Rick's POV
I woke up to the familiar feeling of a soft, warm body cuddled against me. I then opened my eyes to see the most adorable face I've ever seen. Still sleeping, peacefully. I smiled and gave it a small kiss. It then smiled.
"I love you Kate" I whispered, unaware that she was actually somewhat awake.
"Love you too" she said. She then opened her eyes as well and smiled. I chuckled and gave her a kiss on the lips. As always they were soft and warm, just like her body. So kissable and lovely. "Are the others awake?" she asked.
"I don't think so," I replied.
"Hm, sleep well?" Kate asked.
"Next to you? Always" I answered. Kate giggled and gave me another peck. She then rolled over and sat up to stretch.
"Not as nice as the bed," she said. She then began to stand up and look down at me. "Want to use your toothbrush?" she asked. I laughed quietly so as to not wake the others.
"Sure thing" I said. I stood up and stretched as well as Kate made her way up the basement steps. I followed her slowly after, trying to make as little noise as possible as each step creaked. Kate slowly opened up the door and then stepped out, I followed to be met with the more warm environment of the main house. It had that morning quietness that always seemed off to me whenever I was in someone else's house. I was careful to shut the door and then followed Kate up another flight of stairs. These ones more quickly though due to them not being as old and unpolished. We reached the bathroom and then Kate handed me my toothbrush which was still in its package.
"Here ya go" she said.
"Thanks" I laughed as I began to open it. Kate went to pee while I finally got the thing opened. I'm not sure why but I found it surprising that Kate was comfortable enough to pee in front of me. I squeezed out some toothpaste and began brushing as Kate came to join me with her own toothbrush after washing her hands. I spit out some toothpaste and asked a question before going back to brushing. "So did you want to try out your gun?" I asked. Kate nodded and then spit out her toothpaste as well.
"Sure, you know I've been itching to use it" she said. I nodded and then spit again. After rinsing out my mouth I went into Kate's room to grab the gun which was still in its box by the bed. I placed the box on the bed and started loading the magazine. Kate came in as I did it and sat on the bed, looking down at my hands as I did it.
"You know a lot of mags you have to wind up, but this one you won't have to" I explained.
"Wind up?" Kate asked.
"Yeah, there's a little wheel at the bottom of most of these that you have to spin to get the bullets right, but this one you don't have to" I explained.
"Huh, how much was it?" Kate asked.
"Don't worry about that, I just want to see you happy" I said.
"Well aren't you the sweetest?" Kate said.
"Uh-huh" I said as I put the clip into the gun. I then held it out to her. She accepted it and holy shit was I right. This gun looked great on her.
"What?" she asked. I guess I was staring too long.
"Oh uh… you just… you look fucking sexy holding that gun" I said. Kate laughed and put it to her side.
"Oh yeah? Want to take me for a ride?" Kate asked. Her bed was right here, it was tempting. But I also wanted her to get used to the gun.
"Up to you, do you want to do that or go shoot?" I asked. Kate looked over at the bed and then back at the gun. She then came closer to me and kissed me deeply. I closed my eyes and kissed her back lovingly until she broke it.
"Let's go shoot for right now" she smiled. I smiled back and then followed her back down the stairs. Once we were there she grabbed her jacket while I did the same. Only difference being that mine was on one of the dining room chairs and Kate's was on the coat rack. I walked over to the back door and slid it open, getting ready to close it once Kate was on the other side. She stepped out and I slid the door shut. It was cold out, even though it was around eleven o'clock, the air still had the feeling of early morning air, which was always freezing, especially in the winter. It was so cold in fact that I could see Kate's breath as well as my own. Kate even slipped on her brown leather gloves that went great with her green jacket. We walked to the edge of the backyard when Kate stopped. She then started looking around.
"What is it?" I asked.
"Well, what are we gonna shoot?" Kate asked. I got an idea instantly.
"You know we had that party yesterday, I bet there's plenty of empty cans in the recyclables" I said. Kate smiled and then turned towards the house.
