Bending The Rules

Nate

When I get home with Maddie, Noah is alone. Good. Mel must've left when he passed out. "Where'd she go dude?"

"Dunno. Disappeared I guess."

"I told you she was just using you."

"But damn she enjoyed it."

He grins at me and I want to slap it right off his face. I would have if Maddie hadn't dragged me into one of the cramped bedrooms and curled up on the bed, shivering slightly. I curl up with her and twine my arms around her waist. "You okay Maddie?"

Maddie shakes her head and presses herself against me. She nods her head toward the room Noah is in with a hury expression.

"I know Maddie. He'll change someday though. I promise you that."

She looks up at me, her eyes are heavy with sleep as she buries her face in my shoulder.

"I promise sweetie."

Her breathing goes even fast, but I can't stop thinking about Mel. Her sweet, yet harsh voice. The sass she has. Those eyes...God. I don't know why I can't stop thinking about her.

After about an hour of thinking about that girl, that sweet yet sassy girl, I manage to fall asleep.

***

I wake up six hours later and untangle myself from Maddie. It's cold, so I put on a pair of jeans and a sweatshirt. I get into the car as fast as I can and turn on the heat. God that felt great.

I was just about to leave when my phone rang. Sean. Might as well answer it. "Hello?"

"Hey Nate. It's Sean. Listen, when you get to the diner, stay in the truck. I won't be there for a little while because I am going to pick Mel up. But I promise I'll try to hurry."

"I can pick her up."

"You don't have to-"

"No, it's fine. Text me her address and I'll swing by on my way over. Okay?"

"Alright." He hangs up and sends me the address. When I find the house, I hop out and knock on the door.

"No girlscout cookies. I'm fat enough already!"

I laugh because I can tell it's Mel. But she doesn't answer the door. A guy that looks her age does. "What can I do for you?"

"I'm here for Mel. She needs to come to work."

"Nate? I thought Sean was coming." Mel appears behind the guy who answered the door and yawns. "I'm gonna go change real fast. I'll be back."

She darts upstairs and I watch her, shivering in the cold as her brother looks at me. "You're new around here, aren't you?"

"Moved in with a friend recently. I work at the diner with your sister."

"Keep her outta trouble, would you? No matter what she does, she always finds it."

"You got it."

I wait a few more minutes before Mel comes running down the stairs, sliding across the floor thanks to her socks, and messing with her eye.

"You ready speed racer?"

"I can show you what speed racing is." Cue devilish smirk. Holy hell she is hot.

"Maybe some other time. Cone on, Sean wants to get the day started. You put on your shoes and meet me in the car."

She nods, but her attention is on my car. I feel like Melanie wants speed, and speed is what she may get. I slip away and start the car up again, hoping it would warm up. It takes Mel no more than two minutes to get into my car.

"Let's go." She shivers a little and I reach into the backseat and grab a blanket. "But you might want this."

"Such a hero," she mocks softly, but she couldn't keep that beautiful smile off those perfect lips.