Altered

Chapter 23

Sorry about not updating. We just switched to a new semester so I had homework! Thanks for understanding!
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Knock knock knock.

"Coming!" I yelled from the kitchen. It was most likely Austin at the door. Alice said that she was doing other stuff so she wasn't able to come over, but I thought it was weird because she never turned down an opportunity to come and raid my fridge.

Mom and dad worked until eight at night so I still had two hours for them to be home. I walked my way quietly to the front door and looked out the peephole. It was black like someone was covering it.

"Who is it?" I yelled through the door.

"Austin, who else would it be?" I could hear the smile in his voice.

I snapped the lock open and pulled the door out. Sure enough, it was Austin. I smiled and left him to put his coat up and lock the door. I was making nachos in the kitchen and I had to finish them. I grabbed the diced tomatoes from the fridge and sprinkled them on top. This was the prettiest dish of food I have ever made. I grinned realizing that it was also one of the only dishes of food I made all by myself.

"Hurry up! The commercials are over!" Austin yelled from the living room. Today was the premier for the newest season of The Walking Dead.

"Pause it then! I'm making pretty food," I shouted back at him. He groaned even though I heard the tv pause.

I picked up the giant platter of cheesy goodness and tip-toed my way to the living room. When he saw the nachos he cheered.

"Shhh! Yes, I have nachos. No need for the neighbours to call the cops," I scolded him and he quieted down. As soon as I put the plate down he grabbed the most loaded chip on it.

"That was supposed to be mine!" I huffed when he shoved it in his mouth. "I hate you," I muttered.

"Nah, you just hate that I ate your chip," he tried to smirk but his mouth was full of nacho. I snorted at him and he had to suppress a laugh to keep chewing. I snatched the remote and some chips and played the show.

We finished the nachos in record time and I was yelling and chuckling pillows at the tv again.

"No Rick! They're lying! Don't believe them," I shouted and threw another pillow. Austin was laughing at my outburst.

"He can't hear you," he told me when I ran out of pillows.

"I know but I can still try," I stood up and gathered my ammo, placing them back around me so I was ready to assault the television once again. He snatched one before I could object.

"I need some kind of a weapon if were going to keep trying to murder the tv," I grinned and I shook my head.

"I'm not trying to murder it. Only seriously damage it for being dumb," now it was his turn to shake his head.

"You know it's not the tv that chooses what happens," I sighed and rolled my eyes.

"I don't care. I need to take my anger out on something, otherwise I might just short circuit the thing. Pillows are better than lightning," I shrugged and faced the television. The show was now rolling credits and I stuck my tongue out at it. He snorted from beside me and I glared at him. He tried covering up his laughs but failed.

"They always end them like that," I picked up the empty platter and went to go dump it in the sink. Austin fell into step beside me.

"Yeah, they have to. Who is gonna watch the next show if the end of the previous show is boring?" I knew he was right but I didn't want him to be.

"Whatever. Anyways," I dragged out the 'any'. "What now?" I jumped to sit on the edge of the counter. He shrugged and jumped up to sit opposite to me. We had a fairly large kitchen. One big enough to have an island in the middle and still have lots of space to move around.

"Fine, we'll talk about school," I thought of a random topic.

"Alright. Anything new in your classes?"

"Nope." I popped the 'p' and then snapped my fingers. "But I did scare the absolute crap out of Natalie today!"

"Really? How?"

I laughed out loud thinking of her facial expression. "She pulled a knife on me in the empty music room and I turned the blade into a ball in her hands," I shrugged and shook my head nonchalantly.

"She pulled a knife on you!? That's serious matter Car! What if she does it again!?" He looked at me like I was dumb.

"If she tries it again she's asking for it. I won't be so kind as to just scare her next time," I scowled just thinking about her trying to stab me.

"There won't be a next time because we're going to the principle about this," he looked determined.

"No. We won't. I'm not giving her the satisfaction of thinking that she won by making me scared. This is between us. If I have to turn off the gravity beneath her feet then so be it," I dropped off the counter to glare at him. If looks could kill, he would have fallen to the ground dead.

"So what happens when she catches you off guard?" He questioned while raising his eyebrows and throwing his hands up.

"She won't, but if she does-" I picked up a knife faster then he could object and brought it up to my palm. "- I'll heal before she can blink," and to prove it, I traced the end of it down my hand before the wound closer itself back up.

"... You don't win this battle, but fine. I won't tell," he dropped off the counter and I plunked the knife in the sink. I grinned and ran over to hug him.

"Good. And by the way, by not telling it means I did win the battle," he took a second before he hugged me back. "Thanks," I stopped hugging him and smiled a bit. I was happy that he wasn't going to involve adults. I couldn't give her the satisfaction that I feared her and her dumb friends.

"You're welcome, I guess. Just promise me that you won't do anything to dumb," he gave me a pointed look because he knew that I probably would.

I grinned sheepishly before replying. "I'll try at least, and I'll tell you if she tries to do anything again," I wasn't lying when I said that.

"Who knows. Maybe my friends and I can get her to lay off," he shrugged and turned to go back to the living room. I followed.

"You're friends are on the football team I'm guessing?" I asked once he sat down.

He scoffed like I insulted him. "Those idiots? No. Hockey is the better sport. We're all on the hockey team, and we're just as intimidating as the football guys. Only cooler," he sounded so cocky that I almost cringed. Instead I punched him on the arm.

"Ow! What was that for?" He cried.

"For sounding like a cocky assh*le," I said it in a 'duh' tone.

"I'm not cocky. Just confident," he smirked. I raised my eyebrows and showed him my fist.

"Do you want another punch? Because you're really asking for it," he backed up as far as he could in the couch, which really was only, like, 30 centimetres away from where he originally was.

"You punch worse then the guys on the team do. I think I'm good," he looked a my balled hand warily, like it had rabies or something. I burst out laughing at him and nearly fell on the floor. His look of pure confusion only helped add to my uncontrollable laughing.

"You're such a baby!" I said between fits of laugher. He rolled his eyes and I giggled even more. I felt like I was on laughing gas. He scowled when he understood my words.

"I am not. You punch hard," he rubbed his sore arm to add to the effect.

"Whatever," I calmed down and just sat on the floor staring at the ceiling. "You're still a baby."

"Sure," I couldn't miss the sarcasm in his voice.

I was about to come up with a witty comeback when I bolted into a sitting position and strained to hear. I held a finger to Austin, telling him to shut it.

Outside, I could hear the sound of ticking. I paled. This wasn't good.