"You see that blue bin? Most of the cans will probably be in there" Kate said as she pointed. I jogged over and looked inside and sure enough there were plenty of cans. Perfect or target practice. I pulled the bin over to the picnic table by the pool and started setting them up as Kate took aim. "How different is this gonna be from that rifle I shot?" Kate asked.
"Very, but you'll get the hang of it" I said. I totally forgot that Kate had only really shot my sniper. She was good with it. But using iron sights on a machine gun was way different than using a scope on a rifle. As I set up more targets I started talking again. "You know when it comes to sights and stuff, you can personalize your gun. Get a laser sight, maybe a grip" I said.
"What would you recommend?" Kate asked. Iset up the last can and began walking over to her.
"Personally, I wouldn't go too far away from the original galil look, so I'd say a laser sight would do just fine" I explained.
"Oh okay, I'll pick one up if I ever go to the shop, I will buy it" Kate said with a smile and a pointed finger, making me laugh.
"Okay boss" I said. I then stood behind her as she lined up her shot. She exhaled and then pulled on the trigger. The gun shot and hit its target on the first try.
"Yes," Kate whispered excitedly.
"Nice" I said. Kate giggled and shot again, this time missing. "Getting cocky" I pointed out with a smile.
"I never cock" Kate joked. She then took another shot, hitting another can and knocking it over.
"Yeah, I think you're gonna do just fine, it's a matter of not getting shot yourself though that's the real issue" I explained.
"I think I'll be fine once I figure out the area," Kate said.
"Yeah, you're pretty good with your surroundings, you've proven that during our little snowball fight" I said. Kate giggled.
"That was fun," she said.
"Yeah, it was a great night," I said. Kate and I then kissed again from the memory. That was such a magical night, filled with passion and love. It was the night we both lost our virginity together in Kate's bed, and I didnt want it any other way. If it was one girl I'm glad I gave it to, I'm glad it was her, and I think she felt the same way about me. We continued kissing until my phone rang, cutting us short. I twisted my mouth to break the kiss with a wet smack. "Sorry" I apologized.
"It's fine" Kate said as she took aim again. I pulled out my phone as it continued ringing and looked at the caller ID. it was an unknown number. I answered it and put it to my ear.
"Hello?" I called.
"Hey Rick? It's Hutch" the voice said. Kate turned to me.
"Who is it?" she asked.
"Uh no one" I said, patting her on the shoulder and walking away. She went back to aiming for now but Kate was really smart, she was most likely gonna ask again once I went back. But that didn't matter right now. "What do you want?" I asked quickly.
"I need to let you know before you come to school tomorrow… look man, people aren't buying your story, and they're mad about what they think is lies" Hutch said.
"Lies?" I asked.
"Yeah, it's not a lot of people, most I think are on your side, but the select few, mostly the football team. They see you as a threat to losing their star player, and they're not gonna let that happen without putting their two cents in" Hutch explained.
"What do you mean?" I asked.
"Well when it comes to them, they only care about stats. Whatever Garth says goes, they'll look past what could have actually happened no matter what. Then there was the whole thing with your sister and-"
"What thing?" I asked, cutting him off.
"On the last day of school, your sister apparently went into the bathroom with Garth and held a pocket knife to him, he's been talking about getting her back this whole vacation" Hutch said, making my heart drop. Held a knife to him? I didn't know she had it in her.
"Hutch, is my sister in danger?" I asked as clearly as I could.
"Right now no, he hasn't mentioned doing anything specifically, I don't really think he will though. Garths an ass hole but he's never hit a girl" Hutch said. That made me feel better but not by a whole lot.
"Okay, what should I expect tomorrow?" I asked.
"Nothing from Garth, but some people… they really don't like you" Hutch said.
"I dont give a shit about their opinion of me, have you heard anything about them getting physical?" I asked.
"No Rick, I just thought you should know," Hutch said. I sighed, realizing there wasn't much I could do.
"Thanks, Hutch," I said quietly.
