When I arrive at the gym I go to the counter so I can apply for a membership.
"May I help you ma'am?" A guy around my age asks.
"I would like to sign up for a membership. Please." I say nicely.
"Okay just fill out this form and I'll get you a membership card in no time." He says with a smile. He hands me a clipboard with papers to sign. I go over to a chair and start to feel it out.
Ten minutes later I bring the clipboard back over to him fully filled out.
"Okay do you want membership to the fighting area as well or just the workout?" He asks.
"Fighting area please." I say. He writes it down on my form.
"Give me twenty minutes and I'll have you a membership out." He says walking into a office. I look around and see a help wanted sign. When he comes out he hands me my card.
"I have a question. Are you still hiring?" I ask.
"Yes we are. We only have me and two personal trainers. Why?" He asks.
"How old do you have to be to get a job here?" I ask.
"18." He says.
"Can I have an application please?" I ask.
"You don't look eighteen." He says.
"I turned eighteen yesterday." I say with a smile. He stares at me for a minute then goes back into the office.
"Here you go. You can get it back to me tomorrow and then we will see what you got." He says.
"Will I be able to train fighters?" I ask nervously.
"If you can handle it then yes. But if you aren't qualified we will either put you back here or we will let you help with workouts." He says. I smile.
"Thank you so much." I say. "My names Brooke by the way. Which you probably already know." I say sticking my hand out.
"Aiden." He says shaking my hand. "And thank you for applying for a job I hate being the youngest." He says wit a chuckle.
"How old are you?" I ask out of curiosity.
"Eighteen." He says.
"Wow. I wouldn't of thought that." I say with a smile.
"Yeah a lot of people say that I look older." He says.
"I thought maybe between nineteen and twenty." I say with a shrug.
"I thought you were sixteen or seventeen." He says. I smile. I hear a few cars pull up and I turn around.
"Shit. I need to hide. Please don't tell them I'm here." I tell him when I see the boys and my siblings getting out. He looks confused but nods anyways. I run behind the counter and duck down.
"May I help y'all?" He asks politely.
"We are looking for a girl that looks like her but black hair. Have you seen her?" I hear Riley ask. Probably using Ken as an example.
"Can't say I have sorry." He says. Damn he's good.
"Yeah but her car is out front. So I know she's here." Xavier says. He sounds pissed.
"I'm sorry sir but I just got here and even if she was here we can't let you in without a pass." He tells them.
"I have a pass. Now let me go in to look for her." Noah says. Crap.
"Only you." Aiden tells him. I hear Noah pull something out ad show Aiden. Something. "Okay you may go in. The rest of you may either wait outside or go have a seat. It's your choice." He tells them. I hear all of them walk away from the desk. I look up at Aiden and he shakes his head telling me it's not safe.
"Sir how long does it take to get a membership here?" Ken asks him.
"Close to an hour." He tells her.
"Guys then how could she get a membership so fast? She came home yesterday and school let out thirty five minutes ago." She says. She sounds quite confused.
"Good point." Riley says. I can only imagine him with his eyebrows furrowed in his thinking mode.
"What is your name?" I hear Ross ask Aiden.
"Aiden. Why?" He replies.
"Aiden my name is Ross. I would like to know where you are hiding her? She is my best friend and I just got her back yesterday. And I'm not going to let her leave me." He tells him. Oh so I'm just his best friend? I thought I was his girlfriend. I guess that's what a year away does. My eyes start to blur and I can't see.
"She's not in there." Noah says coming back.
"She's here." Ross says. I try not to cry. Not right now please not right now.
"Look like I said I just got here. I don't know if she came in and left or if she is in there. I don't even know the girl. Never seen her in my life." Aiden says. I notice his hands are hanging down behind the desk. I reach mine up and take his. He glances down at me but doesn't say anything.
"We aren't leaving until I get my sister back!" Riley yells. I hate this. I can't go anywhere or they will see me. I take his palm in mine and start writing with a pen I found on the ground.
Make them leave. I write. He looks at his hand. His eyes hold something that I can't pinpoint.
"Aiden I'll ask you one more time where is she?" Ross asks. I take his hand and write something else on it.
Help me up. He reads his hand and gives me the 'are you sure' look ad I nod. He stands up and holds his hands out. I grab both of them and he pulls me up.
"Leave." I tell them when I get up.
"No not without you." Ross says.
"You don't even fucking care about me. Here I thought this whole time I was your girlfriend but no. All I am to you is you 'best friend' so just leave." I tell them.
"Brooke you were gone for a year. We didn't know where you were. I wasn't going to hold on that long." He says. I feel the tears coming back. I blink them away and look at the ground.
"You all have ten seconds to leave or I'll kick your asses out." I say.
"You just might have to do that." Xavier says.
"You do know I can run away just as easily as I did the first time. I have a question. How long did it take you to realize that I was gone?" I ask them.
"Two hours." Ken mumbles.
"Sorry didn't hear that." I say leaning in closer.
"Two hours. We didn't know you were gone for two hours." She says louder.
"I knew you wouldn't care enough about me to know that I was missing. Just go." I say turning around. I start to walk away but a hand grabs mine. I spin to see Xavier's hand in my wrist.
"Let. Go." I say through gritted teeth.
"No you are coming home with us." He says. I bring my other hand up and punch him in the face so hard it knocked him out.
"Anyone else?" I ask. The boys run over to Xavier and I look over at Aiden. "I'll be in the fighting room. Come get me when they leave." I tell him walking away.
