I came back from my fight triumphant.
I had won and feeling the rolled up money in my pocket on the walk home reminded me of my punch that knocked him unconscious, winning me the match.
I reached the house and was relieved to see that no lights were on inside.
Everyone was still asleep.
This time I took my time climbing the tree though I found it to be much easier on the way up than the way down.
Despite having to use more strength, which was a struggle after the fight, it was less easy to slip.
Once reaching the branch that extended to my window, I edged along it and blew out a sigh when seeing that the window was still partly open.
I was able to ease it open, only pausing once I heard it creak. I peeped at the other windows to make sure none of the rooms had turned on their light before carrying on, pulling it all the way up.
Sliding onto the window sill, I threw one leg over, into the room before doing the same with the other.
I landed on the carpet and placed my bag down beside my feet.
Reaching my hands out to the window, I closed it, making sure to be careful of the creak it made on the way down.
A small smile made its way onto my face at the events of the night.
I had done it.
No one had noticed.
Though I came back with a few bruises, it was nothing out of the ordinary.
They were to be expected, I wasn't perfect at fighting.
I walked over to the door, making sure the key was still in. It was still locked so I unlocked it in case Dylan needed anything, then moved towards the bed.
I couldn't take a shower.
They would be too suspicious of my previous whereabouts if they woke up to the sound of running water at this time of the morning.
So I tugged my clothes off, swapping my sports bra for a normal one and slipped under the covers.
I closed my eyes as a wave of exhaustion hit, falling into a dreamless sleep.
***
I woke up confused by my surroundings until I remembered where I was.
At Blake's house because our apartment had flooded.
I sat up, my joints protesting as I moved. Honestly, I should have just taken the shower. I was too sore to move.
I looked down to my leg which had been injured the night before.
Damn, I really should have showered.
The fact that it got worse from my fight yesterday was no surprise to me. The prick targeted that part of my leg once seeing the wound.
Even though I had cleaned up the dried blood before fighting, he still managed to notice it.
His filthy shoes kept kicking me in that spot and I was worried that the dirt had gotten in it, possibly infecting it.
I pushed myself off the bed, walking over to the bathroom connected to my bedroom and forced myself under the water after stripping my underwear off.
The water soothed me and relaxed my muscles. I made sure to properly rinse my leg, not wanting to use soap on it in case it became irritated.
Once I had washed, using the soap I had found on the side, I stepped out and dried off.
I was satisfied to see that my leg was fine, it hadn't worsened because of the fight.
Pulling on the clothes that Mila gave me, I finished off my morning routine before making my way to Dylan's room.
Hopefully he wasn't upset with me anymore.
I walked into his room to find him crying next to his bed, his face buried in his hands with his knees pulled up to his chest.
Upon hearing the door open, his head shot up and he relaxed slightly once seeing it was me.
"I-I'm sorry. I didn't-"
I rushed over to him, "Hey, hey. What's wrong?"
As soon as I knelt down beside him I realised why he was crying but made sure not to make a big fuss of it. I didn't want him to feel embarrassed.
"Baby, it's okay. Stand up, let's go to the bathroom."
I took hold of his hand, pulling him up as I hurried to the bathroom, him waddling awkwardly beside me.
I turned the shower head on and pulled him out of his pyjamas that had been Caleb's that he had left here one time.
Once he was all washed I wrapped him up in a towel, a few tears still rolled over his cheeks.
"You can't tell Uncle Hud o-or Aunty Mila. Please don't." He begged.
I smiled down at him attempting to reassure him. "Baby, I won't tell them if you don't want me to. And anyways last time I weed myself was at school and I was six. They called me Stinky Sky for a week until the person that started that name weed herself."
He giggled, karma coming back to bite her in the ass for starting it, and just like that he stopped crying.
I wiped his tears away with the pads of my thumbs. "Now stay here, okay? You can brush your teeth."
He nodded and I picked up his dirty clothes, stepping back into the room.
