The Delinquents
Chapter Seven
“So you twist your wrist like this and kind of spin to the left and there!” The lock popped open and I grinned at Gabe in awe. “The lock opens.”
“You have no idea how useful this would have been back when I was trying to evade the cops,” I told him, staring down at the lock in wonder. I didn't have enough fingers to count the amount of times I had to hop a fence when I could've removed the lock instead.
Gabe smirked, “Working on car locks is a little different, but I think you can learn.” His confidence in me was heartfelt in an odd sort of way.
I smiled and took the pin and piece of metal from Gabe. “My turn.” Gabe closed the lock again and I scrunched my eyebrows together as I tried to copy what I saw him do moments before. It wasn't as easy as Gabe had made it seem.
“How’s the arm?” Gabe asked. It was unusual for him to ask about anyone else’s well being. It also seemed unusual that he would volunteer his time to teach me a skill. I chalked it up to his getting more comfortable around me.
I shrugged and looked down at the gash on my arm indifferently, “It’s fine. My knee is what hurts the most.” It was true. Every time I bent my knee I felt as though the wound was being reopened.
“I bet you were scared last night,” he said as he watched my attempt to break into the padlock. So far, I wasn't having much luck.
I nodded, “I was. I don’t like the dark much and don’t like the forest any more than the dark.” A ghost of a smile graced Gabe's face, making me smile a little too. I had never seen him smile before, at least not in a non-sarcastic way.
He corrected my technique before commenting, “Afraid of the dark? Weird, I didn’t take you as being weak.” I twisted my hand and grinned when the lock popped open.
I turned to Gabe, too distracted by his previous comment to celebrate my success. “I’m not weak. Everyone is afraid of something.”
Gabe shrugged. “Not me.” His lie was as thin as tissue paper.
I laughed, “Sure. You weren’t afraid of your Uncle?”
Gabe laughed darkly, instantly making regret crawl into my stomach. “Afraid of that scum bag? No, I hated him. He may of abused me, but he didn’t hurt me. If you understand what I mean.” I kept my mouth closed and dropped my head as I continued to fiddle with the lock. Somehow, Gabe sensed my inadequacy when it came to this topic of conversation. He changed the subject promptly. “So, you and Keegan, eh?”
I shook my head, trying to push down the agitation that rose in me at the mention of Keegan. “More like me and Derek I guess.”
Gabe’s eyebrows shot up. “Really? Surprising. I thought you had a thing for bad boys.” I raised my own eyebrows in response, wondering what had made him think that. I decided not to ask.
“Bad boys suddenly become less appealing when they leave you by yourself in the middle of the forest when it’s pitch black,” I grumbled.
Gabe nodded seriously. “Right, I guess that would make you upset.”
I pursed my lips together. “You can bet that I was upset. I’m still pissed, he hasn’t even apologized yet. Can you believe that?" I bit sharply on my lower lip, trying to stop myself from spewing anything else. Gabe wasn't the right person to complain about personal things to. No one at Ash Falls was well qualified for that role. No one in my life was.
“So what, now you’re dating his cousin?” Gabe asked, sounding sharp.
“We’re not dating,” I said, on the defense. “We're going on a date. Just one.”
Gabe sighed, “Whatever, I don’t really care anyways.” I handed Gabe back the lock and tools and smiled, the time spent together was now tainted bitter after the mention of Keegan.
I pushed myself off the ground and smiled down at him. “Thanks for teaching me to pick a lock Gabe, I appreciate it.”
He stared at me for a moment, his blonde hair covering part of his eyes. “No problem, Piper.” He turned and stalked away, probably to go hang out with Simon. Then again, I wasn't sure what Gabe did with his spare time.
I looked around the living room and sighed, I was by myself. Taking a seat on the plush couch, I looked out of the window to see Lily and Travis mock fighting outside. Derek was playing keep-ups with a soccer ball on his own. Even Evan was outside enjoying the sunshine, he was ready a beat up novel that I couldn't make out the title of. Keegan wasn't outside.