"Yeah," Hutch replied before hanging up. I closed my eyes and squeezed the phone in anger. What was Angel thinking?
"Who was that?" Kate asked as she watched me slide the phone back in my pocket. I knew she would ask again. "Rick? Are you okay?" she asked in that sweet, lovable voice.
"It was Hutch," I said. I then egan walking to the house. What the fuck was Angel thinking?
"Hutch? What did he want? Rick?" Kate called. I didn't answer her though, I was too busy thinking about the nerve of Angel. What the fuck was she thinking? I slid the door open and shut it, walking over to the basement door and swinging it open. I then marched down the basement steps and over to my sister who was still sleeping next to Shaky. I shook her roughly, causing her to wake up in a panic. She calmed down once she saw it was me though.
"Rick? What the hell?" she said.
"Upstairs, now" I said angrily. Angel's expression turned worried.
"Everything okay?" she asked. I simply turned and walked back up the steps. I heard Angel start to get up quickly as I reached the top, meeting Kate once I was there.
"Rick? What is it?" she asked.
"My damn sister," I said. I then walked over to the living room and took a seat. I then buried my face in my hands and waited for Angel to come up. Kate sat next to me and wrapped an arm around me.
"What about her?" Kate asked. I turned to face her but before I could speak Angel came into the room.
"Is everything okay?" Angel asked. I scowled at her.
"What the fuck were you thinking? Holding a knife up to Garth, do you see this?" I asked, pulling up my shirt and revealing my scar. It was the spot where Garth had stabbed me. "This is what were trying to stay away from and you want to fucking challenge that?" I yelled angrily. Angel jerked back surprised from my sudden anger.
"Wait… what?" Kate asked. She then turned to Angel as I continued to stare at her as well. Angel however seemed to want nothing more than to run away from the situation. The look in her eyes were begging me to stop but I wouldn't, I couldn't.
"How could you be so fucking stupid?" I asked in almost a whisper.
"I… I… I wanted to know how he did it" Angel said.
"Did what?" I asked.
"Got away with it, I knew he wouldn't just tell me, and I wanted him to stay away for good, do you really think he was just gonna stop anyway? Me doing that showed that we can all put up a fight" Angel explained. I knew where she was coming from but…
"Angel, what you did could have put you on the top of his fucking kill list, kill list Angel do you hear that? He tried to kill me, and the last thing I want is for any of you to go through what I did. If I lose you because you wanted to prove a point I don't know what I'm gonna do, is that what you want?" I asked.
"Rick… he was gonna come after all of us anyway" Angel said.
"You don't know that, he wanted me, only me, because of everything that happened with me and Kate. he probably didn't even take you into consideration but now… oh my God Angel what the fuck did you do? What the fuck did you do?" I repeated.
"You told me you were gonna stay away from him, '' Kate said. Angel just stared away from Kate, not wanting to face her.
"I couldn't," Angel said.
"Angel… you lied to me" Kate said.
"I did what I had to," Angel replied.
"No, you didn't have to do what you did… Angel I don't want to lose you" I said more softly.
"You're not gonna lose me, that son of a bitch is lucky I didn't slit his throat that day, don't you think that if he wasn't scared he would have fought back? It was just me and him and he could have easily overpowered me. He didn't, he won't bother us, and if he does then he'll have all six of us to deal with. That's what it was about… were all in this together" Angel said. I just kept staring at her. "I promise Rick, you won't lose me" Angel repeated. At that moment I broke down, pulling Angel into a hug and sobbing into her shoulder.
"I love you Angel, if I lose you I don't know what I'll do" I sobbed. I must have looked crazy, but I didn't care. If what happened to me happened to Angel she wouldn't survive. I almost didn't. Angel broke the hug and rubbed my cheek.
"I'm sorry," she said. I held her small hand as it rested against my face.
"I know," I said.
"Kate?" Angel called, asking for a response.
"You don't have to lie to me Angel, you never have to lie. I would have understood" Kate said.
