The Heartbreakers

Chapter 2

A/N: ⚠️ TRIGGER WARNING FOR MENTIONS OF DRUG USE!! ⚠️
   
    A pair of shoes clashed frantically with the concrete sidewalk below, wide baby blue eyes darting to and fro as the petite girl searched the area frantically. She wore a pale yellow and brown striped turtleneck sweater, keeping her warm despite the harsh sun beaming down upon her. Her hair was above shoulder length, having a fluffier texture with some curls on the ends. Her soft but wild hair was of a pale brown color, hugging her now puffed out lightly freckled cheeks. Her skin was of a tanner fair color, being speckled with very light brown freckles across her cheeks, nose, and slightly on her arms. Her eyes were a wide and light baby blue, being framed by round rose gold glasses. She had a tiny and curvy stature, making it harder for her to navigate through the thick crowds of bustling people in the city. Jean shorts hugged the area above her thighs, being slightly buried underneath the oversized sweater she wore. Her feet were protected by high top white converse, pretty yellow sunflowers being painted upon its snowy surface. The teen girl paused for a moment, her eyes still scanning the area warily as she seemed to be searching for something in a panic.
    Where could she be?! Oh please don't tell me she's off doing something bad again!
    The girl hopped on the spot anxiously before she zoomed off again, her enormous amounts of energy allowing her to gain a quicker pace. She eventually stopped to catch her breath, hands on her knees as she sucked in large breaths of air, before huffing it out in an exhausted manner. Her gaze trailed towards a dark alley, being clustered with dark coatings of shadows. She narrowed her eyes, finding a figure huddled near a dumpster. She couldn't quite make out who it was due to the immense darkness, but she figured she had to try.
    Oh no please don't tell me that it's you Faelyn!
    She gulped nervously, quietly and carefully approaching the shaking and curled up figure. She immediately noticed very messy and long, pale beige hair. The frail and small girl was pretty thin and her fair skin held a sickly hue to it. Her very light blue eyes were dull, and bags underneath her eyes indicated her lack of sleep. She sported an oversized white t-shirt, being sullied with splotches of various dirty stains. Her lips were dry, but what seemed to be drying vomit was trailed near her mouth and chin.
    The brown haired girl covered her mouth with a shaky gasp, immediately crouching down to help her dear friend, "Faelyn!! We talked about this! A-Are... Are you okay?! Can you hear me?!" The girl yelped in a frantic manner.
    "K-Kay..?" Faelyn asked in a very distant tone, showing she was still under some delusionary state.
    "Yes Faelyn, it's me, Kay. Now come on, we have to get you home! Nana Antha is waiting and she's probably worried sick! And she's probably going to give you the scolding of a lifetime," Kay worriedly muttered that last part more to herself, her weak arms trying to lift up the blonde haired girl.
    "Antha?" Faelyn asked, before she vomited on the spot, getting woozier as she swayed on her feet.
    Kay squirmed in queasiness at the sight, before her round eyes softened in on Faelyn, "Don't worry, I'm going to call Theo over to pick us up, okay? Antha is probably making her famous soup for dinner, so that should make you feel better," She explained in a kind and caring tone.
    Faelyn didn't answer, and so Kay sighed and rested her against the grimy wall gently. The brown haired girl fished out her phone from her pocket, before finding the mentioned male's contact. After ringing him up a few times, he finally answered.
    "Hello?"
    "Theo thank goodness!! Erm, do you think you could come pick us up? I found Faelyn," She asked kindly, biting her lip in anxiousness as she frantically glanced at the weakened female.
    "Of course! How is she?" Theo asked, rummaging noises from his end indicating that he was preparing himself to pick up the two girls.
    "Not good, at all." Silence from Theo's end radiated his thoughtful and worried demeanor. After a few heartbeats of pure silence, he huffed out a sigh.
    "Alright, what street are you near?"
    Kay poked her head from the darkness, searching the premises before catching sight of a familiar street name.
    "I'm near Cicero Street, we're in a pretty dark alleyway, so just pull up near the sidewalk and I'll let you know when I can see you," Kay explained, her voice still shaky due to the stress of the situation she was in.
    "Okay, I'm driving up there now, I'll see you in a bit, okay?" He asked in a soft tone.
