I woke to the sound of a garage door being slammed shut.
The noise was enough to wake the entire neighborhood and then some; one of the main reasons our side of the street had more or less glued it shut and the other side of the street had been expanding since I was in kindergarten and had stop installing them altogether.
Sitting up, I knew there was only one reason a garage door would be slammed shut; someone had finally moved into the old Lincoln's place next door.
I kicked my feet under my comforter before sliding out of bed and walking out of my room. Considering my brothers all went into hibernation during the night and most of the day, I didn't think any of them would be down there. To say I was surprised when I found them all crowded on the porch, fully dressed, when I came out would be an understatement. My brothers would only get up this early for one thing; a girl.
Johnny was the first to look over his shoulder and flash me a smile, "We've got new neighbors!"
I pushed into my herd of brothers and came out in front, craning my neck to see what they all were watching.
My eyes immediately fell on a girl around our age with dark hair, carrying a box that she looked seconds away from dropping. I was sure her father and her could feel our eyes on them, and after a moment, they both turned in our direction with a friendly wave.
The man looked to be a little older than our father, eyes bright and glistening as he slapped a hand on his petite daughter's back and made a gesture toward us. The girl, a good two or three inches shorter than I was rolled her dark eyes and pushed a loose strand of her wavy chocolate locks off her sweaty forehead.
"She's cute." Mason nudged Aaron with a suggestive look. I shook my head, beginning to back away.
There was no chance I could find a friend in this girl, one of my brothers would chew her up and spit her out faster than she could even unpack the boxes and bags in her new room.
Griffin caught my elbow on my way back in, pulling me into the foyer and out of hearing range of my brothers.
"You doing okay?" he bit at his lip nervously, earning a small smile out of me.
"I'm fine, Griffin." I assured him with a pat on the back. He stared at me skeptically, but never got the chance to question my answer. Jace and my brothers walked back in, crowding around the poor girl from outside. She was trying to free herself from Aaron's grip as she made a gesture with her thumb over her shoulder.
"Do these guys belong to you?" she asked, eyebrows shooting up.
I smirked a little, "Unfortunately, yes."
"I'm going to venture a guess and say players? Or douchebags? Possibly jerks?" she looked as if she were trying to hold back a smile.
"All of the above, but they're loveable once they warm up to you." Griffin threw his arm over my shoulder with a laugh at the same time the girl turned her eyes to him.
The disgusted look she had thrown my brothers way vanished when her dark eyes fell on Griffin. She suddenly seemed to curl into a shell and cross her arms, becoming self conscious.
"I'm Alex and this is Griffin." I nodded toward the imbecile beside me, "As for my brothers, I'll give you the pleasure of being introduced to them individually."
I shrugged Griffin's arm off and headed for the staircase, feeling eyes following me.
"Where are you going?" Jace asked, head cocked a fraction of an inch.
"I have to go to work," I whispered without glancing back over my shoulder, "Toby will be here any minute to pick me up."
*
I expected to find Tobias sprawled out on the sofa in the living room when I came down from my room. My best friend was nowhere to be seen; Griffin had decided to steal his usual spot and kick at Jace repeatedly. My brother only gave his best friend a dark, sideways look and went back to watching TV.
"Aye! Alex is wearing a bikini." Griffin tilted his head back with a grin, "You look great."
"Thanks." I blushed a little as I dropped my head.
"Try not to get turned on by my sister in a bikini man. We all know how you get with those magazines." Jace joked, kicking his feet on to the table. For the first time in my life, I saw blush tint Griffin Young's cheeks.
"You guys are disgusting." I shuddered, heading for the front door.
"Love you too, sis!" Jason called after me. I gave him my favorite finger before shutting the front door behind me.
I was shocked to find Toby sitting on the curb beside out new neighbor, her mess of dark curls brushing against his bare shoulder. They were both laughing, face flushed to a point where they looked as red as the beach towel wrapped around me. Something fluttered in my chest at the sight, but I pushed even further down and jogged down the driveway to Toby. I sighed when I saw that he was sharing one of his rats with the new girl.
"Toby, you can't just shove rats into girls hands. You do things like this then wonder why you don't have a girlfriend!" I teased, pushing at his shoulder. He jumped up with a lopsided grin, leaving the rat in the girl's hands.
"I thought I told you Manny got someone to cover for us, we've got the day off." he stretched his arms behind his head, "I hope you don't mind, but I asked Rowan to join us. You know, so we can show her around town."
His smile was so sweet and genuine that I could feel myself cracking under his warm eyes.
"You know what? Why don't you take Rowan to the fair? Griffin already offered to take me and I'm sure it would be a great welcoming for her." I suggested, smiling back and forth between the two of them.
"Alex, we-" Toby started.
"No, I mean. If you and your boyfriend were supposed to-" I cut Rowan off before she could get any further.
"Oh, no. Toby isn't my boyfriend. He's my best friend and in desperate need of more friends. Mickey seems to like you too." I gestured toward the rat in her hands, "Always a good sign for Toby. He only befriends and dates people his rats like."
She threw her head back and laughed while Toby shot me a dark we-will-talk-about-this later look.
"You sure you don't want to join us, Alex?" Tobias shifted on his feet, a pleading look in his eyes. I waved my hand in the air as if I were swatting at a pesky fly.
"Go ahead and show her a few places before heading down there. I'll meet you there." I replied, starting to back away. Once they both started to coo at the rat in Rowan's hands again, I turned my back on them entirely and made my way back toward my front door.
*
I laid in one of the hot lawn chairs out back for hours, skipping through the letters my father had shoved into my arms last night. Each one was addressed to him, each and every one pleading for him to send money or help her out.
