Caught in the Middle

Why does this have to happen to me?! Chapter 26

Hi! Um, I made a new story. It's called It's complicated. Please check it out! I would really appreciate the support :)

Jake Connor lives a normal life in the dorm where he lives as an orphan (But don't tell anyone that. He hates the sympathy.). You can say he's a player or a ladies' man. He doesn't really care just as long as he gets the babes which, more often than not, he does. The pain of the past is behind him and all he's looking forward to is the next la--date with another hot chick. It just so happens that one of them triggers something in him and he gets these visions of the fire that killed his family. It was said to be an accident. As the vision persists (for it is just one, getting clearer and clearer) , he finds it isn't so.

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I burst inside with my arms thrown wide open dramatically. "I'm home!" I announce loudly, grinning from ear to ear.

"We know that, idiot." Ryan thumps my head.

I stomp on his foot.

He raises a hand but Andrew grabs his wrist.

"Stop it. I just drove all the way here from the hospital. I'm not driving back."

A voice speaks up behind him. "I'll do it. Go on with your fight. I feel entertainment depraved because all the channels the hospital has are weird, educational ones. I want to see something blow up for a change but I'll settle with your fighting."

Ryan and I look at each other then at Keith. That's when we punch him in the gut. He doubles over with a grunt. (Hey, that rhymes! Sort of. Don't mind me...)

"As much as I like seeing you beat Keith up, I need to ask you to give me a hand here." Brian shouts from the driveway.

We make our way past Keith and to the Cruiser which is laden with suitcases. Brian passes two to Andrew and another two to Ryan. He jumps down, carrying a lavender suitcase and a matching hat box.

I take the hat nox from him and tuck my hand on the crook of his arm when he offers it to me.

"I still don't get why we had to stop by the mall and buy all these clothes and suitcases. And what the hell is the hat box for?" Keith asks, recovering from the blows.

He waits until we get in to shut the door and lock it. God knows why he even bothers.

We have huge gates with spikes on top of them. Two guards are stationed here every day and night. They are told to always make sure the people coming in are invited by us or welcomed here. Brian, Jess and Julie, they know are always welcome so they are always let in. There are also special cases like Keith who may or may not be welcomed but let in all the time.

We also have a huge front yard (If you can even call it that. I'm pretty sure it stretches out for more than a yard though. Way more.) which is tended once every week by a lot of gardeners. That's how big our yard is. I can't even count how many people we need to mow our lawn and prune our shrubs. A gigantic elaborate fountain of some half-naked greek people is right in the middle.

What is up with huge yards and fountains of half-naked people, anyway? I have no idea why they have to be half-naked people. Can't they be fully dressed people? And now I realize I'm obsessing over it. And that I've said half-naked people three times. Four now that I thought that sentence.

At least I can think of ours as different. Unique, if you will. The only fountain like ours that I have seen are only in movies and even then, it's rare. I think. Oh, if you just happen to pass by our property, it looks like any other rich ass person's fountain.

But mine or my family's is a fountain that, when an alarm is triggered, turns into this equally gigantic machine gun that one of our guards are trained to use. Cool, huh? My brothers and I are also trained to use it in case something really bad happens and we're alone. I highly doubt that would happen, though. At least, I can brag that I have the machine gun. You know, once I am allowed. Which will only happen if something bad takes place. Again, not very likely. Still, I bet not a lot of people can do that. Brag about having one, I mean.

So you see that locking our front door is kinda useless.

"Nothing. I just want to be able to say truthfully that I have a hat box." I admit.

"What about the suitcases?" He gestures to the five large Luis Vuitton suitcases behind him that my brothers and Brian put down carefully on the carpet. They know how I can grow balistic over getting dirt on something I just bought.

I shrug my shoulders. "Save the environment."

"You bought them so they won't use shopping bags?"

"Yep. Don't worry. I'll still use them in the future."

"And you felt the need to cram it full of clothes?"

I narrow my eyes at him disbelievingly.

As usual, Brian reads my mind. "First of all, she doesn't cram. She fills every space. Second, do you even know her? This is Celene we are talking about. The person who buys the whole line of designer clothes on the very day it comes out without blinking an eye."

Keith opens his mouth to answer but I hold up a hand. "Don't answer that. Anyway, this time I have a valid excuse-- uh, I mean reason. A perfectly good reason." I pause for a while for a drammatic effect. "I got asked to the prom!"

Brian stiffens underneath my hand. "You agreed to go with someone?! I thought we were going together?!"

Surprised, I turn to him. "We're freshmen. It's a prom for juniors." I point out.

"Still. We could've crashed." He scoffs. "Who asked you anyway?"

"Who else would ask me? Some random dude who has had a crush on me ever since he saw me and who only got the guts to ask me to the prom when I was in the hospital and looking all sickly and stuff because I look so beautiful and attractive in a figure less, backless--literally-- hospital gown? Or maybe I didn't look attractive and beautiful but he was so desperate to get with me-- not that way, green-minded idiots-- that he still asked me?"

Brian ignores me and my, admittedly, very long sarcastic speech. He says somewhat hysterically, "You got asked by Cain? And you said yes? What are you? Stupid? He got you into that accident and you agreed to get in that car with him again?"

"It wasn't intentional."

"He wasn't careful! He should've been--"

"Oh, come one! I had this conversation with him already!"

"Then why is he still taking you?"

I give a start and turn to Keith. "What did you say?"

"Why is he still asking you to come with him, knowing he might cause you harm again? Since he seemed reluctant to let you come with him. I'm saying this because judging from what you said about him saying he could've avoided it; that it was his fault, I thought he would back out from the invitation. In fact, if he thought that, he wouldn't even have asked you in the first place."

We all stare at him speechlessly.

"I meant that as rhetorical." I say, dazed. I didn't know Keith can make those kinds of speeches and make sense. This is... new. Then I snap out of it. "Maybe because he really likes me. Maybe because he's going to be more careful. Maybe because he wants to take me to the prom but is concerned about me. Or maybe because he plans to just meet me there. It's not like this is considered unacceptable. This is the twenty-first century for crying out loud! Have you ever thought about that? Or those? Whichever?" Damn confusing plurals! They broke the whole pissed off vibe. Kinda.

He sniffs. "You don't need to blow up on me. I'm just worried about you."

"You don't need to be." I sigh, acting as if a shiver isn't going up and down my spine at the thought and I'm not jumping up and down in my mind. "Sorry. Guess it was just a tiring day."

I give Brian a hug then walk casually to Keith. I give him a hug too so he won't feel left out. (I wish he thinks that instead of the truth that I want an excuse to do that.) I bid all of them goodnight even if it's not night. It's my way of saying I'm exhausted and want to be left alone. Then I run to my room and jump on the bed.

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I know this is kinda late. I'm sorry. It took me longer to upload than I thought. Anyway, on friday, it's my birthday! Yay! :D I just wanted to say that :)) It's July 8 but I remember before, I really wanted to be born on July 7 so when it would be a year ending in 7 it would be 7/7/'7 :D I'm easily amused >_<