Chapter 29
Drake
A scream jolts me from sleep, making me jump up and look around my room. My first thought is Athena’s stalker. Seeing nothing, I turn back to find Athena thrashing in bed as she sobs and cries out.
Before she can hurt herself, I grab her wrists and try to pin her down. “Athena, wake up!”
My room door flies open, revealing Mason and the guys. Mason has a bat in his hands. Chase looks ready to pounce on someone, while Ross and Alec look ready to rush in. “What the hell?” Mason yells, pushing his way into the room. Athena’s leg kicks out, hitting me in the stomach and making me double over in pain.
“Don’t- know. Woke up, and she was screaming,” I reply, trying to breathe correctly. Chase moves to the right side of the bed, grabbing one of Athena’s arms and her shoulder while I move back and hold her other. Ross and Alec help, too, looking to me for instruction. Though, I don’t know what to do besides trying to wake her.
Athena continues to sob and yell out. She tries to keep twisting and turning, but with the guys holding her down and me and Mason holding her waist, she’s stuck. Fear fills me when she freezes, her body locking up. It must be a horrible nightmare for this much thrashing. I can’t help but worry.
“Athena, wake up,” I beg once her body slumps into the bed. Tears roll down her temples into her hair. I wipe the tears from her pink cheeks as a sob shakes her body, “No, no, no,” her voice begs. Cries and mumbles, names and pleading fall from her lips, making me look up at the guys. Our names. Why would she be having a nightmare about us?
Another cry falls from her lips as tears continue to streak her cheeks. I glance at the guys and nod. So they let go of her. They all wear matching worried expressions on their faces, and I move back to the bed, climbing up beside her and laying her head in my lap. “Come on, wake up, please,” I whisper, pushing hair out of her face.
Before I can say anything else, her eyes fly open. Dilated pupils take over her bright blue eyes as tears well up when she sees me hovering above her. “D-Drake?” She rasps, her voice hoarse and scratchy from her cries.
“Shhh, are you okay?” I pull her into my lap, my heart squeezing when she curls up to my body and tightly wraps her arms around me. She’s not usually this clingy or dependent. The only time she was like this was when Alisha sent Mason away. It’s unnerving. My girl’s strong and brave mask cracks and shatters right in front of me.
She looks up at me, wiping at the tears. “Me?” She croaks, “Y-you and- and...” she doesn’t finish because she looks up and right at the guys. In a second, she’s out of my arms and launching herself at the guys.
She lands in the middle of them, each of them reaching out to catch her, and lets out a heartbreaking sob as they all wrap her in a big hug. What the hell happened in that dream? She holds onto them, muttering things I can’t understand under her breath. The sight of my brothers hugging her and Mason holding her hand calms me a bit, but I still need to know what freaked her out so much.
Standing, I make my way over to the group. Athena lifts her head, her puffy, red eyes staring up at me, then she whimpers. I open my arms, and she moves into them. “H-he killed you,” she hiccups, “All of-of you.” What?
“Who did?” Mason steps toward his sister. She lifts her head with a sniffle, then moves back into her brother’s arms. The slump of her shoulders and the tears still rolling down her cheeks make me sigh. I- we need to figure this out. Athena sniffles again, then she buries her head in Mason’s chest while he wraps his arms around her. His face falls in a pained expression as he looks down at his sister.
After a second, she peers up, biting her lip, “The man that killed dad,” she mutters. Mason’s jaw clenches just when his eye twitches. “He killed all of you and then me,” she mutters again.
Moving closer, I wrap my arms around her and her brother. “He’s not touching you or us,” I promise. Whatever I do has to be enough. No one is touching her if I can help prevent it. I don’t enjoy seeing her like this. I don’t like it when she cries. She looks so broken and so different.
“Let’s call Jason in the morning.”
She looks up, her round eyes focusing on mine before turning her body towards me. “Okay,” she mumbles, leaning into my chest. Perfect fit. She wraps her arms around my neck and nuzzles her face in my neck, then mutters, “Can we go back to bed?” The vulnerability in her voice makes me want to give her anything- or everything. I don’t know. I can’t do anything about a dream. It- I can’t protect her from the things in her head.