Throughout the years, it seemed the more she asked for money, the less she asked how I was dong. Eventually she stopped asking about me entirely, I was nothing compared to the paragraphs on end explaining why she needed cash.
There was a small portion of my mind that knew better than to assume the worst without reasoning. It was possible there was a reason she hadn't quite came out with for needing the money so desperately. Maybe there was a reason she decided it would be better to not mention me in the letters.
I had started to open the last of the letters when a hand slapped against my bare shoulder, "What are you doing?"
Griffin and Lucas were on either side of the chair, my brother pushing against the back so it collapsed under me and the chair fell flat, my head smacking against the hard plastic.
"Dammit, sorry!" Luke muttered, helping me up while Griffin fell back a step and hunched over, slapping his hands against his knees as he laughed obnoxiously loud.
"I should have known these crappy old chairs couldn't be pressed on." my brother checked my head and neck for any cuts or scratches before slapping his hands on my shoulders and squeezing them tightly.
"I'm going to New York on Friday." He smiled weakly, eyes expectant of a reaction out of me.
"That's great." I rubbed the back of my head, averting my eyes.
"You said you thought your Mom might be there, right? You have the address, don't you?" he knelt and picked up the few letters that had been on my lap and split over on to the wet grass.
"Yeah, but it's likely she doesn't even live there anymore, Luke. She-"
"But it's the only lead anyone has, Alex. If you come with me, if you try-"
"I can't come with you, Lucas. The trip is for you and your daughter. I'm already selfish as it is when it comes to her, I can't be there and ruin everything for you." I started to shove the damp envelopes back into the bag as Griffin spoke up behind us.
"You could get a hotel." he mumbled, "You know, stay there while Luke meets his daughter and visit a few of the monuments around the city until he can help hunt your mom down."
"Not a bad idea." Lucas slapped a hand against Griffin's chest, "How long did it take you to come up with that one?"
Griffin snorted in return, but didn't say anything. His eyes lingered on me, a curious look fading in and out of them as I sat back on the broken lawn chair. "I don't think it's a good idea, Lucas. I just. . ."
I couldn't find the right way to say it.
"You're afraid." Griffin kicked at my shin with a crooked smile, "There's nothing to be scared of, Alexis. If you find her and she pushes you away, I know you've got a few punches left in you."
*
Getting ready for the fair was a complication in itself, but a nice distraction from the constant rally of thoughts about Evan and my mother that circulated through my head on a daily basis.
Since only two of my brothers were going, Griffin had offered to be my plus one so I wouldn't get pulled into the dark abyss of crowds flowing in and out of the wide, open field and lot. I had been hesitant at first, thinking there had to be something in it for him, but he had assured me that he just felt that he should accompany me on my newest adventure.
I stood in front of the mirror for over and hour trying to decide what to wear; a tighter shirt and skirt, or a blue sundress that fell to a little above my knee caps. I felt one would attract too much attention and the other would be too short, but I eventually decided on the latter.
I lifted my head up to check my reflection one last time and caught Mason's eye in my mirror.
"Hey." my reflection smiled before ducking out of view. I grabbed my purse from the bed and slipped it over my shoulders as I passed my brother in the doorframe.
"What's going on with you and Griffin?" He got straight to the point, "Are you guys fuc-"
"No!" I threw my hand over his mouth before he finish the sentence, "Oh God no, Mase! I would rather-"
"Stab your eyes out. I know. I've heard it before, I just thought something might have changed." he shrugged, ruffling my hair. I slapped his hand away, groaning. I knew I was going to have to brush it when I got in the car or it would tangle.
"I'm just looking out for you." Mason smiled, "Luke and the triplets will be gone soon, then it'll only be us, Lex." with that, the youngest of the Harrison boys brushed against my shoulder and down the stairs before I could say a word.
A smile played on my lips until I got out to Griffin's car. He was taking a picture of himself, or possibly checking to make sure he didn't have something on his face, but I'd wager a bet on it being the first.
"You're such a girl." I commented, ripping at my seatbelt until it finally broke free from the holder.
"I have many body parts that would disagree with you." he winked, revving the engine of his Challenger until the AC was blowing cold air into my face. Leaning back against the seat, I turned my head and watched the serious look that had replaced the smirk on Griffin's face. When we turned off the main road and on to the highway, I sat upright, shaking my head in confusion.
"Griffin, what are you doing? The fair is out that way! Why are we getting on the freeway?" I asked, my crazy thoughts getting the best of me as I tried to come up with a logical reason for him detouring on our short trip across town.
"Griffin." I snapped my fingers beside his head, but he didn't budge. He kept his hands on the wheel, his face emotionless, jaw clenched, and looked ready to smack my hand away at any moment.
"Griffin Adam Young! If you don't answer me I will cut off your-"
"We're going to the hospital." He cut me off, a look of fear and uncertainty in his eyes when he glanced my way.
"Hospital? Why? Is everyone-" I shut my mouth, my teeth grinding against each other when the realization hit me.
When I was sure I wasn't going to snap, I turned to look at Griffin. He had relaxed against the seat a little, his hands loosened around the steering wheel so the color could return to them.
I wanted to slam his head into the window repeatedly and hug him all at once. I wanted to walk into the hospital with my head held high and my confidence beyond comprehensible and face my brother.
But I understood that in life there were things that just couldn't be done, unless Griffin had any say in them.
He was going to force me to see Evan, and as much as I wanted to hate him, I couldn't.
***AN***
So sorry for another filler chapter. But guess what?
If you guys want a double update, it may or may not be possible.
The next chapter will be a lot more eventful and may or may not have a cliff hanger. Who knows?
Let me know what you guys thought!
~ChasingMadness24