One week. One whole stupid week. One long, horrible, torturous, never-ending week. Seven days. 168 hours. 10,080 minutes. 1,008,000 seconds of my life that I'd completely wasted in Shane Gray's company. And sadly, it wasn't even close to being over. I still had 3,024,000 seconds left to go before my time as Shane's slave would finally be over, and I would be free.
Free. I breathed a sigh of relief at the thought that there was a light at the end of the tunnel for me, and if I could just hang in there for another three weeks, then Shane and I could go our separate ways and I wouldn't have to worry about him suing me any longer. Oh, to be free to live my normal life again...
"Miiittttcccchhhhiiiieeee." I snapped out of my thoughts as I heard Shane draw out my name, and I hardly dared to even acknowledge I'd heard him and find out what he wanted. I hesitated for a moment, still lying on my back halfway under his mattress, before I crawled out from under his bed and groaned as I straightened up. My back was protesting from the small space I'd crammed myself into. His so-called chores were killing me. "I need you to scrape the gum from under my bed." I'd thought he was just joking at first, but then I'd actually slid under the bed and gasped in pure disgust. I might, possibly, hardly be able to understand finding gum under the seat in a movie theater or something, but this? Something really was not right with a person who stuck their gum to the boards under their bed. I was grossed out, even with everything else Shane had shoved my way.
"Should I even ask?" I didn't even have time to duck as Shane tossed a huge pile of clothes right on top of my head as I sat on the floor. With a small shriek, I pushed them off of my face and shoved the bowl full of chewed up gum in his direction. He wrinkled his nose in disgust and shook his head, refusing to take it, and I once again questioned why I kept putting up with him for as long as I had.
"Oh, quit complaining. And no, you probably shouldn't ask." He replied, looking down in disgust at the bowl in my hands, and I raised my eyebrows. I was so sick and tired of his lofty attitude. I tried not to complain about it - I'd been pretty good about keeping my cool after I'd punched him that night, not that he even acknowledge the extent of my self control. I didn't expect him to, as he'd never given me credit for any of the work I'd done around here, but just a little recognition might be nice.
"If I'm going to be cleaning it, shouldn't I know how and why it got there, at the very least? Even if I'm not really sure I want to." I frowned down at the pile of gum in the bowl, trying to hold back my horrified shudder. I had to get rid of the gum, before it really grossed me out. Fighting to keep myself from gagging, I unwound myself from the clothes he'd tossed on top of me and made my way over to the garbage under his desk. I emptied the bowl and turned to face Shane, arms crossed.
"You're a pain, you know that, Torres?" I blinked in disbelief at his comment; me, a pain? Well, if I was a pain, I wasn't even sure what Shane would be considered. His description would probably involve a few curse words though, I was sure. "Where should I have put it?" He snapped, and I resisted the urge to step closer to him and slap him upside the head, even if all he needed was one good smack.
"Well, hmmm... duh, you should use the trash can you have right over here!" I replied swiftly, reaching over to snatch up the can and wave it in his face. Shane folded his arms and scowled at me, and I knew he was already trying to come up with a stupid reply that attempted to justify his dirty habits.
"Duh, that would've been the solution if I'd wanted to get up and throw it away, but obviously I don't want to have to leave my bed just to throw a tiny piece of gum away, and Mom would have killed me if I'd stuck it to the carpet."
Oh. My. God. I didn't know how much longer I could deal with his stupid reasons for all the nasty things he did. I would've asked if he could've come up with any reason that was less logical than that one, but I didn't dare challenge him, because he probably could. I wasn't sure I could dare to challenge Shane to dumb himself down even more.
"At least you thought about the carpet." I replied sarcastically, tossing the empty bowl back towards him. He ducked and it landed on the bed, and he glanced at it as if he wasn't sure he even wanted to touch it. "Well, now that the bottom of your bed is gum free, what else do you want me to do? Clean the pile of laundry you just threw at me? Or was that meant to get hung up in your closet? Shane, were those the clothes I just washed?" I yelled, turning around to stare at the pile on the floor with an gaping mouth. Oh no, he had not just dared to dump clean clothes back onto the floor, had he? "Shane!" I practically growled his name as I hurried to scoop up the clothes, placing them carefully on his bed. It was like constantly dealing with a two year old child - although a two year old probably had more common sense then this boy sitting in front of me, grinning back at me stupidly.
With quick, deft movements, I folded the jeans and shirts and placed them carefully on his shelves, and proceed to hang up his jackets. It was hilarious that a guy should have more clothes than a girl, but he probably had double the amount of clothes that either I or Mary had, combined. Although most guys also didn't have posters of themselves hanging in their walk in closet, either.
"Who really needs posters of themselves?" I muttered, more to myself than Shane as I stared at one of the many pictures that littered the walls. There had to be over thirty, and some weren't even all three of the brothers, but just of him. "Just slightly self-obsessed, are we?"
"Hey," Shane's insulted tone interrupted me, "I can't help the fact I'm totally gorgeous." He grinned, reaching up to run his hands through his hair, and I gagged at him, so tired of his unnatural obsession with his looks. Shane's face immediately fell, and he huffed. "Never mind, I guess you wouldn't know what that feels like." I froze as the words registered in my brain, and I spun around to face him. Surely I couldn't have heard him right; even being as rude as he was, there had to be a line he wouldn't cross. He did not just imply what I thought he had. His triumphant, gloating smirk was the first thing I noticed when I looked at him, and I gasped, because he had actually just insulted me.
I was not your average girl who needed someone to tell me I was beautiful, but I also wasn't someone who would put up with outright being insulted either.
