by Rua Hasan
“How about you sit on my lap and we make out?” he suggested as if he was talking about the weather. I stared at him for a moment before I tilted my head backwards and laughed.
“What? No!” I shook my head.
“But why not?” He pouted.
“Because if we do that then I’ll be late to dinner!” I exclaimed, knowing that if I did agree to his suggestion, he’d want to make out for hours.
“Damn it,” he cursed under his breath before starting his car. “Stupid dinner. Stupid crazy family. Stupid car,” he mumbled to himself. I couldn’t help but find his behavior amusing. I leaned over to kiss his cheek and whisper in his ear.
“Maybe next time?” I suggested only to make him feel better. He grinned to himself and flickered his eyes to me as he drove down the road.
“I’ll be holding on to that promise, Gem.” He winked at me. After a moment of silence, Tyler took ahold of my hand and placed it on his lap before giving it a lingering kiss.
“So about that date?” I finally spoke, breaking the silence.
Tyler flickered his eyes towards me then back at the road as he let out a long sigh.
“I’ve been wanting to talk to you about it but you know after everything that has happened with me, I don’t know when to take you out. I want to do it in the right time, not when both of us are stressed out you know?” Tyler huffed. I squeezed his hand and sent him a reassuring smile as I leaned over to lay my head on his shoulder.
“Take your time. I have no problem waiting. Once you settle down with Paul then it’ll happen,” I said. He kept his eyes on the road but turned his head a bit to kiss my hair.
“Thank you, Gem,” he whispered.
“Anything for you.” I smiled up at him, kissing his jaw.
Finally, after what seemed to be ten minutes of silence of just enjoying each other’s company, we made it in front of the house I know too well. Tyler parked his car in front of it but not in the drive-through.
“This is where I stop. Make sure to text me if you need a ride okay?” He reminded, pecking my lip as his arms snaked around me to pull me to his chest.
I nodded and hugged him back goodbye before hopping out of the vehicle. I waved goodbye to Tyler and turned around, walking towards the big yet old house I’ve come to love. Making it towards the front door step, I rang the door bell and waited for someone to open it for me. It wasn’t too long before I heard a click, which must be the lock unlocking and the door suddenly opened.
The smile on my face immediately fell once I saw what was in front of me.
Nothing.
Lifting at eyebrow I was about to open my mouth to call out for someone when I felt two tugs on both my legs. Jumping back in surprise because it caught me off guard, I looked down to see two twin boys staring up at me in awe. I let out a chuckle as the smile on my face returned. I bent down to their height and hugged them both.
“Hey Zayn! What’s up Andy?” I greeted, messing up their adorable hair.
“I told you Granny was going to buy her.” I heard Andy whisper to his brother which was loud enough for me to hear. I lifted an eyebrow in confusion.
Huh?
“No she’s not.” Zayn argued back.
“Yes she will. She’s crazy I tell you. She needs someone to wipe off her butt. Dad is getting tired of that job.” Andy pointed out as he crossed his small arms and stared at his brother as if they were having a staring contest. A look of realization spread across Zayn’s face as he cringed slightly at what Andy just said and slowly nodded.
“Yeah, you’re right,” he whispered then looked up at me as if he was inspecting me. “Do you like to wipe butts?” he asked innocently. I’m pretty sure the look of horror on my face was obvious.
“No,” I spoke quickly.
“See! I told you so! Dad will just have to stick with it,” Zayn told Andy and ran passed him to go inside. Andy watched his brother leave before looking back up at me.
“If you’re not going to wipe her butt then are you here to feed her?” he asked.
I shook my head slowly.
“Teach her?”
“Teach her what?” I asked the little boy.
“Manners,” he answered.
I shook my head.
“Are you going to put her to sleep?”
I shook my head once again.
“Bathe her?”
“No!” I said quickly.
Then all of a sudden, a huge smile took over Andy’s face.
