Past days
Authors note: sorry guys it's been so long since I last updated. I had so much going on and I still do. I recently had surgery, my cousins baby shower, and I still have to read 4 books for a summer reading program. Yeah, sucks. Anyway, I want to thank twilightwonderer for leaving me another review. Thanks for the comment about school. So glad it's over but what really sucks is when I go to high school, I have to take algebra 1 over again. I'm also glad your enjoying the story. I hope you stick along for the surprise at the end.
Enjoy!
This chapter is dedicated to twilightwonderer again! :)
Chapter 7: The Party
The question danced at the tip of Erin's tongue. She was worried of how hank would reply. This could mean a new sign of making new friends or possibly gain popularity, which was something that didn't come easy in her old school nor would it in this one.
It was easy. All she had to do was ask the question. A simple yes or no. Erin had to work up the courage first. Hank was very over protective and she wasn't sure what his reaction would be. She hadn't realized that she was digging at her plate of food, but of course Hank sure had.
"Hey Erin, if you have something to say all you have to do is say it."
Erin looked up stunned. How did Hank know? Dumb question, he always knows. After all he is the police. Her words came up mumbled at first but got clearer the more she spoke.
"Uh...well...my friend invited me to go to this party tonight around 8 and I was wondering if..."
Erin was barely able to finish her sentence before Hank cut in.
"No."
"No?" Erin half stated half asked stunned. I mean she expected him to say no but it sounded cold and harsh.
"Yes, no."
"But Hank I..."
Camille already knew where this was going and she didn't want Justin in the middle of it.
"Are you done with your dinner Justin?"
"Yes."
Camille took his plate then handed him a Popsicle.
"Go eat this in your room ok?"
The little boy nodded his head then rushed up the stairs. Camille now had her full attention on Hank and Erin.
"Erin as badly as you want to go, I know what these party's are like and they are not good. Your not going."
"Camille?" Erin asked but partly whined.
"Now hold on Hank, I think Erin should go."
"You do?!" Hank and Erin both said stunned at the same time, Erin a little more excited and hopefull.
"I think it would give Erin the chance to possibly make new friends and take the stress off from school. All we do is set ground rules."
Hank looked at Camille then Erin. He knew there would be no getting past this women, And the other that sat next to him. Once she made up her mind, that was it. It went her way. Besides Hank was too afraid to speak past her. He sighed.
"Fine."
"I can go?"
"Yes you can go But I'm setting rules. No drinking At all."
"Got it."
"The party starts at 8 so I want you back in this house by 10. No later.
Understand?"
"Yes! Thankyou guys so much."
Erin was honestly thrilled that Hank gave in. She got up and cleaned her dish off before rushing upstairs to prepare for the night ahead.
"What did we just agree to?"
"Some time to let her be a regular teenage girl."
Her closet was a mess. Things were piled high or scattered everywhere. Erin always meant to clean it but got to caught up in other activities. She'd better get to it soon or else Hank would be all over her, which Erin didn't enjoy.
A red top appeared near the beginning of the pile. Erin grabbed it along with leggings that were close by. She finished off with a jean jacket and brown stylish boots that stopped just below the knee. Erin checked out her hair in the mirror. She took out the ponytail she wore earlier and shook it around. She always had these curls at the end of her hair which popped out. Probably only because she had blonde hair mixed with a tint of brown and green eyes.
Erin plopped on her bed and checked her phone. The clock read 7:45 pm. When she told Simon she could go he texted back he'd be there to pick her up around 7:50. Erin leaned back against her pillows. Her eyes immediately fell on the pictures of her and Teddy. She really missed him. She was so focused on the pictures that she didn't even hear Hank calling her.
"Erin!"
"Erin!"
"Yeah Hank?"
"There's someone outside for you."
"Ok I'll be right down."
Erin took another look herself in the mirror. After deciding she looked fine she rushed down the stairs.
"Bye Hank."
"I'm coming outside to meet your ride."