    "O-Okay, see you Theo."
    After the line disconnected from his end, Kay crouched down next to the shaken up and weak female. Faelyn seemed as if she were on the verge of passing out, her breaths shallow and her eyes glassy with weakness. Kay soothingly caressed her arm, giving her a downpour of reassuring and comforting words. Kay and Faelyn have been through a lot together, them and their friend group. They were like a little and tight knit family that were super close. Kay, Faelyn, Theo, and the other occupants of their group were like a group of siblings who's bond could rarely break. They were there through thick and thin, thus making Kay view Faelyn as a sister. Recently, Faelyn has been participating in some rather... destructive behaviors. She has been getting herself involved with two individuals that supply her with drugs. Kay only knew one of them, she heard her name was Felicity. Kay and the others in her little group, especially Theo, have been trying to talk Faelyn out of her bad habits. However, no matter how many promises the female made, she always ended up going back to doing drugs with her two, rather toxic, friends. Kay gave Faelyn a sympathetic glance, understanding w h y she was doing this, but not really accepting it. Ever since that cursed incident, both of them have been on high alert and rather paranoid. Of course, Faelyn's way of coping with those horrible events were through drugs. Kay was a very positive and outgoing ball of sunshine, so she tried to turn her dear friend to better alternatives, like painting classes or various outdoor activities. However, it never really fed the blonde's desire to get away from the frantic thoughts and trauma that resulted from that horrible incident. Theo was very overprotective of who he deemed as his "little sisters", Kay and Faelyn included, so he was always on high alert and wanting to be sure of the females' whereabouts. Sometimes it could get a little annoying, but Kay understood his concerns and where he was coming from. He has a good heart, and he has been through a lot himself, having lost his parents and a childhood best friend of his. He blamed himself for both deaths, thus resulting in him becoming very loving and protective of the last loved ones he held onto. Kay was glad to have Theo in her life, for he was like the big brother she could turn to if trouble ever came her way. Kay smiled at this, her mind fluttering with positive thoughts as she felt safe once more, remembering her dear trusted friends and how she could turn to them for just about anything. She snapped out of her thoughts as she heard a car horn blaring for her attention. Her head snapped as she caught sight of a little black car, its window rolling down to reveal a smiling Theo. He had messy and slightly spiky dark brown hair, pale skin, and dark golden-amber eyes. He stepped out of the car, revealing his rather tall and pretty strong frame. He was wearing a simple black jacket, t-shirt, and pair of jeans, probably proving the fact that he left their humble abode in a rush.
    "Alright, let's get you two back home before nana Antha rips both of your heads off," Theo stated in a playful but slightly serious manner, his stronger frame helping to hoist Faelyn up.
He held her nimble and now unconscious form in his arms, before the two figures walked towards his car. Kay slipped into the backseat, allowing herself to be a comfortable source of support for the now asleep Faelyn. As the softly snoring figure leaned against her, the pale brown haired girl glanced out the window in an almost wistful manner. Theo started driving off, his own mind clustered with a slew of thoughts. After a long and silent drive, they approached a scenic but lovely little apartment within the heart of the city. Theo hopped out of the car first, helping Kay to support the asleep and weak Faelyn, before they led her to the apartment's glass doors. After a quick explanation towards the lady at the front desk, they headed towards the elevators. Theo and Kay navigated themselves through the many hallways, before Kay rapped on a rather familiar door. Immediately, it swung open, revealing an energetic female, about Kay and Faelyn's height, giving a relieved look towards the two.
"Hi Mimi, don't worry, Faelyn and Kay are alright," Theo explained with a soft smile, before he carried Faelyn inside and set her down gently on a slightly dirtied red couch.
"Thank god they are! I was starting to get really worried ya know?" She playfully asked, though she had that hint of concern in her voice. She had light chocolate brown hair that was waiver and frizzier along the ends, being slightly above cheek level. Her eyes were a round greenish-blue, being tinted with a rather strange hue of pink. Her skin was fair, and she sported a simple red jacket, jean shorts, and a white t-shirt with cute designs on them. Her frame was pretty slim.
"Hi Mimi! Don't worry, I'm fine!" Kay returned with that same energetic tone, radiating a bright smile, before it dimmed at the sight of Faelyn's sleeping form, "Though I'm obviously really worried for her.
