I'm Friends With the Monsters (AOE)

Chapter 1: Choose Your Side

"I'm friends with the monster that's under my bed,

Get along with the voices inside of my head!

You're trying to save me, stop holding your breath,

And you think I'm crazy, yeah, you think I'm crazy..."

I sang along with Rihanna as I worked. Surfing the internet, and sites like Ebay were my favorite. See, girls my age are either into sports, horses, or clothes around here. I'm the only one who seems relatively interested in antiques. I've been collecting porcelain dolls since I was young, but now that's all been destroyed, I've moved on and up in the world. I now by, fix, and sell anything old and salvagable I can find. I either order online or I go to any garage sales in town. I live on an acerage with my uncle Cade Yeager and my cousin Tessa.

Speak of the devil...

"Gabby have you seen my pumps?"

I wanted to groan right there. She always thinks I take her shoes but frankly I want nothing to do with those stupid things! "No, I have NOT seen your neon-orange forty-dollar pair of pumps!" I shouted over my music from my attic-loft room. Tessa stuck her head up there, seeing me look at more, oh what did she call it again? Ah yes. The J-word.

Junk.

Real nice Tessa. Very mature.

She poked her blonde head up. "Are you sure?!"

"Do I look like the type to wear those things?"

"... Point taken." She sighed. "Never mind." She ducked back down.

I sighed. "When's Uncle Cade getting back?" I knew Tessa was still down there.

"Whenever he gets back. You want lunch?"

"Pass." I answered her.

"You'd better not be buying more junk! I swear you're as bad as dad!"

"I inherited the Yeager's appreciation for the good 'ol oldies! Besides this stuff's giving me cash to save up for-"

"College! Whatever." Tessa snapped, marching off. I winced.

"Eeeyowch! What manure did they put in her breakfast?" I sighed to myself, scrolling down. I often found good, fixable stuff on these sites, and so, here I was again!

Now, there's something you need to know about my Uncle Cade, my mom's big brother. Uncle Cade is the type of man who likes to buy and try his hand at inventing things. Except he's more of the 'drop-it-if-it-fails' kinda guy. But unlike Tessa (who thinks I'm equally crazy and bad with money), I totally comply with him. If my cousin wasn't his daughter, I swear I could call him 'dad'. For the past four years since I moved here after mom's death, Uncle Cade and I have really bonded. He's taught me everything I know about searching, nit-picking, fixing, stripping, selling... He actually got me started on this hobby! I owe him a lot, so that's why, secretly all this money I'm making (well okay what little I do) is going to help pay for Tessa's college and Uncle Cade's debts.

Speak of the devil again...

Uncle Cade pulled up in his pickup truck, and I immediately headed downstairs, grinning like a madman. "HEY!" I flung and glued myself to him in a hug the minute he got out of the truck. I hug a lot now, more than I ever did. Doctor said to do it at least four times a day, and since Tessa hates that, I just hug Uncle Cade and his friend, my adult friend, Lucas.