Chapter 14 Part 2
When you live with a person like Dale Cattermole, there’s no way your confidence wont rise. I considered myself pretty confident person. Now that image was completely shattering as I stood outside Doyle’s Jackson apartment door. I have always known he was a bully, he had a famous reputation in whole town, and he was a dangerous street fighter who never lost, according to the rumors.
Apart from that and considering my own unfortunate encounters with him, it was proven to me that Doyle was the most unpredictable guy I’ve ever met. The first day when he punched me and took me by surprise confirmed that he could go very far if he wants.
So I was literally sweating when I stood in there, biting my lower lip and fidgeting with my fingers. My palms were clammy and my heart beat had increased its pace to an impossible rate. I knew it was a mistake to come here all alone and without telling anyone but even if I hadn’t come he would have eaten me alive in school. We lived in a same town so it wasn’t like I could avoid him forever.
I nearly yelped away when the door opened all of the sudden throwing me off guard. To say that I was baffled seeing Doyle with his thunderous glory would be an absolute understatement.
The first thing I noticed about him was a huge gash on the side of his face that was going to leave a nasty scar. He was wearing a leather jacket but the almost ripped white shirt was visible underneath. I wasn’t even surprised when I realized he must have been fighting again. My own nerves were a wreck to care about a bully who was probably planning to eat me alive. Cannibal or not…
He had the same blank face that seemed unaware of the little girl with heightened fear standing in front of him.
‘’What are you doing here?’’ He growled and I had a sudden urge to throw myself off from a fifteen story building.
I have met two absolute assholes in my life, one was Derrick Carson whose emotional range started from anger and finished on indifference. While this small scale of feelings were always on a display on his face in a form of a scowl, Doyle always had the same blank expression. When conversing with him, you will experience two things.
He showed no emotion, but there was no ‘politeness’ in his dictionary. He sounded like some alpha wolf of a shitty pack.
‘’You called me remember?’’ I snapped, my fear forgotten and replaced by scorn. What did he think I was? Some obsequious slave?
‘’Get inside’’ He didn’t gave me a chance to get inside; ignoring his own ‘order’ he grabbed my sleeve and dragged me in his apartment. Okay so I was in a boy’s apartment while no one was there.
Breathe Allyson, he won’t try anything intimate on you, and you can do this.
The apartment was a total disaster. Though it was spacious, I could calculate it was badly kept. There were things littering the living room, covering space from the couches to the floor and the hallway. There was a open kitchen attacked to the left side, its counter was perhaps the cleanest thing there. There were plates and cups on display that needed washing and were lying around the sink. And I couldn’t avert my eyes from a spongebob plate.
Don’t tell me it belongs to him.
I noticed among the stuff on the ground – thanks to which I nearly had a fall – were toys. There was a Barbie doll that looked like miniature Cinderella and some cars with colorful patterns on them.
First that plate and now these toys, I didn’t expect Doyle to be a sort of person with a childish side. I automatically whirled around and saw him using a white cloth to put on his wound which was probably hurting him.
‘’What?’’ I flinched at his tone going to alert mode all over again.
That’s when I nearly had an heart attack. The door on the right side of the apartment that was visible in the small hallways burst open and I heard a crash somewhere. There was a huge laughter that with no doubt belonged to a child followed by someone yelling at top of their lungs.
‘’Come ere you brat.’’ A small girl just like I predicted with blonde pigtails and gray eyes barged in the living room laughing at top of her lungs and running around appeared. She didn’t look older than four.
Behind her was the boy who had shouted at her previously with same blonde tousled hair that covered half of his gray eyes. He looked the same age and eerily similar to the girl that he was following with a furious expression on his little face. Both children had an uncanny resemblance with Doyle.
Could it be…? They were his_
‘’Don’t get the wrong idea,’’ I heard him say and for the first time his tone was normal, ‘’they my sibs.’’
‘’Sibs?’’
‘’Brother and sister. They are kids that were given birth by same parents as _’’
‘’I know what siblings are!’’ I snapped.
‘’Oi you two! Cut it out!’’ Doyle’s voice which wasn’t as thunderous as it normally was – in fact it was surprisingly calm seemed to have an effect on both. They stopped on their tracks and stared at him with huge eyes.
‘’Jill stole my clothes again and she cut them!’’
‘’But I looove his clothes, they are so warm and fluuufy.’’ The girl giggled and I wanted to pinch her cheeks crying ‘awww’ at top of my lungs. How could a future mafia like him could have such cute siblings?
‘’Stop it already and clean your mess or you wont be getting any food for three days.’’ Please someone tell that was just and empty threat and he wasn’t actually going to do that.
Both compiled, forgetting their fight immediately and began picking up their scattered toys.
‘’You, ‘’ he said jabbing a finger in my direction, ‘’come with me?’’
‘’Where?’’
‘’Wonderland Alice.’’ I ignored his sarcasm as wordlessly followed him. He led me to a room which I assumed was his. I would never have stepped in his room but after knowing that there were two other souls in the apartment I was back in my comfort zone.