I checked to see if it was wet where he had been sitting. Luckily, it was dry.
I pulled the sheets off the bed, relieved that it hadn't gone through to the mattress, and made my way to the door.
What was I going to do now?
How was I going to wash these without telling anyone if I didn't even know where the washing machine was?
I looked down at the material I held, wondering what to do.
I couldn't remember the last time Dylan wet the bed. It was so unusual.
It was probably because we were sleeping in a new place and he felt overwhelmed.
Especially after last night.
It didn't help that it was the first time in a long time that he wasn't sleeping in the same room as me.
Stop coming up with reasons for why it happened and hurry up and do something about it.
The voice was right. I left the room to go downstairs with the clothes and sheets balled up in my hands as I looked for the washing machine.
On my way there, Blake spotted me and I wasn't quick enough to hide the things. Not that I would have had anywhere to hide them.
I quickly stepped away from him, not wanting him to smell it because as soon as he did he would know what happened.
He looked behind me, at the door I had just come out of before sending me a small smile of understanding.
Dylan stood in the doorway to his room just in his towel, eyes widened to see what Blake would do.
He pointed down the hall towards the stairs.
"Down the stairs and then through the kitchen. There should be a small room in there. You'll find the washing machine there."
"Thanks," I whispered.
He didn't seem to be disturbed or disgusted by it. He was considerate that Dylan was only five.
I heard Dylan's small feet scuttling towards us as he looked up at Blake.
"You, uh, won't tell anyone, right?"
It was weird to see Blake, such a tall, muscular person, kneel down to Dylan's height, ruffling his hair.
"Course not."
Dylan didn't seem too sure and went on to explain.
"I didn't mean to. I woke up and was going to go to the toilet but it was scary because it was too dark. So I went to sleep but in the morning I found out I, um, had wet the bed."
Dylan finished off, his voice ending in a whisper as his cheeks tinged pink. He held on tightly to his towel, his small knuckles almost a pale white from his strong grip on it.
He let out a shriek as Blake picked him up like a baby, not expecting it.
"Well, how about I find you my old night light. We can set it up tonight and you don't have to worry about the dark. And just between you and me, I'm still scared of the dark. Have to sleep with my curtains open so the moon can be my light."
"Really? Thank you."
"But you won't tell anyone, will you?" Blake asked him.
Dylan was quick to shake his head. "I promise not to tell anyone if you promise not to either." He held out his pinky finger.
"I promise." Blake said as he hooked his smallest finger with Dylan's, sealing the promise.
"Now, how about we find you some clothes?" Blake asked Dylan as he placed him back on the floor.
Just before Blake could straighten up, Dylan surprised him by placing a quick kiss on his cheek. "Thanks," he whispered.
Blake gave Dylan's hair another messy look by ruffling it as they made their way into Blake's room.
Dylan turned his head to look at me giving me a smile and I winked at him before leaving to wash the stuff.
Thankfully, I made it to the washing machine without any interruptions and was able to put the load in and start it.
I exited the little laundry room and moved to the sink to wash my hands then began to make some breakfast for us.
"Ooh you're already up. In fact everyone seems to be. Unusual since Blake doesn't usually get up until much later, especially on a Saturday. But I heard him in his room with Dylan. Great boy he is. And he's only, what, five?"
I nodded in response to Mila's question. "Yes. He'll be turning six in October. October the eleventh, it falls on a Wednesday this year."
"Oh leave that. I'll whip something up real quick."
I stepped away from what I began to do, putting the object back in the fridge."
"And you're seventeen?"
"Mhmm," I agreed from the counter as I watched her prepare breakfast.
She raised her eyebrows at my response, my lack of detail surprising her.
"So, when's your birthday?"
"June," My answer was vague.
Her shoulders slumped in defeat. "Yeesh, I'm starting to think you don't even know your birthday. Are you having a hard time remembering it or something?"
"Twenty-eighth of June."
"About time. Oh, that's not too far away."
Well, we still had a bit less than two months until the day arrived. But it was nearing sooner than I desired.
