Halfway through the day I called Andy and told him I was staying at my dad’s work and that he’d give me a ride back to his apartment. My dad and I ate lunch at a café down the street and brought chocolate chip cookies back to his work with us afterward. When the day was over he took me back to Andy’s apartment.
“Would you like to come in?” I heard Andy ask politely.
“Yeah, that’d be great, thanks.”
“Make yourself at home. Your daughter already has.” I looked over to see Andy roll his eyes.
“I took one drawer and some closet space. You’re a big boy, you can handle it.” I tossed my bag on the floor by the couch.
“If I die because of it I’m going to seriously haunt you for the rest of your life.”
“Sure Andy, you do that.” I smiled teasingly at him. Hopefully he wasn’t serious about haunting me. How could I live like that?
“Would you like something to drink?”
I went into Andy’s room and let the men have some quality time. I closed the door so I couldn't hear what they were talking about and instead laid down on Andy’s bed.
I was being shaken awake, but grumbled and rolled away instead.
“It’s six fifty, Emily. You have to wake up if you want to eat before school.” Andy’s voice whispered in my ear. “Owe!”
I didn’t mean to hit Andy as I jumped out of the bed and ran to the kitchen, but found it amusing as I did so.
“Sorry! But I need food!” I yelled back to him.
“Yeah, you’re so sorry you’re laughing.” I heard him mumble.
“So, the body guard my dad hired thinks you have some kind of feelings for me.” I told him. I heard him choking on something and looked over at him worriedly.
“Emily I told you before that nothing—”
“Can happen between us and you don’t have feelings for me, blah, blah, blah.” I rolled my eyes throwing my toast down. “I’ve lost my appetite. I’m going to school.”
“Emily, wait! I didn’t mean to—” Andy grabbed my arm as I began to walk away.
“I have to go make up that Calculus test.” I shook my arm out of his grasp. It was unsettling how much his reminder hurt me. I grabbed my bag on the way out of the house, not surprised to see Giovanni getting out of a car.
“I’m taking you to school today.” He stated.
“I walk to school. It’s right around the corner.” I walked past him without even a simple glance. I could hear him muttering to himself as he ran to catch up with me.
“Trouble in paradise?” he asked teasingly.
“Andy had to go remind me again that nothing can happen between us.” I held in a sigh. “I know that. He didn’t need to tell me again.”
“Are you going to pout all day over a guy?” Giovanni asked exasperated.
“No. I’m going to suck it up and move on.” I shrugged my shoulders as we walked into the school building.
I made my way to my Calculus teacher’s room and asked if I could make up the test now. She agreed, apprehensively, and let me take the test. With three minutes left before the bell rang I finished.
“Good at math?” Giovanni questioned.
I scoffed and went to find Charlie, Giovanni trailing silently behind me. I grimaced when I noticed Hanley was with her.
“What’s wrong with you?” Charlie asked as soon as she saw me.
“Andy.” I rolled my eyes.
“Trouble in paradise?” Hanley used the exact words Giovanni did.
“Yep. Now shut up so I can pretend you aren’t here.” I snapped at him. Hanley looked taken aback. “Sorry. Rough morning.”
“Well don’t take it out on me!” he snapped back.
“What the hell is your problem?”
“You are!”
I felt Giovanni take ahold of my arm and pull me behind him. “Calm down kid. You may be a puny little brat but I will take you down if I have to.”
“I wasn’t going to hurt her! I’m not my uncle!” Hanley shouted at him.
“What would your uncle have to do with anything?”
“He hurt her. You’re guarding her, but you don’t know why?” Hanley sounded amused. “Or are you just really stupid?”
“Hanley shut up! He looks like he could do some serious damage to your face.” Charlie gasped and smacked his shoulder. “I don’t want to be the only good looking person in our group.”
“So I’m not good looking? Thanks Charlie. You really know how to make a girl feel special.” I sighed and shook my head sarcastically.
“You know what I mean.” She patted my head. “You’re gorgeous.”
I laughed at her. The bell rang unexpectedly, making me jump.
“Time to get to class Emily.” Giovanni grabbed my arm and pulled me back into the school building.
“I can walk on my own.” I muttered pulling my arm away from him and glaring at on lookers.
“Why do they think I’m your parole officer?” he asked amused.
“Because of the whole robbery thing.” I shrugged as I made my way to my first class. “You don’t have to stay here with me. You can go somewhere else.”
“Your father wants me to stay here with you. I’ve talked to your teachers and your principal and they’ve agreed to let me sit in the back so I can keep an eye on you. They’ve also taken your brother off of your file as someone who can pick you up from school.”