“Are you here to take her away?” He squealed.
“No . . . ” I trailed off.
The look of disappointment flashed across his face.
“Dang it! You mean I still have to live with the devil?” he cried before turning around and ran towards the house and disappeared through the door. My mouth fell open.
What was that all about?
But before I could contemplate on the ‘conversation’ I just had, I saw a large body appear in front of me, snapping me out of my own thoughts.
“Little girl. You’re late,” Mr. Fatty said.
“Hello to you too.” I rolled my eyes and moved forward to hug him but was pushed away before I could do so.
“Don’t get all touchy with me. I’m forced to hang out with you,” he said glaring at me. I couldn’t help the grin which took over my face.
“Sure you are,” I said, walking passed him and into the house. I sniffed the air and moaned silently as the delicious scent filled my nostrils. I rubbed my hands together and turned to look at Mr. Fatty who was locking the front door.
“I’m starving,” I said rubbing my stomach.
“And I’m annoyed but you don’t see me complaining,” he grumbled.
I let out a huff. When will this guy ever warm up to me?
“So where are the others?” I asked ignoring his comment.
“Lucas is in the kitchen taking over Ma’s clumsiness while Ethan is trying to get her to take her damn pills,” he muttered but stopped before muttering again, “As usual.”
He then lead me to the living room. I sat down on the couch and nodded before looking around. The twin boys were playing around which caught my attention.
“Where’s Ally?” I asked.
“In her room. She’ll be out in a minute,” He spoke before walking out the door while mumbling something about checking up on his son. I then smiled widely as I saw Ally run towards me while holding something in her hand.
“Crystal! Crystal!” she yelled. I got up and bent down to her level to hug her. She wrapped her small arms around my neck while giggling. I let out a laugh too before getting back up.
“How’s my little angel doing?” I asked grinning.
“Great now that you’re here!” she answered hugging my leg. I smiled down at her then took ahold of the two plastic bags I brought with me.
“Here. I got this for you.” I handed it over to her and watched as the look of amazement spread across her face. She immediately opened the two bags and squealed out loud when she saw the boxes of cookies and chocolate.
“Yay! My favorite! Thank you so much! I’m going to show these to Daddy.” She turned around to run out the door but stopped when Ethan walked into the room with a smile.
“Daddy Daddy! Look at what Crystal got me.” Ally shoved the two bags towards Ethan. He chuckled when he looked in them and nodded at his daughter.
“That’s wonderful dear. Why don’t you go place them in the kitchen and give some to your cousins?” He suggested. Ally shook her head immediately.
“No! She got them for me, not for them! I’m not sharing my present with those rats,” she said stubbornly while backing away so that she could hide behind my leg. I let out a chuckle as I watched her protest as if her life depended on it. The look of annoyance and tiredness flashed on Ethan’s face as he glared at his daughter. He then let out a sigh of defeat and shook his head slowly.
“What am I going to do with you?” He breathed out. “Fine. Do what you want but you b
etter hide them or else ‘those rats’ will steal them,” he warned. She nodded, smiling victoriously before running off. Once Ally was gone, Ethan turned to me and smiled.
“Crystal! Glad you made it,” he said before hugging me.
“Glad I could.” I smiled back at him.
“It’s been a while eh? The last time I saw you, I couldn’t actually talk to you because of what happened but I have to say that what you did was very brave of you.” Ethan nodded as he recalled what happened at the big race and how I helped Naomi finish along with me.
“I did what I had to do.”
Ethan nodded again.
“So are you hungry?” he asked leading me to the big dinning table. Lucas, or should I say ‘Jerry’, walked through the door holding a huge plate of spaghetti. He placed it on the center of the table and smiled at me with a wave. I waved back before turning towards Ethan.
“Hungry? I’m starving.” I grinned.
“Great because we cooked a lot of food which will last us for the winter.” He joked.