“Aren’t you going to get ready for the big date?”
I gritted my teeth together as I startled. “Mind your own business.” I cringed at how bitter I sounded. I had no right to be whiny about Keegan, after all, I was the one who followed him into the forest. Then again, no one said he had to leave me there.
Keegan crossed his arms over his chest. I could tell he was trying his best to swallow his anger and appear nonchalant. I knew this because I was doing the exact same thing. “I thought there was nothing between Derek and you.”
“There wasn’t until he saved me and took care of me. That kind of wins him points in my books,” I snapped. I knew I shouldn't have commented at all but any opportunity to jab Keegan had to be ceased in that moment.
Keegan rolled his eyes, arms tensing without his knowledge. “You would have been fine, there’s nothing out there that would of harmed you.” His jaw popped to the side, drawing my attention immediately.
“Yeah I’m sure the mountain lions would have left me alone, not like I would be delicious to them or anything,” I said sarcastically. I watched his face carefully, waiting for a half-hearted joke or smile. He was stoic.
“Whatever,” Keegan grumbled as he walked away. I stood up off of the couch and folded my arms across my chest. For whatever reason, I couldn't let it go.
“Whatever?” I hissed, “That’s it? No apology?”
Keegan rolled his eyes, “Sorry.” And then he stalked out of the house, not sounding sorry at all. I sagged my shoulders and followed him outside, not wanting to be by myself anymore.
“Hey Keegan,” Evan called, placing his novel open on the grass. “Let’s go have a talk bud.” Evan threw an arm around Keegan as the two of them walked past me and into the house. I continued over to Lily and Travis who were still bickering back and forth.
“Pepperoni is disgusting,” Lily argued, “Actually, all meat is disgusting.”
Travis rolled his eyes. “Why would you want to eat like a rabbit?”
“It’s better than eating poor innocent animals!” Lily fired back. "How can you rationalize eating defenceless creatures? People raise them to be killed. It's a total exploitation of life."
Travis laughed, “They’re stupid! If they were smart they’d realise they can eat us too! We’re just superior, people have been eating meat since the beginning of time!”
Lily shook her head in disagreement, her chopped hair shook back and forth as well. “You’re a barbarian, Travis.”
“You’re a brainwashed vegetable eater,” Travis shot back. He smiled when she wasn't looking.
I walked forward and stretched out on the grass in between them. I turned onto my back and stared up at the puffy white clouds in the sky, debating whether the one above me was a lizard or a squid. I was leaning towards squid.
“Why hello there, Pipes,” Travis greeted, “Where were you this morning?”
I decided the cloud looked more like a lizard and answered, “I was with Gabe.”
Lily laughed, “Gabe? Seriously?”
I looked up at her, positioning my elbow so that my hand could support my head. “What’s wrong with Gabe?”
"There's nothing wrong with him," Lily said stiffly. "Besides the fact that he's a jerk."
“Well, he taught me how to pick a lock,” I told them, almost proud.
Travis picked at the grass, eyes not meeting mine. “Did you enjoy your alone time with Gabe?” I wasn't sure what his tone was trying to tell me.
I shrugged, “He was alright, he taught me something useful at least.” I looked back up at the clouds and squinted. “Is that an elephant or a dinosaur?”
Lily looked up at the sky and shrugged, “Elephant, I don’t know.” She wasn't one to daydream.
Travis instantly fell into his role as Devil's advocate. “No, no, no. That’s definitely a dinosaur.” I groaned as they started to bicker again and sat up, no longer interested in cloud gazing.
“Where are you going, Pipes?” Travis asked when he noticed me getting up to leave.
“Away from you two, your arguing is making my head hurt,” I told them, only half meaning it. Their sibling like banter made my heart hurt in ways I wasn't equipped to deal with.
