Bad & Badder (paused)

32. trust

She just looked at me, a smirk playing at her lips.

"So today you have had a few big talks?"

She asked me a question. Huh.

"Are you not going to give me one?"

She looked at me, smiling wider. "No. I know what these dinners are for, I know you know what these dinners are for, and I just don't want to. At lease not right now."

I started to smirk. "Wait, did you all have to prepare one? Am i going to have to go talk to Jack after this?"

She laughed a little. "No, but we were told you were a tough nut, and that if we told you something personal, you would be able to trust us. As if you don't trust me already."

I looked at her amused, my eyebrows were raised in a joking manner.

"Yeah i mean you are the girl with blue tinted hair, who snuck into my gang and acted as if i wouldn't forget a pretty face." I was smirking at her, as i looked over.

She sat on the couch with her legs crossed, and her elbow on the arm rest.

As I gave her her compliment she nodded her head, as if showing off.

"I mean, who could forget this face." She pointed to herself.

"Ah, I don't know it might have been the bright hair."

She sat back in her chair, "Oh shut up."

I nodded my head back and forth. "No, but you are the girl who has helped me capture Ron, helped me save my parents, and still has helped me without knowing my past. So yeah I guess I do trust you."

Her smile grew huge. "Kieran's going to be so jealous. Look at you, soon enough you will have more feelings for me. What can I say, i'm irresistible."

We smiled and laughed at her over excitement. After we settled down we sat in a comfortable silence.

I thought back to a past memory.

"While we are here, i'm sorry for beating you up at school. And threatening your life."

"Yeah. That wasn't a good look. Not for me at least."

I looked at her in concern. She met my eyes.

"What? I was bruising, plus the new hot badass girl at school dragged me out of the school, and threw me in a car. You were obviously the star of the show."

"You are insane."

She winked at me. "Well, obviously."

"Well since you brought that up, i'm sorry for breaking in to your secret building and compromising myself and a few others."

"Yeah, i mean it was kinda your fault."

She was offended. "Hey don't put that on me, i was assigned if we are really pointing fingers, it was Kieran's fault."

"Hey! Don't put the blame on me, i'm not in charge yet."

We both looked over. Me to my left, and Lila to her right. I swear we got whiplash.

What was he doing there? How long was he there?

Kieran walked into the room.

"Yeah, but who gave me the task? If i remember correctly, it was you."

He looked at Lila. "Okay maybe i gave you the task, but my mom told me to tell you. So in reality it's my moms fault. So do you want to go whine to my mom, or can we just forget this."

She looked at Kieran. She was contemplating on pouncing on him or letting it go. You can see it in her eyes.

"Stay down girl. I already forgave you."

She looked at me, then sighed. "Fine."

She looked me in the eyes, blankly. And then a smile crept onto her face.

I scrunched my face at her. Ew, what is she doing. Then she looked over at Kieran.

"Geneva told me she trusts me, before you." She said in a sing-song voice.

"Why do you think I came in here? I have to get her to trust me before it's someone else. The options are limited. It's between Ian, Ellie, and I."

"Actually, just you and Ian. Ellie hasn't done anything to break my trust."

He turned his head as soon as I started to talk.

"What am I going to do?" He asked in a joking manner, while his hands were on his face.

I thought about it.

"You could tell me who the red head is. I haven't gotten introduced or anything."

Lila perked up. "Oh that's Kieran's right hand man. He's not in school like us, he graduated 2 years ago, from college. So he's 24. His name is Tyler."

I nodded along. Kieran continued on from where Lila ended.

"He's my cousin, he moved down here from New York. His parents know what he is doing, he just thought it would be easier if he stayed down here with us."

"Oh, makes sense."

"What about Matt and Joey?" Lila asked.

"Oh well Matt is my second in command, and Joey my right hand man. So if i were to get seriously injured or die, Matt would take over. And then Joey would be Matt's second in command."

"It wasn't always going to be Matt and Joey. Matt yes, but Joey no. My brother was going to be my Second in command, but we all know how that ended."

I looked around the room not being able to meet their eyes.

I looked down at my phone for a second and saw I had a text message from Zach.

I used face ID, and then opened his text.

It read: I know you have that dinner tonight, but want to hang out later?

I texted him back 'sure' and turned back to Lila and Kieran.

"So do you want me to finish that story?"

Kieran's eyes darted around the room. "Now? Here?"

I looked around. "Yeah. Is there a problem?"

"No. I just thought you would want to be somewhere more private."

"Kieran, half the people here know what had happened. And you will no doubt tell the rest what happened. So it's okay."

"So where did I leave off?"