Erin froze in horror.
"Please don't embarrass me."
"I'm not, I just want to meet your ride like any other concerned parent." Hank half joked, half serious.
"Hank." Camille said firmly all the way from the kitchen.
He could practically see the stern look on her face from where he was standing. It almost made both Erin and him cringe.
"Fine go ahead but remember to be home by 10. No later Erin."
"I know."
Erin walked outside to the sight of a truck. It reminded her of a country looking truck but it looked newer and was minty green. Erin got in the passenger side then buckled up. Simon had the biggest grin on his face.
"What?"
"Nothing. Just glad you were able to come. Would have been totally boring without you."
"Yeah it really would've."
Simon and Erin bother laughed at the comment.
"So where are we going?"
"To a party." Simon said being slick.
"I know that, I meant where's the house?"
"It's only a couple streets over from where you live."
Simon was right. The house was only 6 streets up from where the voight's lived. Turning onto the street, all you could hear was loud music blasting. The closer they got to the house, the louder it got. Erin could barely hear what Simon had said.
"What did you say?" Erin yelled.
"I said are you ready?"
"Yeah, let's go."
The house was a bunch of different mixes of both grays and blues. The huge glass windows in the front made the colors really pop out, yet it also made the huge crowd in the house stand out as well. There were people on both the inside and outside of the house making it hard to get inside. Simon lead Erin all the way upstairs and into a room that had 3 other people.
"Ok guys, this is Erin. Erin this is Tatum the math wizard."
"Hello."
" Rob, the younger brother of Craig who is throwing the party."
"Hi and I don't think she wanted to know that."
"Oh and Jen, the girl we let hang out with us."
"You mean We let YOU hang out with US."
Jen threw the closest thing she could find, which was a soft cover book of poems, and threw it at Simon. The book missed him by a couple inches then hit the door. Simon burst out laughing.
"Nice aim!"
"I meant to do that. Anyway it's very nice to meet you Erin."
"It's nice to meet you guys too."
Erin sat down in the desk chair while Simon plopped down on the floor. Everyone else were already on the bed.
"So Erin,"Tatum chimed in.
"How did you and Simon meet?"
"I was almost caught up in a swarm of senior students. He sorta just yanked me to the side. After that we just kinda became friends."
"How did he get caught up with a bunch of cool people?"
It took Simon a minute but he eventually realized what Erin was saying.
"Hey!"
Simon playfully nudged Erin in the side which she responded back with a sly grin.
"Man you really found a great one." Jen tried to say seriously but was still laughing from the joke Erin made and Simon's stupidity of not catching on right away.
"Well Rob and Simon's moms were best friends since grade school. So Rob and Simon have been friends since before birth. Tatum over here found Simon cheating off her math test one day back in the 6th grade. She became friends with him and Rob. I was Tatum's best friend. So we eventually became a group."
"What about you, Got any other friends besides Simon?"
"Well only one, but she doesn't go to this school. So no."
"Well feel free to Hang out with us anytime. Anyone that can make a good laughable insult out of Simon is a friend of mine."
Jen reached for a beer on the side of the bed.
"Anyone want one?"
"No I'm good," said Tatum.
"Anyone else?"
"I'll take one." Rob peeped up.
"Me too."
Jen handed two bottles to Rob. Rob took one then passed the other to Simon.
"Erin?"
"I can't."
"Why not?"
"My uh...guardian said I'm not allowed to drink tonight and trust me when I say I'd be grounded big time if he found out."
"Guardian?"
"It's a very long story I would rather not discuss until I'm ready."
"It's fine we totally get it."
Erin felt as if she had won the jackpot. She never had friends, besides Annie, who would tell her that. They would always just want to know the big juicy gossip. Then it would get spread around the school faster then someone shooting a bullet. Erin just couldn't have the truth about her spread out like that. The truth could hurt. Erin knew it.