I would know. Because three days after was-
"What are you thinking of doing?"
"Nothing. I don't care for my birthday. I have all that I need."
Well, I'd beg to differ. Because we need money and we don't seem to have any of that, do we?
I just got some last night. Dylan was all I needed.
And how do you plan on keeping Dylan if you can't even afford to pay for a place to stay? Let's be honest, you didn't make much money last night. One fight? You might as well have not gone.
Every penny counts. Besides, as soon as I turned eighteen, I would be able to receive the money waiting for me in my Mum's bank.
That shut that little voice up. Boy, was it a pain. It may have been right but it was still a pain.
All three boys walked in –Shaun, Blake and Dylan– chatting to each other animatedly as they sat down on the stools on either side of me.
I lifted Dylan onto the bar stool as it teetered, about to fall when he tried climbing it.
Four plates slid across the surface as our breakfast was laid in front of us.
Damn, she was quick.
Steam rose from the scrambled eggs as she motioned for us to start, her own plate in front of her.
"Butter's here if you want it with your toast. And careful it's still hot."
I didn't bother with the butter and began digging in.
I soon set my fork down, my tongue burning from how hot it was. The orange juice I drank quickly cooled my mouth down as I spoke quickly.
"Don't eat yet. It's still way too hot."
Dylan raised an eyebrow. The struggle to find something that fit him was obvious by the amount of times his sleeves had been rolled up.
He giggled, sticking his tongue out at me. "Well, that's what you get for not listening."
I huffed at his smug expression, turning back to the food and blowing on it to cool it down before I ate again.
"Your Uncle's already at work if you were wondering. He ate long before. Do you plan on doing anything today? It's nice and sunny."
Mila looked at all four of us, directing the last question to anyone.
I shrugged, Shaun responded with "Work", and Blake just told her that he'd be going to see the boys.
I turned to Dylan. "What do you want to do today?"
He lifted his shoulders, not knowing.
"Well, how about we see if Caleb is willing to give you any clothes he doesn't use anymore. Yeah?"
"If we see Caleb can we also go see Faith as well?" He asked hopefully.
"Mmm, we'll see."
Blake joined our conversation. "Then how about we see if the boys can come here? I'll ask if they can bring everyone. Maybe go in the pool. How does that sound?"
I nodded. "That would be great. Thanks."
I stood up, pushing the chair out. Shaun also did the same, kissing Dylan's cheek and moving towards me. His lips met mine briefly and he waved to Mila and Blake.
"I'm heading off to work now. Thank you for breakfast. Bye."
"Bye Sheep." Dylan quickly called out to him as he fled from the kitchen, heading to the front door.
Once we heard the door shut, Mila looked at me, her brows furrowing in confusion.
"What's up with you two? Are you together?"
I waved my hands quickly from side to side, clearing up any queries she had about Shaun and I.
"No, no. I've just known him for a long time is all, we've helped each other out. We're just friends that are comfortable with each other, you know?"
Her frown remained on her face, "Mmm. Does he know that?"
It was my turn to frown. "Of course he does. We've never talked about anything else apart from being just friends."
She nodded still not convinced but I gave up. She could believe what she wanted, Shaun and I knew where we stood.
We were friends. Nothing more. Nothing less.
I took our plates to the sink, picking up the sponge to wash them.
"On no, dear. Don't worry about that. I'll do it." Mila tried to stop me. But she had already cooked us breakfast, it was the least I could do.
"Please, it's fine. I'm used to it."
She shook her head. "No, I mean it. We have a dishwasher. Just leave that, you don't need to do it."
"Oh." I felt embarrassed. I forgot that dishwashers were even a thing. I had never had one, never mind used one before. Who knew what all those buttons did when all it did was wash dishes?
We took the dishes out of the sink and loaded the dishwasher, Mila showing me what to do in the process.
Once everything was done, we all left the kitchen, going our separate ways as we waited for everyone to arrive.
