"This bitch better be awake before I smack hi- oh, look at that," Clinton said to himself, pausing as soon as he entered the room. His eyes traveled from Mitchel, who was seated at his desk typing away on his laptop, to Reese, who was asleep peacefully on Mitchel's bed. "What's she doing here?"
"She fell asleep while watching TV with me," the younger boy explained, shrugging his shoulders as he turned his attention back to the laptop in front of him.
"When the hell did she come over?" Clinton asked, his eyes widening as he furrowed his eyebrows. He was confused since he didn't hear the front door being opened at all last night.
"Around one in the morning," Mitchel responded. "You were all dead."
The older Cave brother sighed deeply. "Well, alright. But we've got to hit the studio again today. She's gotta go soon."
"Why can't she just come with us?"
"You don't know if she'll leak our shit without us knowing, Mitchel," Clinton said quietly as he rolled his eyes. "Wouldn't risk it if I were you."
"She's not going to do that," Mitchel scoffed, trying to keep his voice down in order to avoid waking Reese. By now, he had stopped typing and turned to face his older brother.
"Like I said," Clinton paused. "I wouldn't risk it if I were you. Remember how many times Valentina threatened to leak shit that was a surprise to the fans?" The braided boy stayed quiet. He knew Clinton was right, but he didn't know why he couldn't just bring her along to hang with them.
"Fine," Mitchel muttered, looking down to avoid making eye contact. "I'll be out soon." Without another word, Clinton exited the room, closing the door softly. The boy's eyes shifted over to Reese, whose mouth was slightly opened as soft snores escaped. He smiled sadly to himself, feeling sorry for her.
After a few minutes, Reese began to stir around, shaking Mitchel out of his thoughts. He sat up straight as the brown eyed girl's eyes fluttered open softly, causing her to scrunch up her nose and squint her eyes when she was greeted by the brightness of the bedroom. A soft breath left her lips when she spotted Mitchel sitting at his desk.
"Oh, good morning," she mumbled, rubbing her eyes.
"Morning," the braided boy smiled, looking at her. "You want some breakfast?" Closing her eyes once more, the small girl nodded softly. Mitchel took this as a signal to rise to his feet and leave the room. However, before he did so, Reese caught his attention.
"Wait," she said, suddenly being wide awake. Mitchel turned to face her, confusion clear on his face. "What am I doing here?" She asked, looking around the room.
"You fell asleep last night and I didn't want to wake you up," the braided boy explained. "It was late as hell." After looking at him in the eyes for a few more seconds, she quickly reached for her phone to check for any notifications. Luckily for her, there was none, causing her to let out a breath she didn't know she was holding.
"Okay," she simply said, smiling softly at him. With that, Mitchel exited the room, closing the door behind him softly. While he was downstairs, Reese continued to stay in bed, observing the room. It had plain white walls, dark brown, wooden floorboards, and was quite neat. Reese felt a sense of comfort being in Mitchel's room. She didn't know why.
She sat there, staring off into space as her thoughts consumed her entirely. The small girl began to think of how much safer and calmer she felt around Mitchel unlike with her family members. It was like he was her happy place, where she'd simply think of him and she'd feel at ease. Ever since he came into her life, she's been feeling better than she ever has.
"Mitchel, where the fuck is the-"
Reese's eyes snapped up toward the door, immediately making eye contact with the older Cave brother. Quickly, her heart began to pick up its pace. She felt scared of Clinton and had a huge gut feeling that he didn't like her at all.
"He's downstairs," she said quietly, noticing Clinton's slightly annoyed facial expression. She felt the air begin to shift to a more awkward atmosphere, making her uncomfortable.
"Oh," he said simply, closing the door once more and leaving Reese to be in the room by herself. She grimaced at herself, thinking she must've looked stupid to him. A soft breath escaped her lips as she fell deep into her thoughts once more.
Maybe he hates when Mitchel has girls over, she thought to herself, picking at the hem of her shirt. Maybe I'm just another one of the girls he talks to when he's bored.
"Breakfast's ready," Mitchel's voice rang through the room as he entered, interrupting her thoughts. He was smiling widely at the girl seated on his bed. She nodded, returning a softer, weaker smile his way. The small girl rose to her feet, making her way over to him. Mitchel could tell something was off, she didn't say a word to him. "Are you alright?" He asked quietly, putting his hand on her shoulder to stop her for a moment.
"Yeah," she said quietly, taking glances at the braided boy. "Don't worry."
"Are you sure?" He asked again, feeling himself grow worried.
"Positive, Mitchel."
Mitchel's eyes shifted away from her for a moment before he nodded. "Okay." Without another word, the Australian proceeded to lead her down the stairs. Immediately, Reese was greeted by a loud call for her name by no other than Jesse.
"Reese!" He exclaimed, a happy smile plastered on his face. "I didn't know you slept over."
"Yeah, I didn't plan on it but here I am," she laughed softly, shrugging her shoulders. Mitchel made his way into the kitchen to fix himself and Reese a plate. Jesse laughed, talking to the girl as she leaned against the wall. The braided boy began to tune them out slightly by humming to himself as he grabbed two plates from the cupboard. Once he got what he needed, he started to scoop some food from the pan on the stove and placed it on the plates.