I glance at the guys for emphasis. They nod, and one by one, they leave the room. Mason is the last to leave, pressing a kiss to Athena’s forehead, mumbling something, then going. I gently pick Athena up and walk back over to the bed. Laying her down, I climb in behind her and pull her more petite body close to me. One thing I can do is hold her.
“Promise me,” Athena whispers, turning in my arms and looking up at me. “Promise you won’t leave me,” she whispers, a hint of pleading in her voice.
Kissing her forehead, I let my lips linger for a second. Several scenarios run through my head about her dream. We got killed. Seeing her react so strongly to our deaths to my death was… hell, I don’t know. I thought I had a good handle on life, but this changes things. If V comes after her, I’ll do anything to protect her, even get between her and danger.
“I’ll never leave you, Flower,” I promise. “I love you.” Her sigh brushes my chest as she cuddles closer.
~*~
“Drake, wake up. I’m hungry,” a voice says, accompanied by my body shaking. I open my eyes to see Athena staring at me. For a minute, study her. The vulnerable shine in her eyes from last night has dimmed, and the slight smile pulling at the corner of her mouth tells me she’ll be okay. Sitting up, I rub the sleep from my eyes and look over at the clock. 6:12 am. We have school and work today.
“Okay, let’s go get some food,” I grumble, rub my eyes again, slide off the bed and hold my hand out. Athena takes my hand and uses me as her crutch, which I’m completely okay with, as she tries not to put too much weight on her injured leg. At the top of the stairs, I lift her, carry her down the stairs, and set her down at the bottom. Knowing her, she’ll want to walk on her own.
As we walk, or in Athena’s case hobble, I press a kiss to her temple. She giggles. Then she sighs. After that, she leans in even more. A warm feeling wells in my chest. I’m definitely in love with this girl.
Slowly, we make it into the kitchen, where all the guys lift their heads when we enter. Chase steps forward. “Athena, you okay?” I hide my smile because, one, I don’t think Chase would appreciate it, and two, I don’t want to interrupt.
Athena nods. “Y-yeah,” she stutters, pulling him into an awkward hug since she’s still holding onto me. “Thanks.” He nods, and she pulls back, then hobbles over to the refrigerator. To get to school on time, we eat quickly and head back upstairs to get dressed.
The only thing that worries me during breakfast is Athena doesn’t talk much. She’s never been a chatterbox, but she typically says more than a few words. She only spoke when one of us said something to her specifically, and even then, she didn’t say more than a word or two.
Athena
Once I’m dressed in my black skinny jeans and a white tank top, I grab my leather jacket and head out of the bathroom. Drake is sitting on the bed with his elbows on his knees and a worried expression clouding his face. I feel bad because I know I put that expression on his face. He stands when I enter the room. I slip on my black converse then turn to him. “I’m ready.” Shaking off the heavy-hearted feeling that I’ve had since the nightmare, and I give Drake a small smile.
Drake kisses the top of my head, something he’s done several times since the nightmare. I like it. It lets me know he’s concerned or that he’s here for me. It’s nice. I give him a small smile before I look over his outfit. He’s wearing a very similar outfit to me; jeans, a white shirt, and a leather jacke
t. He looks good.
Let’s be honest. Drake always looks good. Great even. The tattoos peeking out from under the leather jacket make him look even hotter.
A few minutes ago, I heard one of the guys yell that they’d meet us at school. I grab my backpack as we head out the door, swinging it over my shoulders. Drake backs his bike out of the garage, stopping and handing me a helmet so I can hop on behind him.
Once I’m ready, I tap his side. He takes off, and in minutes, we’re flying by shops, the air whipping around us and reminding me how much I love riding. The fast, wind-whipped feeling is one reason I got my bike. It’s not long before we’re pulling into the school parking lot. By now, everyone has accepted that I’m with Drake, which means they don’t stare as much. Thank you, Jesus.
When Drake parks, I climb off the bike and wait for him to follow. He takes my helmet and secures it on the bike handle. “Let’s go.” He takes my hand in his and laces our fingers together. Together, we start another day. It won’t be so awful with him and our friends here.
