Watch Your Temper

Chapter Eleven: Scary Phone Call

        "Are you shitting me? This TV only has three channels?" I barked.

George nodded sheepishly, hiding a smirk. "We are in the countryside, you know."

I grimaced and settled for an old Judge Judy rerun.

"Temper, why don't you come outside? It's gorgeous, and your sunburn has started to fade," Lauren tried to reason with me from the screened-in porch. I looked at her from across the room.

"So why make it worse? I need to heal," I said sarcastically.

"Come on, let's go outside. We're leaving tomorrow anyway, and you should spend more time with Ronnie. I think he's feeling forgotten by his big sis," George told me. I shrugged and relented, following him out. I had nothing better to do, anyway.

"I'm not going to go off the porch. I don't want to re-burn myself," I warned, and plopped down on the wooden floor. I flinched as I felt the dead skin peeling on my back. It hurt quite a bit. I had no idea how I had managed to destroy that house the other night... I must've been running on pure adrenaline, or something. 

"Maybe you should go back in, if it's causing you that much pain," George suggested with concern.

"Good idea," I muttered, and he hoisted me back to my feet. He helped me walk back into the cottage, and I clambered to my room. I sunk down on the bed and stared up at the ceiling, vaguely aware of George's presence in my doorway. All of a sudden, my cell rang. Dazed, I reached into my pocket and retrieved it.

"Hello?" I droned into the speaker.

"Is this Temper Adagio?" a deep voice bellowed.

"Yes. Who are you?" I squeaked, and George came and sat next to me.

"Officer Louis Briggs of the Maple County Police Department. We have reason to believe that you vandalized the property at 192 Slover Road yesterday evening."

What?! How did they find out? Oh my God... did someone actually live there still?

I wanted to hang up, but I couldn't. Even I know you can't avoid the police.

"Excuse me?" I asked, playing dumb.

"I said, we have reason to believe that y-

"I know, sir. But how? How did you... I mean, where did you hear this?"

"There was a piece of paper left at the property with a phone number on it, and it was this phone number. We've tracked it down to you, Temper Adagio."

Oh. Shit.

"We'll be at your residence on Highland Lane in twenty minutes. Stay put," the Officer grumbled, and hung up.

"Mom!" I hollered, "Did you put my phone number in my shorts pocket?"

"Yes, I figured you'd probably lose them somehow, and they're your expensive Armani's! Why? Did you lose them? Oh, God," she called back from within the depths of the cottage.

My heart beat spiked, and I clutched onto my cell.

"George... you know that house you picked me up at last night? That I kind of obliterated?" I whispered.

"Yeah. What about it?" he questioned me eagerly.

"I think somebody lives there."

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Whoops! Sorry it's so short, but please comment, vote and fan! Thanks :)

-Jenna