It wasn't long before Tyler arrived with Caleb, a bag of spare clothes in his hand.
Blake must have asked him for me.
He held it out towards me, "Here are some clothes for Dyl. There's also some swimming trunks because we're obviously going to be swimming."
"Thank you."
After Tyler and Caleb, the others started arriving. I could hear the doorbell ringing every so often from upstairs where Lyla had dragged me.
She, along with Zach and Faith, had arrived just after Tyler and decided to separate me from the group, not letting me finish off my greetings.
How nice.
So we were now in my new bedroom as she rummaged through her bag, pulling out a two piece and chucking it towards me.
"Hmm. It should fit. It's a bit big for me so I never got the chance to use it. Sad I'm a part of the Itty Bitty Titty Committee. What cup size are you?"
"C cup."
"Uhh, lucky. Honestly, I don't know why I got it. Guess I was hoping that by buying the bikini, I could grow into it or something. I don't know. Well, I guess it came in handy."
I looked down at the bikini in my hands.
It was a simple black bikini and would be happy to wear it, the bottoms weren't too cheeky.
Honestly, though, I didn't know why I didn't take the swimming outfits from the apartment. The darn things were waterproof.
I sighed, guess it was too late now.
I pulled the costume on in the bathroom, hearing Lyla call, "Does it fit?"
I looked at myself in the mirror and was satisfied with the way it fit.
I stepped outside the bathroom, "To a T."
She gave me a once over before blowing out a breath of relief.
"Ooh and it does. Lucky I saved it. I can't imagine it looking better on anyone else."
I hummed a thanks as we made our way downstairs. I didn't bother changing, we were going to the pool anyways.
When we made it outside, I took the time to scan who else was here.
Apparently Carter and Chase had arrived.
But what took me by surprise was Tiffany and another girl talking on the patio, their exaggerated gestures trying to get their point across to each other.
As if noticing me staring, she turned to look at me and a smile formed on her face in response.
Well, I was not expecting that.
Everyone (apart from Lyla) was dressed to swim, the boys in their trunks and Tiffany and I in our bikinis. The girl trailing behind her wore a full costume, seeming to be a few years younger than us.
Although the few similarities between her and Tiffany, her nervous glance at me had me wondering if they truly were related.
Surely someone as confident as Tiffany couldn't have a sister who was worried about what I thought of her.
But once they reached us, I noticed the constant flickering of Tiffany's eyes between me and her sister –or who I presumed was her sister.
The girl stood with her hands coiled together, the top of her head reaching to just above my shoulder.
Tiffany cleared her throat, giving me a tight smile as she introduced us.
"This is my sister Anna."
"Hey Anna, I'm Sky." I greeted her but she didn't look up from her gaze at the floor to say anything back.
Did she already not like me? Maybe Tiffany had already told her all about me?
No wonder she thought too high of herself to talk to me.
I didn't expect it but if that was the kind of person she was, so be it. I wouldn't bother trying to talk to her if she thought she was just wasting her time with me.
I stepped back about to head over to the boys. At least I wouldn't get ignored over there.
Lyla placed her hand on Anna's shoulder, pulling her attention from the spot on the floor.
Lyla gave a wave and flashed her a smile, "Hi Anna. Glad you could make it."
That caused Anna's face to break out into a smile which only caused me to become slightly more irritated.
Did she really think of me as the dirt at the bottom of her shoe that as soon as someone else said something she noticed them?
Tiffany seemed to notice my embarrassed state as she widened her eyes.
I was ready to turn around but she stopped me.
"She, uh, doesn't really talk much. Sorry."
Was that why I had never heard of Tiffany's sister before? Because she was embarrassed of her shyness?
I nodded, attempting a smile but I'm sure it failed, leaving me with a constipated look on my face.
My eyes fell back on Anna. She tried sending me a smile but it was small, nothing compared to Lyla's. Still, I took it.
It was better than nothing.
"So, how old are you?"
Her eyes squinted the slightest as she took in my question before taking in a big breath and answering.
