The rest of the ride goes by with Jack teasing Fallon at every chance he gets and Fallon continuously warning him to a point she just gives him the silent treatment.
I sit in my seat and enjoy them irritate each other with amusement swirling in my eyes, because for the first time I'm not on the receiving end of Jack's torment.
Once we have the car parked, Jack jumps out of the car immediately and heads towards God only knows where. As soon as he leaves the car Fallon sigh in relief causing me to bust out laughing at her state.
"You think this is funny?" She asks in disbelief causing me to sober up a bit.
"That boy is the definition of annoyance and epitome irritation," she tells me with a huff earning an amused look from me.
"Welcome to my every day," I say with an eye roll to which she shrugs muttering "touché" under her breath.
We both get out of the car and head inside without any more verbal interaction. As we enter flashback of the last time I was here come rushing back into my mind, but for some reason, it doesn't affect me and I keep walking.
Like a jolt of lightning, realisation strikes me giving me the reason behind Fallon's sudden change of mind regarding our plans to come to the mall when I see Lindsey approaching us.
My face breaks into an involuntary smile when I see her. "You premeditated this, didn't you?" I say in a low tone more to myself.
"Well I hate seeing my baby sister upset about anything," she reasons with a shrug.
Lindsey immediately engulfs me into a bone-crushing hug, without even acknowledging her sister's presence which makes me frown.
But my frown soon turns upside-down when she pulls away from our hug and literally jumps and hugs Fallon while continuously muttering 'thank you'.
Fallon soon pulls away much to my surprise and rolling her eyes at her sister. "You girls have fun and I'm off to endure the result of my mother's undying love for shopping. The things I have to do as a big sister." Muttering the last part more to herself she disappears into the crowd in a matter of minutes.
"So, where do you want to go first?" Lindsey asks looking like a child in a candy store.
"Nowhere, I don't like shopping," I tell her as she drags the both of us further into the mall.
"Oh, please don't act like you don't want to buy a single thing," she scoffs, "because I know you do," she states confidently.
"Okay fine, maybe I do. But I don't feel comfortable using someone else's money," I admit to her as I glance at my sling bag containing the envelope Xavier gave me earlier.
"Use your allowance then," she suggests, to which I roll my eyes.
"I still haven't earned that either," I explain, but by the confused look, she's giving me I know I have to be clearer.
"Back when I lived with my mum, I had to earn my allowance, by doing chores around the house. But here they don't allow me to clean my own room much less anything else. So, I don't feel right spending this money," I explain further and she seems to understand my point of view.
"I get your point, but even though you aren't doing any chores around the house you're doing the most difficult task in any girl's life which due to certain circumstances you couldn't do back then." her words confuse me to say the least and my expression depicts it.
"And what might this difficult task be?" I enquire with a raised brow.
"Tolerating your annoying, controlling, overprotective, and to sum it up a bit insane brothers," she states with a giggle.
"They aren't controlling nor are they insane," I defend them, even though my normal reaction would be to burst out laughing with her a wave of protectiveness washed over me urging me to defend my brothers.
She gives me the are-you-serious face rolling her eyes at me. "Okay they can be a bit firm on rules sometimes, but that's just because they care." She raises her hands in surrender to which I just shake my head.
"At least you didn't deny the fact that they are annoying," she points out.
"Not all of them, just Jack," I clarify.
"Okay so consider your allowance to be the payment for putting up with Jack," she says with an innocent smile, I just roll my eyes at her, but agree nonetheless.
"Where to first then?" And with that, we ransack to the mall with Lindsey pulling me over to almost all the stores.
_______________________________
We finally stop at the connivance store like thing they have at the mall because Lindsey needs to get some things. We roam from isle to isle picking up mostly candy and junk food.
We finally reach the aisle where all the feminine products are and Lindsey very casually starts loading some in the cart. I don't know why, but a sight blush washes over my face at the sight of all the products.
"You okay?" Lindsey asks when she realises that I've stopped talking and walking beside her.
"You look like you have just seen a hot guy take off his clothes," he remarks causing my blush to deepen. I look at her with wide eyes and then look around to see if anyone is around us within hearing range.
