by Cleo Fox
I frowned at the voice of doubt that spoke in the back of my mind, too afraid to give back into the feeling of liking her again. Even if it wasn't an act, and she did like me, what could come from it? She was dating Jason, even if she didn't want to. That threw a wrench into anything ever happening. Even if she didn't seem happy and she'd said he'd cheated on her. Was it fair of me to ask her to be with me when she had to keep appearances up with him?
My phone dinged. I picked it up, shocked to find the delivery guy was within five minutes of Zeke's and forty-five minutes had passed, and I'd been lost in my head the entire time. I jumped up, Zeke's dad would be pissed if a knock woke him up. "Delivery is going to be here in a few minutes. We should head outside.
Zeke sighed and closed his laptop. "Finally, I was about to ask you when they would get here." He stood and went with me to stand out front.
With the front door closed behind us, I looked at him. "I know you're not a fan of me volunteering your place for her to stay here. It's not forever, we'll figure out something so that she'll move around and not stick to one place too long. I'm sure when her mother gets back we'll have to make that work. If she's as scary as Chanel makes her out to be. I mean, as a Governor, I'm sure she has a lot of power."
Zeke snorted. "I think it's all a load of bullshit. And if for some reason it's true, do you think we'll be able to protect her? Because I don't. I'm appeasing you all because I want to make sure she doesn't use the crap out of you and leave you on the curb. I doubt this will even last a week,"
A frown pulled at my lips. He fed the doubt that spoke at the back of my mind. "I really hope you're wrong."
Headlights lit up the street, a red truck came to stop in front of the driveway. A guy hopped down with two bags full of containers and walked our way. He stopped in front of us. The bill of his worn sports hat hid his eyes in the dark of the night. "Billy's wings?"
Zeke nodded and held out his hands. "Yeah, thanks."
The guy handed one bag to him and then held out the other to me, even when Zeke went to grab it. He held it up higher, a chill ran up my spine. I didn't like that I couldn't see his eyes. Taking the bag from him, he inclined his head, tipping his hat in my direction. "Hope you enjoy the food." Turning, he went back to his idling truck.
We watched until he did a U-turn and went back to the street. I glanced at him. "Was he weird, or am I paranoid?"
Zeke nodded. "He also had someone else in the car with him. Weirdest delivery I've ever had."
Heading back inside. Zeke stopped before the basement door, light music came from the other side. He growled. "Who the fuck touched my vinyls!"
I tensed. I knew Bon and Rhett wouldn't touch his music, they weren't fans of the punk bands he was into. That meant Chanel, but I didn't see her as the type to touch any of them either, unless she didn't know what they were.
He wrenched open the door and stormed down the stairs, ready to skin her. I followed, making sure to close the door behind me. The music wasn't loud enough to bother his dad, but we didn't want to give him a reason to come yell at us.
"What the fuck do you think you're doing?" Zeke came to stop in front of Chanel who stood next to his record player, an album cover in her hands. A fast guitar played and a guy sang to the beat of the bass.
She looked at him, unfazed by his temper. "I got curious to see what vinyls you have. You have a decent collection. I used to have Killed by Death. It's really a shame the Hollywood Squares didn't do much beyond Hillside Strangler. They had a nice sound to them."
Some of the tension left Zeke's shoulders. "How do you know about an obscure band like them?"
"My dad had this album, when he died, my mother got rid of his collection one day when I was at school. I used to like this song the best off it. I saw you also have both the albums of the Dead Boys. I think Cheetah Chrome is one of the most underrated guitarists. I listen to them just for his riffs."
I stood near them, ready to disarm Zeke if he went off on her still, but he blinked as the song came to the end and she stopped the player. She looked back at him. "Sorry for touching your stuff, just really wanted to hear that song from the vinyl and not a digital recording on Youtube. It's just not the same." She stared at him. "You okay? Promise not to touch them again, I didn't know you would be that mad for me playing a song."
