The Babysitter

12

𝗧𝗔𝗧𝗘

He leaned back on the chair, and my heart pounds inside my chest. I could hear it in my ears. I'm so nervous. Maybe he'll kick me out of the house for doing that? He definitely would.

"I-I um." I stutter. Okay, Tate. You got this, remember? I take a deep breath, and I speak again. "You promise you won't get mad?"

"I said speak Tate," he demands.

"Pinky promise that you won't be mad." I insist. This time, I lean in and pull my pinky so he can promise me. He hesitates, and at first, he gives me looks. Bad, kill looks, like he was going to murder me in front of anyone.

"Fuck I promise Tate." I smile and he pinky promises me. You'll probably laugh at me, but in my opinion, when someone pinky promises, I believe they mean it.

"Okay. Now I can speak."

"Remember when we were at the library? And then you left me there alone. Well, before you come, I wanted to read a book but then you came so I didn't have time. And again, when you left me, I took a book with me to my room and read it at night. Please don't be mad! You'll probably kick me out of the house because I took a book and I didn't tell you. It's just because I really love reading books! And I love to write. I'm really sorry." I let out a deep, tired sigh.

I've been keeping this inside me for too much, and it's making me feel like I'm a theft person. So It's better that I told him now, better than tomorrow or the other day.

Confusion ate his eyes as he looked at me. "What?" He makes a confused face, leaning on the table he speaks again. Oh my god, he'll kill me. "Did. You. Say?" He emphasizes each word.

"I'm so sorry -"

"Are you lying, little one?" What? Why would he think like that? I just told him the whole truth.

"I can smell it. Smell the lies. Is that why you brought me here? To tell me this stupid thing?" I felt my breath quickened, and my eyes were watering. How can he think about me?

"Why would you think that!? I just told you the whole truth, Royce!" I almost yelled in the café.

A single tear crawled on my face, and I directly removed it. He shouldn't see me crying. Not that his heart will soften. He's a cruel man. And I don't love cruel people. Even though my parents were never mean or rude to me, I just hate it.

"Where's the money?" Money?

"What money?"

"Don't play dumb." He looked exasperated, as if he was annoyed and bored of this whole conversation.

"I'm not! Stop saying that to me!" I couldn't hold my tears anymore. I started crying. I take money from my purse to pay for the coffee I drank. Placing it on the table, I stormed off the café while tears ran down my face.

A rough hand grabbed my arm and spun me around. My eyes met his, and I looked away, refusing to look at his face after he called me a liar.

"What do you want?" My voice came out weak. I hated to be a weak person.

"Tell me where's the money, Tate." He says through gritted teeth. His jaw clenched, and his eyes glared with frustration and resentment. His hand met my throat, squeezing gently on it, rough enough, but it didn't hurt me. He was warning me.

"What money are you talking about, Royce!? I don't have any money. Go check my room and my parent's house. I don't even know where you put the money! I told you I took a book and you can call Valerie now and ask her. She saw me, she was awake when I took the book. And you can go now and check my room and see the book in my closet!" I shout at him as I cry. His hand left my throat. He rubbed a hand on his jaw. When he does that, he's thinking about something.