The room was really simple like it was barely used. It had a single iron bed in the corner, a mirror near a small window and a cupboard. A wooden desk was placed on the left and a neat pile of books sat on it which I knew Doyle didn’t even touched. I was doing his homework after all.
‘’So what do you want me to do?’’ Thankfully he left the door opened as he sat on his bed to start talking.
‘’I have three jobs at a time to support them,’’ he said in a really serious voice and pointed a finger at a direction of desk where a framed photograph of the siblings sat,’’ so there is no one to take care of them.’’
Oh no_
‘’I want you to babysit them.’’ Sometimes I wished I was better off dead, and even if I wasn’t dead yet, the people around me were going to kill me someday.
‘’I cant’’ He narrowed his eyes at me, flashing me a dangerous look,
‘’You have to.’’
‘’I have a life as well.’’ It wasn’t about my own personal activities. I had my studies which were suffering real bad because of a pervert that wanted me to be his girlfriend just because of his image, play practice that was never suppose to happen in first place, my slavery driven job where I was snapped by a arrogant jerk every passing second, a debt which I was suppose to pay to another jerk thanks to my very caring mom. I didn’t have any room for babysitting as well.
‘’I am asking you for a reason White.’’
‘’You can hire a babysitter.’’
‘’I don’t have money, and I also can’t trust anyone.’’
‘’And I am trustworthy for you?’’
‘’I wouldn’t have asked you otherwise.’’ He sounded angry when I was the one who should yell at him for imposing something on me.
‘’You cant force me on this!’’
‘’Try me.’’
‘’What the hell is your problem!? You are just some insane person who destroy people’s lives and spoil them. I hate assholes like you. I won’t do it. Even if you kill me, which you might be planning to do.’’
‘’I am not a murderer.’’ He was forgetting that I was speaking figuratively but when he heard the word ‘kill’ something sparked in his eyes and he grew really tense all of the sudden.
‘’You are no better than that, forcing me into this. You are just trying to run away from your duties. And you are just using me.’’
‘’I have a good reason for that White.’’
‘’And what is that? You get pleasure from people’s misery?’’ Doyle arose from his seat and took quick strides towards me. I thought he was going to hit me but he didn’t. Instead he pushed me away and opened a drawer from the desk pulling out something and shoving it to my face.
It was another photograph, a girl who was barley seven, with short blonde hair and grey eyes, giving a toothy grin. I gave Doyle a blank stare, unsure of what he was trying to do.
‘’I-‘’
‘’That’s my sister. Emily Jackson.’’ Why was he telling me that? Was he going to teach me his family tree? I was about to say that out loud when the expression on his face caught me off guard. It was extremely weird seeing him like that. Doyle looked …torn.
‘’The man who was suppose to be our father, beat her to death.’’ It was a simple sentence but it was packed with so many emotions that I felt my heart picking pace. I was speechless for longest moment, unsure of what to say. His revelation petrified me completely and his own expression was telling a lot more than it met an eye.
His own father killed…?
‘’What I _’’
‘’My mother left us, so it’s just me and them. I can’t loose them too that’s why I am working hard so the services won’t separate us. I need your help and I know I am forcing you into this but I don’t have a choice.’’ Every word was forced as well like he was having trouble asking help from someone else.
‘’But why me?’’
‘’Last time I trusted someone, they turned out to be pedophile. And after that I gave up on it, but the expenses are increasing and I can’t just abandon my job. I know it’s shitty for you, it’s more shitty for me. Try imaging yourself in my shoes sometime.’’
I don’t know if it was pity or kindness but I began thinking about this. Doyle really needed me help in this and he trusted me. And how could I refuse after hearing about his sister? I knew he was also emotionally blackmailing me but I couldn’t just back out. If I was willing to help a douche bag like Daniel whose purpose wasn’t even worth supporting, why couldn’t I bend myself a little for Doyle who surprisingly had a reason.
‘’How many days?’’
‘’From Saturday to Tuesday.’’ I did flinch a little when I heard that, but weekend was better than weekdays. I only did reading on weekend and I could do it here. I was so damned right now. I wanted to back away and refuse but I felt trapped after what he told me. It came out so sudden.
I didn’t even expected Doyle to have such a rash family history but it was clear that he wasn’t lying.
‘’What if they don’t like me?’’ He gave me what-the-fuck look before answering,
‘’That doesn’t matter.’’
‘’I have a condition.’’
‘’Really now.’’ The way he was looking at me, I wasn’t even sure if he considered listing to me.
‘’I won’t do anything else for you. Like ever. And you won’t bother me in school again. I won’t even do your homework.’’ He was thinking about this, rubbing his chin absentmindedly.
‘’And if you do something stupid, you will wake up handicapped.’’
‘’I am not a child molester!’’ I snapped and whirled around retreating from the room. I was becoming a social worker, babysitting two kids (who might be as gruesome as their brother despite their cute faces ) four days a week because I was under an emotional spell thanks to Doyle’s scary history.
I ignored the stares the kids gave me and made a beeline for the door, ‘’I think she’s Doyle’s you-know-what.’’ I heard the girl whisper to the boy.
Just what had I gotten myself into?