I smiled and laughed awkwardly, running my hand through my hair to realize it was in a ponytail. "So, how did everything go?" Alyssa asked me. She didn't seem to be to mad, but she is pretty good at hiding her emotions. Being a lawyer and all.
I bit my lip and swayed back and forth on my heels. "We'll if you're wondering how dance tryouts went, I made the team." I told her excitedly. She smiled and gave me a tiny round of applause. I forced a smile, trying to hide how uncomfortable I was. Richard smiled and clapped too, "I didn't know you were trying out for the dance team."
I looked away towards the staircase, "Um, yeah. I tried out and made it." I put my fists in the air shaking them. The lights in the living room came on freaking me out because no one stood up. Alyssa saw that and pointed to the tablet on her lap.
"We'll if i knew that we could have celebrated tonight." He seemed to be thinking when he said that. I laughed again, "It's fine, we really don't need to do that..." I paused looking around at the guys faces. What surprised me was that no one was even looking at me except Brian who was glaring.
"Um, I'm going to head to my room. Have a good night." I turned to walk away but Alyssa stopped me. "Hold on a second child. Don't think I'm letting you off this easily." I sighed and let my shoulders drop. I thought I told her I was going to go to the cafe.
Maybe not work there, or stay there till 7 pm. But it could have been worse, I could have been out till 10. Richard seemed to have caught on, "Boys you can go, the movie was almost over anyways." The guys finally looked at me, questions in their gazes.
Brian and Austin looked back towards Richard then to me. I made sure to not look at them, just letting their footsteps tell me they were leaving.Once they were gone Alyssa spoke. "You know you have to tell me when you're out past eight." She scolded.
Me, not knowing how to just shut up replied, "It's actually nine pm." She gave me a look telling me that I'm a few steps away from a whooping. "I need to test you." She sighed. Richard put his hand out, stopping her from getting up.
"What were you doing out this late?" He questioned. I gnawed on my cheek and answered, "We'll I had tryouts first, then I went to a cafe. WhereIMayOrMAyNotHaveGottenAJob." I breathed out quickly. Not really knowing why I felt so strongly on hiding it.
They both seemed to have understood what I said because Alyssa had a small smile and look of pride. But Richard looked distraught, "Why would you need a job? If you needed money you could have just asked." He told me disapprovingly. That kind of hit me wrong but i ignored it.
"Because, I don't want to rely on you guys and spend your money. I want to make my own money, and I owe you enough anyways. What's the matter?" I asked confused. He rubbed his face and sighed, "You don't owe us anything number one. Number two if you wanted a job you could have asked. I have plenty of open spots at my company." He told me exasperatedly.
Alyssa seemed to jump to my defense, "We'll she has been working from a very young age and needs the experience to grow." I cheered for her in my head. "But, she should have informed us first." Betrayer. He shook his head. "That's the point, she doesn't need to do that anymore! That's why they moved her with us. So she could relax and actually act like a stable teenager." He snapped.
Alyssa glared at him and they continued going back and forth, seeming to forget I was there. But the last comment on me being a stable teenager and relaxing rubbed me wrong and hit a mark.
I might not have been stable in the slightest, but I was acting like a teenager. That liked hard drugs, alcohol, parties, fights, and sex. But we can ignore that, I was acting like a teen. Stable or not.
"Fine." Alyssa huffed. "Where do you work? We need information." Shit, I know this might be the kill shot. I tentatively opened my bag and grabbed the flier for the cafe. I handed it to her as if feeding a wild animal, slowly bringing it closer to her.
They both looked at it and their eyes widened. "Yeah, no." Alyssa stated calmly. "No, that's a hell no!" Richard shouted waving the paper in the air. "That's in the worst part of the city." He growled. During that moment i saw a prominent part of Brian and Ash in him.
"Richard." Alyssa snapped. "But i do agree with him Chris. You need a different job." She told me as though the decision was final. My eyes widened and my argumentative side kicked in. "Sorry, no can do. I'm almost eighteen and i can work where I want." Alyssa's eyes widened at my tone.
"I've worked in worse parts, did you forget where I lived before. Guess why I was able to get the job. No place here is going to hire me if they found out where I come from." I argued, growing more and more heated.
"Then use my name, I'll put in a good word for you. But you aren't going to work at tht dump late at night." Richard stated, his tone saying it was final. My anger started to grow, "Why do you have a say in this? I've talked to you, what? Twice since the three weeks I've been here!" I shouted.