He began to make his way out into the living room, handing Reese a plate before plopping down right next to her.
"Let me know what you think," Mitchel smiled. "It's something my mom used to always make for my brothers and I back at home." The small girl took a bite of her food and smiled, nodding her head.
"Love it," she said, letting out a soft laugh. "You cook really good."
"That's the only good thing he cooks," Jesse jumped in, laughing at his remark. Mitchel scoffed, rolling his eyes playfully as Reese laughed as well.
"Shut the fuck up," the braided boy said. "You're just mad that I can cook eggs better than you."
"Are you sure?" Jesse leaned forward and eyed Mitchel with a raised eyebrow.
"Yes," Mitchel nodded once. "I don't burn them unlike you." Jesse muttered a few words under his breath, having Mitchel and Reese to leave it at that. The three of them sat there, watching TV as time passed by slowly. Once Reese finished, since she finished her food last, Mitchel took her plate and headed back into the kitchen. As he did the dishes, he heard two doors open and close from upstairs, letting him know that people were coming.
Clinton and Pat's voices were heard, but their conversation came to an abrupt stop once they entered the living room. Mitchel, however, didn't think too much of it.
He dried off his hands and made his way into the living room, causing Pat, Jesse, and Reese to look his way. The braided Australian noticed that Clinton was on his phone, but he took a few glances at him and Reese.
"Are we leaving yet?" Mitchel asked.
"In a bit," Pat replied. "Go get ready, Kras is doing the same." The braided boy nodded, taking a few seconds to look at Reese. He noticed she was fiddling her fingers uncomfortably as if she didn't know what to do. A soft breath left his lips as he debated on asking her if she'd want to come with him or not. Jesse was engaging in a conversation with Clinton, so he had to think of what to do.
He figured he might as well hurry up so she wouldn't wait very long.
"I'll be back," he announced, taking a last glance at the brown eyed girl before rushing up the stairs.
Reese's heart dropped slightly once Mitchel disappeared from the room. Everyone stopped talking, making things more uncomfortable for her. Jesse, the only one she was getting along with quite well, was on his phone, clearly oblivious to her discomfort. She looked down, trying not to make eye contact at all with the other two. She was doing quite well up until Clinton spoke up.
"Reese," he said. She looked up at him nervously. "We're going to go to the studio after those two finish. You have to go."
The small girl's eyes widened in slight surprise. She taken back by his tone. "Okay. I'll be out as soon as Mitchel comes ba-"
"We're leaving as soon as they get down here," Clinton interrupted, his voice monotone. By now, Jesse and Pat had their attention on them. "I'm not wasting time today, and neither are Jesse and Pat here. Right, guys?"
Jesse began to speak up. "I mean, yeah, but-"
"Exactly," the older Cave brother smirked, eyeing Reese's body language. He was well aware that she was intimidated. "The clock's ticking."
"Okay," she simply said quietly. The girl looked down at her lap before taking a quick glance at Jesse, noticing his sympathetic expression from the corner of her eye. Pat, who was standing by Clinton, also had a sympathetic expression on his face. Her eyes shifted back down to her lap before she let out a soft sigh, attempting to stop herself from crying as a lump began to form in her throat. She felt embarrassed. "I'll be on my way."
A soft sniffle was heard from the small girl as she stood up, keeping her head low. Without making any sort of eye contact with anyone, she made her way over toward the door, quickly picking up her shoes that were there. She'll have to put them on in the car. All she wanted was to get out of that house, feeling nothing but extreme tension and awkwardness in the atmosphere. She heard a voice come from the inside of the house, only making her want to get out of there faster. However, someone grabbed her arm and pulled her back.
"Reese," Jesse said, a soft breath escaping his lips. "Are you okay?"
"I'm fine," she nodded, not meeting Jesse's eyes. He let her arm go from his grasp. "Don't worry about me."
"I'm sorry Clinton was acting that way," he apologized, knowing well enough that she was hurt. "He just tends to act that way to people he isn't close to. He'll warm up to you eventually."
"It's nothing, really," Reese chuckled sadly, trying to sound as convincing as she could. She stared at the pavement beneath her as she spoke.
"It is something," the drummer shook his head. "I know you're hurt about it."
"Even if I was," the small girl sighed. "It shouldn't matter." A long moment of silence lingered between the two before Reese spoke up once more. Finally, she looked up at one of Mitchel's best friends. "Hey, tell Mitchel my mom texted me, okay? Don't tell him Clinton did anything. It's fine. And don't worry about me, either. It's just a waste." A soft but forced smile formed on her lips before she turned her back to him and continued to walk over to her car. She hopped in and glanced at the drummer once more, noticing the saddened expression he had as he stood there. With that, she drove off, not looking back at him anymore.
—
[ a/n ]: a double update? a second week in a row!? i'm on a roll:') but anyway, happy new year once again. thank you for the support on the book! i appreciate it sm! take care of yourselves always! <3
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