"Kate" Angel called again as Kate got up and went back outside. "She's upset with me" Angel said as her ears flattened.
"Of course she is, you lied to her" I said. Angel sighed and shook her head, turning to me once again.
"How did you find out?" she asked.
"Hutch told me on the phone just now" I answered. Angel nodded sadly. "Look, Garth said he was planning some type of revenge on you, he hasn't said anything specifically but I want you to be on the lookout okay?" I said.
"I already was," Angel said with a warm smile. I hugged her again.
"Your so stupid" I said.
"I know," Angel replied. I broke the hug and placed my hands on her shoulders.
"I'm gonna go talk to Kate alright?" I said. Angel nodded. "Alright, you stay here" I said. I then stood up again and walked back outside, shutting the door behind me as Angel went back down to the basement. I saw Kate sitting at the picnic table, just lost in her own thoughts. I sat next to her and rubbed my hand on her arm. "You okay?" I asked.
"I'm fine, I guess i'm just… hurt" Kate said.
"Hurt?" I asked.
"Hurt, hurt because I thought Angel was comfortable enough to talk with me about things, share things. I guess to a certain extent she is but when it came to that… Why did she lie to me?" Kate asked as she buried her muzzle in her arm. She looked so cute when she did it. But I also hated seeing her sad.
"Angel she… she doesn't like lying about things. I guess she just thought you wouldn't help her if she told you '' I explained, trying to make Kate feel better.
"That's just it, it's not just about lying to me, It's about why she did it, and that's just it. Is that how she sees me? That I won't help her unless it's a reason that I see fit? She told me she wanted to see Garth that day, but she also told me that she wouldn't go near him" Kate explained.
"So… you dropped her off knowing that she wanted to see Garth?" I asked. Kate raised her head and looked into my eyes.
"Yeah… I'm sorry Rick, I'm so sorry, please don't be mad at me" Kate pleaded.
"Woah woah Kate, it's okay. I could never be mad at you" I said. Kate stared at me for a moment and then laughed.
"You're such a simp" she said. I laughed as well.
"Only for you," I said. She laughed lightly again until her smile faded.
"I should've known," she said.
"Kate, don't put this on yourself" I said.
"If something happens to her I will, what the fuck was I thinking?" Kate said, resting her head on her hands and looking down at the picnic table. I sighed again.
"I think… Angel will be alright, but that doesnt make me any less nervous about it all. I mean she had a point, if he wanted to overpower her then he probably could have. But he's a bitch" I explained. Kate smiled and turned to me slightly.
"He is a bitch" she said. I patted her arm with a smile.
"So Angel… are you mad at her?" I asked.
"No, I told you I'm just hurt that she lied to me" Kate answered. I nodded again. My phone went off, playing it's text tone. Looking at who sent it I saw that it was Angel.
A. So does she hate me?
R. of course not, but maybe come out here and apologize?
A. I feel like this is bigger than a simply childish apology.
R. its a start
A. Okay. coming.
"Who is that?" Kate asked.
"Angel, she wants to know if you hate her guts" I said, making Kate laugh.
"What did you say?" Kate asked.
"I told her to come out and face you, but she's scared," I answered.
"Scared? Of me?" Kate asked.
"I know, who could be scared of sweet, adorable you?" I teased. Kate giggled and gave me a quick kiss. We stopped once we heard the back door slide open and closed. "You're really not mad at her?" I asked.
"No," Kate answered. She then turned her body to sit facing away from the table. Angel approached us and then stood in front of Kate with her hand folded as she looked away from her.
"Kate I… I'm not sure what to say, I felt bad lying to you but… I didn't think you would have taken me that day if i told you the truth" Angel explained. Kate grabbed Angel's hands and held them gently.
"Angel, I said this in the car and I'll say it here, you can always trust me, you never have to lie to me" Kate explained.
"So then… you're not mad at me?" Angel asked.
"No, I'm just hurt," Kate said. I noticed Angel's lip quiver before she hugged Kate quickly, taking her by surprise.