“Way to answer another question I wasn’t going to ask.” I sat at my desk in the front of the room. He opened his mouth to retaliate when the bell rang. I watched as Giovanni made his way to the back of the classroom.
“I trust you all did your assignments.” Ms. Mack called out to us, resulting in most of the class groaning. “That’s what I thought. I’ll give you an extra day, but I expect four pages instead of three.”
After another collective groan the class passed in a blur. When lunch time came around I could hardly remember the morning’s events. I wasn’t even paying attention to Charlie’s obsessive chatting when Hanley joined us.
“Can I talk to you?” he asked when Charlie finally brought her monologue to an end. I nodded my head eagerly and left with him.
“I see how it is guys!” Charlie called after us. “I’ll just go find people who want to be with me then!”
I couldn't help but laugh at her. I looked up at Hanley, curious as to why he wanted to talk to me alone.
“I know I know you’re in love with that Andy guy, but nothing can happen with you two.”
“Thanks for reminding me. Now if you’re done making me depressed I’m going to go find Charlie.” I turned to walk away when he grabbed my arm again. Where was Giovanni when I really need him? “Stop manhandling me!”
“I didn’t mean to make you depressed.” He let go of me. “I was wondering if—since you can’t be with the guy you want to—you’d like to go out with me. The least you could do is give me a chance.”
I looked at for a moment. His eyes were begging me to say yes, but for what reason I wasn’t sure.
“Alright. Pick me up at seven tonight. You can choose what we do.” I raised an eyebrow and smirk when he was too shocked to respond. “Well you have a point. So why shouldn’t I give you a chance?”
“Great, yeah, I’ll pick you up at seven. Wear something semi-formal.” He shook his head and furrowed his brows.
“Is it really so shocking I said yes?”
“Yep. You really seemed to hate me.”
“I hate everyone until I get to know them. I’m not sure how Charlie and I even became friends.”
“She’s persistent.” He laughed. “That’s how we ended up going on a date.”
“True. She does know how to get what she wants.”
“So, in an attempt to not be like other guys, I’m going to ask. Can I kiss you?”
“Let’s wait to see how the date goes.” I stepped away from him. “I hardly know you after all.”
“Fair enough.” He smiled and laughed. “Lunch is nearly over. Let’s go find Charlie.”
After that the rest of the day passed much like the morning did. When Giovanni walked me home he asked if I really planned on going on a date with Hanley. When I confirmed he groaned.
“You don’t have to come you know.”
“Yes I do. Your father would have my head and probably my balls if I let you go without being guarded.”
I giggled at him the same time my phone buzzed. It was a text from an unknown number.
Where are you staying? Text me the address. –Hanley
I responded and added his number to my contacts. I searched through my clothes only to find I had casual clothes, and then super formal clothes, but no semi-formal clothes. I looked at Giovanni and smiled sweetly.
“What?”
“Want to go shopping with me?”
“No.”
“Please?” I gave him my best puppy dog look.
“No!”
“It’s your job to guard me, not keep me locked up.” I pouted.
“Why do you need to go shopping?”
“I need to get something to wear tonight for my date.” I responded in a ‘duh’ voice, rolling my eyes.
“Oh,” he sounded like he understood, giving me hope that I could go. “Then hell no.”
“Too bad, I’m going anyway.” I grabbed my wallet and headed for the door, only to be grabbed around the waist and forced to the floor, landing in a very compromising position. I quickly pulled out my phone and took the best picture I could of us.
“What the hell did you do that for?” he asked, clearly confused.
“Do you think my dad will be happy when I send him that picture?” I smiled innocently at him. “I mean, I’m his little girl. And you’re the man he hired to protect me. Who do you think he’d believe? You, the man who can clearly overpower me, or me, his little angel?”
Giovanni growled but otherwise scurried away from me and let me off the ground. “You really want to go shopping that badly?”
“Yes. Just because I can’t be with Andy doesn’t mean I shouldn’t go out.” I deleted the picture from my phone. “Will you come with me so neither of us gets in trouble?”
“Fine.”
“Great! We need to leave now if I’m going to buy a dress, and get ready in time for my date.”
“Stupid teenagers.” Giovanni muttered as I locked the door to Andy’s apartment.
My phone started buzzing again and I picked up the call. “Hey Andy.”
“Can we talk tonight? I’ll be home around seven. Sorry for canceling our session today.” He spoke hurriedly.
“I have a date tonight. At seven.” I told him.
“Oh.” Was all he said.
