How to Steal a Heart

~ Chapter 45 ~

"It seems like you were about to eat something else," Kaiden wiggles his eyebrow.

"Shut the hell up, Kaiden," I joke. "You guys probably didn't even leave from behind the door."

They flood into the room once again, still giving us side glances. I tried to settle back in Axel's lap, my legs over his. If it was up to me we'd leave, but the doctor had to come back with the bill.

"I say we give him about twenty minutes, if he's not back by then we just need to bolt for the door,"

"Yeah, I didn't see a police station while we were out."

We couldn't even joke because of this unspoken energy in the air. I could tell Athena still felt bad. She wouldn't look me in my eye, neither would any of the boys. I know the conversation with her in the car didn't fulfill her.

There is nothing else to say. I am not actively angry at them anymore and I'm still trying to decide if I had the right to be mad in the first place. I feel uneasy. Something within me doesn't feel at peace. I am confident that it has nothing to do with the boys or Athena. However, if not them, then who else?

I shifted uncomfortably in Axel's lap. His hands found my thighs in an effort to comfort me.

"I was three when my mother died,"

I look at Athena with furrowed brows. Her sudden outburst was unexpected and blatantly confusing.

"My father has always been a bad person, but he treats me as well as he can. After her death, he became more involved in work. Less involved with being a dad."

"My parents were druggies,"

This time Noah spoke up, a sad smile fell ghostly on his lips.

"My earliest memory is sitting in a dirty living room with my mother on the couch overdosing. A neighbor called child protective services and I was put in foster care at nine years old."

Noah, one of the most positive people I've ever met, had such a troubled childhood. Here I am, with the perfect life, complaining.

"I don't remember or know anything about my parents,"

It was now Tyler's turn to share his beginnings. He looked at me for a moment before continuing.

"I lived with my uncle. He never spoke of them and I never asked. I pushed cocaine for him until I got caught."

Kaiden stood from where he sat on the window seal. His usual cocky smirk nowhere to be found.

"My father is a well off businessman, as you may know,"

I did know. The rumors at school told me, but also my father cussed him out over dinner a few years ago. I'm pretty sure Kaiden's father is competing company of my father's. Even though it hasn't always been that way, not before that argument over dinner. I was surprised to find Kaiden living with the boys when I first went over.

"Our relationship has always been complicated. He wanted a son to take over the company and I have rebelled against that theory for as long as I can remember."

"Guys- I thank you for sharing, but I don't understand where all of this is coming from,"

"We're letting you in, Vic," Athena elaborates.

"This is us." Axel cuts in.

Just like that, the uneasiness was gone. There was finally more to this group of heathens. In fact, turns out they aren't heathens at all. They're just the product of bad childhood. A group of kids that no one listens to, no one cares to hear. 

It seemed like we laughed for hours. We were finally back to a semi-normal. Even though I have my personal feelings to sort out. I can still laugh with the group.

"So you all met in juvie?" I chuckle at the confession.

"Well, yes and no. We became friends in juvie we knew of each other before then," Athena answers me.

"Tyler and I had gotten into a fight about a neighborhood girl a few months before we became friends," Kaiden adds.

"Abigal Garcia, the hottest mami on the block,"

"Ew, don't say it like that,"

"Dude she was like twelve-"

"Yeah, so was I."

They fell into their normal teasing banter as we waited for the doctor to come in. I'm extremely tired, I could only manage to watch the conversation with a small smile on my lips.

They let me in

The thought kept repeating in my head. They wanted me to know them. They wanted to let me in. I feel giddy on the inside; I guess that's the feeling of being appreciated. The feeling does far more to a person than you would think.

Feel wanted; it's strange that I haven't felt it before. Usually, people have parents that want them and if not parents then a devoted friend. In special cases, people want themselves and they don't need anybody else.

That is the mentality I've been working towards ever since I could recognize that my home life wasn't normal. I'll hold it to myself to keep working towards that, but I can still appreciate it when I receive it from others.

"Let's just make a run for it, no one is coming back." Kaiden sighed from the corner of the room.

We all looked at each other for a moment before quickly scrambling around the room. The boys grabbed everything we came with as well as anything they could find in the drawers.

Athena and I aided Axel out of the bed, despite his protests. Leading him out of the door, we look both ways before bolting to the exit. We didn't even have to run because literally, no one was coming after us. I didn't even hear anyone as we fled the building.

There weren't even any cars in the parking lot. Just a few dirty-looking ambulances.

"How are you feeling?" I ask Axel as soon as well pull out of the parking lot.

"I'm fine," He gives me a pointed look. "How are you feeling?"

"Tired."

He placed his loosely bandaged arm around my head, holding me to his chest. A look of content rests on his face. He seems so calm, almost as if he wasn't aware of his surroundings. The doctor didn't give him any drugs, therefore I don't know what he's on.

However, his placid demeanor meant he wasn't arguing with me, so I won't bother him.

I took the time to just look around the car. No one was talking surprisingly, but it wasn't awkward. They were just living amongst each other, amongst me.

I'm overwhelmed. A large wave of deja vu floods every inch of my body. I can explain it as a puzzle finally coming together. Every piece of the puzzle being where it was made to be. It's a warm feeling like I had in the hospital room. Only this time it's much more prominent.

This is where I belong

Suddenly, the car swerves on the road, causing a slur of not-so-nice words to fill the once silent car. I managed to bump heads with Axel. His big ass head made the back of mine throb. I'm sure he said sorry but I couldn't hear him over the fucking ringing in my ears.

I guess you can be hard-headed in both ways

"What the fuck, Tyler!" Athena reaches to smack the boy in the back of his head.

"What! There was a big ass bird in the middle of the road!"