Everyone talked for a while. It was very calming even though there was a huge party going on around them. Erin eventually went to use the bathroom. When she came out the first thing she saw was the clock on the wall that read 10:15 pm. Erin started to panick. Hank told her to be in the house by 10 and no later. She would be in so much trouble. Erin panicked more when she realized Simon was too drunk to drive her home and Jen and Tatum had left almost 15 minutes ago. She said goodbye to Rob then, or at least tried to, rushed out the house. It took a good 5-10 minutes just getting past everyone in the house. That moment was the wort luck ever because right as Erin finally stepped out the door, this drunk kid was squeezing beer like rain from a hole in the can. It drenched Erin completely. She was too worried about the time to stop and realize what Hank would say about the smell.
Erin was a couple houses down from the party when a car pulled beside her.
"Need a ride?"
Erin got a little closer and noticed it was Jen and Tatum.
"I thought you guys left already."
"We were, but we got distracted by some of these cute guys. Do you want a ride home?"
"Do you mind?"
"Nope, hop in."
Erin got in the back then told them the address.
"That's not too far from here."
"Yeah, but I am so grounded because I was suppose to be home by 10."
"Yikes."
"Yeah."
"Wait a second. Isn't that were Hank voight lives?"
"Um...Yeah why?"
"Everyone knows about him. Some say he's a dirty cop. At least that's what tatum's dad says who works at the same district."
"No. He's a really nice guy. You just have to get to know him at first. By know him I mean warm up to him."
*FLASHBACK*
The night air was cool. It hit Erin's face which seemed to make it redder, but she didn't care. She liked the cold feeling it left, especially after coming down off a high. There was a small convenience store not far up ahead. Her freezing hand slipped into her pocket and pulled out all the change she had. 58 cents. Her stomach growled as hard as it could. She hadn't eaten since yesterday morning and the best 58 cents could buy was a pack of gum. She shoved the change back in her pocket. It was quite a cold night in Chicago. Even if it was in the middle of November. Erin had a light hoodie on with a tank top and sweatpants. The only thing keeping her really warm were her winter boots. Everything else was just keeping her from totally freezing to death. The warm air of the convenience store hit Erin in a big wave. It felt so nice that she almost lost what she came here for. She made sure that her hood was pulled all the way over her head so her face wasn't that noticeable. She walked over to the very last aisle and walked all the way down to where there were no cameras. Erin quickly glanced up. There was a teenager covering the night shift. He was focusing really hard on his comic book so he most likely wouldn't be able to see Erin slip anything into her pocket. She quickly snatched a can of tuna and shoved in her boot. The boy glanced up to check on her. To make it look like nothing suspicious she grabbed a can of some sort, got back up, and then scanned it. He decided there was nothing too unusual about her so he went back to reading. Erin did this with a few more items. The last thing she saw was a pack of gum. The sign below it read:
"60 cents."
Geez, she couldn't even afford a small pack of gum. Erin quitly took a pack then shoved it up her sleeve. The clerk looked up just in time to see it.
"Hey!"
Erin made a dash for the door. As soon as she hit it someone stood in her way.
"Going somewhere?"
She had heard that voice before. She looked up at the guy. She knew him. It was the same guy that gave her his card not too long ago. Uh..Hank...Hank voight. Definitely him.
"That girl was shoplifting."
"Give him back what you stole."
Erin sighed. She handed the pack of gum back to the clerk. Pulled the can of tuna out of her boot. The snowballs she had in the other. She took out the package of gummy worms she shoved in her hoodie pocket. Then she took out the small bottle of water she stuffed in her hood.
"That's it."
"You were going to steal all that?"
Erin didn't say anything. She knew the wrong thing could slip out, and that would be bad considering he's a police officer.
"Alright turn around."
"Your going to arrest me?!" Erin asked a little stunned.
"You did attempt to steal stuff. So technically yeah I have to bring you in. Turn around."