I kept my face neutral despite my shock at her voice. It was quite high but also wasn't steady, it seemed to vary in pitch.
"Thirteen."
It was just different.
But my mouth soon morphed into a smile. She talked. To me.
Gee, I was thinking she would just ignore me the whole time we were here.
My smile seemed to have her grinning, a set of pearly whites revealing themselves.
Something from behind me seemed to pique her interest as she leaned forward and diverted her eyes to something behind me.
She waved her hand back and forth as she tried to get their attention.
Her flailing arms had her head swinging back and forth and it was then that I noticed it.
A small plastic case rested behind her ears, her hair now failing to hide her hearing aid as it moved.
She was deaf.
Noticing me staring at her ear, Tiffany broke my gaze from it and gave me a tight smile.
I returned her smile, feeling guilty. I thought she was rude but in the end it was me because I was the one who thought that she was too stuck up.
Not being able to look at Tiffany any longer because of my previous thoughts I turned around to see what Anna was so excited for.
Apparently not all the boys were in the garden until now.
Zach jogged over to us, flashing his dazzling smile and kept his eyes on Anna, ignoring the rest of us.
Any attempt to regard his torso as nothing was a fail as my eyes immediately zoned in on his toned stomach. His chest was smooth and chiselled.
My eyes carried on taking in his body, trailing down to his defined abs. If I hadn't known he was a gang leader I may have mistaken him for just coming out of a Calvin Klein shoot.
His trunks sat low on his hips, allowing me to see the enticing V of his hips that led down to an unknown. I licked my lips at the sight.
I forced my eyes back up to his face, seeing it light up as he stepped towards us.
I studied his features, memorising the way his nose sloped and the curve of his soft lips as he greeted Anna.
He was perfect to me.
Not flawless yet somehow still perfect.
As if sensing my gaze on him, he turned to his left, meeting my eyes.
His smile softened at my expression before he turned back around to Anna.
Feeling embarrassed for admiring him for so long, I walked away to find Dylan.
Tiffany quickly fell into step with me, not letting me get too far before she started speaking.
"I, uh, I'm sorry I didn't tell you about Anna."
"Yeah, about that. Why didn't you? I never even knew you had a sister? Don't tell me you're embarrassed?"
She sighed at all the questions shot at her, running a hand through her hair.
My eyes scanned over the garden, searching for Dylan's head and once finding him I decided to lay down on a sun lounger.
She took the one beside mine.
"No way. I could never be embarrassed of her. She's really sweet and I would love to show her off to the world. To show everyone how proud I am to have her as my sister."
"But?" I filled in for her, waiting for her to continue.
"But I don't want her to receive any bad attention. She finds it hard to socialise because of her hearing loss. If there's too much noise in the background or too many voices it's difficult for her to follow a conversation."
"It's why I act the way I do at school. You know, typical Queen Bee cheerleader, that's me, Tiffany the bitch. At least if the attention is off of her then there won't be so many negative comments thrown her way."
"And what about the negative comments thrown your way?" I asked.
She shrugged. "She's my sister. I'd take those remarks any day just so she can be a bit happier. You know?"
My eyes unconsciously moved to the brown mop of hair with batman swimming trunks on as he played with Caleb.
I lived for those carefree smiles and would defend Dylan no matter what.
I understood her completely.
"Yeah, I know what you mean."
A voice spoke from in front of us, Tyler blocking our sun. "Hey girlies, what are we gossiping about?"
"Don't call us girlies." Tiffany responded, slipping her sunglasses on.
I snorted in agreement leaving Tyler rolling his eyes at us.
"So, are you just going to sit there all day or actually go in the pool?"
"You obviously don't know me as well as I thought. I'm staying here."
"It was worth a try. You?" He asked directing the question at me.
"Well, I guess I'll just dip my feet in."
"Meh, that's better than her. You hear that Tiff, Sky is putting her feet in."
