Rose
When Abe said he was having a friend over for dinner, I wasn't expecting many families. I froze when I saw the group of kids from school, I was worried about Mason who was talking about leaving his foster home with Adrian. Mason had just called me down from a panic five minutes ago and now I was debating on calling him up again. I was really debating it.
Lissa came over squealing and hugged me. I didn't know what to do, Mason, Adrian and I didn't hug like this – we would hug alright, there just wouldn't be the squealing. I patted her back awkwardly. I swallowed down a bubble of panic – there was too many people, too many guys, too little space to run. Abe gave me a small encouraging smile. Olena asked us to go to the dinner table.
I sat down in a chair as Abe took the top and everyone scattered around. I said a thanks when the dinner was set in front of me and smiled. I looked around the table and waited for others to pick up their fork, then I did my sleeve raised up slightly and I quickly pulled it back down again, just as my phone buzzed. I put it on silent.
"So, it's Rose is it?" I nodded as a woman with gold hair and hazel eyes addressed me but I didn't answer. I pushed food around my plate. I didn't like attention – attention meant notice; notice meant people would question the bruises which would mean another beating. He wasn't around anymore so I knew it was an irrational fear but it could still happen.
"Do you have any plans for college?" She asked again, trying to keep the conversation going. I swallowed the small bit of food I put in my mouth.
"I want to go to Berkeley and do a Business major." I replied. "I want to open a gym."
"You never said." Abe said taking a sip from his drink.
"You never asked." I replied, pushing food around the plate when my phone buzzed again. Abe sighed.
"You can get that, you know." I smiled, answered the phone to Adrian's face on the screen.
"Hey! Did you take my green hoodie when you stayed over last week?"
"Sh, Adrian." I laughed, pushing the chair back and getting up.
"That's a lot of people – I'm assuming Mason calmed down a panic attack?" I left the kitchen, as I loudly sh-ed him.
"I'm fine, yeah, Mason talked me down." I answered him, leaning against the wall. "Yeah, I have your hoodie too."
"That's good – thought I left it somewhere."
"Mason said you two were going on the run?" He smiled into the camera, pretending to look innocent.
"You don't need to worry your pretty head about that." He replied. "My aunt said she'd take us both in, we just have to finish senior year in a posh school. We're starting Monday."
"Posh schools have rules."
"And I plan on breaking every one." I laughed.
"Promise you'll call me or Mason if you have another panic attack? They've been getting worse since-"
"I know. I promise. You guys will be the first to know."
"Alright, I love you."
"I love you too, Adrian." I hung up, stayed outside the dining room for a while before pocketing my phone and sat back down in my chair. Lissa smiled brightly as she continued to dig into her food.
"Was that you're boyfriend?" She cooed. "And you stay over?" Lissa waggled her eyebrows. Abe's face went red, Eric sat next to him, a smile on his face as he patted his shoulder.
"Are you not seventeen?" Viktoria asked. "And you're staying over in a boys? How old is he?"
"Adrian's nineteen and he isn't a boyfriend, he's just a friend." I replied, putting food into my mouth. Talking with Adrian had settled my stomach.
"Nineteen?" Abe asked, clenching the fork in his hand.
"Is he in college?" I shook my head.
"No, he was expelled a couple times for drinking and smoking on campus and had to repeat."
"What?!" Abe looked furious. I swallowed.
"He drinks?" Lissa's mom asked, I nodded.
"Yeah, but he's gotten better. He doesn't drink that much anymore." I defended, proud of my friend. He had issued growing up, eventually we made a pack – I tell him about my mental health and he does the same. His drinking and smoking had cut down by half of his usual. We met when Mason and I were thirteen and he was fifteen. We've been inseparable these last years.
"He legally can't drink." Abe said. I looked over at him.
"Have you drank?" Lissa whispered but everyone looked and heard. I swallowed looked away and put food into my mouth, ignoring the question. Abe stared at me.
"You're seventeen!" I flinched back. Rhea coughed.
"How is your mother these days? We were all very close to Janine." I shrugged.
"I don't know, don't exactly care either." I replied taking one more bite of food. There was a knock on the door and Mikhil opened the door.
"There are two boys here-"
"Can I get my hoodie back?" I looked towards the door; my mouth flew open. A brown haired, dark green-eyed boy with a red-haired blue-eyed boy.
"If he's getting back his hoodie, can I have my t-shirt back?" I smiled, jumped up and embraced them both in tight hugs. They hugged me back tightly.
"Here to rescue you from cronic boredom. Since you can no longer get in trouble because I'm not around."
"What he means to say is he got expelled again and this school is the last resort before his aunt shaved his head and puts him in the military."
"He'd never make it five minutes." I laughed with Mason. Adrian scoffed and jumped on my back. I laughed.
"Oh, that's right, jump on her back even though she just got out of hospital with a concussion – again." Adrian laughed and he jumped down.
"You're such a spoil sport!" Adrian laughs snaking and arm around my shoulder. Mason cleared his throat.
"There is a table bunch of people looking at us, one guy behind me who looks like he's ready to pounce on one word and the guy behind you – let's just say if looks could kill – we'd be in hell." Adrian and I turned around at the same time.
"Oh, that's my dad."
"Oh, we've never met your parents officially – Janine's never home, you spend half the nights in mine." I rubbed my neck. Adrian walked right up to my dad his hand extended.
"This isn't a good idea, is it." I shook my head.
"I'm assuming you're the boy who gave my underaged daughter alcohol." Abe stood up from his chair.
"Uh-oh."
"Oh yeah, that! Yeah, Rose downed like half a bottle of vodka. She hasn't taken a sip since she was thirteen though." Abe grabbed Adrian's hand.
"Thirteen?" Olena cleared her throat.
"Well, the dinner was amazing, I guess we'll be going now." She forced everyone up and out the door. Adrian's hand was still crushed in Abes.
"Yeah, I was careful after that." Adrian replied, still smiling but it turning more forced.
"You're hurting him-"
"Not now, Rose!" He yelled. I jumped back flinching. Mason's eyes narrowed.
"Don't you dare yell at her! She's had enough of that to last a lifetime!" Abe let go of Adrian's hand and looked over at me. My hands were shaking.
"What's going on?" Mason sighed.
"Let's go somewhere more comfortable." Abe led them into the living room and sat down on the chair. I sat straight-backed between Adrian and Mason.
"A guy started to come around to the house when Janine wasn't there. Saying Janine sent him." Mason started.
"Janine was very rarely around. She would leave Rose money every so often but then go off to work." Adrian clarified.
"Point is, he beat her." Mason said. "Rose, I mean." I looked at my hands. "When Janine eventually came back, the bruises would be gone. He'd threaten Rose saying Janine would get worse if she told anyone."
"All we could do is be there for her."
"So, the doctor was right then? You're not just clumsy?" Abe asked and I shook my head.
"The last time he pushed me down the stairs and I landed on my knee and wrist banging my head on the ground. He stood on my knee until it popped out." Abe pinched the bridge of his nose. "I tried telling mom, but she wasn't around."
"Rose-"
"I'm fine."
"It's the reason she has panic attacks. If shes in a group of people with no exits or little access to them – she gets stressed." Mason explained. "She wont eat, she'll be quite or she'll start to babble."
"And you two help her?"
"She's like a sister." Adrian stated, sounding more serious than he had in his entire life. "We watch each others backs." Adrian looked straight at me.
"Always."