House of Goths

Chapter 28

"Becky, is it?" Keegan smirked at her again. "So, you're the little interloper who's stolen my room."

"Your room?" she repeated, looking around for reassurances. "I don't understand."

Kell pulled up a chair next to her and rested a hand on her knee. "Keegan used to live here."

"Keegan Fiendly, at your service, young miss." He quirked a suggestive eyebrow at her.

Suddenly, it all made sense. The things she'd found in the bottom drawer of the dresser in her room must have been his. Then she recalled the racy magazine and blushed.

"What's going to happen now?" Becky asked, realizing that obviously he would want his room back. The worry must have sounded in her voice because she felt Kelley's hand tighten around her knee.

"I suppose you'll have to find other accommodations, Becks," Keegan said flippantly.

"No..." she gasped, looking pleadingly around the room, her eyes resting on Kelley's pained expression. "But..." She couldn't leave now. They were family.

Visions of having to go back to the dorm swirled through her mind. Just the thought of leaving the House of Goths to go back to that soulless dorm made her nauseous. The very idea caused her to shudder. "Please... I don't want to go."

"Becky's not going anywhere," Kell affirmed, gently squeezing her knee, wanting nothing more than to wipe the worry from her lovely green eyes.

"Damn right, she isn't!" Crispin hissed.

"Really, Keegan? You're dreaming if you think you'll be moving back in here," Dorian snickered while Crispin shook his head.

"You took off without a word! With no thought to your portion of the rent or the fate of the band. You know I can't sing and play lead at the same time," Crispin challenged. "Suddenly, you show up here, hoping to take up where you left off as if nothing happened?"

"Oh, come on. I've already said I was sorry," Keegan argued. "I was wrong. I shouldn't have left in the first place. Think of the band. With me back in, we'll be awesome again. You can concentrate on your singing."

"He's only back because he got dumped," Dorian scoffed.

"I was an idiot, okay? Yes, I got dumped. When Brittany asked me to move in with her, I just couldn't say no. You guys would never have understood."

"Damn right, look where that got you," Crispin spat.

"The minute I moved into her place, she started on about me changing my hair, my clothes..."

"Ah, yes, the classic story of Goth boy meets mundane girl, they fall in love, then suddenly Goth boy has to change because he doesn't quite fit into her world. Blah, blah, blah," Crispin said with a shake of his head.

"Listen to you," Keegan argued, pointing his finger accusingly at Becky. "My bed isn't even cold yet, and you've replaced me with your own little mundane girl."

Becky flinched at his tone. How was any of this her fault? Instinctively she leaned in closer to Kelley.

"Hey!" Kell shouted, glaring angrily at the dishevelled Goth. "You point your finger at her one more time and you'll never play guitar again."

Fairly warned, Keegan sat up with his hands up in surrender. "Point taken, no need to get violent."

Taking a deep calming breath, Kell spoke next. "You can move back in if you like." Audible gasps of disbelief sounded throughout the room. Kell held his hand up to silence his disgruntled housemates. "But you can't have your room back."