He looked struck then pissed, "You are living under my house young lady. You will abide by my rules." I scrunch my nose, fumming. Alyssa put an arm on Richard's shoulder, trying to calm him down.
"How would you get there and back anyways?" Alyssa asked. I smiled hopefully, "You're not really considering this are you?" Richard asked her surprised. "She is almost a legal adult, she's going to need to be ready for the real world. Make a path for herself, that's the way we were taught." She looked at me with pride and understanding.
"And maybe it'll help her adapt more and become more comfortable here. Being busy might distract her from everything." I nodded at her vehemently, agreeing with every point.
Richard sighed and leaned back into the couch, rubbing his hands up and down his face. "Fine, how would you be getting there and back?" He asked me begrudgingly. I smiled excitedly, "The bus."
"No." They both said at the same time. My smile dropped, "Next option." I sucked in my bottom lip, trying to think of something. "You've got nothing do you?" Alyssa asked. I put my hand up thinking, "hold up." Alyssa sighed, "How about we get you a car?"
I looked up in horror and shouted "No!" The same time Richard shouted, "Brillant!" I glared at them as Alyssa looked at me, questions in her gaze. "I don't need a car." Is all i said. "Every teen needs a car." I shook my head desperately trying to get it across i don't want her money to be spent on me.
"We're getting you are car if you want this job." My muscles tightened wanting to fight back, but relaxed in defeat. "Fine." But richard added on, "Until then the boys will pick you up and drop you off." My eyes widened in terror.
"Nope, nope, No. I don't want to barge into and mess up their personal lives." I lied so i wasn't questioned. "It's fine, they need to have more responsibilities." He brushed off my statement. "I'm going to get the alcohol tester. Be right back." Alyssa said and stood up.
I rolled my eyes and sat down in the recliner. Waiting for her to come back, emotionally and physically drained after the altercation. She came back with the breathalyzer. She held it out and I took it, breathing out. It showed i haven't had any alcohol and she smiled, "good."
It wasn't mandatory, but she's just extra as hell. "What time would your job begin and end?" Richard asked. "Maybe 4;30 or 5 to 9 pm." He gave me a look. "Then on the weekends it would be the morning most likely. I'm getting a set schedule tomorrow for dance and work." He rubbed his face again, "Fine, but I want more information tomorrow then. One of the boys will pick you up."
I gave him a thumbs up, then quickly grabbed my bags and ran upstairs. It was almost 9 pm and I have barely done my homework. Going up i ran into Ash. My nose hit his chest and i dropped my bags. I clutched my nose and laughed.
"Damn, you're going to have to buy me a new nose. Shit, are you made of metal?" I asked light heartedly. His eyes quickly focused on my damaged hands and falling bandaids. I released my nose and looked at my cut hands, some of the cuts were bleeding again and there was blood dripping down my fingers.
How did I not notice that? I put my hands behind my back and smiled, "Oh, those are nothing. Just a few paper cuts." I lied again. Ash looked pissed off and grabbed my bicep.
"Woah, caveman down. They're some messily cuts." I was pulled into the bathroom with him before I felt hands grab my hips. Heat coursed through my body where his hands touched and pooled to my core. Fuck my sensitive body.
He set me down on the open counter between the two sinks. I was high enough that I was almost eye level to him. Almost though, my eyes was to his lips. "Woah man, i'm all for a good time but warn a girl first." I joked. What I didn't expect was to see heat fill his dark eyes.
I gulped and held my breath in my lungs. He quickly turned his head and focused on something else. "Stay here." He demanded before walking out of the bathroom. I crossed my arms and glared at the open door, "Stay here." I mimicked, "pffff, ass." I mumbled.
"Who are you impersonating?" Jordan poked his head into the bathroom. My eyes widened and i jumped in shock. Quickly composing myself i crossed my arms again. "You're brutish brother." I sniffed. He raised an eyebrow, "Ash?" I nodded at him, keeping me head tilted away from him. "Now, why would that happen?" He asked me, sounding amused.
I turned my head to glare at him, "He freaked out when he saw my hands." I raised my damaged hands into his view, "Can you tell him I'm fine, i just need new bandaids." His snarky attitude seemed to disappear when he saw my hands.
His eyebrows furrowed and he walked into the bathroom. He grabbed one of my hands and I hissed because he rubbed a cut. "Shit, sorry." He muttered and examined my hands. "What the hell happened?" He asked me and let go of my hand.
"Some paper cuts, it's not a huge deal." He saw right through my shit of a lie and crossed his arms. "Yeah, unless that paper was made out of glass those aren't paper cuts. What are they?" I snorted because he got it without realizing.
