckled, firmly holding Kayla back. "Nothing was damaged. If it makes you feel better, I'll bring a bag of cookies for you when I come over next time."
Her cornrows almost slapped me in the face as she whirled around and hugged me. "You're the best guy friend a girl can have!"
I chuckled and patted her back. "Gee, thanks."
Kayla backed off as Jerome came over. He had a disturbed expression on his face. "What did those guys say to you?"
"They were wondering why I was on their turf, making a comment on my skin tone for whatever reason."
"Oh, shit..." he hissed. "So the Black Vipers are back."
"Did they leave at some point?" I raised an eyebrow.
Jerome gently tugged me aside. "About fifteen years ago, the Black Vipers were in control of this half of town and had their fangs in the other half. After an important drug deal went haywire, they abandoned their turf and booked it out of here. We were sure they wouldn't come back."
"Huh, okay. So, what should I do?" I asked, crossing my arms.
"The gang's members will probably be on your ass until you stop coming to the 'black' part of town."
I rolled my eyes. "Don't care."
"This is serious!" he hissed. "They pack more than knives, Theodore."
I clenched my jaw. "I guessed that, but this place is like a second home to me. Fuck anyone else who says otherwise."
Jerome sighed and hugged me. "You're like a little brother to me, Teddy. Don't do anything stupid."
"I try to avoid trouble."
"Yet you attract it."
I chuckled and hugged him back. "Thanks, Jerry."
He backed off with a hair ruffle. "Go tell the guys over there what you told me."
"Sure."
I moved through the group trapping the guys. With a cruel smile, I blocked the assailants' swings, knocking them down again with no problems. I grabbed the throat of one, but made sure the other one was listening as I pinned the bigger one that I was choking.
"Even if you're part of the Black Viper gang, don't fucking bother messing with me. I practically grew up here on 'this' side of town. The people here are my family. You're prejudiced towards me just because I'm white and, because of that, you won't even allow me to be with the people I love? Screw that. I won't stop coming here even if I have a gun to my head. Is that understood?" I hissed, my blatant expression of fury was deepened by my scowl. My grip tightened and the man writhed, his eyes widening with a choked gasp.
"F-fine, just let him go! We'll tell the boss and a decision will be made." stated the other one, so I raised an eyebrow.
"Your boss will decide for me? Fuck that. I decide for myself. Oh, and fuck you." I spat, slamming my left fist into his throat.
He choked and I let go of his buddy. They both gasped for air as I stood up. I raked a hand through my hair and shooed them downstairs with my hand. They didn't look back as they scurried down the steps.
When we heard tires squeal, Kayla broke into relieved laughter. "Holy shit! That was so intense!"
I glanced back at her. "Is that so?"
Jerome rubbed his face. "Well, it's too late to fix things even if you wanted to. You'll have the boss' attention now."
"Boo-fucking-hoo." I laughed dryly. "Anyway, thanks for the info."
He smiled, then I waved to the other people I knew pretty well. Kayla retreated and Jerome went back into his apartment. Callum flung the door open not even a second after my knuckles landed on the painted metal. I chuckled and hauled my backpack inside.
"Have you started eating yet?" I asked, groaning when Jackson draped his arms around my waist and nibbled on my neck.
"Nope, we were waiting for you." explained Callum. "What happened out there?"
"A couple guys of the Black Viper gang were hassling me."
Tyrone straightened. "What?"
"Apparently, they're back in town. Excuse me, but the guys today were just punks with prejudiced barks and no real bite to them. Apparently, I'm not allowed on their turf just because of my skin tone. Listening to them and their boss? Fucking no, not happening."
Jackson squeezed me. "Sounds dangerous."
"Well, I told them off. I don't really have any sinking feeling of unease or anything, so I think it'll be fine."
Callum bounced up and kissed my cheeks. "Let's eat, okay? I'm starving for your food!"
I chuckled. "Okay."
Tyrone was watching me with worry flickering across his face. I kissed Jackson when he leaned down to nuzzle my cheek. He gripped my hips, pulling my ass back against his front.
"Cuddle time after dinner," he uttered quietly, so I nodded in agreement.
"You? Cuddles?" sneered Tyrone in a playful tone. "What is this world coming to?"
Callum smirked. "Oh, they're gonna come all right and all night."
"Cale..." I sighed, pinching his ear. "No more or you're not getting all of your meal."
He gasped in horror. "I'm sorry, I'll be good."
I grinned and pecked his lips, making his emerald-green eyes sparkle brilliantly. "Good, because I didn't want to punish you unless I had no choice."
Callum hugged me, then whined when his brother shooed him away. "Food time!" he squealed, which made a bright smile appear on my face.
__________________________
Jackson kissed my forehead, holding my thighs as I cuddled against him on the couch. My head rested on his shoulder, listening to his relaxed heartbeats and breaths while the noise from the TV came from behind me.
Tyrone and Callum were curled together on the opposite end. My best friend looked to be in complete bliss, which made me really happy. I nuzzled Jackson's throat with a rumbling purr in the back of mine. It felt nice to just be held for awhile. With Callum, I often held him while we slept. But with Jackson, I was always held or spooned. It was comforting.
"Are you tired?" he asked softly.
"What time is it?"
"Nine."
"I think I should get ready for bed. I've got a mid-morning class for one of my courses tomorrow."
Jackson hummed. "All right. Are you going to borrow Callum's clothes again?"
"I'll borrow one of your shirts, if you don't mind." I replied, tilting my head back.
He pressed his lips to mine. "Of course I don't mind. I find it sexy to see you in my clothing." he whispered, stroking my cheek.
"Mhm," I hummed, unable to keep my eyes open. "I'm so tired, Jack."
"I know," he said quietly. "Hang onto me, Teddy."
I tiredly curled my left arm over the back of his shoulders, slowly moving my partially numb right one to do the same. Jackson dutifully lifted my tired body and carried me to his room.
"Are you sure you want to get ready for bed? How about you climb in bed now?"
I forced my heavy eyelids up a bit as I swayed on the bed. "Don't tempt me, Jack."
He chuckled and cupped my cheeks. "Be a good boy, Teddy, and just let me sleep with you right now."
I laughed weakly and pulled up my shirt. "Okay, Jack. I'll borrow my usual stuff tomorrow."
He pecked my lips as he tugged my top off. "Borrow the usual? You know those are yours."
"Mm, thanks. Jack, will you come over to my other home soon? Grandma is just as worried about you as I am. We want you over for dinner and, personally, I would like you to stay the night."
Jackson helped me pull off my jeans while he answered, "I would like that. Callum would come too, of course?"
"Of course. Grandma loves you both and thinks of you as her other two grandkids."
He chuckled. "Your grandma is so sweet. I'm really thankful to her for taking Callum in all those years ago."
"I know." I whispered, barely able to hold up my arms while he dressed me in one of his t-shirts. "Sleep now?"
He stripped down to his underwear and guided my sleepy self under the covers. He climbed in next to me and I turned to press my face into his neck.
"Goodnight, Jack." I sighed, relaxing as his left arm curled around my upper body. "I had fun today."
Jackson nosed my hair and kissed my head. "Same for me, and I hope we can do it again soon. Goodnight, Teddy."
I kissed his collarbones just as I drifted off to sleep.
Hmm, are those guys really part of the Black Viper gang? Something smells fishy...
I'll be updating this story Tuesdays and Wednesdays from now on until the book is marked complete (once again).
So, I hope you enjoyed the chapter and I'll see you tomorrow! I love you all very much. <3
- Alessa (Kelpie) xoxo
Updated: 7/25/2023
Word count: 2455