“Blake! Did you buy the soda?” I heard Mr. Fatty ask before walking through the door holding a cigarette. I heard a rough voice come from behind him but I couldn’t make out what they said.
I watched as someone made their way passed the door while holding a plastic bag. They were wearing a hoodie which looked awfully familiar. Their back was facing towards me so I couldn’t see their face, but I knew it was a he became of their silhouette. Just when the stranger turned around, his eyes met mine almost immediately. My mouth fell open as I tilted my head to the side, recognizing him.
It was the strange man from the party, and the same one from earlier today.
He was Sam’s son?
“Ah, dear I’d like you to meet Blake,” Ethan said, pointing to the guy in front of me.
“He’s my son.” Sam―I mean Mr. Fatty spoke.
I nodded my head slowly as if trying to absorb all the information in my head.
“Nice to meet you,” I mumbled awkwardly.
Blake nodded while staring at me as if he knew what was on my mind.
“We’ve met before.” He pointed out.
“Yeah,” I whispered. “I know.”
“You have?” Ethan asked. We both nodded.
“At a party.” I shrugged my shoulders.
“And in a supermarket.” He pointed out while shoving his hands into his pocket.
“Well that’s great! I bet you two we’ll get along well,” Ethan said happily, making me roll my eyes.
“Yeah I bet,” I mumbled to myself in disbelief as I shook my head.
“Dinner is ready!” Jerry yelled. I was probably the first to turn around and dash towards the table. It was a way for me to escape the awkward situation.
I smiled at Jerry as he place a plate of tacos on the table. I licked my lips at the sight and sat down as I waited for the others. Ally and the boys came running towards the table, taking their own seats. I turned my head to the side slightly to see Blake taking the seat next to me.
Great . . . this was going to be fun alright.
“When we met at the party.” Blake started. I turned to look at him.
“Wasn’t the best first impression was it?” I asked.
He shrugged his shoulders and said nothing.
He’s definitely a quiet one.
Just when I turned around, I saw Granny Grace making her way towards the table with a cane in her hand. It’s as if she didn’t see me because she sat down on a chair and began eating.
“Excuse her, she’s been a bit tired lately.” Ethan told me. Nodding my head, I grabbed my fork and began placing spaghetti onto my plate. As I ate, I tried to ignore the awkward tension. I listened to what Mr. Fatty said next.
“Did you find a job?” he asked Blake. I lifted an eyebrow and turned to look at him in confusion. He flickered his eyes to me then back to his dad.
“Yeah,” he mumbled.
“Is that what you needed the manager for?” I asked.
He nodded. Huh, I guess I was right for once.
“Did you get the job?”
He nodded once again.
I looked away to my plate while thinking. I guess I have a working buddy now . . .
“Wait. You’ll be working with Crystal?” Mr. Fatty asked.
Blake shrugged his shoulder.
“I guess.”
“That’s good then.” Ethan nodded.
This is what caught my attention. I lifted my head up and turned to look at Blake then at Mr. Fatty.
“But last time I was here, I remembered you were supposed to be in New York studying for college.” I pointed out, confused.
There was a moment of silence before Blake spoke.
“I got expelled,” he grumbled looking down at his plate.
“For what?” I asked.
“Drugs,” Mr. Fatty spoke.
“Attempt of murder.” Jerry said with a shrug.
“Burned down the building,” Ethan spoke.
“RAPE!” Granny Grace yelled for the first time since I’ve been here. She got off her chair and glared at Blake before pointing her finger at him while Blake kept a bored look on his face.
“That demon tried to rape a dog!” she screamed hysterically. I cringed at what everybody said and turned to look at Blake in confusion. He rolled his eyes and looked at me as if this was normal for them to accuse him of such things.
“I got kicked out because I couldn’t pay the fees,” he answered simply.
Oh . . . well I guess that makes sense.
I nodded and watched as Ethan forced his mother to sit down.
“She’s been seeing things,” Blake whispered as he looked at his grandmother.
