The Contract

V - Vincere

-

I walked into the driveway of my house and froze, my eyes widening in realization when they focused upon my mom's car. She was home, and that meant, the grandparents were here, too. I stepped back with the idea that walking around the block for a few minutes to avoid having to see my grandpa was a fairly good one, but I shook my head and decided to just get it over with. I was being very immature.

I forced myself to walk into the house. Sliding off my shoes, my gaze was glued to the doorframe leading to the kitchen, where I knew my grandpa was. I could hear him chatting with my mother and grandma. Warily, I walked over to the staircase with hopes of making it to my room without anyone seeing me—but nothing ever went right in my life, now did it?

"Katty!" my grandma cried. I had been spotted. I turned to face my grandma, who was just walking out of the kitchen, my grandpa brooding behind her. Grandma looked the same as always with her warm eyes, friendly smile, and pure white hair done up in a bun. The typical, perfect grandma.

Grandpa, too, looked the same as always. His dark eyes practically sunk into their sockets. His lips were drawn in a firm line. His expression, dark and disgusted, told me exactly what he thought of me as he gave me a distasteful once-over.

"Hey," I forced myself to sound cheerful as I walked over to grandma and allowed her to envelope me in a giant hug. Grandpa just watched me with antipathy, his lips drawn downwards in obvious dislike. When my grandma let me loose of her hug, I simply gave grandpa a strained smile which he didn't even bother to glower at. I looked back at grandma, but before I could say anything, I cringed when I felt Grandpa's hand touch my hair.

"You grew it long?" he said monotonously. I nodded slowly and winced when he pulled my head closer to him, jerking me by my hair. "It looked better short. Too many girls have long hair these days."

I bit back a remark of him having no hair, then nodded mechanically. Politely, I said, "I'll think about it."

Grandpa just scoffed and turned to stiffly walk back into the kitchen. Grandma cleared her throat and placed a hand on my shoulder.

"Just ignore him," she smiled warmly at me, then suggested I come into the kitchen to chat. I held back a look of pure horror and slowly shook my head.

"I've got a lot of homework," I lied. "School's getting really hectic." I turned to leave, then hesitated. "I'll come down later."

-

Alright, so I lied. Again.

I didn't "come down later", and I didn't plan to, either.

I had been sitting in my room for at least five hours, and I was bored out of my mind. I was just getting ready to go to sleep when my stomach made a protesting groan. I was hungry, but I refused to head downstairs for some food. My grandpa would probably criticize whatever food I picked out, then grandma would persuade me to come sit with her and talk, so I'd have to listen to my grandpa criticize the way I ate the food.

I sighed and slipped onto my bed only to shriek and fall off of it. Lure peeked his head over the side of the bed and looked down at me, amusement flashing through his stormy eyes as he watched me stagger to stand up, fighting to regain my composure.

I had sat right on him—or, through him, more like it.

"You almost sat on my lap," Lure commented, smiling playfully, "but didn't I tell you I can't touch you yet? As soon as you make your wishes, you're more than welcome on my lap." Here, he trailed his fingernails along his upper leg suggestively. I felt my anger rise when he grinned knowingly at me.