Lily glared at Travis once more before looking to me. “Hey, I heard you’re going out with Derek. Is that true?” Her dark eyes tried to hold mine but I evaded her gaze.
Travis’s mouth fell open. “You’re going out with him? That guy? But—”
“Why? You like her, Travis? Got a crush on Piper?” Lily challenged. Travis’s cheeks flamed red and he lowered his head. My stomach twisted.
I laughed and looked back at Lily, trying to push past Travis's moment. “He helped me out last night, I thought it would be the best way to repay him,” I said nonchalantly.
Travis looked sour. “It won’t last,” he declared with shaky confidence.
“Any why not?” Lily asked with her eyebrows raised, now she was the challenger.
“Because he is related to Keegan so he must be rotten too,” Travis answered. I leaned forward and smacked his arm, genuinely offended.
“Don’t say that, Travis! Derek is a nice guy, and I don’t think he’s anything like his cousin,” I argued. The lie was a bitter one. If I were to be honest with myself, I'd admit that I knew almost nothing about everyone who was here.
Lily looked at Travis with distaste. “You’ve known him for months, has he ever done anything bad to you?”
Travis looked down, “No, but—”
“Shut it, Travis,” I said. I stood up and wiped my hands on my jeans and looked over to Derek who was still kicking the ball around. I turned to Lily and Travis and grinned, “Wish me luck.”
“Good luck,” Lily said automatically. Travis only glared. I walked over towards Derek and waited until he noticed me. When he did, the ball dropped to the ground and Derek grinned at me.
“Hey, Piper,” he greeted, ball tucked safely under his arm.
I smiled, “What’s up?”
He ran a hand through his hair. I watched his arm muscles swell. “Just kicking a ball around, I asked Keegan to play but he made it very clear he didn’t want to. He still seems pissed about last night I guess.”
“He’s an idiot,” I growled, “He won’t even apologize to me.”
Derek smiled warmly, “That’s Keegan for you.” There was a brief silence before he said. “Are we still good for tonight?” The nervous edge to his voice made me feel less so. It was oddly comforting.
I smiled and nodded. “Yeah, sure.” I tucked a lose strand of hair behind my ear and held my smile in place, not sure how to proceed. None of the boys I dated in the past were the kind of boys you got dressed up for or watched your manners around. Derek was different.
“Great, I think we’ll have fun. I had it cleared with Evan. We can’t go far but luckily I know a place close to here,” Derek told me.
I grinned, “Great! It will be nice to get out of the house.” It was nice to go somewhere nice.
“It’s a good thing he trusts me,” Derek agreed, “Keegan isn’t so lucky. Evan is pretty pissed about you getting lost out there. I was worried Keegan was going to get solitary."
I rolled my eyes, “I’m pretty pissed as well.”
“Well maybe tonight will—
“Piper!” I turned to the sound of my voice and saw Evan waiting for me at the back porch. “Let’s go! We’ve got some chatting to do!” he yelled.
I sighed and looked back to Derek, “See you tonight."
Derek swooped down and planted a kiss to my cheek, leaving me stunned and uneasy. “I’ll be at your room at seven.” I blinked and stood still for a moment before I forced myself to smile and turn around. I wasn't sure how I felt about the outburst of affection, I just knew that I wasn't thrilled about it.
I crossed the yard as quickly as I could, ignoring Lily's questioning stare and hurrying over to Evan who had a smile for me. He held the door open and I ducked underneath his arm, leading the way to his office.
I sat on a beanie bag chair and played with a strand of my hair while Evan rearranged some papers on his desk. “So, you’ve begun a new relationship.”
I rolled my eyes, “I wouldn’t call it a relationship, it’s just a date.”
“Have you thought about what the others might think?”
“I don’t see why it would concern them,” I answered honestly.
Evan leaned back, “You don’t see it, do you?”
“Uh...” I was at a loss for words. I didn’t quite understand what he was talking about. Or why he was talking about it for that matter.