“You mean like illusions?” I asked.
He flickered his eyes to me and nodded.
“Always blaming me for seducing her husband.” He shook his head in disbelief and looked at me. “He’s dead.” He chuckled. I couldn’t help but do the same.
“When do you start work?” I asked.
“Tomorrow,” he answered simply. I nodded, remembering that I had no work tomorrow. Thankfully I was off the hook. I looked back at Blake and couldn’t help but wonder why he looked so . . . what’s the word? Depressed? He didn’t seem like a bad person as I suspected but just off. Like there’s something strange about him.
“Excuse me for asking but why do you seem so . . . ”
“Familiar?” he asked. The twinkle in his eyes didn’t go unnoticed. I lifted an eyebrow in confusion. Didn’t we already talk about this?
“No.” I shook my head.
“Oh,” he whispered then looked away to his plate as he took a bite out of his taco.
“I was about to say gloomy,” I said.
He chuckled to himself and looked at me with his strange cold eyes.
“I got kicked out of college because my family couldn’t provide me the money and it was the only place I could be able to escape to,” he said glaring at Andy who tried to steal his taco. He slapped his hand away and scowled at him before continuing.
“And now I’m back to a place called torture,” he mumbled.
I stared at him then looked around the table.
“Torture? There’s nothing but happiness here.” I pointed out. He shook his head slowly.
“They’re all evil,” he whispered and leaned closer, pointing to Mr. Fatty.
“He eats all the food.”
I chuckled.
“She’s a nightmare in disguise,” Blake said while pointing at Ally.
“She’s crazy.” He pointed to Granny Grace.
“You have a point there,” I mumbled back.
“The twins are a pain in the ass, always bringing dead stuff into the house.”
I nodded. “That’s true.”
“The only people in this room who are next to normal are Uncle Ethan and Lucas,” Blake said pointing to both men who were eating.
“I can see that. But everything you described is what
brings this house to life. What makes it exciting. Let me ask you this. Is it better to eat alone in a place that’s quiet and lonely or eat in a place like this?” I asked looking around the room and smiling at most of the reasons why I love being here. It’s certainly better than being home all day doing nothing. I then looked at Blake who was also looking around the table. His cold features were gone still blank. He then looked at me and nodded slowly.
“I guess here,” he mumbled.
I gave him a small smile and turned to take a bite out of my taco.
I continued to eat the delicious food around me, almost too distracted but there was one thing I didn’t miss. It was the look he gave me. Just when I thought things couldn’t get any weirder, I heard Blake whisper something to himself which I’m pretty sure he didn’t want me hearing.
But I did. The words that slipped off his tongue made me scrunch my eyebrows. I stared at my plate in confusion as if it was some kind of puzzle I was trying to solve. His words continue repeating in my head and wouldn’t leave until I get some kind of answer.
“You haven’t changed one bit.”
Chapter 48
Once the bell rang, I got up along with everyone else who were just about ready to go home and start their weekend. It was the last period of the day and I couldn’t wait to go home and leave this place of horror. I was also really excited to hang out with my friends tonight at Sydney and Eva’s place. I heard that they got an apartment for themselves after so long and wanted everyone at their place to celebrate by eating popcorn and binging on movies.
After swinging my backpack over my shoulder, I turned around to see Tyler walking towards me. He held my hand as we walked out the door, all while trying to avoid bumping into the sea of students. The rumors have died down, just like the whispering and staring did. I guess the school finally came to terms with the fact that a girl like me was dating the hottest guy in school, who also just happens to be a nincompoop at times. Still, I didn’t expect everyone else to know that.
No one knew Tyler the way I did. In front of the world, Tyler was probably the happiest person there, living his life with amazing charm but it wasn’t all like that. He was also a broken child inside who realized that his whole life was planned out for him. That it was a lie. I find it funny how he and I were almost alike. Well, at least the me from many years ago who often got bullied.