"I'm so sorry Kate," Angel said. Kate accepted the hug and hugged Angel back, closing her eyes and resting her head on Angel's shoulder.
"I know Angel, you mean a lot to me… and when you did that I felt like you thought of me harshly" Kate explained.
"No, I would never think of you like that," Angel said.
"I don't doubt that'' Kate replied as she opened her eyes to look at my reaction. I shot her a small smile causing her to smile back briefly. She then broke the hug and held Angel out to face her. "Just promise me you'll be safe, '' Kate said.
"Promise," Angel smiled.
Humphrey's POV
I awoke to muffled shouting coming from upstairs. I opened my eyes slowly to be greeted with the dark basement that I had fallen asleep in the night before. Who was shouting? It sounded like Rick. Was something wrong?
"They woke you up too huh?" Lilly asked. I turned to her and then sighed.
"Kind of yeah. Do you know what the problem is?" I asked.
"I think Rick found out about something that Angel did, that's all, '' Lilly answered.
"Should we go up there?" I asked.
"I think it's better we let them rough it out" Lilly said. I sighed again and rested back into the pillow. We just sat there listening, it didn't sound like they were really yelling anymore though. That was over quickly. "Shaky's still sleeping," Lilly pointed out.
"Yeah, he can sleep through anything," I replied. Lilly laughed lightly.
"Want to take advantage while the others are upstairs? Screw around?" Lilly suggested. I once again turned to her, without lifting my head this time.
"You're not at all worried about Angel?" I asked.
"What could possibly be going on up there to where she would need our help? Unless I hear everyone screaming, then I'll worry" Lilly said. I looked at my phone to check the time, it was almost noon. I put the phone down to my side and cuddled up against Lilly. She sighed in comfort as she wrapped her arm around me. I really just wanted to cuddle for a minute and then head upstairs, but the basement door swung open making me turn again. I heard footsteps coming down the stairs and eventually saw that it was Angel. Lilly turned to her stomach and looked up at her.
"Hey, everything okay?" Lilly asked.
"No, I think your sister hates me," Angel said, taking a seat on the futon.
"What? Why?" Lilly asked concerned.
"She found out that I lied about seeing Garth, so did Rick. I told you he would flip" Angel said.
"What about seeing Garth?" I asked. Lilly turned to me briefly.
"Nothing," Lilly said.
"What am I gonna do?" Angel asked.
"Well I don't think Kate hates you, she's one of the most forgiving wolves you'll ever meet. And this is over a fib?" Lilly asked.
"So it seems," Angel answered.
"What happened up there?" I asked.
"Rick yelled at me, we made up, but Kate stormed out of the house before I could apologize to her," Angel explained.
"And you didn't follow her because… why?" Lilly asked.
"Because Rick said that he would talk to her," Angel said, causing Lilly to groan.
"It's not Rick's problem, just go out there and apologize" Lilly instructed. Angel seemed to ponder the idea for a moment before pulling out her phone. "What are you doing?" Lilly asked.
"I'm not just gonna go out there, if Rick's mad at me that's one thing, he's my brother we basically get mad at each other for fun, but Kate… I don't think I can do that just yet, she's done alot for me" Angel said.
"Didn't answer my question," Lilly said. Angel sighed.
"I'm checking to see if the coast is clear," she said. Lilly rolled her eyes and turned over again as Angel texted most likely Rick. This went on for about thirty seconds until she stood up.
"Going?" I asked.
"Yeah," ANgel answered as she ascended the stairs. Once at the top she shut the door causing Shaky to wake up.
"Oh hey, how long have you guys been up?" he asked.
"Shut up dude" I said as I crawled out of the blankets and stood up. Shaky groaned in response as I walked over to the window to spy. Lilly walked beside me and met me. It was there at the window that we saw Kate and Angel talking. The look on Kate's face didn't seem angry, just more upset than anything. I was wondering where it was gonna go, Rick just kept his back turned to Angel as he sat at the picnic table, Kate sitting with her back turned to it. I sat there continuing to wonder until I saw Kate pull Angel into a hug.