~*~
“Nonna!” I call out as Drake, and I enter the flower shop. I hang my jacket on the coat hanger and look for the older lady.
A second later, she walks in and smiles at me. “Athena,” she greets, hugging me. She pulls away from the hug and smiles at Drake. “Hello, Drake, are you taking care of this beautiful girl?” She asks, motioning to me.
Drake chuckles at her, and I bite my lip to hide my smile. It’s so cute how he interacts with her. His voice goes all soft, and his usually stoic face lightens. “Yes, Ma’am.”
She smiles and takes his arm. “Good, honey, some inventory came in yesterday. Would you be able to move it for me? These little old arms can’t handle the weight,” she asks him, even when she knows he’d gladly help, and leads him off to the back room. “Athena, will you set out the Thanksgiving flower sets?” She calls, turning to look at me. I nod and move over to the new bouquets behind the counter. Mrs. G. already grouped the flowers into bouquets and cleared out the spaces for them on the shelves. All I have to do is set them out in their vases.
Grabbing two bouquets, I walk over to the newly cleared section and place them in some water. I repeat this about ten times until the entire wall is stocked with red, burnt-orange, yellow, and golden colored flowers.
The bell above the door rings, signaling someone’s arrival. I turn around to find a young girl. “Hi, can I help you?” I ask, smiling down at her. She’s alone, and I don’t see anyone outside the shop. She’s adorable, too, with her little pigtails and ruffle dress. The little girl looks up at me, and I immediately notice the tears in her eyes. Kneeling in front of her, I wipe away a fallen tear. “What’s wrong?”
“M-my mommy- I losts her,” she sniffles, her green eyes wide as they peer up at me.
I gently wipe another tear from her cheek and pick her up, securing her on my hip. “I’ll help you find her,” I tell her, and her eyes light up.
“You will?” She swipes at the remaining tears on her face. I nod my head and give her a big, friendly smile. Her mom is probably freaking out trying to find her.
“What’s your name, honey? How old are you?” I ask, brushing her blonde bangs out of her face.
She smiles at me and touches my hair. “My name is Lily. I’m five…” and after a second, she adds, “And a half!” I smile at her excitement of her big girl half age. Kids find excitement in anything, and I wish I could see the world like that again.
“Oh, lilies are my favorite flowers, and you know what?” I question, and she looks at me with wide eyes and raises her eyebrows.
“What?”
“You’re beautiful like the flower too,” I tell her, and she beams.
“Hey, Athena, where did- who’s this cutie?” Drake asks, looking at the little girl in my arms. Did Drake just say ‘cutie’? I smile, biting my lip.
Lily looks up and squeaks, then puts her face in my neck. Chuckling, I lift her head. “Lily, it’s okay; he won’t hurt you. I know he looks a little scary, but he’s like a big teddy bear with drawings all over him,” I tell her.
She slowly looks up, peeking at him with one eye to see if I’m right. While she does this, I explain where she came from. “She walked in off the street. She lost her mom, so I’m going to help find her.”
“Oh, I’ll go tell Mrs. G. I’m coming with you,” he tells me, heading to the back room. I wait a few minutes, my leg jiggling nervously. We need to find her mom quickly. I don’t want the mom thinking we took the girl. “Okay, let’s go find your mom,” Drake says, directing the statement at Lily. She claps and holds her arms out, wanting him to hold her.
He looks at me for a second, then takes her from my arms. My heart melts at the sight. Is this what it’d feel like if we had a kid? I’ve always wanted kids, and seeing Drake with Lily does nothing to change my dream. Following Drake, I grab my jacket and slide it on, heading out the door onto the sidewalk. “Okay, Lily, tell me when you see your mom,” I tell her, and she nods.
She whips her head around, searching. Drake sets her on his hip, and we stay near the shop. Who knows where her mom was when she got lost. “Lily, what does your mom look like?” He asks, looking at the little girl.
She taps a finger on her chin, thinking. So freaking cute. “She has yellow hair, like me, and she has green eyes. She was in a red dress, then I lost her,” Lily answers.
