The Cliche Gone Wrong

Chapter Twenty-five

"Wake uuuuup," Bug whines as she lays on top of me, poking my back as she prods me away.

"I didn't give birth to you, so I don't have to love you unconditionally." My voice is as hard as steel. "Get out."

"But Mommy and Daddy already left for work, and I'm hungry, and that guy is downstairs, and Bear won't let me watch Paw Patrol, and Jazzy won't wake up either, and Kahl—"

I push myself up in bed, nearly going into a Cobra yoga pose as my mind only just now processes one of the things she said.

"Did you just say someone's downstairs?" Bug nods meekly as she continues to sit on the backs of my legs. "Who is it? Where's Bear?"

"That guy." she answers innocently, poking me again in the back. "Bear is downstairs with him."

"Reagan!" I scream as I kick Rowan off of me.

I jump out of bed and sprint down the hallway, trying to get to Bear as quickly as I can. I throw open Jazmine's door as I pause at the room just before the stairs for half a second. She's snoring softly in her bed, deeply unconscious to the world. I pick up the first thing my hand lands on, which happens to be a textbook sitting on the desk to the right of the door.

"While you're fucking sleeping someone is in the fucking house!" I throw the book at her with all of my might before I tear down the stairs, nearly falling halfway down in my haste to get there. 

"Reagan!" I scream again as I spot him sitting on the couch, while the top of someone's brown hair shows that there is in fact someone sitting on the floor next to him. Bear turns around and smiles at me, pointing to Steven Universe that's playing on the television.

"Look Ke—"

I have never moved faster in my life, leaping over the half-wall that showcases the family room instead of walking the three steps to the door opening, before I snatch Bear over the back of the couch. His eyes are wide as he goes unwillingly along with me, gripping me tightly as I pull him behind me.

"I've already called the cops, they're on their way!" I rush out, wishing I had kept the text book I threw at Jazzy so I could throw it at this person instead. "I have a gun, too! If you don't leave right now I'm gonna shoot!"

I lie through my teeth, knowing I left my cell upstairs and didn't call the police before I ran down here. I also don't have a gun, or anything to protect myself with, but I will scratch the shit out of this person with my acrylic nails if I have to.

"Whoa, Killer," Jude holds up his hands in surrender as he stands up, turning to face me. "You don't need to call the police and you should definitely put away the gun."

I nearly collapse as the adrenaline leaves my body in one sudden gush. "How the fuck did you get into my house, Shills?"

"Ooooo," Bear says from behind me, finally peeking around my legs. "You said a bad woooord."

"Upstairs. Now." I snap, not in the mood for his teasing.

He runs upstairs without question, surely still frightened about me running down here in a panic.

Shills continues to keep his hands up as he smiles nervously. "Maybe you should call the police and tell them they don't need to come?"

"I didn't call the fucking cops, you dumbass." I rake my hand over my face, taking slow and deep breaths to calm my racing pulse. "But I wish I had a gun so I could shoot you in the fucking face right now."

"What?" He asks. "Why?"

"Because why the hell are you at my house at—" I turn around to look at the clock on the microwave, "—8:33 a.m. on a fucking Monday? It's a holiday for fuck's sake!"