Then You Look At Me |COMPLETED|

Once And For All

~You know you're not alone, don't be alarmed. I'll find you no matter where you are.~ Poets of the Fall.

Chapter Theme Song: 'All the Way / 4U' by Poets of the Fall.

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Third-person Pov

Rainey woke up to find Ansel's side of the bed empty. Last night he had embraced her tightly as if she would be gone in the morning, his lips pressed to her neck while his arm draped around her. It was one of the best nights of sleep she has had in a while, though the thoughts of her leaving were still rampant in her head.

The day has dawned bright and clear, hot rays of sun pouring through the open window. Riley is still fast asleep on Alex's bed; her mouth agape as unladylike snores pass through them. Rainey fights the urge to laugh at her best friend while she gets up, sauntering over to the window and pulling back the dove-grey curtains.

She peruses the awakened neighborhood that is now lit with a soft orange hue and a rush of early-morning activities. Lawn mowing, kids playing, car washing; the normal day-to-day activities that bring a neighborhood alive. Rainey feels a tinge of bitterness. In just a few days, she will not be able to experience this delightful scenery anymore. Her dad claims she will be back soon, but how long is soon? She fears that this whole ordeal with Ron Moretto will not die down and she'd end up being stuck far away from here, unable to return to this city for a long time. Sighing, she quickly strides to the bathroom to brush her teeth and wash her face.

She leaves the room and makes her way out into the hall. From the top of the staircase, she sights the brothers sitting in the living room. Two guys are seated in front of them, and instantly, Rainey makes out the two familiar faces.

Ken and Joe. The two guys Ansel fought with on the first night he visited her house.

Why are they here? Curious about their visit, Rainey quietly descends the stairs in an act of eavesdropping. She stops on the final stairs, cringing as the old board creaks beneath her socks. She stiffens but sighs in relief when she realizes they are still oblivious to her presence.

"Didn't Ansel beat both your asses the other day?" Alaric motions a finger between the two boys while splaying an arm over the couch. "And a female somehow managed to hit one of you in the head with a rock, yet you guys keep coming back for more, are you addicted to pain?"

Aiden chuckles as he fires up a joint.

"If you're here about the money you claim I owe you, it makes no sense, you're not getting it."

Ken and Joe are a part of their own nameless mini gang and have known the brothers for quite a long time. The small disagreement between them and Alaric is because Ken had purchased drugs from him but claimed to not have received his rightful change. That was not the case since at the time Alaric had raised the price of it without his knowledge. Ken deemed it unfair that he wasn't notified of the inflation and has been demanding his rightful amount ever since.

"You claimed your boss was going to take this up in hand, why isn't he here yet? We've been waiting for weeks." Arden raises a brow, taking a bite out of his cracker before sipping his milo tea.

"I didn't tell my boss anything," Ken says. "And I am not here about the money."

Ansel narrows his eyes. "Then what are you here for?"

"We are here because we heard." Joe shrugs.

Alex squints his eyes. "You heard?"

"You can't just say 'you heard' and expect us to know what you're talking about. We can't read minds and we don't have superpowers—ouch, shit that's hot." Arden winces, blowing over the chocolate liquid before taking a cautious slurp.