Growing Up and Other Tall Tales

Chapter 80

"Missy—" I begin

"What the fuck," she gasps lying on her back

Lyra is standing over her, her hands clenched into fists and held protectively to her, her knees crouched as she is bent into a defensive position. A fighting stance.

"You are home early," Lyra says evenly, eyes still on Missy

I don't even reply to that. I had come home to a dark floor, and part of me wondered if Lyra pulled an Irish exit. However, there were screams and groans coming from the gym which is on the far end. My hand reaches for the gun strapped under the sofa and I pull down the safety. Nobody should have broken in, and even if they did I'm fairly sure Loki would've eaten them or at least bark his head off enough to wake up the entire police department. Instead, he is sleeping near the window, undisturbed. It's not an easy feat, creeping past that beast, but he has been so accustomed to my footsteps that his ear only twitches before his breathing evens.

I slide the gun under a pot when I find who's fighting inside. Missy and Lyra.

"Am I missing something?" I ask finally. Lyra's eyes flit up to mine and Missy choses that moment to swing her legs under Lyra's making her crumble to the ground with a yelp.

"Focus." Missy taps the side of her temple before helping the other girl to her feet. Lyra inhales deeply and takes her hand.

"I thought I could learn a little self-defense." She says in between pants

"So you asked Missy?" I ask in disbelief. "What about me?"

"You can't blame her for asking the better one." Missy slings an arm over Lyra who winces but smiles a little dopily from the adrenaline

I roll my eyes at Missy before taking Lyra from Missy who is definitely pressing down hard on one of her bandages.

Missy, surprisingly, volunteers to get us something to drink from the grocery store around the corner. Lyra and I sit on the couch with the television on soundlessly.

"How—"

"A week after I moved here." She says before I could finish. I nod and look back at the TV not really registering.

"Jesus, Lyra. The doctors said—"

"You know I couldn't do my gymnastics? The injuries had me benched for so long. I am tired of sitting on my ass. I am tired of being worrying about being jumped again—"

I laugh and she bites her lip. Taking her hand in mine, I say, "You really could've asked me. Missy is never going to let me live down you choosing her over me."

"Ah. The woes of The Ego." The tension evaporates from her shoulders and a smile cracks out onto her lips like an egg on a pan on beautiful lazy Sunday morning

I frown and elbow her a little making her groan loudly and collapse extravagantly onto me. I panic for a whole of two seconds before seeing the way she is trying to hide a smile into my shoulder. She looks up at me from my shoulder with big grey eyes and I think my heart wholeheartedly stopped.

"You smell." She whispers

"Yeah well you don't smell like a fresh flower shop either, Lara Croft."

She holds a hand to her chest and bows at me and then punching me under the chin before my reflexes could fall in. The sting registers and my jaw fall open.

"Not bad." I choke out rubbing my chin and Lyra laughs nudging me

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A six paged essay, an entire chapter review of Math sums finished, an Aiden on the brink of an untimely death and a me who is probably (definitely) dead later, the night comes to an end. And it is this very precious same day that Aiden's sister, Missy, decides to throw a party for the family to get to know me better through a meaty, boozy feast to revive yours truly.