I just shrugged my shoulders, having a smile tickles my lips. Then in came Ash with a big ass first aid kit, "Woah man, it's not that big of a deal. Just a few cuts." I raised my hands trying to show I'm fine. He shook his head and put the kit on open counter space.
Jordan snuck out of the bathroom during our exchange and i didn't know where he went. Ash started to focus on his task of being a healer and zoned me out. "I'm fine." I grunted and tried to move to get off the counter but her grabbed me hips again, keeping me there.
I usually would have been made, but I wasn't. Instead i sucked in a breath as my stomach did flip flops and my body heated up. "You're not going anywhere. You're going to stay there and let me bandage up your hands if you want me to or not. Like how you did my fists." Then he smiled which completely winded me. "So, stop acting like a baby."
All I could do was blink and nod, whatever response I had left my tongue. Utterly forgotten in the moment." He grabbed my hand gently and started to take off my bandages. "Aren't you disgusted?" I asked him.
He looked at me in my eyes and slightly shook his head. "No," Then went back to taking off my bandaid, "I've dealt with a lot worse than this." I didn't pry and let him continue in comfortable silence.
"Why are you doing this?" I finally asked, breaking the silence once he took all my bandages off. "Because I owe you, and i don't like owing people." He said while opening the first aid kit. "You don't owe me. I did that because I wanted to and you were hurt." He froze for a second, then continued again.
"Fine, then I'm doing this because I want to." I squinted at him and scrunched my nose. "You're an idiot." Is all i said back. He snorted, "You're saying this to the person helping you." I rolled my eyes and leaned back against the mirror. "You mean kidnapper that is forcibly treating his victim." I snapped back.
He chuckled, which made my insides do a whole 360. "Shut up and take the treatment." He grabbed a bottle and poured some blue stuff onto pads. I looked at it skeptically, "What is that stuff? Are you going to chloroform my ass?" I implored.
He rolled his eyes and gently grabbed my wrist, his whole hand could have easily wrapped around it and have room. Which surprised me because I wasn't a super skinny girl.
"I'd feel bad for whoever tried to kidnap you." He stated distractedly, examining my hands. "Why do you say that?" I questioned intrigued. He looked up at my face again, closer then he was before. Letting me see the few freckles dusting his checks.
"Because you'd annoy them to death." I huffed and rose my free hand to flick him on his forehead. He backed up looking shocked, holding his forehead as I smirked at him. "Did you just flick me?" He asked sounding shocked.
I nodded victoriously, "I did in fact flick you. I needed to show you just a fraction of my badassery. That was just an example, now imagine my full power!" I raised my arms over my head and tried my best evil laugh.
I didn't expect for him to start laughing at me. I couldn't be mad though because that boy was gorgeous when he laughed. He grabbed my wrist again and lifted it up, "shut up and focus because this is going to hurt." The laughter before slowly leaving his voice.
But a hint of a smile was still on his face, so I'm satisfied. "Now, im going to disinfect your cuts, so be ready." I nodded, my muscles already tightening. He put the stuff on my hands and my fingers spazzed in pain.
"Fuck, fuck, shit, fuck, bitch, cunt, motherfucker! Fucking dick, shit, fuck, fuckface, shit head, fuuuucckk!'' I cried out. He sombered with my hands moving trying to get away from the burning sensation. I continued to curse like a pirate until he was done.
My whole body relaxed at once as he put my hands under cold water. I was biting my lips hard enough to draw blood while the pain faded slowly. "How the hell did you cut yourself this bad? And don't give me some paper cut shit." he demanded once again.
I kept my hands under the water as he grabbed new bandaids, "I was picking up the glass from a broken door." I told him honestly. Not in the mood to lie at the moment. He pulled my hands out of the water and dried them carefully.
"And why were you doing that?" he asked me while opening the first bandage. "Because it was my first assignment for my new job." his hand froze on mine, I looked at his face, perplexed.
"You got a job?" He asked me with false calmness. I didn't say anything and let him finish in silence. Once he was done he asked, "Where do you work?" I looked up at him now because he was at full height. "A cafe." He nodded seeming lost in thought again.
He shut the first aid kit then wrapped his hands around my waist, then pulled me off the counter. Once again my heart rate picked up and heat flooded my body, wanting attention. "Thanks." I said awkwardly, trying to calm myself down.
"Welcome." Then he walked off into the hallway and I contemplated taking a cold shower. I decided against it and headed to my room to lay on my bed and completely homework. Deciding that was an efficient way to calm myself down.