Don't Be The Hero

Fifteen

Nina pov

The next few days were strangely normal. Laughing. Smiling. Amazing breakfast made by mom. Amazing anything made by mom really. So here I am on a Monday afternoon, when the doorbell rings. Jack was snoring away on the couch, and mom went out shopping for groceries (Jack ate most of the kitchen). I unlock the door and find the one thing I wasn't expecting. More like person. "Dad?" Why was he here?

He half smiles. Kinda. He looked a bit confused, but who wouldn't when their trying to find the right words to greet their daughter with when she opens the door. You can't just pull a 'long-time-no-see, let me in the house'. I ended up talking first. "So, whatcha doin' here?" When you could be anywhere else. He walks past me, shouldering a large black duffle. "Don't ask questions." He went to the kitchen, opened the fridge, and stared blankly. "Do ya have any beer in this place?" he looked up at me. I stared back. "No. You shouldn't drink so much." He stood up. "I can drink if I want to. I'm your father, so I tell you what to do, not the other way around." Ouch. Jack stopped snoring. He was in one of his 'I've had enough of this' moods. I turn back around towards the couch. "Top cupboard on the left, top shelf on the right." That's were mom keeps my stash. I sit by Jack, who was sitting up and yawning. "Is it lunch time yet." I laugh. "Even if it was, we don't have enough food to make half a sandwich." I heard dad from the kitchen. "This is root beer!"

"I told you, we don't have any beer. It's that or the rest of mom's weird pomegranate juice." Dad followed my voice, and sat in the leather arm chair across from me. He nodded to Jack and snapped the top off the bottle, like I do. He takes a long drink. "So why are you here?" I ask again. He sets his bottle down and pulls around his duffle bag. Unzipping it, he takes out my gloves and tosses them at me. "You forgot these. Victor thought you would need them. Where is that-"

"Dad! No swearing." He quieted. Jack spoke up. "So Victor is coming to? Great! We could have a party!"

Logan gave a questioning look at Jack. I sent him upstairs to finish his nap. I sat back down. "Sorry, he stayed up the last two nights watching mom's copy of Bones. He made it through almost five seasons." I said smiling. Dad, didn't share my amusement. "Victor should be here in maybe five minutes. I made him take the bus."

I was confused on either to be mad or ask why. "Why would he be on the bus?"

Dad smiled. I'm not letting him on my bike, and no one else wanted to lend him a car. I don't see how that's a bad thing."

I could just imagine Victor on a jam packed bus full of strangers. His black overcoat contrasted against all the bright happy colors. Him being squished between some old lady and a fat guy with a hotdog. I could see it, and I don't want to picture the outcome if it turns out bad. The newspaper headlines would say, Mysterious Man Kills Four on Public Bus.

Not good. not good at all.

Dad snaps me out of the day dream-nightmare, whatever you call it.

"He'll be here soon. Anyway, another reason I came, was because I was bored and needed a vacation."

Yeah right. He just came to spy on me, see mom, follow my every move.

The doorbell rings. I get up to get it, and found Victor, right on time. He looked mad. Not sure at who, but mad. He stormed in, pushing me aside. "Logan!"

"What? It was a bus. Not the end of the world."

Brothers going head-to-head. I should stop it. Eventually. Sitting down on the couch I let them fight. "It was pretty dang close. An old lady drooled on my coat, and a fat guy got mustard in my hair."

Victor looked pretty dang mad. Logan just laughed. "I see your ride wet well then." They were just about to start punching each other when I smelled something worse. Something worse than them fighting. I smelled-