the a team

lucianna v.1

I waited outside the front door waiting to see Jaxson's car roll up. I kept checking behind me, making sure my dad or step mom didn't wake up. But eventually, Jaxson's car slowly and silently pulled up outside across the street so it didn't look like it was outside my house, and he stepped out.

I hurried over to him and hugged him and he hugged back, but he felt and looked weak and tired. I knew his sisters and I knew that if Jaxson was this bad, his sisters were ten times worse.

I didn't ask questions, I just started helping Jaxson get his things. The girls didn't say a word because Jaxson told them to be silent, and they were pretty good listeners. I carried his youngest sister while she slept in my arms, a backpack, and I held his oldest sisters hand while Jaxson carried the other backpack and carried in his other sister.

We went through the back door snd snuck silently down the stairs and into my room, shutting the door without making a sound behind us.

"Is everyone okay?" I whispered.
"Yeah we're fine. The girls are just tired and scared," Jaxson whispered back.

I nodded then put Jasmyn in the middle of my bed and Juliette and Athena laid down on both sides of her, all hugging each other while trembling. I sighed and watched as they almost instantly knocked out under the warm light blue sheets, they looked as if they had seen a ghost.

"The air mattress is for you, I'll take my couch," I said.
"I really appreciate this," Jaxson replied. "The girls promised to be dead silent all night."
"I'm not worried about the girls I'm worried about you." I replied, referring to the gash on his forehead. "What happened?"
"I tried fighting back on the guy that broke in but he hit me with a bat or something," Jaxson quickly replied.

I sighed and shook my head as Jaxson kicked off his shoes and ripped off his shirt and laid down on the air mattress to which I laid on the sofa, praying my dad wouldn't randomly come check on me in the middle of the night, and knowing him- he wouldn't remember he had a daughter to check up on in the first place.

When I woke up it was past twelve in the afternoon, and nobody was in the room with me. The girls bags were on the floor so I knew they didn't leave. I forced myself out of bed and walked up the creaky staircase and found myself in the kitchen, seeing Jaxson cleaning pots and pans while the girls sat at the table eating what looked like pancakes.

"What in the hell are you doing?" I asked, rubbing my eyes and walked into the kitchen.
"Hey. Made some breakfest for the girls- your plate is on the counter," Jaxson replied. "Girls decorated it themselves."

I raised an eyebrow and slowly walked towards the single plate sitting on the counter, where a pancake laid there which had a smiley face made out of whipped creme, sprinkles, and cherries. I laughed to myself and took the plate over to the table next to Jasmyn who was sitting on a pile of books taken from my room.

"Do you like it, Luci?" Athena asked with a mouthfull of food.
"Love," I smiled, she giggled.

Jaxson and I had been friends sense sixth grade, he was the first person I came out to. Even though his responce was 'I already knew that, you fucking dyke' and hugged me after, it still meant a lot to me that he was the first.

Jaxson and his sisters ended up staying for a few hours before they got homesick. Usually, I'd let them go and Id send Jaxson off with some juice boxes and he'd leave. But he didn't let the girls go this time. He just kept saying 'it'll be fine,' 'a few more hours,' 'we'll go soon.' But he repeated the same phrases for hours upon hours upon hours.

At one point, Athena looked emotionally and physically drained. Jaxson took her downstairs and I let her use my bed for a quick nap, and he rocked Jasmyn as well until she knocked out too. Juliette took off to the living room to watch some cartoon that she praised like a religion, which finally gave Jax a break. He sat at the counter and I poured him a mix of pineapple juice, coconut water, and watermelon vodka into a plastic cup and slid it to him. He looked at it, took a quick smell, and raised an eyebrow at me.

"It's the Luci special," I smiled.

He shrugged, then stared drinking little by little. He said nothing; but his facial expressions said everything and then some. The bags under his eyes, the staring at the same spot on the counter for minutes at a time with zero movement, the huge bruise on the side of his head that he seemed to not care about- it all seemed like he was used to it at this point. I leaned on the counter and placed my head on my hand and waited for him to look up at me.

"You gonna tell me what really happened or are we just going to continue off this bullshit burglar story?" I questioned.
He sighed. "Let's just... Pretend it was a robbery gone wrong."
"And did this robber like, throw weed at you or something?" I asked, he looked at me with confusion all over his face. "I can smell that shit from a mile away. You walked into my house smelling like Keaton's basement yesterday."
He chuckled. "No, the robber did not throw weed at me, Luciana, but thank you for your concern."
"Well, something else happened than a robbery. And it's effecting your mental health, not to mention your appearance. You look like basura," I continued on.
"Thanks. I aspire to look like hot garbage fresh on the curb every Thursday morning." Jax winked at me before laughing, I joined him. "Honestly, Luci, it's just a lot of shit packed together at once. All that matters to me are the girls, and there a lot safer here. I promise we'll be out by tonight."
"You being here isn't a problem until mi familia comes home, the problem is you're hiding something that's fucking your life up," I kept on.
He sighed. "I promise you, when the time is right, I'll tell you everything."
"Okay, okay. Just as long as you're safe," I finished.

I'm more of a mother to his group than anything. I have my ups and downs. I'm not always around- sports, girls, and weed basically occupies my entire life at this point and I'm not even mad about that. I may not act like it, but I truly care for this groups safety. Some more than others; Jaxson and Nadia are always a priority. Keaton is somewhat, and I don't worry for Avi at all.

Avi's never had a bad day. Always smiling, always laughing, always doing something positive. You know how happy you have to be to fucking recycle? Pretty fucking happy. She comes from a good family, money, and love.

Keaton is some what. He drugs and drinks. The thing about Keaton is that he knows his limits. He drinks too much for someone his age, which sucks, but I'd rather have him drink then overdosing on heroin. Not that he shoots up, but if he didn't know his limits, he'd eventually graduate into shit like heroin and cocaine. Of course I worry about his drinking, but I know I don't have to worry about an overdose.

Jaxson is complicated. He's such a heartthrob. Every girl he meets is instantly head over heels for him. His girlfriend is a sweetheart, he's a handsome kid, and he takes care of his sisters. His home life is hard and I can tell. I know there's something more serious going on, but I can't do anything until he confides in me. I know his life isn't as perfect as Avi's, even though that's what he acts like.

Nadia is a way different story. She's a mix of Avianna and Jaxson. She seems so sweet, happy, excited, and just overall pleased with life. But I just know something worse is going on with her. The way she hides away in her house and doesn't leave until she's asked to, how she never lets anyone in her room. She's so sheltered and hidden off, she has secrets and something else going on- I can tell just by her vibes.

and I'm pretty fuckin' sure I'll figure it out.