With the additional information, I look around. Hopefully, Lily’s mother has noticed that her daughter is missing and is looking for her. My eyes catch sight of something red up the street, and when I narrow my eyes, I notice that it’s a blonde woman. Saying nothing, I run towards the woman. This has to be Lily’s mom.
I run past a few people, dodging an older man who steps into my path. I slow to a walk and stop behind the woman. “Excuse me?” At the sound of my voice, the woman spins around. She looks just like Lily, especially since I found both of them with tears in their eyes.
“Y-yes?” She sniffles, patting under her eyes.
“Are you Lily’s mom?”
Her eyes widen and light up at Lily’s name, and she grabs my hand. “Yes! Oh, my gosh, did you find her? I’ve been looking everywhere!” She exclaims, squeezing my hand. Jeez. What they say about a mother’s strength growing when her child is in danger is so true. I feel like my hand is breaking.
“Yes, ma’am, follow me. She walked into our flower shop and told me she got lost,” I inform the woman, who starts walking beside me.
She follows me back to the shop and rushes forward when she sees Lily. “Lily, baby,” she calls out.
Lily squeals at the sound of her mom’s voice and starts wiggling. Drake gets the idea and puts her down, letting her run to her mom. “Mommy!” She yells, jumping into her mom’s arms. I smile and move to Drake’s side, letting him wrap an arm around my waist from behind and rest his chin on my shoulder.
“She’s so cute,” I voice, and he hums his response and kisses my cheek.
“Yeah, you want one?” He asks, making me look back at him. I let out a laugh, and he smiles. Is he joking? I study his face, his raised, questioning eyebrow.
“What?”
“I asked if you want one, a kid, I mean, because we could do that,” he says, kissing my cheek again. I bite my lip and hold in a laugh. I love kids, but I don’t want one right now. I want to get into college then get married before I have some kids.
Married.
I could picture myself marrying Drake.
“Hmm… maybe in a few years.”
His eyes widen, and he smiles. “I can wait, but I definitely want one… or three,” he counters, turning me around and pressing his lips to mine.
Chapter 30
Athena
“Are you ready for tomorrow?” Mason asks as he walks into the kitchen. I place the sweet potato casserole in the oven and set the timer.
Turning to him, I smile. “Yeah, it’ll be the first real Thanksgiving since Dad died,” I tell him. We had a f
ew Thanksgiving with the step-monsters over the years, but they weren’t actual family-centered holidays. Some years Alisha went out and left us at home. Some years we ate a small dinner or lunch.
This year, we get Thanksgiving with the guys. It’s been three weeks since the nightmare incident, and tomorrow is Thanksgiving Day.
Thankfully, I haven’t had another nightmare. Nothing else has happened with V either, so that’s helped keep nightmares at bay. It might also have something to do with Drake holding me all night. However, Drake has been working a lot more than usual, which is where he is right now, and the only time I see him is at school and late at night, right before bed. I think he got a second job, but he told me not to worry about it when I asked.
“Something smells good!” Alec exclaims, walking into the kitchen with Ross and Chase following like three little ducks in a row.
I smile and nod. “Yeah, everything is cooking, but it’s for tomorrow, so don’t touch,” I say, narrowing my eyes at them. They hold their hands up in mock surrender, and I smile. “But, you guys can help me.” They glance at each other, then run from the room. Of course. I shake my head at their silliness. I’m sure they’re going to play video games or something.
Rolling my eyes, I turn back to the food. I pull out my phone and turn the music on, hitting shuffle.
“I’ll help,” a voice says from behind me. When I look over my shoulder, Chase stands there leaning against the counter.
I smile at his offer and scoot over a little, handing him the potato peeler. “Okay, thanks. You can help with the potatoes.” I show him quickly how to peel the potato, assuming he’s never done it, and warn him not to cut his fingers. I watch him do one to make sure he’s got it, then get to work on mine.
“Can I ask you a question?” Chase asks as he picks up another potato and starts peeling it.
“Sure, go ahead,” I answer, cutting the previously peeled potato into chunks. Chase lets out a breathy sigh. I glance at him, searching his face. He doesn’t look uncomfortable, more hesitant.
Not So Cinderella Page 27