When I find no one, which I find rather surprising I sigh in relief and smack her arm. "What? I'm just stating facts," she says pinching my heated cheeks.
"You know there isn't a reason to be embarrassed, this is totally normal," she explains. I just nod my head wordlessly.
She resumes scanning the packs on the rack, grabbing one, and reading the information on it carefully. I just stand there awkwardly.
"It's like you haven't seen a pack of pads or tampons in your life," she says, shifting her attention to me again.
"Well not really," I mumble under my breath.
"You haven't had your first period yet?" She asks surprised and I just nod.
Lindsey is a year older than me and so has been through this already, whereas me I feel uncomfortable even talking about the topic.
"Well no worries you have me now and I'll teach you all you need to know about this stuff," she says with a warm smile.
I smile back at her and we continue our shopping with Lindsey explaining what is the meaning of the details on the pack. She made me buy some too so that I don't have to panic when I do get my first period and rush to the store to buy some.
Lindsey is the sister I always wanted but never had.
We check out and with me carrying three bags of my own filled with tampons, pads, and a whole lot of junk food, candy, and chocolates which I will have to sneak under Liam's nose.
"I feel like someone is following us," Lindsey says looking a bit concern as she discreetly glances around us.
"Don't worry that most probably is my security team," I tell her in reassurance, but she still doesn't put her guard down.
"Hey it's fine really, Xavier has them following me almost everywhere for protection," I say with a small smile which she returns and nods in understanding at me.
"And does Xavier know that you know that he has them following you?" She asks with raised brows to which I just shrug my shoulders casually.
"Don't know and I don't really care, I mean what difference does it make?" She just nods her head at my words.
"Okay let's talk about something else," I suggest when I notice her alert demeanour.
"Cool," she agrees and we start conversing about basketball.
"I hate the new coach," she comments earing a giggle from me.
"He's just doing his job," I tell her as we head towards the food court.
"What's his job, to scare us?" She asks sarcastically as we wait in line to order.
"To helps up reach our fullest potential as a team and if that means being strict and scaring us a bit, why not?" I reason while shrugging my shoulders.
"I guess. But still ten round of the court and an extra round each time we miss a basket during layups?" she whines causing me to roll my eyes at her.
"Well, layups are important," I remark, and this time it her turn to roll her eye.
"You're saying that just because you're good at them," she counters with a pout.
"How do you think I got good at them. If I had to get a nickel for each time I got yelled at by my middle school coach because of my layups, I would be a millionaire by now," I counter exaggerating a bit.
"You were bad at layups?! But your form is always so perfect," She states in disbelief.
"Bad would be an understatement, but I worked on it and that's what he's making you all do," I say as I move to the front and place my and Lindsey's order.
"Is that all," the boy behind the counter asks with a sweet smile. I turn to Lindsey for confirmation and she just shrugs.
"Yup that all," I say, he nods and tells me the amount flashing me yet another sweet smile. I pay and head to find ourselves a table.
"He's cute," Lindsey's comments, and I look at her confused.
"Who's cute?" I ask with frowned brows.
She rolls her eyes at me shaking her head, "the guy at the counter, you idiot," she says gesturing backward to the counter we were just at.
I shrug nonchalantly at her words not really paying much mind to it. "I guess," I mutter when she playfully punches my arm.
"Wait don't you have a boyfriend or something?" I ask her with a raised brow distinctly recalling Jack mentioning her as 'Nathan's girl'.
"Yup, but I wasn't the one he was making googly eyes at," she points out wiggling her brows suggestively at me, confusing me even more.
"Wait...you mean...Oh no, I'm not interested," I say when realisation hits me.
"Oh, come on, but why. He's cute, looks around the same age as you, no tattoos or piercings, well-groomed," she starts to list out, I just shake my head at her and head towards the first empty table I see.
"Well-groomed, really? What is he a dog?" I laugh out and all she does is shrug in response.
"Have you ever had a crush on someone?" She asks all of a sudden catching me off guard.
"Um...Maybe?" I say keeping my eyes fixated on my phone as I scroll through my Instagram.