"You know what?" I snapped, dropping his jacket onto the floor and stepping closer to him, my eyes flashing and lowering my voice. "I have worked for a week, I haven't told your mother the real reason why I've been coming by every day, I've put up with every stupid chore you've given me, I have put up with your arrogant attitude and your cruel jokes, and I have hardly complained at all. But what I just heard come out of your mouth - you have crossed the line this time, Shane, and now you'd better find someone else to blackmail into being your maid, because I am done. I'm not just some puppet on a string you can play with! I quit!" I slammed the duster I'd had in my hand down on his desk and threw the rag on the ground, heading straight for the door. This time, I would not be coming back.
"Oh yeah, she wants me." I stopped dead in my tracks as I heard Shane mutter under his breath, spinning around in shock. This haughty, egotistical maniac needed someone to put him in his place after all, and since no one else had been able to find the courage to speak up to him, the job was left to me.
"Want you? I don't want anything from you! Who would? You parade around with this bad attitude, purposely provoking everyone around you, and I think you like it. You love making the cover of magazine articles with your outrageous, obnoxious behavior, because it's the only way you think you can get attention. I always thought that maybe, just maybe somewhere deep inside of you underneath that awful image you portray, there might actually be a decent human being hidden inside. Now I see how wrong I was to ever think that." I said bitterly, seeing a look of shock cross Shane's face.
"You don't know me." He whispered, his voice rough, but he would not fool me into falling for his pity act again.
"Why would I want to? You're so self-obsessed you don't even realize how much of a jerk you are! You think the whole world revolves around you, but I've got news for you - it never has, and it never will. And I am sick and tired of putting up with your crap and your cruel taunts and how you act like you're so much better than everyone else. I am done." Shane lay on the bed, his face a mask of laziness, and he yawned as if the whole conversation was boring to him. I didn't care what he chose to act like; there was no way I would put up with him for another second. "I quit! Go ahead and sue me, I don't care!"
"Is that all you've got to say?" He chuckled, and I might have jumped on top of him and tried to strangle him if we hadn't been interrupted at that very moment. Shane's eyes widened in horror and I spun around to see Mrs. Gray standing in the doorway, her face pale.
"What?" By the look on her face, I knew she'd overheard what I'd said, but she wasn't staring at me. Her eyes were locked firmly onto Shane, and he looked frozen, staring at the two of us with an apprehensive expression. "Shane, what did Mitchie mean suing her?" She glared at her son, who stuttered hesitantly.
"It's no big deal, Mom, nothing to worry your pretty head about." Shane replied, quick to try to throw in some extra charm, but Mrs. Gray was not so easily persuaded. She raised her eyebrows and crossed her arms, staring at Shane, and I knew she wasn't going to back down until she got a clear answer. I also knew Shane, and he was too stubborn to cave and talk.
"Mitchie?" She asked instead, turning to face me, and I wasn't sure what to say. I glanced uncertainly at Shane and bit my lip, wondering how I'd even gotten wrapped up in his mess in the first place. Why did it have to be Shane that day? Why couldn't Aydan just stayed by my side? Why hadn't I just let him sue me instead of trying to get out of it?
"It's not really my place to say." I whispered uncomfortably, since that was the truth. Shane had to be the one to tell her - he might be a heartless jerk, but I wasn't a tattletale and I wouldn't rat him out. Whatever happened, Shane needed to explain to it his mother himself. Mrs. Gray took in my expression and sighed, her face softening for a moment, before she set her cold gaze back onto Shane.
"Spit it out now, Shane Adam Gray, or it'll be worse for you if you don't." If I hadn't been so wound and hurt, I might have laughed, because I hadn't expected the sweet, lovely, cookie baking queen Mrs. Gray to have such a threatening side to her. Shane crossed his arms, looking sour, and finally he spoke, his voice completely monotone.
"Her monster dog attacked me. It would have mauled me to death if she hadn't pulled it off me in time. I could have been killed by that demon, in my own house, minding my own business. I was just coming down the stairs to make myself a sandwich when it happened!" If Mrs. Gray hadn't been standing beside me, I might have rolled my eyes at how exaggerated Shane's story was. Mrs. Gray hadn't moved at all. She just kept staring at Shane rather intensely, and silently, told him to continue on. "So, I said that she could either..." He trailed off, swallowing harshly, and glanced at me for help. I stared back at him with no trace of sympathy. After what he'd said and put me though, I would not even think of trying to help him out of this mess that he'd created. He didn't deserve an ounce of my pity, not after what had happened. I had known he was void of normal human emotions when I'd met him, but even I didn't expect the next words out of his mouth.
"Come on, Mom, don't pretend like you care about her. She's just some poor, unimportant, common girl I pulled off the street. Really, she should consider herself lucky I even decided to give someone like her such a generous opportunity. Most people wouldn't have even thought to give her such a chance. Just look at her." His words were cold and cut me straight down to the bone. I gasped, unable to help the tears that sprang into my eyes. He stared back at me unemotionally, and I hesitated for only a split second before I turn and ran down the stairs, past Nate and Jason's shocked faces and down the huge driveway into the street, gasping for breath. My feet were pounding on the sidewalk, and I headed for the only place I knew that was safe. Home. A place where there were no egotistical, cold hearted, heart breaking pop stars, nothing but an unimportant common girl, and most importantly, no Shane Grays.
If I never saw his condescending face again, I might be able to get over what he'd said. His words replayed in my head, and I thought of all the times I'd bit my tongue so as not to snap or say something I'd later regret, only to have him turn the tables on me with no regard to my feelings. He'd wanted to hurt me, wanted to throw a final punch. This hurt much more than any physical wound could.
I was wrong, there wasn't 3,024,000 seconds left. There was only zero.