A.N.- Hey everyone! I am sorry it took me so long to update, but this should be coming along much quicker. Hopefully it won't be too hard to follow as the story progresses. I love me some Garcia and Hotch, and I have a couple other stories for these two in the works. See you are the bottom!
Chapter Two
Cuffing her hands behind her back once again, they walked her into the large glass doors. Handing her off to new people, or FBI agents as detailed on their I.D. tags, and brought her in the elevator. When they hit the right floor, the agents moved her into an interrogation room. It was a little on the warm side, but she could imagine it. It could be worse, it could be freezing and it wouldn't be great in her little amount of clothing on the cold metal seat, chattering so hard her teeth may break while trying to deny what she'd done.
The door opened, and someone came in and asked if she was hungry or thirsty. She shook her head, and kept her head down. Not trusting her voice. She was terrified, but she didn't want to show it. They walked out, and she was left in there. For how long she wasn't sure, but she had a horrible itch on her ankle that she wanted to itch more than her life depended on it. Wouldn't be a wise choice, and kind of hard to do since her hands were handcuffed to the table.
It felt like hours, and she had to go to the bathroom. She did a small wave, and looked at the mirror. For another split-second, she saw that boy again and her heart skipped. Shutting her eyes, she took a deep breath once again. It was on her right, and across from her was the door. "Hello? I need to use the loo, please?" she asked, opening her eyes. A few seconds later, someone came in and escorted her to the bathroom. When she finished and walked out, the agent brought her back and cuffed her once again.
"Could we please get on with this already? Or at least, could you please give me a gossip magazine or something?" They walked out, not saying a word and she sighed. "Well it was worth a try," she muttered. Not wanting to look at the mirror again, she stared at the table, and thought about what her brothers must be thinking. Do they even know where she is? Should she call them or wait until she even knows why she is exactly in here? She hoped the station would have told them so they weren't worried, but who knows with those idiots?
Brushing my hair after Gym, I opened my gym locker and retrieved my backpack. Walking out, I saw Aaron leaning casually against the door, and looking off to the side. My heart was leaping, and I honestly wasn't sure why. Yes, I was attracted to him, but so far I didn't know anything about him to really warrant these feelings.
I felt awkward and nervous, but seeing the lack of excitement on his face surprisingly calmed me down a little. He motioned for me to go ahead, and I did. I didn't know what to say since he wasn't the one who invited me out. Saying nothing, he walked me to Sean's locker, and didn't even look at me. He just stared ahead until we got there. Sean looked for us, and waited identical to how Aaron had waited for me.
"Hey! Let's go, G.," Sean grabbed his backpack and headed for the doors. I stumbled forward, thinking. For once I actually loved the first thing someone had called me. Usually, others called me Penelope, but then there were my brothers, who loved to call me two names. P, or Pee Pee, along with Penny, and they know I hate those with an ungodly passion. Since they were all too big to beat me up like they would each other, dumb names seemed to do the trick to rile me up.
I liked G. Simple, short and didn't involve my actual first name. It can be a keeper. "Follow me," I smiled. I was excited. This was my favorite place and because I go there so much, the owner gives me discounts and they get bigger the more people I can bring in. We walked, and talked about games, and music. Aaron stayed a few feet behind, not talking. To be honest I was getting uncomfortable.
"So, what games do you like, Aaron?" I asked him. Looking up, his lips were in a thin line. "I am not into video games. Some, but Sean is more into them than I am." I stopped in my tracks and looked at Sean.
"Well, why did you come? Not that I don't want you to come, but it sounded like you wanted to play games with us," I wondered. Sean and Aaron looked at each other and looked at me. "We don't know you. Mother told me to look out for Sean and I am. You could be an ax murderer or something. Sean wanted to hang out with you so I am just here to look out for him," Aaron stated matter-of factly.
Sean looked guilty and gave a small nod. "You seem nice! Really, you do, but I would never forgive myself if someone hurt my brother. You know... besides me, of course." Aaron amended. I was shocked, a little offended and honestly quite surprised.
"Are you kidding? I freakin' respect the crap out of that. Aside from you know, the obviously hurtful thoughts about me that's awesome you look out for each other." Aaron ran a hand through his hair and nodded, while Sean gave a huge smile. I shrugged and started to walk ahead, and waited for them to join me.
So, Aaron didn't want to be friends, apparently. I was bummed, sure, but Sean still seemed interested, so that was a plus. Once we got there, we picked out a game, and Aaron picked out a couple of DVDs, and after meeting the owner, and promising they would return, we walked the long way to Sean's house.
We hung out all day, playing against each other on the new game until it was dinner time. I didn't want to leave, but I didn't want to impose. "I should be heading out. Thanks for today. You want to come over tomorrow after school? Or did I not pass the test?" I joked. Sean laughed but seemed a little upset.
"Do you have to leave? Why don't you call your mom and ask to eat dinner here?" I wanted to, but on the other hand it was my first night here, and if they were going to hang out more there will be plenty of opportunities then. Before she could say anything, Aaron closed his eyes and knocked.
"Oh, good, you're decent. It's almost dinner Sean," he smirked. Sean rolled his eyes and shook his head. I blushed, and looked down. Damn, that seemed to be the theme that day for me. "Whatever Aaron. Quit being an ass. We'll be down just as soon as G. asks her mom if she can eat over," he said.
