Unexpected Fate

Unexpected fate: Chapter 4

He looked odd in my home. He looked as if he were meant to be in a grand mansion, with expensive artwork and chandeliers in almost every room. I pouted as I stood next to the guy who was yet again sealing my fate. My fate of getting killed by my mom!

Alec sat down the bags of groceries in his hand and held out his hand to my mother again. My mom took his large hand in hers as they shook hands. My mom didn't even hide the fact she was checking him out! At least I know that my mom and I had the same thoughts on this guy. Usually what I liked in a guy was completely different from my mom. It's funny that we both seemed to agree; this guy was definitely a Greek God. She raised an eyebrow at me and smiled as she looked back at Alec.

Thankfully, Benson was not having it. He scrunched his face up, puffed his chest out, and pushed Alec's hand away.

"Who are you and what are you doing with Mara?" he questioned, his light brown eyes narrowing at Alec.

I snorted, looking towards Alec. He had a genuine smile on his face as he crouched down to hold out his hand to Benson.

"I'm sorry, sir. Maybe I should have introduced myself to the man of the house before introducing myself to your lovely mother. I'm Alec, Imara's friend." he tried sounding serious and stern. What happened to the sarcastic guy who talked to me? And since when were we friends?

Benson laughed at Alec, his high-pitched voice echoed through the house. "I'm Benson, and I'm 4!" he introduced proudly.

I just watched their interaction and realized I had milk in one of the bags and eggs in my backpack. I really didn't want to leave a stranger alone with my mother and brother, but I'd only be a few feet away and I could still see inside of the living room.

I walked to the kitchen and placed the milk in the vacant fridge. Carefully taking off my backpack, I opened the egg carton and checked the eggs. Surprisingly, none of them were cracked. I breathed a sigh of relief that I wouldn't have to clean yolk out of my bag. I put the eggs next to the milk. After about 10 minutes of listening to Alec, my mom, and Benson talk about Benny and his condition and his toys, I finally finished putting away the groceries.

Walking back to the living room, I clapped my hands and pointed towards the door.

"Well, Alec. Thank you for walking me home. It was nice seeing you, but now it's time for you to leave." Alec raised his eyebrow to me, a gesture I'm becoming accustomed to.

"Don't you think you should let your mom know about the money I loaned you?" he asked in a bored tone. Loaned? We never discussed that I would have to pay him back! Where would I get 800 dollars? I didn't even ask him to pay for the groceries! And why couldn't he smile at me? He could smile with Benny and my mom, but not once has he smiled at me. The rant in my head continued as my mom cleared her throat.

"What is our guest talking about, Imara?" My mom inquired. Her light brown eyes fixed on me, her hand tightened slightly as it lay on her lap. I looked everywhere else but her. I knew she wouldn't be happy now that she knew I owed him money. Imagine if she knew how much! Ha ha! I gulped as I locked eyes with her; I'm dead meat.

She held my eyes with hers briefly before she looked to Benny. Her expression softened as she called him over from his toys.

"Benson, I need to talk with Imara and Alec privately for a moment. Could you please go to your room and get everything prepped for your breathing treatment? I also want you to get settled down, so I can check your heart monitor." Although my mom asked questioningly, she had a trace of 'don't fight me on this or you're in big trouble' behind her words.

Benson was very intelligent for his age. We spent so much time at the hospital that his nurse showed him how to set up his breathing station. It took some practice but after having to do it so many times a day, he learned quickly.

"Ok mommy. It was nice meeting you, Alec." He surprised us all when he ran over to Alec and wrapped his arms around his legs. Alec's mouth formed an "O" shape of surprise before he leaned down and returned the hug.

"Nice meeting you, kiddo." He smiled, patting him softly on the head after he released him from the hug.

Benson smiled and quickly ran from the room. My mom frowned, crossed her arms, and directed her stare at the two of us. "Please, sit down. I can tell this conversation will be a long one."

We sat on the couch opposite to my mom and I sat the farthest away from Alec. I can't believe what's about to happen.

"Mrs. Akinyi-"

"Mom-" Alec and I started at the same time.

My mom tapped her hand on her arm while I glared at Alec." Isn't this going off to a nice start," I muttered sarcastically.

"Please, call me Julie." My mom ignored my comment. What! My mom must really be fond of him if she's giving him permission to refer to her by her first name.

"Julie," Alec nodded. I held my breath. Here it comes, the truth about what happened while I was out.

"Imara and I met in... a rushing moment." He said slowly, a smirk on his face. Oh, this asshole! This is not a time to play around! "She was running from a security guard when she ran towards me, causing me to grab her arm."

"Security guard!" My mom yelled as she turned her head to make sure Benny was still in his room. Her nostrils flared as she looked back towards me, a clear sign she was upset.

I bit my lip and looked down, avoiding her angry glare.

"Turns out that Imara¾" I could feel Alec's gaze on me as he leaned back against the couch. "Why don't you tell her, Imara?" The way my name rolled off his tongue sent a pleasant shrill through me. I scowled at my hands before meeting my mom's gaze.

"Istolethegroceriesandmedicinethatareinthekitchen" I blurted in a rush.

"What!" My mom stood slowly from her position on the couch.

"I stole the groceries and the medicine that are in the kitchen. Alec grabbed me while I was running away, causing me to get caught by the security guard. The security guard threatened to send me to jail, so Alec paid everything and a little bit extra.

It was silent as my mom pondered over my whereabouts. You could hear nothing but the wind rustling outside. It was way too quiet. I shuffled uncomfortably in my seat. My mom's curly hair pulled back into a ponytail made her cheekbones look higher as she scowled silently at me. I knew this was the quiet before the storm. After about another minute of sitting perfectly still under her gaze, It surprised me when her voice ended up being soft.

"How much?" she asked, putting her hand on her forehead.

I cleared my throat, " Um, 800 dollars."

"Really, Imara? Where are we going to get that kind of money? You know where most of my money goes. The hospital is grilling me with money I still owe for Benny's treatments. I'm also behind two months rent. Luckily, Mr. and Mrs. Owens are being kind enough to allow us to stay, knowing the situation we're in. And now on top of all this, you steal medicine and groceries, adding an 800-dollar debt to Alec? Why, Imara? I taught you better than this. I talked to you this morning and I thought you got it, that you understood." My moms voice never wavered; it stayed in the same soft tone. She sounded disappointed, which made this all worse.

I couldn't help the few tears that fell down my face. I turned my head towards the wall, our family pictures looking much more interesting right now. I couldn't bring myself to look at my mom's face.

"Alec, we don't have that kind of money." My mom informed him.

"I know. Which is why I have a proposition for you two to think about." He answered.

Well, this got my attention. I looked at Alec with uneasy eyes.

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Okay, What do you think he'll ask? What will happen next? I'll try to get the next chapter up by tonight! We'll see. Please share, vote, and comment. Could I at least get one or two votes by the end of the day or comment? xx - B