Not Like Your Demons

Chapter 7

So, the original writer has returned and posted a new chapter, which is great, I haven't gotten around to read it. But I'm hoping they finish it so you guys finish this.

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Normani Hamilton is known for many a splendored things, but being careful isn't one of them.

Point in fact: if she had just been a little more careful, maybe she would have had dodged the conversation that was bound to happen exactly two seconds from now, as she was too busy scanning the tree, looking for the easiest trek up to notice anything else around.

Including Mr. Jauregui entering the open gate with a friend in tow.

"Who on heaven's name are you and what are you doing on my lawn, under my tree?"

It's the man's voice that has her eyes widening in shock; gruff and edgy, and it doesn't sound happy. At all.

The girl bites her lip guiltily then turns away from the tree slowly, only to be faced by a dark haired guy with piercing brown eyes and a bespectacled dude with brown, curly hair, who she thinks looks strikingly familiar. The bigger one, who she presumes is Lauren's father, looks about 50, about 5'10" in height and has a scowl that seems permanent. He's looking at Normani with a stern expression, and should he have been staring down a person other than her, he or she would have had been a shaking mess by now.

The other guy, though, is thinner and looks a lot less intimidating. If anything, he almost looked... nervous, and him fidgeting a little on his spot doesn't help his reputation. Normani regards the brown-haired guy for a while and rakes her brain for where she had seen him before. She can't remember, though.

But then again, he has one of those commoner looks, and she must be mistaking him for someone else.

Giving up, she turns her gaze back to Lauren's father and schools her expression to as suave as she can. "You must be Mr. Jauregui," she starts, voice even despite her predicament. "Please allow me to explain."

Instead of answering her, Michael just purses his lips and looks Normani up and down. There's something about the way he's calculating her that irks her, and she prays for patience because she really isn't keen on giving older guys verbal bitch-slaps.

"I'm Normani Hamilton; I'm a schoolmate of Lauren's. I just brought her homework because she's already been missing school for days. She's really smart, and I don't want her to get left behind."

"Isn't that the teacher's job?"

Normani licks her lips, bracing herself. "Yes, but I volunteered, Mr. Jauregui."

He nods his head before answering. "Didn't your parents think of teaching you not to trespass on others' properties?"

Despite acknowledging his point, Normani feels herself getting more irritated, and she curls her fists to stop herself from giving this man a not-so-verbal bitch-slap this time. Her parents taught her manners and respect, alright, and in fact that's the very same thing that's stopping her from castrating this dark haired dinosaur. How dare he speak ill of her parents? Sure her dad and mom aren't perfect and her dad acts like the biggest idiot at times, but this bloke has no right to judge them. "I'm sorry if that's what I made you think, Mr. Jauregui, but I believe my parents raised me in the best ways they could. I swear I have no bad intentions."

"I was just kidding," Michael says, although nothing in his face reflects even a tiny spectacle of humor. "Although you shouldn't have had just went in. I might have had mistaken you for a crook and had you arrested."

As irritated as she may be, Normani knows where she's wrong, and makes no point in denying it now. "I'm really sorry for that."

Michael just nods again, the same annoying egoistic expression written on his face. "Especially since it's not hard to mistake you as criminals, the American pretenders that you are."