The Rebellious Host | ✓

Laina

A/N: Funny how this is my favorite story to write and like no one's reading it haha

When I wake up, I don't know where I am. I sit up and look around, confused for a moment. Then I remember, and the weight of it all almost knocks out my breath. I'm free, I think. I don't have to live trapped in my head.

I start to climb out of the bed, when Jamie walks in. I freeze as though I've been caught doing something wrong. His eyes stay on mine, and we both just stare at each other for longer than what is socially acceptable. He looks away first.

"I got you some clothes." He says. "Do you need to clean off?"

"Um, yeah. Thanks." I take the clothes from him- a pair of black leggings and a V-neck tunic that's the same color as my shirt. He motions for me to follow him and leads me to the cave-like room again.

"I'll wait out here." He says. "Make sure no one comes in on you." I nod and walk in.

I take maybe five minutes at the most. I'm not sure what to do with the dirty clothes, but he takes them and drops them off at his room before taking me down to get breakfast. "Jamie, about last night-"

He shakes his head. "Later." He glances at a pretty redheaded girl and an older woman. I recognize them automatically- Jamie and Melanie's aunt Maggie and her daughter, Sharon. I reach down and slide my hand into his. He doesn't try to pull his hand away- instead he squeezes my hand, once.

When we walk in the room, both of us let go. He leads me over to a table where Jared, Ian, Kyle, Sunny, Alexis, Mel, Wanda, and Uncle Jeb sit, and drops down next to his sister. I sit next to Jared. "So, where'd you sleep last night?" Jared asks. I'm surprised that he thought of me.

Jamie had just gotten up to get something to eat before Jared asked the question, thank God. "Oh, um..." I struggle to think of a convincing lie. I'm an alright liar, but if you know me then I'm terrible. Jared raises his eyebrows. I mumble something incoherent.

"What did you say?" He asks.

I sigh. "I slept in Jamie's room." Everyone except Wanda, Sunny, and Alexis give me strange looks. Alexis seems focused on her food, and Wanda and Sunny seem as though they either expected this, knew the answer, or it's completely normal to them.

"You slept in Jamie's room." He repeats.

I roll my eyes. "My God, Jared. Nothing like that. I slept on the bed, and he slept on all of the blankets on the floor. The only thing we did was sleep." He gives me a look. "I'm thirteen!" I say. "Mom drilled it into my head that I'm not allowed to date until I'm sixteen. I don't date. And Jamie was my best friend for years!" Then, I mumble under my breath, "My God. I'm not freaking Tiffany."

"Tiffany?" Sunny cocks her head to the side. "Who's Tiffany?" Jared glares at me.

I shrug. "A girl that was in Jared's grade in school. I met her once. She slept with pretty much every guy from her grade and up when she was fourteen." I roll my eyes when they all look at my brother. "Except for my brother."

Ian lets out a snort. Jared turns his glare to him.

Jamie sits back down, looks from Jared to Ian, and shakes his head. "Do you two always have to be at each others' throats?" he asks. Oh, so this is normal.

Alexis rolls her eyes and shakes her head. "Apparently, my cousin feels the need to piss people off."

"My brother has been getting on everyones' nerves since he could talk, or so I understand."

Alexis nods, while everyone except Jamie gives us weird looks. "Must just be that group."

I shake my head. "They've been underground too long."

She cocks her head to the side, considering this. "Nah. I mean, Jamie, Sunny, Wanda, and Jeb are fine."

Jamie shrugs. "Must be the raids."

Alexis shakes her head. "No, because then you'd be messed up."

"Hmm..." I say. We all pretend to think about it.

Ian looks at Jared and shakes his head. "Well, I now know that that side of the family must be mental."

Jared rolls his eyes. "Probably not. Probably just my sister's influence."

Melanie shakes her head. "No. Jamie would've turned out like that without Laina."

Jamie pretends to look offended. "I am not insane."

"I didn't say that." Melanie says. "I'm just saying to Jared and Ian that you're strange and would be even if you and Laina never met."

"I don't know..." Jared says. "I think it's all my sister."

I nod. "Yeah, it's me. Our family's crazy." I grin. "They'd've had to be to put up with my brothers for so long."

Ian and Kyle both give me a look. "Oh, so Jared isn't the only one that's like that?" Kyle asks.

"You think Jared's bad? Jackson got a detention almost every day for mouthing off to the teachers, and Ryan got suspended a ton of times for getting into fistfights at school."

"Oh, so basically almsot exactly like Jared." Ian nods.

I shake my head. "No, everyone thought that Jared was the nicest person ever."

"I don't see it." Alexis says. Wanda laughs.

"Oh, come on. I'm not that bad."

"No," I agree. "You're worse."

My statement is met by laughter from everyone at our table, including my brother.