Aaron's stance changed, and he took his hand out of his pocket and walked over to Sean. "I don't think it's a good idea. It's a weekday, Sean. Ask her to come this weekend," he urged. Sean was about to protest, and even though I was wondering what the big deal was, I didn't want to pry.
"No, it's fine, Sean. I have to get going. You want to come over tomorrow?" Sean looked angry, but then grabbed my hand and took me out of his room. "Sure. That would be cool. Sorry you can't eat over. My father has rules, and..." I shook my head and squeezed his hand, assuring him. "Don't worry about it. My mom, complete opposite. Expect to be forced to eat over tomorrow. Okay?" I smiled.
He nodded reluctantly, and held out his fist when we got to his front door. I bumped it against his and opened the door, only to reveal a someone standing there. I squeaked and moved behind Sean, who jumped as well.
"Hello, Sean. Who is this you have here?" the man asked. Sean grabbed my arm and tugged which I reluctantly came from behind him to stand arm in arm with Sean. "Father, this is Penelope Garcia. G., this is my father," he introduced us. I relaxed and waved at him. Sean's father, his eyes intrigued, darted back and forth at the two of us before waving himself.
"Nice to meet you, Penelope." He was very tall, and while thin seemed very muscular. They were right, Aaron looked exactly like him. His gray hair was short and perfect, and he was completely clean-shaven yet had some stubble coming in. Their father would be quite handsome if he would smile, but it looked like something so far out of reach a giggle almost exploded out of my mouth.
"Nice to meet you too, sir. I was just leaving." I waved at Sean and walked around their father, who didn't seem to move. "Be safe going home, now, Penelope." I nodded and walked home. Surprisingly, I only lived down the street from them. They were in the nice part of the suburb that began around their house and we were just outside of it. Their house looked like something you'd see in a magazine.
In Parker, Colorado, where we lived, their house was a beautiful two-story colonial with white paint and red shutters. Perfect lawn, perfect curb-appeal with flower bushes lining their sidewalk and perfect hedges. It was just as beautiful on the inside, and their mother must have worked so hard to get it so lovely.
I walked to my house, where I could hear my brothers screaming from down the road. My oldest brother was home with a new girlfriend over to meet the family, and a couple of my brothers were home from college, so they were exceptionally loud today. I smiled as I locked the gate, excited for tomorrow.
The next day, when I went to our first class together, my seat was open and Sean was sitting across from me while Aaron was behind me. I smiled and said hi, but I just got a small nod from Aaron while Sean actually acknowledged me. The rest of the day Sean and I passed notes, and doodled in each other's notebooks while Aaron hung out with someone else that day.
After school, Aaron went to their house while I took Sean to mine. He was excited to see how close we lived by each other and we locked the gate. "So, just to let you know... it's a zoo in there, but a harmless zoo." He smiled and waved it off, and we stepped inside. I took him to my room, and felt nervous.
"Cool... room. Lots of... clowns," he tried to be nice. I blushed and looked at the clown wallpaper border around my room and the hand painted clowns my mother painted when I was four all over my room. I couldn't sleep for a couple of years until my fear stopped outweighing my need for privacy. I have spent the last couple of years hanging posters over them or adding some extra... features to the clowns.
"Yeah, I know. I hate them with every fiber of my being, but my mother thought I would like it, just because I had a Jack-in-the-box from when my other brothers were little. She painted them herself, when I was like four. That clown over there is a robot/Jedi who has turned rogue. His name is Bonks," I showed him the additions I made to it, and he smiled.
"Awesome. But why didn't you paint over it instead of adding to it if you hate them so much?" he asked. I shrugged and turned on my computer that was next to my bed. I used the bed as a chair since my room wasn't very big. My computer was my Christmas/Birthday present for the year and I didn't regret it. "I don't know. I guess I feel a little bad since she spent such a long time on them, and it wouldn't change the fact that I still have the border on the wall," I reasoned. He nodded, understanding and sat on my bed.
I never had a boy in my room before, so I wasn't sure if I should stay on the bed or not. Realizing it was only Sean, I decided it was fine. This was Sean, and besides... I had four brothers in the house that would turn him into a doormat in a matter of seconds. I sat next to him, and showed him some things I learned about coding and web design. He was really interested and asked how to do everything I didn't know how to do yet. But still... I was glad someone else I knew seemed to show some type of interest in the things I like.
Hearing a knock on the door, I looked up and my mother was there. "Hey Mom. This is Sean Hotchner. Sean, this is my mom, Michelle." Sean walked over and held out his hand to shake. "Nice to meet you, Ma'am." She tilted her head to the side and smiled sweetly at him. I had her eyes, and hair, but I had my dad's build, which isn't the best look, but I do what I can.
"Look at those manners, Penelope! You are so sweet, but I am not a Ma'am nor will I be anytime soon I should think. Call me Michelle. Nice to meet you too," she shook his hand softly and leaned against the doorway.
"Mom, was there something you wanted?" I was starting to get uncomfortable. She stepped in and crossed her arms. "Do you remember what you were supposed to do today?" I thought for a second, until it hit me.
"Mom! Come on! Can't I do it tomorrow?" She shook her head and Sean slithered back by the bed, and my mom looked slightly guilty. "No, you already are a few days behind." Looking at Sean, he seemed quite confused, and I really didn't want him to leave.
"Please Mom? