Chapter 2.
I told Rocky about Eleanor that night.
"…And then she got all offensive, like I was supposed to start this huge friendship thing with her!"
Rocky put his pen down. "So, let me get this straight. You called her over to the window, told her she was really good at karate, and then told her to go away, and it's her who's got the problem?"
"Well, yeah." It sounded about right to me.
"Colt, I know you don't like girls, but it's never gone this far. You usually just ignore them."
I sighed. "Yeah, well, I forgot she was a girl. Okay?"
Rocky went back to his homework, so we sat in silence for awhile. Then he put his pen down again, "So, does she go to our school?"
"I don't know. I've never seen her before."
"Well, maybe she's new."
"Yeah, but wouldn't they have had some welcoming ceremony? They always do."
Rocky thought for a moment. "Well, maybe she's an exchange student."
"No," I said automatically, "Her accent was definitely Californian, and her hair was sort of auburny, like she's been out in the sun too long, you know? And her eyes-"
"Woah, woah woah." Rocky interrupted, "You know all this and you've only seen her once?"
"Well, twice, technically," I mumbled.
"I think she was just there for a karate lesson they hold after school. They hold private lessons on Thursdays and Fridays. I'll look for her tomorrow."
"Whatever," I said in a bored tone, "Like I care."
***
I woke up the next morning, (well, technically, was woken up) and almost shouted out loud. I had the worst headache I had ever had. I think it might have been a migraine, but I had never had one before, so I wasn't sure.
My brother Tum Tum is prone to migraines, so I asked him.
"Tum," I said, although it was torture to talk, "What's a migraine like?"
"Well," He squeaked, "You feel slightly nauseous whenever you move your head, and you feel like there's a huge weight on it."
Yup, definitely a migraine.
"Basically you feel hungover." He added.
I was in too much pain to question this weird statement. I guess it showed, because my brother ran out of the room screaming, "Mum, Colt's got a migraine!"
It didn't help.
I can't remember much after that, so I must have fallen asleep. I woke up at about 5:30, and felt much better. My brother Rocky was standing over me. I briefly wondered if he had been standing there since 3:30, waiting for me to wake up. It was a funny thought.
"What do you want?" I mumbled.
"Are you okay?" He asked.
I sat up. "Yeah, I feel heaps better!" I chirped.
"Good. Because I've got a surprise for you."
He took a step to the side, and there was Eleanor.
I almost jumped out of my skin.
"Rocky are you crazy???" I screeched.
"Why?"
"You let a girl into our room!"
"So? Emily comes in here all the time."
"Yeah, but, but, not someone my age!"
"What does that have to do with it?"
"Well, ummm, I'm still in my pyjamas!"
With that, I ran into our bathroom. I then ran back out, grabbed some clothes, and ran back into the bathroom.
***
I had the longest shower ever. I think I was trying to drown myself, then thought that was a bit extreme. I literally had a one-and-a-half hour shower.
When I finally got out, I was relieved to see only Rocky in the room.
"What the hell did you do that for?" I hissed.
"What?" He asked all innocently.
"Why did you invite her over?!" I yelled.
"Quiet!" Rocky said. "She's only downstairs."
"Why did you do it?" I said again, "You know I'm not going to let up."
"You really want to know?"
"Yes!"
Rocky stared me down for a second. Then he said, "The reason I invited her over is because you and her are so similar."
"No we're not!" I retorted, "She's got brown hair and brown eyes, and I'm blonde with blue eyes!"
"Yeah, right," Rocky snorted, "You're a brunette, baby, with green eyes."
"WHO CARES!" I screamed again. Honestly, there was a much more serious matter on our hands than my hair colour. Which is, by the way, blonde.
"That's what I mean!" Rocky said, "She's outgoing, and a bit psycho-"
"I am not psycho." I snapped.
"…And she's the only other person I know with a temper like yours. Plus," he added, "She's twelve, and she does martial arts as well."
"So?" I said, "She does karate. That's for losers. We're NINJAS."
Rocky was looking helpless. "Just give her a chance. You might like her."
What was he saying? "You're forgetting one thing." I started.
"What?"
She's a GIRL! I hate girls."
"No you don't. You just pretend to."
Yeah, right. I just, like, pretend to hate girls. That is the stupidest thing I have ever heard.
Suddenly, Eleanor and Tum Tum came bursting into the room.
"Haven't you heard of knocking, Eleanor?" I snapped.
"Why should we knock?" She snapped back, "It's Tum Tum's room too."
She turned to Rocky, "Rocky, there's somebody in the house."
"It's probably my mum."
"Mum's gone out, Rocky," Tum Tum said, "She won't be back until late."
"Yeah, and unless your mum's male, and she carries a knife, it's not her."
My eyes went wide. Knife? This was not good.
"What does he want?" Rocky asked.
"I heard him say he wanted CD's." Tum Tum said.
"He was talking to himself?" I scoffed. Everyone ignored me.
"Oh, robbers." Rocky said, relieved, "We can handle them. Colt, come with me. Tum, you stay with Elle."
"No way! I'm coming too!" Both Tum Tum and Eleanor said at the same time.
"No you're not." I said to them, "Tum, you're supposed to be in bed anyway. And Eleanor, you're a girl."
Eleanor looked mad, so we quickly ran out and shut the door.
Rocky and I went down the stairs. Where is he?" I asked.
"I dunno. Do you think they were kidding?" He asked me.
"Probably. GIRLS think that kind of stuff is funny." I stated.
Rocky rolled his eyes, and we started heading upstairs.
Then I heard Rocky give a yelp of pain. I looked at him, and saw that he was sitting on the step, holding his leg.
I whipped around, and there was this crazy-looking dude standing there. He was holding a knife. He grabbed my shirt, and slashed at my arm with the knife. I felt it go through my skin, and I have never felt pain like that in my life.
"What do you want?" I yelled.
He started laughing a crazy laugh. Then suddenly, a foot came out of nowhere and he was falling backwards, down the stairs.
I whirled around. There was Eleanor and Tum Tum.
"Tum Tum, help Rocky back to the bedroom and make sure his leg's okay." Eleanor told Tum Tum, and he did.
Eleanor ran after the guy. She kicked her foot to his throat, pinning him to the wall.
"Listen to me," she told him, her eyes flashing, "You are going to give me that knife, walk out of this house, shut the door, and never come back again. Got it?"
"Yeah right," he gagged, "I ain't taking no orders from a girl."
Eleanor narrowed her eyes. She swung at him with her foot, and it connected with his face with a sickening crunch. Then she put her foot back on his throat. It was like something Cameron Diaz did in Charlie's Angels, only the movie hadn't come out yet, so I wouldn't know. "Got it?" She repeated,
The guy nodded. He dropped the knife, backed outside, and, with a terrified look on his face, shut the door.
I was stunned. And then I fainted.
I told Rocky about Eleanor that night.
"…And then she got all offensive, like I was supposed to start this huge friendship thing with her!"
Rocky put his pen down. "So, let me get this straight. You called her over to the window, told her she was really good at karate, and then told her to go away, and it's her who's got the problem?"
"Well, yeah." It sounded about right to me.
"Colt, I know you don't like girls, but it's never gone this far. You usually just ignore them."
I sighed. "Yeah, well, I forgot she was a girl. Okay?"
Rocky went back to his homework, so we sat in silence for awhile. Then he put his pen down again, "So, does she go to our school?"
"I don't know. I've never seen her before."
"Well, maybe she's new."
"Yeah, but wouldn't they have had some welcoming ceremony? They always do."
Rocky thought for a moment. "Well, maybe she's an exchange student."
"No," I said automatically, "Her accent was definitely Californian, and her hair was sort of auburny, like she's been out in the sun too long, you know? And her eyes-"
"Woah, woah woah." Rocky interrupted, "You know all this and you've only seen her once?"
"Well, twice, technically," I mumbled.
"I think she was just there for a karate lesson they hold after school. They hold private lessons on Thursdays and Fridays. I'll look for her tomorrow."
"Whatever," I said in a bored tone, "Like I care."
***
I woke up the next morning, (well, technically, was woken up) and almost shouted out loud. I had the worst headache I had ever had. I think it might have been a migraine, but I had never had one before, so I wasn't sure.
My brother Tum Tum is prone to migraines, so I asked him.
"Tum," I said, although it was torture to talk, "What's a migraine like?"
"Well," He squeaked, "You feel slightly nauseous whenever you move your head, and you feel like there's a huge weight on it."
Yup, definitely a migraine.
"Basically you feel hungover." He added.
I was in too much pain to question this weird statement. I guess it showed, because my brother ran out of the room screaming, "Mum, Colt's got a migraine!"
It didn't help.
I can't remember much after that, so I must have fallen asleep. I woke up at about 5:30, and felt much better. My brother Rocky was standing over me. I briefly wondered if he had been standing there since 3:30, waiting for me to wake up. It was a funny thought.
"What do you want?" I mumbled.
"Are you okay?" He asked.
I sat up. "Yeah, I feel heaps better!" I chirped.
