Miserably Delightful

chapter 25

I had come to the conclusion that I hated mornings.

I was dragging my feet as I walked into the kitchen, the scent of Marc's coffee not having its usual effect on me. I spotted Sean smirking at me from where he was sitting at the island, and I pouted, rubbing my eyes, making it clear that I did not want to be up at the moment. He laughed and opened his arms as an invitation for me.

I didn't hesitate for one moment. I skidded and slid across the tile on the kitchen floor and plopped down onto Sean's lap, cuddling into his warmth. His chest vibrated from laughter and he pressed a kiss to my head, smoothing my hair away before wrapping his arms around me tightly.

"Can't we let her play hooky today?" Marc asked, leaning down and gently gripping my chin to look at my face. I whined and tried to push him away, wanting to rest my head against Sean again. "No offense, honey, but you look like shit. Did you sleep at all last night?" His eyes drifted over to Sean. "As a doctor, can't you say she's not allowed to go to school. Tell her she's not allowed to go to school."

"Owen and Axel would kick our asses," Brandon announced as he joined us, rubbing his eyes. Both him and Sean were shirtless, not that I minded much, but I wonder how my mom would react if she walked in and saw me in the room with them all. She would probably flip her shit, but she wouldn't be able to do anything about it.

"Oh come on, Brandon," Marc protested, his lips drawing into a frown. "Look at that face. Look how tired she looks. You know you want to keep her home and cuddle her all day."

Brandon's lips quirked up slightly into a small smile as he looked at my pouting face. "You're right," he replied, leaning against the counter. "I would like nothing more than to stay home and cuddle my munchkin all day, but she needs to go to school and I need to go work at the shop."

"That's fine," I spoke up quickly, resting my head against Sean's shoulder again. "Marc can do the cuddling for you. Right, Marc?"

Amusement danced in Marc's mismatched eyes. "Absolutely. I wouldn't mind being a cuddle stand in, at all."

Brandon rolled his eyes at us, grinning. "You two are ridiculous," he said, running his fingers through his tousled hair. "You're going to school, end of discussion. Got it, munchkin?"

"Yes, Dad," I sighed, resisting the urge to stick my tongue out at him. Sean laughed and pressed kisses to my neck while rubbing my back. I melted into him, finding it rather hard to listen to Brandon's order. I wondered if I could stay home without him knowing...

"I'm driving you to make sure you actually go to school like a good girl!" Brandon called over his shoulder.

I groaned, and Marc and Sean collapsed into laughter again.

***

It had been a long ass day, and I was more than glad that it was a Friday and I was finally home. I had plans to meet with the boys at the Taylor's later, but at the moment I contemplated napping or going for a swim. As I passed by the boys' doors, I noted that they were shut which meant they were either out or otherwise occupied and I shouldn't bother them. I was kind of disappointed, hoping that one of them would want to join me for a nap or a swim but I brushed it off quickly.

My state of bliss and happiness was shattered the moment I opened my bedroom door. A scream tore from my throat and I stumbled backwards, staring wide eyed at the wreckage of my room. The room that had just been cleaned the night before was now trashed. Objects were strewn on the floor and broken, clothing was everywhere, some of it torn and ripped. My mattress was completely off the bed frame, and my blankets were thrown over my desk.

When my eyes caught sight of what hung from the inside of my door, I had to swallow hard to keep from vomiting. A white mask, Volto's trademark and name stake.