blindsided

chapter eight

i roll out of bed around two o'clock on monday considering thanksgiving break has officially started. winnie jumps up from her place by my feet and wags her tail. i pet her soft caramel colored fur before swinging my legs over the bed. grabbing my phone off of my plush chair in my lounge area and unplugging it, i make my way downstairs to my personal bathroom. i shuffle my spotify playlist and dance around as I brush my teeth.

when I shut off the faucet, the sounds of voices overpower the music playing on my phone. i furrow my eyebrows and pause the music, trying to see if it might've just been a part of the song. the voices still loudly carry on from the first floor. i grab my phone from the countertop beside me and dial 911, ready to push call if someone is trying to break in. as I walk down the main stairs, the conversation gradually gets louder. my feet step off of the last step and carefully pad towards the living room, the place of the source of the sound. the tv is on. why is the tv on? i round the corner and enter the room only to be met by five familiar faces, all wearing distraught expressions.

"we're here because we practically live here you idiots. we've known her since we were what, born practically? that means we get free rain at this house. what's your excuse?" maleana fires in holten's face.

"we're here because she recruited a new group." holten leans casually on the doorframe leading into the kitchen. maleana snorts.

"unlikely."

i take this moment of silence to make my presence known to my new house guests.

"what are you doing here?" i walk into the living room as I scan over all of their faces. my heart skips a beat when it gets to ronan's.

"ah there you are! i was just telling larry, curly and mo here that it's time for them to leave. "maleana folds her arms and smirks at the three boys who look as awkward as a sinner in church. i giggle at them before walking past holten and into the kitchen.

"what? you're not even going to say anything?" maleana shouts from the other room. "and when the hell did you get a dog?"

i ignore her and continue to search the cabinets for something suitable for both breakfast and lunch. i hear the sound of winnie's claws click on the floor as she makes her way into the kitchen. i stand on my tiptoes to look through the taller cabinet. i brush boxes with the tips of my fingers until i finally feel the bag of pancake mix. i contort my face in frustration when i can't. thanks for making me 5'2 mom.

"need some help there kid?" condos comes into the kitchen behind me and grabs the mix easily. stupid tall people. he hands the bag to me and chuckles.

"thank you."

i follow the instructions on the bag as the others filter in. this is so weird. three of pinelilly's most dangerous and rude boys are in my kitchen and what am i doing? making pancakes. on the outside i leave my expression calm and collected but on the inside i'm freaking out. ronan could've called and let me know that i should've looked halfway decent.

"you're taking this surprisingly well. " lacy says in my ear as she comes up next to me to crack the eggs in the bowl.

"if they wanted to kill me they would've done it already. " i say with a shrug.

"so do you want to explain just what exactly you're all doing here." maleana questions the three boys. i look behind me and she has them all standing in a straight line with her in front of them, arms crossed and hip jutted out. her signature pose.

"we were going to see if nicolette wanted to go with us to the pit tonight. we have three passes to sit in the vip section but there are only two of us. that and it's ronan's last fight where they decide if he's going into the championship. "