Mimi frowned, before releasing her own sad and concerned sigh, "Me too, she's clearly not been in the right headspace for quite some time. I just feel kinda helpless you know? Like, I feel like I haven't been helping her as much as I should be."
Suddenly, both females jumped as a pair of hands placed themselves on their shoulders. They looked up to see Theo giving them a soft smile, "Hey, I wouldn't worry too much. You both are doing great, Faelyn loves you guys and it isn't your fault that this is happening."
Both females smiled gratefully up at the taller male, before he pulled them into a rather tight hug. He easily lifted the much tinier females up, earning a collective round of gasps and giggles from the two.
"Oof alright alright I'm losing my breath here!" Mimi playfully gasped out as she squirmed.
"Yeah, hahaha, come on Theo," Kay spluttered in between giggles.
"Nope, not yet," Theo stated playfully, hugging them even tighter and causing both the girls to close their eyes as they were nearly being suffocated.
"Come on Theo, put them down," A stern old voice called playfully, revealing a shorter and plump woman wearing a red patterned dress and apron, wavering a wooden spoon dripping with stew. Her face was framed by coily grey, dark grey, and very pale grey dreadlocks, her skin a pecan tone. Her eyes were dark, glimmering with amusement as she held a smirk on her face.
Theo gasped dramatically, letting both the girls fall to the floor with a huffing sound, "Oh no, not the spoon!" He placed the back of his hand on his head in a dramatic gesture, before he let out a slew of soft chuckles.
The old woman rolled her eyes in amusement, before she walked over to the three figures with her hands on her hips, "Now would you mind telling me what this is all about?!" She motioned the stained spoon in Faelyn's direction.
The three of them nervously laughed, before the two girls mischievously darted their eyes up to Theo in an accusatory manner. Theo glared down at them with a teasing smile, before he turned to the old woman in a cool manner.
"Kay found her, so she can explain," Theo moved to the side, revealing the mentioned female, who was now nervously grinning at the elderly woman.
"Oh hi Antha," Kay stated with a bright and innocent smile.
"You girls are all cute kids, but don't think that's gonna fool me," Antha stated in a stern tone, wavering the wooden spoon threateningly in Kay's face.
"Aw, I'm not cute?" Theo opened his arms out in a questioning manner, holding a playful grin on his face.
"You're tolerable," Was all Antha said as she pinched Theo's arm, before she turned back to Kay, "Now tell me what this is all about."
Kay sighed sadly, looking down as she fiddled with her hands nervously, "I... I found Faelyn drugged up in an alleyway again."
"What?! Oh for the love of everything!" Antha growled, mumbling to herself in frustration before pointing the tip of the spoon she held at a close proximity of the three faces in order from Kay to Mimi to Theo, "Y'all better keep a close eye on her, because I'm not having this happen again."
"Yes nana!" The three said in a panicked unison, glancing at the weapon she held at hand with caution.
"Good, oh and by the way Mimi, thank you for paying a visit. How's your gramma doing honey?" She softened her tone as she smiled sweetly at the now shaken up girl.
"My grandma's fine nana! My parents left for work again though so she'll be watching me for the time being again," Mimi explained with a nervous giggle, rubbing the back of her head.
"Oh lovely, tell your gramma to come by with you next time for some of my famous stew, m'kay? I miss that woman," Antha sighed dramatically, lightly bopping Mimi's head with her spoon and earning a nervous wince from the girl, "And don't forget to bring that boyfriend of yours too."
"Boyfriend?!" Mimi, Theo, and Kay collectively shouted in shocked unison.
"Aw come on, you know, that one that's overseas right now? I know you both got the lovey dovey eyes for each other," Antha playfully teased, earning a blush to dust across Mimi's face.
"I... I-I.." She stammered, her face heating up more by the second.
Kay was giggling into her hand, a bright and teasing expression on her face. Meanwhile, Theo was crossing his arms and frowning down on Mimi, looking like a stern dad.
"Woah okay there papa bear," Antha teased, patting Theo's arm with a playful expression. Theo definitely earned the title of the big brother of the group. If he hears about any sort of love life involving his little sisters, he will jump in and make sure no harm is coming their way.