Zeke continued to blink at her as if his brain couldn't comprehend the fact that she knew of and liked the music he was into. Honestly, I hadn't expected it from her either. I took the other bag of food from him and motioned to her to come back to the table. "Come eat. I think he's buffering right now. You made his brain freeze."
She handed him the album cover. "You have the wrong idea about me. I'm not a pop princess, far from it." Chanel walked around him and took her seat next to Bon. She took her laptop off the table to make room for the food.
Zeke moved to put the record back in its cover and put it back on the shelf with his hundreds of others he'd been collecting for two or three years. He then spun around. "There's no fucking way you know punk music."
I rolled my eyes as I took out the mango habanero wings and placed them on the table. Rhett helped me lay it all out, tearing off the lids. There wouldn't be leftovers for us to worry about.
Chanel shrugged. "Well, I'm no expert, and it's not the only music I like. I can get down with some Vivaldi or Debussy, as well. Fleetwood Mac, to grunge like Nirvana. I'm not a huge fan of current popular music. Though, Billie Elish does bring something new to the table with her misery pop. But if we're going to talk punk; most bands that came out of CBGB are notable. Talking Heads, Blondie, the Godmother of punk Patti Smith. Can't forget about Iggy Pop either. Hell, even the Police came out of that era. Though, I think their sound is too technically refined to be considered raw like the punk sound I like. They are nice to listen to though. Sting also has some songs I enjoy."
Zeke went back to blinking as his world imploded. Yeah, she broke his mind. I didn't follow much of what she said. I preferred classical music. "Come sit down, Zeke, before a fly goes into your mouth."
She pulled out her phone and tapped around the screen. "If you really don't believe me, look at my music. I don't have everything I like on there. Some bands like The Hollywood Squares are hard to find outside of Youtube." She held it out to him.
He came forward and took it. He thumbed through it. "Holy fuck."
Rhett, Bon, and I all snorted at him. He realized she wasn't the snob she portrayed to the rest of the world.
Zeke sat down and handed her phone back. "This changes nothing."
She nodded. "Of course not, Beauf."
My cold, bare flesh rubbed against the rough stone. The orange glow of the torches bounced off everything but still left their shadows to outstretch toward us their chanting echoed throughout the basement. Other kids sat with me, with their knees pulled to their chests. We shivered. The tears stung my eyes.
Skinny arms wrapped around my body, they rested their head on my shoulder. "It'll be okay, Chel. It's just a nightmare." Her small voice whispered in my ear.
I shut my eyes. "It's just a nightmare." I opened them as my mother raised the rabbit into the air, a dagger in her other hand. My friend raised her hand, covering my eyes. "It's just a nightmare."
"Chanel!" hands shook my shoulders. My eyes burst open and my heart wanted to jump out of my throat. Zeke stood over the bed, his glasses gone. Sitting up, I fought to catch my breath and looked around. It took me a second to realize I wasn't in a basement, but the spare room at Zeke's house. Zeke let go of my shoulders and ran a hand through his tousled hair. "This room is under mine. I could hear you crying. What the fuck?"
Heat burned my cheeks and I wiped the tears away, trying to regain my composure. The bruise on my eyes gave protest to the movement. "Sorry. I thought I stopped having night terrors."
He sighed and turned for the door. "Whatever. You're just lucky you didn't scream and wake up my dad."
I didn't want to be alone. Before I c
ould filter the thought, I reached out for his hand, stopping him from leaving. "Don't go. I don't want to be alone. Please."
Zeke glanced over his shoulder and raised an eyebrow. "You want me to stay in here with you?"
My entire face burned, and I was thankful for the minimal light coming through the tiny window. "Don't get the wrong idea. I just want you to sleep in here with me."
He pulled his hand from mine and snorted. "I'm not going to sleep on the floor just so you can have good dreams."
I frowned. "I'm not asking you to sleep on the floor, or even on top of the cover, just next to me, so I'm less likely to wake of your dad."
After a long moment, he sighed. "Fine, but no touching. You stay on your side."