"Good. Because I've got a surprise for you."
He took a step to the side, and there was Eleanor.
I almost jumped out of my skin.
"Rocky are you crazy???" I screeched.
"Why?"
"You let a girl into our room!"
"So? Emily comes in here all the time."
"Yeah, but, but, not someone my age!"
"What does that have to do with it?"
"Well, ummm, I'm still in my pyjamas!"
With that, I ran into our bathroom. I then ran back out, grabbed some clothes, and ran back into the bathroom.
***
I had the longest shower ever. I think I was trying to drown myself, then thought that was a bit extreme. I literally had a one-and-a-half hour shower.
When I finally got out, I was relieved to see only Rocky in the room.
"What the hell did you do that for?" I hissed.
"What?" He asked all innocently.
"Why did you invite her over?!" I yelled.
"Quiet!" Rocky said. "She's only downstairs."
"Why did you do it?" I said again, "You know I'm not going to let up."
"You really want to know?"
"Yes!"
Rocky stared me down for a second. Then he said, "The reason I invited her over is because you and her are so similar."
"No we're not!" I retorted, "She's got brown hair and brown eyes, and I'm blonde with blue eyes!"
"Yeah, right," Rocky snorted, "You're a brunette, baby, with green eyes."
"WHO CARES!" I screamed again. Honestly, there was a much more serious matter on our hands than my hair colour. Which is, by the way, blonde.
"That's what I mean!" Rocky said, "She's outgoing, and a bit psycho-"
"I am not psycho." I snapped.
"…And she's the only other person I know with a temper like yours. Plus," he added, "She's twelve, and she does martial arts as well."
"So?" I said, "She does karate. That's for losers. We're NINJAS."
Rocky was looking helpless. "Just give her a chance. You might like her."
What was he saying? "You're forgetting one thing." I started.
"What?"
She's a GIRL! I hate girls."
"No you don't. You just pretend to."
Yeah, right. I just, like, pretend to hate girls. That is the stupidest thing I have ever heard.
Suddenly, Eleanor and Tum Tum came bursting into the room.
"Haven't you heard of knocking, Eleanor?" I snapped.
"Why should we knock?" She snapped back, "It's Tum Tum's room too."
She turned to Rocky, "Rocky, there's somebody in the house."
"It's probably my mum."
"Mum's gone out, Rocky," Tum Tum said, "She won't be back until late."
"Yeah, and unless your mum's male, and she carries a knife, it's not her."
My eyes went wide. Knife? This was not good.
"What does he want?" Rocky asked.
"I heard him say he wanted CD's." Tum Tum said.
"He was talking to himself?" I scoffed. Everyone ignored me.
"Oh, robbers." Rocky said, relieved, "We can handle them. Colt, come with me. Tum, you stay with Elle."
"No way! I'm coming too!" Both Tum Tum and Eleanor said at the same time.
"No you're not." I said to them, "Tum, you're supposed to be in bed anyway. And Eleanor, you're a girl."
Eleanor looked mad, so we quickly ran out and shut the door.
Rocky and I went down the stairs. Where is he?" I asked.
"I dunno. Do you think they were kidding?" He asked me.
"Probably. GIRLS think that kind of stuff is funny." I stated.
Rocky rolled his eyes, and we started heading upstairs.
Then I heard Rocky give a yelp of pain. I looked at him, and saw that he was sitting on the step, holding his leg.
I whipped around, and there was this crazy-looking dude standing there. He was holding a knife. He grabbed my shirt, and slashed at my arm with the knife. I felt it go through my skin, and I have never felt pain like that in my life.
"What do you want?" I yelled.
He started laughing a crazy laugh. Then suddenly, a foot came out of nowhere and he was falling backwards, down the stairs.
I whirled around. There was Eleanor and Tum Tum.
"Tum Tum, help Rocky back to the bedroom and make sure his leg's okay." Eleanor told Tum Tum, and he did.
Eleanor ran after the guy. She kicked her foot to his throat, pinning him to the wall.
"Listen to me," she told him, her eyes flashing, "You are going to give me that knife, walk out of this house, shut the door, and never come back again. Got it?"
"Yeah right," he gagged, "I ain't taking no orders from a girl."
Eleanor narrowed her eyes. She swung at him with her foot, and it connected with his face with a sickening crunch. Then she put her foot back on his throat. It was like something Cameron Diaz did in Charlie's Angels, only the movie hadn't come out yet, so I wouldn't know. "Got it?" She repeated,
The guy nodded. He dropped the knife, backed outside, and, with a terrified look on his face, shut the door.
I was stunned. And then I fainted.