"I-I'm going to go see if Allie and Kara have swung by yet," Mimi responded, her face still flushed as she made quick strides towards the door.
Antha chuckled, before she turned to Theo and Kay with a stern expression, "Now you two are helping me finish up fixing supper. I put a lot of hard work and love into my cooking and sometimes I can't do it all by myself," She stated, before holding her wooden spoon in her mouth and using her two free hands to drag the figures to the kitchen.
Kay smiled, chopping up some vegetables alongside Theo as her mind wandered off once more. Antha took in Kay and Faelyn after their incident, finding them wandering the streets after they ran away from foster care. Antha fought to keep them in her custody, and her stubborn but strong attitude helped her to win. She was a kind, wise, caring, but rather stern old woman that took in stray teens and children under her care. Theo, Mimi, and the two mentioned females, Allie and Kara, either visited or stayed with Antha under her care. They were, again, just a tight knit and rather happy family. Theo stayed here more often, not having any parents and avoiding his old home due to the fatal death of his dear childhood best friend. Allie and Kara both came from rather harsh backgrounds, often finding themselves living under Antha's roof when needed. Mimi's parents left often for work, leaving her grandmother to care for her. However, her grandma couldn't always be there, so Mimi turned to living with Antha whenever she didn't feel safe enough to be home alone. Or, Mimi just wanted some company, and often visited since this was like her second family. This small group of six were very close, having known each other since their childhoods. They, of course, had more additions to their group, causing their tight knit family to be somewhat chaotic but loveable. Kay smiled at the thought of this, before she gently passed Antha the wooden board of now minced veggies. Antha gratefully took them, humming a tune as she swayed her hips in a rhythmic manner and used her spoon to wipe the vegetables into the steaming pot. Suddenly, the sound of the door opening rang out throughout the room once more, indicating the arrival of Allie and Kara.
"Man it smells good in here!" Allie exclaimed in a bubbly manner, a bright smile on her face. Allie had kinky and fluffy black hair that was tipped with the slightest hints of blue. Her hair was above shoulder length and more near her chin. Her skin was of a caramel tone, and her eyes were wide and green with hues of blue. She wore a cream hoodie and simple jean shorts and sneakers. She was of a pretty short stature as well, standing at a familiar height to Kay, Faelyn, and Mimi. Allie had a curvy stature similar to Kay's.
"I'm taking it, Antha is making her famous soup again?" Kara asked with a wide grin. She had a darker olive skin tone and silvery-blue eyes. Her dark brown hair was pulled up into a somewhat neat bun. She wore a white, dark blue bordered t-shirt, patterned jeans, and black combat boots. She was slightly above average height and held a slender frame. A black bomber jacket was keeping her warm, and she sidled out of it and threw it in a random direction.
"Oh you bet I am!" Antha called from where she was stirring the soup.
"Allie!! Kara!! It's so good to see you guys!" Kay called, bounding over to them in an energetic manner before hugging the both of them.
"It's good to see yo-.... Hey, what happened with Faelyn?" Allie asked with a now concerned frown.
"Oh.. um... we found her like t h a t again," Kay stated softly, looking down with a saddened expression.
"Oh no," Kara said with a frown, crouching down near Faelyn and brushing aside some of her dirtied and wild hair.
Theo scooped up Kara and Allie in an instant, spinning them around with a mischievous chuckle before setting them down and ruffling their heads.
"Theo!" Kara scolded the male, placing her hands on her hips with a frown.
"What?" He asked with a goofy grin, before he high fived Allie with a round of giggles.
"It's good to see you too Theo!" Allie chirped.
Kay chuckled alongside Mimi, who both watched Kara's grumpy expression with playful mischief. Suddenly, they yelped as they too were flung into the air before their hair was also messed up.
"Gotcha guys too," Theo teased, before walking away in a cool manner.
"Hey! Get back here!" Mimi yelled before giving into some giggles and chasing after him.
Kay giggled, about to bound after them before her head perked up at the sight of Faelyn groaning and shuffling around. Immediately, everyone, including Antha circled around the weakened female. The blonde fluttered her eyes open, before gasping and shuffling back at the sight of the crowd around her.
"Wha-What happened?!" She frantically looked around.
"Don't worry, you're alright, it's just us," Kay stated softly, giving her a bright and innocent smile.
