Ain't Shady Baby, I'm Hot

6

"Wheezie?" I called as I entered the Cameron residence. Several workers were moving things outside from Agatha, and I happened to run into Ward on the way in.

I couldn't read the guy. He seemed fine one minute then he did or said something that gave off a warning sign. But maybe that was cause I didn't know him well enough.

My voice echoed as I called her name again. The house was beautiful on the outside and massive on the inside. I had gone upstairs once to help Wheezie bring down a load of books and school supplies but I hadn't actually looked around.

I sighed, shaking my head and going over to the dining table we usually worked at. I gently set my backpack down and began to pull out my items. A frown on my face as I realized I wouldn't have access to the internet. Unless somehow they had gotten it back up with their generators.

I heard soft steps approaching and smiled as I turned to greet Wheezie.

"Wheezie, have y'all managed to get the inter-" Except, it wasn't Wheezie.

I turned face first into a hard surface. My hands going to my nose as I stumbled backwards. Hands drifted below me to wrap around my waist, keeping me from hitting the ground as I groaned. My smile dropping rapidly.

I peeked my eyes open to see the last person I wanted holding me. I groaned again and shut my eyes as I pretended this was all a bad dream.

"Sorry to get your hopes up, Darling. Wheezie just went upstairs to grab her books. She asked me to tell you she'd be down in a few minutes." I sighed as he helped me straighten up.

"Great." My voice was nasally as I continued to hold it. "You can let go now."

"Did you seriously run into me that hard?" I glared up at him through watery eyes. The faded ring of red around his eyes made me wonder when the last time he had his fix was.

"I got punched earlier this week in a spar. It's just sore." I protested as I tried not to pout.

"Well let me see it, you big baby." I scoffed but did as he said. I could feel the heat on the cartilage. My blood rushing to the scene of injury.

"Well you aren't bleeding." I looked anywhere but his face as he got closer, his hand on my chin as he moved tilted my head up and down. "It's still slightly red. If it was Christmas time I'd ask if you'd been offered to guide Santa's sleigh."

"Harhar, jackass." I gently moved his hand away and stepped back, a glare still on my face. "You should go. As soon as Wheezie gets down here I'll need to start."

"You got somewhere you have to be today?" I noticed his accusatory tone.

"As a matter of fact, I do. But it's after Wheezie and I get finished here." Hopefully.

He hummed, his eyes telling nothing as he walked away.

"Well, I'll be on the couch reading. You won't know I'm there." My eyes widened at his back.

"What? You read?" This time I received the glare.

"Just because I've got a pretty face doesn't mean I don't have a brain." I rose my eyebrows at him.

"I'd assume you'd had at least three brain cells left... though not much you can do with that number." It looked like he wanted to say something but chose to choke it down.

Maybe it was because of what I had said or most likely because Wheezie was bouncing down the steps.

"I'm ready to get finished with this!" She cheered making the two of us laugh.

"Alright, then let's get started. What's left in section one that we have to cover?"

The two of us dove into her textbooks and my previous knowledge. Our pencils and erasers wearing down with each worksheet we completed. All while a certain blond seemed to be "reading" with no eyes on the page.

"You know, it's quite rude to stare." I spoke up as Wheezie had left to go to use the restroom. I looked at the couch with my glasses perching on my nose.

"I'm just making sure my sister is taken care of." I pulled my right knee up and stuck my foot on the chair, leaning against the propped limb.

"Cute. But you know as well as anyone that I know what I'm doing. So what's the real reason you're in here versus whatever else you could be doing?"

"What if this is whatever else I could be doing?" I rolled my eyes.

"Whatever, Cameron. You should just leave us alone, I'm not here for you to annoy."

"And yet, you're still interacting with me, Tallen." I rolled my eyes only to hear him getting off the couch.

"I think you've had too much powder up your nose, it's clogging your brain."

"You're right." I nearly fell from my seat with how close he'd gotten. "I happen to have quite the cloud in my judgement. Yet here we are." I took my glasses off and set my pencil down.

"Here we are." I turned to see him with his hands on the edge of the table, an arms length away from me. "You know, I told myself I'd do my best to avoid you. Save me the trouble of having to interact with someone who makes me lose brain cells." He snorts.

"Really?"

"Yeah." I found myself rising from the chair and leaning my hip against the table.

"You know what I think?" Rafe pushed away from the table and stepped to be more in front of me, "I think you just didn't want to have to deal with the fact you don't actually hate me."

I laughed.

"And you want to know what I think?" I pushed away from the table to get a step closer. "I think you would love to know just where you stand, because you, Rafe Cameron, actually do care what other people think of you."

"Umm. Are you two about to kiss?" My brain told me to jump backwards but instead I stayed and turned to face Wheezie. My sharp intake of breath causing me to choke and cough slightly. Her eyes wide as she looked on with- excitement?

"No, Wheezie. Your brother was just getting on my nerves like he usually does."

"Awe, I get on your nerves?" I give him a side eye telling him to get lost.

"But now that you're back, he's gonna leave us both alone so we can get this last worksheet done." She pursed her lips as she looked at how close the two of us were. Literally a hand away. If we were boxing, one of us would be wrapping up the other.

"Okay." Though I could tell she wasn't convinced. I turned back to the 6 foot something problem child behind me.

"You always get on my nerves. Now would you excuse us, your little sister and I have a worksheet to finish."

"Of course. Oh, and," I turned my head back to look at him as I slid back into my chair, "you should work on not getting choked up around me, it's getting embarrassing."

What the fuck?

"I swear one of these days I'm gonna punch out his lights."

"What was that, Xena?" I smiled at Wheezie and pulled the worksheet in front of us.

"Nothing, Wheezie. I'm just talking to myself."

Unfortunately that ends with me realizing more and more than maybe Rafe was right. I guess I tolerate him more now than I did during school. But, I still wasn't the muscle pigs' biggest fan.

And the choking comment... I'll give him something to choke on. So on second thought, maybe I still am on team Hate Rafe. Thinking about all the shit he's pulled on my friends just solidifying that thought.