“So, do you want to share what you’re still hiding?” Evan asked briskly.
I shook my head, “There’s nothing to tell.” Evan paused and then sighed and threw his hands up in the air. If that was all the pressure he was going to apply to me than I was sure he'd never get any of the information he wanted.
“Alright, go then. That’s all I need.” I got up, struggling a bit since the beanie bag chair was so plushy and then marched out of the room. I walked into the kitchen and found the whole crew hanging there, sipping at drinks and munching on chips.
“Pipes! Fruit juice or apple?” Travis asked, holding up two juice boxes. The phone rang as I answered apple. I caught the juice box Travis threw to me and walked over to Lily, hoping to ask her if she would help me with getting dressed for tonight.
“Hey, Piper! The phone is for you,” Simon said. He held the small, black portable phone out towards me. I froze, not expecting any one to call me here. Everyone quieted as I walked forward slowly, my footsteps ringing in my ears.
“Hello?” I asked shakily.
“Piper?” I heard a sharp voice ask, “Is that you?”
I swallowed. Not good. “Aunt Kate,” I said, “Yeah it’s me.”
“It’s your mother,” she said rather bluntly. She wasn't a woman for sugar coating.
I felt my heart drop and turned away from the others, and faced the wall. I wished I could throw up a wall between us but for now, my back was going to have to do. “What’s happened?”
My aunt sighed, “I’ve had to take her back to the hospital.”
I felt as though I had been kicked in the stomach. My mouth was dry and the skin on the back of my neck prickled. “Is she alright?”
“I went to check on her and she had collapsed in the kitchen. She is stable now but is slowly running out of her meds, I’ve agreed to pay for next month’s dose but I don’t know if I can do more than that. I’m already swimming in debt. And they think it's safer to put her into a drug induced coma for a little while. At least until they can control the seizures."
I felt tears collect in my eyes and wished more than anything I could have this phone call in private. “I will take care of it. Tell her I love her." I spoke so low that I worried that my aunt wouldn't be able to hear me.
“I will, Piper. She loves you too. Even if she can't tell you."
I nodded and remembered she couldn’t see me. “Yes,” I croaked. My throat was dry and stuck full of needles. I hadn't forgotten that my mother hated me for where I was. My biggest fear was that she'd die before I had the chance to eradicate that hatred.
“Alright, goodbye.” My aunt hung up before I got the chance to say goodbye. I froze, closing my eyes as I listened to the dial tone ring in my ears. I was an awful daughter, my time here had distracted me from my mother. She needed me. Once again the weight of her illness dropped onto my shoulders, almost heavy enough to make me stumble.
“Piper?” Travis asked. I hung up the phone and turned stiffly towards the others. I grabbed my juice box and walked upstairs, aware of the footsteps behind me. A hand caught my arm and I was pulled into a hug. I didn’t fight, I didn’t have the energy to. Even if I did have energy, I wouldn't have fought him. It had been a long time since I had this sort of comfort.
“Your mother?” Keegan guessed.
I nodded, “I’m fine.”
“The hell you are,” he grumbled, “Is she alright?”
I nodded, “Yes.” Keegan let go of me and I felt suddenly cold. He reached into my hand and took my juice box. He poked the straw through the hole and handed it to me with a small smile.
I took it and laughed shakily, “Thanks.”
“Everything alright?” Derek asked, walking up behind Keegan. I nodded and realised that my cheeks were damp and quickly wiped them.
“Yeah, everything’s fine,” I pulled a smile onto my face. Feeling even more exhausted with the effort it took to pull it off.
Derek seemed skeptical, “Do you want to cancel tonight?”
“Of course not! Everything’s fine,” I repeated, “I’m fine.”
Derek grinned, “I’ll see you at seven then.”
I smiled, “Seven it is.” Derek walked away and Keegan turned to follow, but before he left I was sure I caught a frown on his face.