I nodded. "Got it." My heartbeat slowed as he circled the bed to the left side and pulled back the covers to get in. I laid my head back on the pillow. Everything felt a tad bit safer having someone in the room. The only reason I ever sneaked Jason into my room when we were younger was because I didn't want to sleep alone. Worst decision I ever made, but I didn't think Zeke would try anything. Sure, he was a dick, but he wasn't a monster. "Thank you."
He sighed. "Whatever, don't mention this to the others."
"Of course not." As my body calmed, my eyelids grew heavy. His presence lulled me back into a safe place.
My phone blared the alarm from the floor. We bolted awake. Again, it took me a second to figure out where I was and why there was an arm around my waist, pulling me against a hard chest.
He hadn't stirred to the alarm. It went silent. I had about five minutes before it went off again. I tried to slide out of his hold, but he pulled me closer. I had no choice but to wake him up. "Zeke, let go of me. I need up."
Silence.
"Zeke." I nudged him in the stomach, not hard enough to hurt, but enough to wake him.
Oomph. "What the fuck? I thought I told you to stay on your side of the bed."
I sighed. "I am on my side of the bed! You're holding me. Now, will you let me go? I need to get ready for school."
"Fuck." His arm released me as if he'd been burned.
I moved from the bed with a roll of my eyes. I'd never admit it to him, but that had been the best sleep I'd gotten in a while. My phone screen lit up, ready to go off again, and I stopped it from blaring the alarm.
Zeke rubbed at his face. "Jesus fucking christ, it feels too early. What time is it?"
Using the flashlight on my phone, it pulled a rolled-up outfit out of my suitcase and the makeup I would need to cover my black eye. I glanced at the clock. 5:30.
He rolled over with a groan. "Are you insane? Sai won't be here until seven!"
I shook my head. "Well, no one is forcing you to get up. Go back to sleep. But it takes a while to get my mask in place, especially when I have to cover a black eye." I stood to head for the bathroom, thankful it had a shower.
He mumbled obscenities into his pillow.
I came out of the bathroom in a burgundy dress, identical to the one I wore the day before. To make it different, I wore a gold heart locket and matching bracelet, both of which my dad gave me as a matching set. He'd called them insurance if I ever needed emergency money.
"Damn." Several voices spoke at once.
I jumped and paused in putting on my black pumps. Looking up, I found Sai, Bon, and Rhett staring at me from the bean bags. "You scared me! I didn't hear you come in or down. Where's Zeke?"
Rhett took my hair tie off his wrist and used it to tie back his hair. I liked that he continued to choose to keep it back. "Still getting ready. He's the slowest of us in the morning."
I moved my hair in front of my shoulders, making sure the light curls I did still held. "Since I have you here. How does my makeup look? Do I need to wear sunglasses and fake a migraine?"
Bon leaned back in his bag. "The swelling has gone down, the anti-inflammatory helped. From here, I wouldn't guess you have a bruise on your face. How did you hide the purple so well?"
I shrugged. I'd gotten good at hiding the bruises on my neck until I got tired of doing it, and his repeated grabbing and keeping them dark made it impossible to keep up. "foundation, a salmon-colored concealer, and light contrasting colors to purple help. Then I just made my eyeshadow in those shades but brighter to draw focus to those more."
Sai nodded. "That's smart. It looks good."
I hadn't come up with it, tutorials online taught me how to use the contrasting colors, but I'd let them think I was that smart with colors. "Good. I don't want a thousand stares or questions today." Slipping into my heels, I made sure all wrinkles were out of my dress.
Going over to them, I grabbed my little backpack from beside the table they still had set up. I smiled at Bon. "Thanks for the help on my English paper last night and catching my typos. I hope to get at least a B on it."
Bon nodded. "No problem, you'll get an A. You covered all the required points and went into depth. Mr. Langston likes overachievers and rewards them for it."
An A would help, but I wasn't expecting it. The four of them were in the top percentile of the school. Everyone knew they were weeks ahead of the majority of students. Of course the teachers treated them well.