She waved away his comment, a smile settling on her face as I moved to stand up, walking with Tyler over to the pool.
I sat by the edge of the shallow part and dipped my feet in, goose bumps already littering my legs.
It was sunny, why the fuck was the water so cold?
Trying my best to ignore the cold, I lowered the rest of my calves in and swayed them side to side to warm them up.
After a while and once everyone had been in the pool and had left to dry off, Zach swam over to me.
It was just us two.
My legs no longer felt cold but I wouldn't dare put anymore limbs in.
He stood in front of me in the water and looked me up and down, a smirk making its way onto his face.
"Are you done?" I muttered, bored.
"Well since you got a longer look at me, I think I deserve to take my time. Don't you think?"
My cheeks reddened at being caught, I thought he only saw me looking at his face.
He moved closer to me, splaying his hands across my outer thighs. His cold hand against my warm skin had me wanting him to inch closer.
As if sensing this, he spread my thighs apart, parting them so that he could step into that empty space.
His hands wrapped around my waist and lay them flat on my bare skin as he pulled me closer, my pelvis to his.
I shivered as droplets of water dripped down from his hair and landed on my thighs. That only caused a lazy smile to light up his face as he gazed into my eyes.
"Beautiful. So fucking beautiful."
His comment had blood rushing to my cheeks once again and in an effort to hide them, I wrapped my arms around his neck. My head nuzzled into the crook of his neck as I pressed my torso flush against his.
But I quickly pulled away from that position with a shriek as the cold water from him got on me.
Once realising why I had moved, he let out a laugh. His eyes crinkled and his white teeth were on show.
A smile formed on my face at this and I couldn't help but lick my lips because of it.
He quickly sobered up, his eyes darting between my lips and my eyes.
The arms draped around his neck tightened and I couldn't help but think about how much I wanted him in that moment.
He leaned in and I was quick to follow, our lips meeting as we kissed.
At that moment, I didn't care about his cold skin that he pushed up against my front. It wasn't on my mind. Only him.
Our lips moved in sync and my hand found its way into his hair, tugging at it slightly causing a moan to escape his lips.
Damn, that was hot.
He raised his hand to cup my cheek, giving him better access as he slipped his tongue into my mouth.
I edged closer towards him, my bum hanging off the edge of the floor, worryingly close to me falling in the pool. My legs wrapped around his waist.
I needed more.
The kiss grew hungrier as our tongues fought for dominance and he seemed to recognise my want for him when he placed his hands on my ass.
He pulled me towards him and I hadn't even know that was possible until I realised it was because I was no longer sitting down.
Zach held all my weight as he gripped just under my ass making sure I didn't fall into the water.
My hand trailed down the side of his chest and made its way down to his trunks, feeling the bumps of his abs as they went.
One finger hooked the waistband of his trunks, only earning me another groan from him.
The sound made in the back of his throat had me moaning and we quickly broke away from the kiss, needing air.
My lips were on his soon after and I felt him smile into this kiss.
Before I knew it, the cold water surrounded us as he plunged us into the water.
I opened my eyes in surprise, taking my lips off his.
Even through the water I could see him sending me a cheeky smile and I quickly pushed off the bottom of the floor, resurfacing.
He did the same and I was then aware that we were no longer in the shallowest part of the pool.
The smile was still on his face and I could only laugh, pulling myself out of the water and standing up.
I looked back to find him still in the pool, shaking his head at himself.
As I walked away I heard him chuckle as he muttered, "Yep. So fucking beautiful."
A/N:
Sorry it was a long and boring one and I know that I think you guys like the fight scenes so I'm really sorry I missed it out. But there will be some soon I promise. And I kinda added some kissing to make up for it.
And I'm also sorry because this chapter was a bad one. Not only is it a filler chapter but it's a boring one. But on another note, I'm loving all this support you're giving me and as usual am really grateful for all of it.
Don't forget to comment, vote and share (if you want to).
Anyways...
Leave a comment and tell me if you're liking the story so far and what you think should happen next...