Antha immediately came up to Faelyn, pushing her way through the crowd, before lightly wacking her spoon on her head.
"Ow!" Faelyn rubbed the spot on her head, before narrowing her eyes in on Antha, "What was that for?!"
"For being irresponsible! Now go get cleaned up, you're a mess!" Antha scolded in that scary motherly tone of hers.
"Fine fine," Faelyn grumbled, slowly making her way to a room that supposedly held a bathroom and option of clothing for her. After abruptly slamming the door, Antha sighed, rubbing the bridge of her nose in stress.
"I don't know what I'm going to do with that girl," Antha mumbled under her breath, before making her way to the kitchen.
Everyone sat in a silent stillness after that, contemplating the situation at hand. The only sound that could be heard was Antha's bubbling soup and her rhythmic humming. After a long while of waiting, Faelyn came out, seemingly in a sour mood. She wore a very oversized black and white hoodie, accompanied by shorts that could barely be seen. Her hair was damp and wild from the shower she took, and she gripped onto a comb.
"Somebody wanna comb my hair?" She asked with a toothy grin, her dark mood going down suddenly as she michesviously waved the brush in the air.
"Uh uh, not me!" Mimi playfully called out.
Kara sighed, before beckoning Faelyn to seat herself near her lap, "Alright come on, I'll comb through your hair."
Faelyn grinned in victory, before trudging up to Kara and plopping herself near her legs. Kara scrunched up her face in distaste as she began brushing through the knots in her hair.
"Augh Faelyn how do you have all this gunk in your hair?!" Kara cried distastefully, continuing to tackle the nest that was her untamed hair.
Faelyn merely shrugged with a smug smile, closing her eyes and leaning back as she allowed Kara to tug at her hair. Kara was the mom friend of the group, despite Theo being the ultimate big brother and dad friend. She was always the one brushing the other girls' hair, giving them the best advice, and being really sweet and caring towards them. She was also more mature, with Faelyn being the mischievous and quite angry one, and Kay, Mimi, and Allie being the very playful and childish ones. Overall, the other girls, Kay included, were very chaotic. Kara was thankfully always there to set an example, but would also be scolded by Theo since he was the oldest. Kara couldn't deny it, she could have her fair share of immaturity too. Kay smiled brightly, before plopping down on the couch in between Mimi and Allie, who were both very attentive towards the TV. Theo had wandered off to the kitchen in order to help Antha finish up their dinner. After a long while, Kara had finished up Faelyn's hair brushing rather dramatically, leaving the smug female to seat herself besides Mimi. After Kara had tossed away a rather large ball of hair, she sighed and laid back next to Allie. The five females lazily watched TV, taking the moment to relax and enjoy one of their last few days of summer vacation.
"Dinner's ready!" Antha called from the kitchen, loudly banging her wooden spoon against the pot to alert everyone.
The females bolted from the couch immediately in anticipation of consuming Antha's famous stew, leaving Theo to chuckle in amusement. Antha swiftly poured them all little bowls of soup, and they gratefully took the steaming broths to their table. After they had all taken their respective seats, they all gobbled down immediately despite how hot the food was.
"Ow! My tongue!" Faelyn said as she stuck out her injured tongue, the scathing liquid causing her taste buds to sting.
Everyone laughed and giggled at the state of the blonde haired female, who grumpily pouted as a response.
"That's what you get for going out and being all irresponsible again honey, now be patient and wait for it to cool down before you burn your whole tongue off," Antha explained, wavering her spoon in a teasing manner before her tone turned more motherly.
Faelyn huffed, earning more soft chuckles as a response. After a bit, live chatter circulated around the table as the group continued about their usual shenanigans. They laughed, they gossiped, they relished in the happy and relieving conversations they had, all while enjoying Antha's favorite stew. Life was good, and Kay smiled brightly at this, her optimistic mindset focusing only on the happy commotion within the crammed dining room.
    But what she didn't know was there were a pair of magenta eyes curiously watching from down below, a dark smirk on her face. The tall and hooded figure pulled out a phone, dialing a number before she pressed it up to her ear.
    "Hello? Yes, I found our targets."

A/N: I finally introduced my babies! :D I love this little group so much, and hopefully you all enjoy their dynamic too :)