“Are you okay?” I asked cautiously. Why had he sounded so disappointed?
“Why wouldn’t I be?” he sounded angry now. “Am I supposed to care that you’re going out with a boy your age? That’s what you’re supposed to do.”
“Andy, what’s wrong?”
“Nothings the matter Emily.” His voice was icy now. “Have fun on your date.”
I looked at the phone, hurt, as I heard him hang up. I felt the tears in my eyes but didn’t give them the chance to escape.
“Please tell me you’re not going to cry.” Giovanni begged. “I’m not good with crying girls. Or crying people in general. I’m not even good with myself when I cry.”
“No, Giovanni, I’m not going to cry. There’s no reason to.”
He sighed in relief, making me laugh.
“You laugh but you seriously underestimate my ability to deal with crying people. Especially you girls. One thing makes you cry and then ten minutes later the reason you’re crying changes. It’s hard to keep up!”
“We aren’t that bad.” I laughed. “Only on our periods, and when we’re pregnant… and then through menopause.”
“So… almost all the time.”
“Nope.”
“Yes.”
“No.”
“No one can win with you can they?”
“Nope. Just ask Andy.” I grinned at him though mentioning Andy sent a pang through me.
“So, what’s the deal there?”
“I kissed him when we first met because I had immediate feelings towards him. He made it clear nothing could or would happen.”
“But you still like him.”
“Pretty much.”
“So are you going out with this kid to make Andy jealous?”
“No.” I shook my head. “I’m not petty. I need to move on from Andy. I know I do.”
“So you’re using this kid to move on.”
“Well, yes and no.”
“So you genuinely like this kid?” Giovanni sounded skeptical.
“Well, people date to find that stuff out. I don’t really know much about him so I can’t make that call.”
“How very mature of you. And here I thought you were just a whiny, spoiled brat.”
“Thanks for the vote of confidence.” I replied sarcastically.
“No problem.” He grinned at me as he weaved through traffic.
When we got to the mall I went straight to my favorite store, and right back to the dress section. After finding a semi-formal dress I tried it on and paid for it, making the trip last about half an hour.
“That was seriously it?” Giovanni sounded annoyed. “Seriously?”
“Yeah. Sorry.”
“No you’re not.” He mumbled back.
“True. But it’s the thought that counts right?”
“That doesn’t work when someone gives you a crappy gift, misses your birthday, or doesn’t stop to say hello when they see or doesn’t stop to say hello when they see you in public. So no, the thought doesn’t count.”
“Do you go to therapy?” I asked him seriously.
“No, why?”
“Because dude, you have a lot of issues.”
“So do you.”
“Yeah, they tried to make me go to a therapist. After they figured out I was fucking with her for my own amusement they said screw it and didn’t make me go anymore.”
“Why would you fuck with a therapists mind?” he was trying not to laugh.
“Because I can. And because it’s fun as hell.”
“Hells fun? How would you know?”
“I took a brief vacation there until Satan kicked me out. He said Hell was only big enough for one of us, so he kicked me out.” I sniffled and pretended to wipe a tear from my eye. “I miss Hell.”
“I’m sure you do you little freak. I’m sure you do.”
I laughed as we pulled back into the apartments’ parking lot.
“Hey, what’d you say to Andy to piss him off?” Duke greeted me when Giovanni and I stepped through the door.
“I told him I had a date. He wouldn’t tell me what was wrong though. I take it you know?” I asked.
“Yeah. He’s kind of in love with you, jailbait.” Duke tapped my head. “How could you not notice that?”
“He’s the one who keeps saying nothing can happen between us Duke!” I snapped at him and stormed off into Andy’s room, grabbing a clean set of undergarments and slipping into the bathroom, stripping and turning on the water. I didn’t take a shower last night and needed to before I got ready.
When the water was hot I stepped into it, letting the water relax my muscles. I washed my hair and body quickly, turning off the water and drying of with a towel as quickly as I could. I grabbed the dress out of the bag and slipped it on.
I did my hair and makeup with ten minutes left before Hanley was supposed to pick me up. I walked back into the living room to see Andy already home.
“You look nice.” He commented, his voice still icy towards me.
“What the fuck is your problem?” I yelled at him.
“What do you mean what’s my problem?” he asked, clearly shocked I actually yelled at him.
“One minute you’re saying we can’t be together, the next you’re jealous and pissed off I’m going on a date with someone my own age! Make up your fucking mind Andy!”
As he was about to retaliate a knock sounded on at the door. I stormed over to it and left with Hanley, still pissed off about Andy’s mood swings.