Erin stared at the man in complete resentment. He didn't know what it was like to go hungry. He probably had a wife that cooked for him every single night when he came home from work. Maybe even children to play and take care of. While Erin fought to survive. She turned around and he cuffed her. He cuffed her to the point of no escaping but left room so they wouldn't hurt her wrists. Erin could feel the difference. She had been arrested one other time and they didn't go easy on her. The cop cuffed her as tight as he could. Her wrists were sore for about a week after that. Hank read Erin her rights, even though he knew she wouldn't need them, then introduced her to his partner. More or less said his name.
"Alvin do me a favor, put her in the back but don't call it in."
Alvin nodded his head as an ok. Hank then whispered something that Erin wasn't able to hear. The police officers locked eyes for a few seconds then Hank walked back into the store.
"Alright let's go."
He directed Erin over to the squad car.
"Watch your head."
Erin ducked a little more then sat down, which wasn't easy while being cuffed.
Alvin slammed the door then got in the passenger side. A couple minutes went by before he broke the silence.
"What's your name?"
To Erin, his voice was soft and calming the way he spoke but even the most gentle of people can be the most untrustworthy. Erin cautionly told him which he noted.
"Erin."
"I'm Alvin Olinsky."
"So what were you up to in there?"
This had to be a joke, right? Hank should have told him. In fact that's probably what he whispered in his ear.
"Shoplifting apparently."
"Food?"
"What else would I shoplift in there, the clerk?"
"We're you hungry?"
That was such an understatement. She was starving. Her stomach stopped growling and just eventually started to hurt. She got so distracted with trying to steal the food she hardly noticed.
"It's none of your business."
The conversation dropped after that. 5 minutes later Hank hopped into the car and handed a full bag to his parter.
"Hold on to it."
Alvin nodded, then Hank started off for the precinct. It was about a 20 minute drive from the convenience store. Hank lead Erin up the front steps with Alvin in tow carring the bag. The air inside was warm yet cool at the same time. There was a lady at the front desk who greeted the two police officers.
"Hank, Alvin."
"Trudy."
The women eyed Erin for a good minute then went back to what she was doing.
"Alvin just take her up ahead."
"Trudy, she's going to be here all night but in the morning when she wakes up just let her out ok."
"Of course yeah."
Hank patted her on the shoulder then followed in the direction Alvin had gone. Hank had uncuffed Erin then put her in the second cell.
"Alvin can you give us a second."
"Yup."
Alvin walked out of the room leaving only her and Hank.
"Listen kid, I'm serious about you calling this card. If you get into any trouble or decide you want out I'll be there. But you have to call."
He pulled a card from his pocket and handed it to her. It was the same one he gave her in the alley. She reluctantly took it from him. Hank handed her the bag he had gotten from the store. She grabbed it and looked inside. It was loaded with different food and drinks. She looked up at him.
"What do I owe you?"
"Nothing."
With that Hank got up and walked out of the room. Erin just couldn't understand why he was doing this for her. Nobody's ever done anything like it before.
Offered help.
He had just handed her a card and basically told her it's a free ride. Erin was scared though of what would happen if she did call him. Where would she go? So many questions with so little answers. Erin shoved the second card Hank had gave her in her hoodie pocket. If only he was aware of the first card he had given her laying under the coat of change in her sweatpants pocket.
*END OF FLASHBACK*
Hank really was a sweet guy. He had many coats surrounding it but if you hit or dug deep enough you'd find it.
"Is this it?"
"Yes and thankyou guys so so much."
"It's no problem, and Goodluck."
"Thanks."
Erin got out of the car and slowly made her way to the front door. She waved goodbye to Tatum and Jen before grabbing the door handle. She just prayed that Hank wasn't up. She started to turn the handle and...
Ok guys, I'm sorry about the ending. ^^
I know this isn't the greatest in the world but it's then best update I could do with everything I have going on hoped you liked it! Feel free to leave anything you want to see or just some ideas. It could help. Also, tell me what you think of the flashback. XD
