A Heartbreaker [UNEDITED]

Chapter Two

C h a p t e r T w o

Lunchtime.

The past four classes went by in a blink, but as soon as I walked into the cafeteria, every second felt like an hour. I had to start planning how I was going to get three former Heartbreakers and Riley Morrer to love me in a month. To be fair, Serena Applby was looking like a pretty realistic future.

I sat down at the ledge next to the steps, slightly elevated above the rest of the tables and out of the way. No one pays attention to the person sitting there. I like being invisible. I know a lot more being invisible. When people think you're not there, they spill everything.

So. The first target: Alex Cross.

Alex, true to himself, was sitting with the athletes and popular kids, including the main cheerleader bimbo, Sasha, who was hanging off his arm like a purse. He had only ever dated her (minus the four Heartbroken) and he wasn't actually that dumb, by jock standards. Had never talk to me. Had never looked at me. Chances: next to nothing.

Then, Dylan Asler. Dylan sat with the pretty popular 'bad guys' (notice the quotations) and he was trying to convince one of friends to something asinine with a basketball. He's had of plenty of sluts and hoes thrown at him because of the Heartbreaker status, but other than that, he's pretty much undesirable to every girl. I don't actually think he's ever heard of me, even though I sit in front of him in shop class, the only one he seems to like. Chances: non-existent.

Beckett. He sat with the popular smart crowd, and by my guess, they were talking about something to do with calculus. He was quiet, and didn't really talk much. Another nerd, Trinity Sanders, had a massive crush on Beckett, but he was oblivious to it. He was my lab partner in Chemistry, and we'd had a few conversations about colleges because we both wanted to go into medicine - him biomedicine and me neuroscience. I had a better chance with him than anyone else, but still. I was literally the bottom of the high school food chain, and they were definitely at the top.

And I'm not even going to talk about Riley Morrer. I knew my chances with him.

***

When I got home from school, my baby brother, Tomas, greeted me with a shout of, "Tabby!" He still couldn't pronounce Tabytha, so he stuck to calling me a cat.

"Hi Tabytha," Mum called from the kitchen. By the smell, I could tell she was making gnocchi, an Italian dish. Even though Mum was Austrain, she was a massive fan of Italian food, and would make it as often as possible to remind Dad to have a closer relationship with his family. "Can you take Tomas for a bath?"

I pursed my lips, annoyed that I couldn't go and think about the Heartbreaker situation, but Mum had her hands busy, and Dad wasn't coming home for hours, so I shouted back yes. I leaned down and picked up Tomas, who let out a high-pitched scream of delight. I have no idea how Tomas got his energy, because apparently I was one of the quietest babies ever, and neither of my parents were exactly energetic.

***

After Tomas's bath, he fell asleep almost instantly. I left him in his crib and went downstairs for dinner. Sure enough, gnocchi.

I downed my dinner as quickly as possible, so I could get back to my problems, but when Dad cleared his throat I looked up. "Yeah, Dad?"

"Tabytha," Dad began, "we're going to be making some changes to this family."

I raised my eyebrow quizzically, sure that this couldn't be anything big. "Okay. But I'm not doing that whole month of being vegan again."

Mum went red as I mentioned her failed health kick effort, but Dad chuckled. "No sweetie, not like that. You see, Auntie Lisa and Uncle Brian are going through some issues right now, and they want to have Ryley and Sam stay with us for the rest of senior year."

I dropped my fork.

My Dad's brother and wife had my cousin, Sam, a few months before my parents had me, and after that, Auntie Lisa found out that she was going to be infertile for the rest of her life, which was disappointing, considering that she and Uncle Brian both wanted another kid. They then adopted Ryley, when she, Sam and I were only four years old. Uncle Brian, I suppose, blamed Auntie Lisa for being infertile, because ever since the diagnosis, they've had marriage issues. That's not the reason my fork was on the ground though.

If there was an emergency, I would gladly offer shelter to my cousins. My problem, though, is Ryley. It's not that she's mean, or bitchy or anything (in fact, she's the complete opposite of most girls at the all-girls Webster High School - or, more formally known as Whores, Hoes and Sluts (for a good reason)). She's super nice, sweet, and likes to debate. My problem with Ryley is her energy. It's like they crossed a Powerade with a Gatorade and then electrocuted it full of ten thousand volts. Ten minutes with her makes me abso-freaking-lutely exhausted, and not to mention that she's boy crazy.

I blinked, and spoke after what seemed ages. My parents were both staring at me. "What?" I asked, hoping I hadn't heard Dad correctly.

Dad smiled. "Come on, Tabby, it won't be that bad. You'll be immune to Ryley's draining effect if you warm up to her, and plus, it'll be a chance for you guys to be closer. You love Sam, but you and Ryley aren't that close" - for good reasons - "and this will be a nice change. Also, she's staying in your room."

I raised my eyebrow. "I get a raise."

I work at my Dad's office (he's a geneticist) every Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and every other Saturday because of school. If I was going to be stuck with my hyper-active cousin for a year, I was definitely getting paid more than 12 bucks an hour.

Dad smiles, glad that we've reached an agreement. In my family, we work through issues by creating deals with each other, or rewards for doing things. It's a little greedy, but it's the way our family works. "Deal. 13 dollars per hour."

Mum makes a small cough. "They're coming tomorrow, Matthew. At ten a.m."

Dad and I both give Mum an are-you-serious look before slowly making eye contact with each other again. Dad probably knows what's going through my head, but I voice it out loud anyway. Only having a few hours to prepare for Ryley is worth more than 13 bucks. "15 an hour."

Dad sighs, as if he knows he isn't going to win this fight. "I'll give you 18 to not hear any complaining."

"Done."

At least that's one problem solved.

------

Hello, dear readers! I know that I have not updated in forever, but here you are, so please don't kill me.

So, you've seen some insight into Tabytha's home life, and her cousins. Also her chances with the Heartbreakers. If you liked it, please vote/comment, I would really like some feedback. Any feedback, good feedback, bad feedback, I would just really appreciate it if you weren't silent!

-Kao-Kuria