Footfalls came down the stairs as Zeke appeared. Dressed in a Heath Ledger Joker shirt and his typical black jeans and army boots. He glanced at me before averting his gaze. Guess he really hated the fact he cuddled me that morning. It wasn't as if I made him. I stayed to my side of the bed, he didn't.
He peered at his friends. "Sorry, I didn't get great sleep last night." A blue-eyed glare came my way. "We should go if we want to pick up breakfast, too."
Rhett stood and our gazes met. He smiled. "Would you like to follow us, so you can get breakfast?"
My breakfasts for the last couple of years consisted of plain oatmeal in unsweetened almond milk. It got me thinking, Monica would be waiting for me and I wouldn't be there for her to take my sugars. "I'm okay, thank you. You just reminded me, I need to text my other housekeeper."
I pulled out my phone.
Me: Hey, Roberta never came around last night. Not sure what that's about. Stayed out with Jason, will be at his place until my mother gets back. Here's $600 for your silence, and tell Roberta if she'll do it, I'll give her money for her silence as well. She just has to message from her profile.
A second later her icon appeared next to the text and it showed as read.
Monica: Thanks, will do. Have fun!
She accepted the money offer. Of course she did, but I frowned. I expected a bit more from her, but I'd never actually spoke to her through text, she might've hated texting.
Sai hummed. "Everything okay?"
I looked up at him. "Yeah. Monica is easy to bribe, and she said she'd talk to Roberta. I told her I was staying with Jason until my mother is due to come back on Friday."
He lifted an eyebrow. "And she believed that?"
I shrugged. "She has no reason not to, only you guys, Jason, and my mother knows we're being forced together for an arranged marriage that was set before we were even out of Kindergarten. Everyone else thinks we got together because we like each other." I gagged a little at the notion.
Sai shoved his hands into the pocket of his jeans. "So, it's not a real relationship?"
Another shrug. "I mean, it depends on what you use as your definition of real. We don't love each other. He cheats on me with any girl who will sleep with him. We fuck, but I don't get anything out of it. If he disappeared tomorrow, I wouldn't miss him in the least. But on a technical level, we are together."
Zeke snorted. "Arranged marriage? it's not 1645. Your mother can't trade you for some livestock or sell you off to the richest nobleman."
I looked at him. "Arranged marriages still exist even if they're uncommon. His father and my mother went int a contract together and you better believe both of them will stop at nothing to see it come to fruition. Even if their children hate each other. I wouldn't be surprised if my mother is trying to become president
so she can change the laws surrounding marriages." I glanced at my phone, I needed to go.
Bon cocked his head to the side. "But why? What good will come from forcing you to marry him."
I reached up to play with my necklace. "That's long and complicated to answer. Not to mention insane."
Zeke huffed. "They won't be happy until they get something, and I want breakfast. Give us the spark notes and then they can interrogate you over it tonight."
I sighed, I could tell they would obsess over it all day if I didn't give them something then. "When my mother was a teen, she joined a cult that promised all the riches in the world. Ran by a guy that made them believe in a dragon deity he made up. I've looked, there's no account of it in any religion. Jason's father is also a part of this cult. The man made them believe their children would birth a child that could hold the soul of the dragon. And no, I don't believe in it in the least. And no, I don't think I'll ever mother essentially the anti-christ, but my mother does." My cheeks burned. Outside of people that knew about it, like Jason. I'd never talked about the cult.
A laugh burst out of Zeke, making the burn of my cheeks travel all over my body. I don't think I'd ever been more embarrassed to tell people how out of mind my mother was.
Bon reached over and punched Zeke in the shoulder. "Shut up man!"
Clearing my throat, I looped my thumb through the strap of my bag. "I need to leave, you should, too if you want breakfast." I turned and ascended the stairs before any of the others could laugh at me, or ask a thousand questions. Not seeing the looks of pity on their faces helped as well.
My phone chimed with a text as I pulled my BMW into a parking space. A frown pulled at my lips. Only two people texted my phone number. Jason and my mother. Jason only texted when we were around people and he couldn't say things to threaten me in front of them. I pulled it out of my bag.