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Rosemary lived with her three brothers peacefully.
She rarely if ever asked to go out on the weekends. They knew most of her friends, and she attended church every Sunday with no issues. She got perfect grades and unlike their brother hadn't complained once since their arrival in Derry.
Which was why almost none of them had qualms with her going to Henry's bonfire get together. Sat at their circular dining table the Monday after her talk with Mr.Creedus, she gently stabbed at the stir fry cooling on her plate. Still in her running clothes, she was slightly sweaty and Jude made a point of telling her repeatedly to bathe after dinner. A deliberately placed look of conflict on her face, she made eye contact with Nathaniel who cocked an eyebrow at her in amusement. "Something bothering you Rose?"
Putting her fork down slowly, she looked at Nathaniel and gripped her hands tightly under the table. "I was wondering... Would I be allowed to go to a party this weekend please?"
All three of them looked up at her in surprise, having not expected such a request to come from her of all people. Jude definitely, but not Rosemary.
"A party? How long've you known about it?" David asked calmly, scooping more food into his mouth.
"A while, I just didn't know whether I wanted to go"
"Do we know anyone that will be there?" Nathaniel asked, glancing at Jude whom was staring intently at his plate. "I don't want you there with a bunch of strangers"
"I think most of them will just be classmates"
"You think or you know?" Nathaniel asked, giving his full attention to Rosemary.
"Jude knows the boy throwing the party and the guys who invited me?"
"It's that Bowers boy isn't it?" Jude snickered, though his face was void of amusement, "Harry or whatever his name is"
"Henry..."
"No way" Jude shook his head, "You aren't going to a party if those boys are there" Rosemary scrunched her nose in anger, staring at the table as she boiled with anger.
"What's so bad about these boys?" Nathaniel asked in disbelief, eyeing his younger brother from beside him.
"They're violent and inappropriate to be around" Jude leant back in his chair, shrugging. "What more do you want?"
"That's not true!" Instantly she wished she hadn't defended the boys whom honestly meant so little to her. Jude looked at her with a look in his eye that was terrifyingly similar to that of his mother and David quickly noticed her retreat from her statement, lowering her voice as she avoided eye contact with Jude entirely. "Victor brought my homework for me last week and Belch gave me a lift home yesterday because he was worried about the recent disappearances"
Nathaniel suddenly snapped his fingers, frowning slightly in concentration as he pointed at Rosemary. "That blonde boy" He looked at Jude, "Is that Vic? The one you yelled at the other day Jude?"
It was the way he said his name that made Jude tuck his lip in slightly and turn his murderous gaze to Nathaniel as he sharply inhaled. "What the fuck do you think?" He grabbed his fork, stabbing at his stir fry with more force then necessary. "Course it was. How many friends do you think Rosemary has?"
"More then you" David chuckled quietly. "Though she also attends school for more then twenty minutes a week so that probably helps. Maybe you should try it sometime" Jude's chair scraped against the floor as he shoved forward on the table, scattering his stir fry and cutlery over David's food as he swiped anything close to him at his second brother whom didn't react.
"Fuck you. Why don't you do something useful and go suck off one of Rose's teacher rather then your asshole boss" Pulling his jacket from his chair, he kicked said chair away from himself as Nathaniel hastily stood in anger.
"Jude!"
"Fucking fag" Jude hissed as he grabbed his car keys from the china dish beside the door and left.
As Nathaniel followed Jude they each begun to shout excessively loud outside, leaving David and Rosemary in a heavy silence. "I shouldn't have brought it up" Rosemary swallowed before staring at David apologetically. "I'm sorry I mentioned the party" This time it was David's turn to roll his eyes.
"S'not your fault" He raised his arms suddenly and rolled his shoulders with a slight grimace, "Well all know Jude's a little overprotective" He winced again.
"Are you okay?"
"Just a bit sore. Had a 10 hour shift today" Both Nate and David worked at the Truck Depot further up Kansas Street, the building which Rosemary had failed to recognise when visiting the baseball field owned by the Trucker Brothers with Gretta.
"Here" Standing up, Rosemary softly stepped behind him and slid her hands over his lean shoulders, pressing her thumbs into the tight muscles pinching his neck.
His throat hitched for a second before she begun kneading her fingers into the knots, causing his shoulders to slacken and a long sigh to slip through his teeth. "Thanks Rose..." He mumbled, tilting his head back to rest on the small area between her breasts and stomach.
"No problem"
After ten minutes of her silently rubbing his shoulders, she rinsed the plates and bathed before retiring to her room upstairs.
One of the smaller rooms of the house, her room housed her bed which she'd made that morning, a desk which had been left in what she referred to as an 'organised mess', and her closed wardrobe, as well as an intensely large collection of pinned insects. Her pastel walls where filled with butterflies in display cases.
"Fuckwit" She muttered in anger as she quietly shut her door and leant against it in silence. She wasn't surprised Jude had been completely against her going, but it wasn't until several hours had passed that he returned to talk with her.
She heard him before she saw him, and smelt the stench of alcohol wafting of his breathe before he slid into bed beside her. Jude had quite obviously gone to a bar using the fake ID he'd brought from their last home.
"Jude?" Having already been asleep, Rosemary was startled to say the least when his arm hooked around her waist and pulled her against his stomach. The single crack of light which came from her door which he'd left being all the light she had to distinguish him.
"You're not going to the party..." He mumbled into her hair, his voice barely distinguishable. "I don't want you around all those boys"
Now aware of what was happening, she rolled her eyes before pulling her best pout and turning to face him, her large eyes staring up at him. "Please Jude?" His hand now resting on the waistband of her pyjama shorts. "I won't do anything wrong"
Eyes half-lidded, he stared down at her and chuckled, his hand trailing up her side to hold her cheek. "It's not you I'm worried about. You aren't going"
"Please?" She pulled herself closer to him her tired eyes glassy from the strain of staying awake.
"Don't look at me like that" He grimaced, knowing she was starting to change his mind. Leaning forward, she pressed herself against his chest and stomach, her hands resting on his chest. "Don't do that Ro..." Jude drawled, the hand which now encircled her tightening slightly.
"You could come with me?"
"Ro..." She rest her head on his shoulder before glancing at the long muscle which stretched along his slim neck. Tilting her chin up, she pressed a long, damp kiss on his collar, sucking slightly before pulling away with a slight smile. Jude sighed in approval, pulling her closer. The heat between them in the humidity of the house was making a fine sheen of sweat collect on Rosemary's arms and legs, as well as Jude's. She begun pecking small kisses along his collar and neck, innocently looking up at him.
"Please?"
"Fine" Slightly breathless, Jude relaxed against her and she snuggled closer into his arms, her eyelashes tickling his neck and making him shiver. "I'm going with you though" She nod before turning over so he faced her back. Rather then letting go, he slid his arm from her shoulder to hold on the shoulder pressed into the mattress, his arm resting between her breasts. "I love you Rosemary" Jude sighed, pressing a hot kiss against her bare neck,. She didn't respond, as he was unaware that already she was asleep once again.
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