𝐟𝙪𝐥𝐥 𝙘𝙝𝙖𝙧𝙜𝙚 ┃ 𝐥𝙪𝒌𝙚 𝐩𝙖𝒕𝒕𝙚𝙧𝙨𝞸𝙣

Chapter 5

We've been here three weeks, and our instruments got delivered two days ago. Pulling my guitar out of its case for the first time in three years is the best feeling I'm gonna have since all this crap started. Luke still hasn't seen it, I want to show him but I'm too afraid to open the case.

"Anne! Come on! We're going to play!" Kota yells up the stairs. The guys ask us to play with them, and I've yet to say yes, but I promised I would play today. I bring the case with me, and head to the studio, as we now call it.

"Ooo! Looky there!" Reggie grins at the sight of me with a guitar.

"Are you ready?" Kota asks me. I nod. I haven't opened this since Dad died, to be honest. I slowly unlock the multiple clasps, each one making my heart go a little faster. Finally getting my hands on the lid, I look at him.

"I haven't opened this since he died."

"I know."

Luke kneels next to me, and puts a hand on it.
"Together." He tells me.

Each of the guys has kinda grown attached to one of us. Luke and I are together 99% of the time. Reggie and Ben both really enjoy legos, and Alex and Kota both really love Marvel.

"One, Two, Three." He helps me open it, and there lays my dads guitar.

"Gnarly guitar! No wonder you could shred on mine!" He gasps.

This ones like his, but older, and lighter. I smile at it, remembering all the pictures of Dad playing with it.

"What I wouldn't do to get into that cute head of yours again." Luke whispers, probably thinking I don't hear him. I slowly look up, and those big hazel puppy eyes are staring into mine.

"Can we play?" I ask.

"Absolutely."

I pull it out, moving to the piano to tune it. Tuners are for the weak.

E. A. D. G. B. E.

I tune it just the way he taught me, not sparing a glance at the four sets of eyes trained on me. I do a quick strum test, and notice one still off. Tuning it by ear the rest of the way, I strum again and it sounds perfect.

"I forgot you could tune by ear, Sparky." Kota notes, bringing up my old nickname from Dad. As a kid I had a history of being obsessed with his amp. I couldn't figure out how it worked, but I knew the name on it was Spark, so I called it Sparky, got the nickname, and it stayed with me.

"It's been a while."

"Tune me!" Reggie thrusts his base into my hand. I roll my eyes, hit E A D G an octive lower, and tune it quick, finishing again by ear.

"She's good!" He whispers to Alex, who rolls his eyes.

"Let's play, Reginald, you had all day to tune that."

We end up playing a couple of songs, before Luke waves to stop us.

"You know any riffs?" He asks me.
I think hard

"Uhhh, I know part of the rift in Heartbreaker by Pat Benatar." I have to think hard of who it's by.

We end up playing it, he and I going back and forth on the rifts.

"You crushed it!" He grins, and I smile back. Playing on this guitar is a lot easier than on his.

"Kids! Dinner!" Mom yells from the house.

We all head in, including the three boys. They sit with us at dinner and talk, often telling us crazy stories of their band days, sometimes talking about the band they made with the girl that used to live here. Julie. It's definitely a soft spot for Luke, so they don't talk about it much.

"Luke! You did not!" Mom scolds him after he tells her he once tried to get out of a detention by singing  I will Always Love You by Whitney Huston to his teacher.
"Yeah, I did." He grins. "It didn't work."

He's such a goon.

"Your such a goon Luke." I laugh. He looks at me, confused, then looks at Alex.

"Don't know what that one means, not in my lingo." Alex tells him.

"It's a hockey term. It's the screwball on the team, they either start fights or they make everyone laugh." I explain.

"You think I'm a fighter?" He smirks at me.

"Wouldn't shock me." I shrug.

We all laugh, and Reggie breaks into some story about how in the third grade he and Alex used to pick on Luke because he was scrawny, but then that backfired once they got into high school because Luke worked out and was the strongest of the three of them.

I've noticed that. Definitely noticed his biceps. Lucky him, he doesn't even have to work at them anymore.

"Hey, you ok?" Alex asks me, noticing I'm quiet.

"Yeah, just got a weird feeling." I tell him. He nods, and shares a concerned look with Luke.

That night I wake up at 1:39 am to screaming downstairs. Luke and Alex had both been nervous about what I had said, and had talked her into letting Luke stay in my room on the floor and Alex in Kota's room. Reggie normally ends up in Ben's room anyways, they're best friends.

"You left me!" I hear the muffled yell of a voice that sends terror through me.

"KOTA! HE FOUND US!" I scream, bolting out of bed and scaring the absolute hell out of Luke. Kota and I get out of our doors at the same time, and Ben opens his not two seconds later. I chuck him my phone.
"Call 911!"

I bolt downstairs, Kota hot on my heels.

"Oh, the b!tch and the boy are back." Tony sneers, holding my mom in a chokehold. My heart feels like it's being squeezed.

That's when I notice Reggie sneak behind him, and raise his eyebrows, and I know what to do. I close my eyes, reach a hand out, and pretend to use the force. Reggie puts enough effort in to move the blanket from the couch, and slam it down over Tony's head, causing him to let go of Mom. I pull her away, and then charge Tony, arm back ready to punch.

A fistfight ensues, and there's not much the boys can do except do as much scary crap as they can come up with to distract him. I see flashing lights and know the cops are at the front door. As I hear it open, and footsteps rushing in, I watch him pull his fist back to hit me.

"I dare you." I hiss.

And right in front of three armed cops, the idiot punches a minor.

As soon as he makes contact with me, Luke yanks the rug out from under his feet, causing him to pitch forwards. I duck out of the way, and he faceplants, right in front of the cops.

"Sir, you are under arrest."

The words I've always wanted to hear.