"Yeah, I thought it would go that way, my sister is just too loving" Lilly said as she walked away to go upstairs.
"Where are you going?" I asked.
"To brush my teeth you should join me" Lilly said after stopping at the bottom of the stairs. I scoffed with a laugh and then followed her up as we left poor Shaky by himself in the basement.
"Guys?" he called. Dumbass…
Later that day I pulled into my driveway to see that my mother was home. Me and the others had spent the morning watching movies until about three o'clock rolled around, and we decided to go our separate ways for the rest of the day. For the most part anyway, me and Lilly had a date around seven. Of course I was excited for it but I had to take care of something first. This was actually something I dreaded since the topic came up, but from the way I saw it, it had to be done. I locked up my car and went inside my house, locking the door behind me once I was inside. I searched the living room and kitchen for my mom, but once I was in the kitchen I saw that the backdoor once again hung open. She must have been having one of her daily smokes. I walked outside, shutting the screen door behind me, causing my mom to turn to me and blow the smoke from her mouth.
"Hey, have fun last night?" she asked.
"Yeah, lots" I said as I sat down across from her.
"Good. Lyle was over and we watched a movie, and then he had to leave sadly" mom explained. I nodded as I avoided eye contact without realizing it. "What's wrong?" mom asked.
"Mom… are you happy?" I asked. She seemed to freeze at the question, only snapping out of it once she realized how long she was starring.
"Of course Humphrey, why would you ask that?" she asked.
"Well, it seems like you're only with Lyle because you feel like you need someone, you don't really seem happy with him. It seems like you're forcing it is all" I explained.
"Is that how I look? Miserable?" mom asked.
"Not miserable, just… neutral" I said. Mom took a long puff of her smoke and then exhaled.
"Neutral," she said. She then put the cigarette out and leaned forward. "Humphrey, I'm with Lyle because I need to get back out there, you have Lilly and one day you'll hopefully marry her, she's a great fit for you and I wish you two the best. I don't want you to suffer through a bad relationship like I did, and when you're gone and having that life that I want for you, I'll be here, alone. I don't want to be alone" mom said. Is that really how she felt? So I was right, I wasn't spending as much time with her as I should be. She does so much for me and I… I feel like such an ass right now.
"You won't be," I said.
"That's the problem, I don't want you holding yourself back for my well being, I want you to have the best life possible, don't shy away from it just to satisfy me, I'm already taking care of it" mom said.
"Mom… I don't want to spend more time with you because I take pity on you, I want to spend more time with you because I love you" I explained. Mom laughed.
"I feel like we've had this conversation before," she said.
"Because we have, but with Lyle here now… do you really like him?" I asked.
"He's nice, don't you think so?" mom asked back. No, I didn't think so. But how could I say that without being so blunt?
"Maybe to you, but when it comes to me and my friends, he just… he treats it like an obstacle" I said.
"Obstacle? Humphrey Lyle wants to take you fishing, we were actually talking about it last night. Because of the upcoming snow storm he said he wouldn't mind taking you tomorrow" mom said.
"Tomorrow like today? Or tomorrow like tomorrow?" I asked.
"Tomorrow" mom answered. I nodded. Good I didn't have to go today, but so much for the snow storm saving me. "I get that you have your concerns, but please just give him a chance" mom pleaded.
"I will, I just want to see you happy is all" I said.
"I know… you're a great son," mom said.
"And you're a great mom," I replied. Mom smiled.
"So did you want to spend some time with me today?" she asked.
"Actually I… you know what, sure. I'd love to" I said. As much as I would love to go on a date with Lilly, I wanted to spend more time with my mom as well, and what better time to start than now.
"Are you sure? You sounded like you had something planned" mom said. I pulled out my phone and shot Lilly a quick test saying that something came up and that I couldn't make it tonight. I then slid the phone back in my pocket and looked at my mother again.
"Actually mom, my schedule just cleared" I joked.