"Spill," she says eagerly snatching my phone out of my hands.
I glare at her as she pockets my phone and shifts her undivided attention to me, her face resting in her palms with her elbows on the table.
"It was nothing special, just a boy I like in my biology class at my old school," I tell her nonchalantly, shrugging my shoulders.
"And..." She prompts gesturing for more details.
"And nothing, he didn't like me back and turns out he was a complete jerk either way," I say casually causing her to pout.
"So, you have never been on a date?" She asks feigning disapproval.
"Pretty much," I say coolly.
"Well there always tomorrow," she says giving me a mischievous smirk letting me that she is up to no good.
"Have you met my brothers?" I ask with a raised brow earning an eye roll from her.
"Point," she agrees to nod her head.
Our order is called and Lindsey insists that I go collect it and I have a pretty good hunch why. I reach the counter and the same boy hands me my order, a smile still pasted on his face.
I lightly smile back and mumble a 'thank you' under my breath as I pick up my order. I notice his smile fall all of a sudden, his eyes looking fearfully at something to my right.
I shift my attention following his gaze landing on an angry-looking Jack who is busy glaring daggers at the poor boy. He carefully takes the food from me with one hand and with the other he grabs my hand in a surprisingly gentle grasp and starts walking.
"What were you doing?" he asks in a controlled voice.
"Flirting with him," I reply sarcastically with an eye roll.
'I'm getting pretty fearless, I like it!' I think with a smile.
His grip on my hand tightens a bit, but not enough to hurt me. "You want to try answering that again and this time with a little less attitude?" He asks roughly.
'Okay maybe I'm not that fearless'
"I was getting our order Jack, calm your horses. He's not my type either way," I tell him, muttering the last part under my breath.
"You really want to get in trouble, don't you?" Even though I know it's a rhetorical question I just shake my head innocently negatively.
"What part of no boys don't you understand?" He asks his voice lacing with irritation.
"Actually, Xavier said I can talk to boys," I point out with an emphasis on 'talk' recalling my conversation with him the first day I had arrived here.
"What's wrong?" Fallon asks, who I've just noticed has joined our table along with a woman who looks like an older version of Lindsey.
'We are going to need more food'
"She was flirting with the boy at the food stand," he says accusingly.
"I was not!" I defend myself.
"You said it yourself," he points out.
"That's called sarcasm," I justify.
"Did you get his number?"
"Is he cute?" Fallon and Lindsey ask simultaneously and by a single look at them, I know that they are just trying to get under his skin.
"Yes, he's cute and no I couldn't get his number because someone interrupted us," I say playing along. I take a seat and glaring at Jack accusingly.
"I thought you said he isn't your type," Jack points out.
"Well I guess I was wrong," I say with a shrug.
"You know we do need to get some more food; this isn't going to be sufficient," Lindsey's mum says in a suggestive tone taking me by surprises.
'This just keeps getting better and better'
"You're right I'll go order," I say enthusiastically. Everyone at the table has a hard time trying to hide the amusement and not burst out laughing at Jack's face.
'Priceless!'
I get up, but soon I'm pushed back down in my seat by a glaring Jack. "Don't even think about it," he warns and it takes everything in me not to coo at him.
Our act comes to an end when Lindsey breaks out into uncontrollable giggles, giving us away. Realisation seems to settle within him as he narrows his eyes at us and more specifically me.
"Doesn't feel so good when you're on the receiving end, now does it?" Fallon taunts.
I slap my hand over my mouth to stop myself from laughing at her remark. "Don't think I won't get you back for this," he tells Fallon determination clear in his eyes.
'At least I got away with it' I think with a victorious smile.
"Don't think I forgot about you," he says looking me straight in the eye, causing my smile to fall.
'I spoke too soon'
Author's Note:
I've got a small announcement, my college has decided to tortures even more and has now increased the duration of our online classes. **I'm dying from the inside.**
Because of this, I cannot promise you when the next update might be, I'm really sorry.
I hoped you enjoyed this chapter, your feedback is greatly appreciated!
Don't forget to:
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Stay Safe & Happy
~Kia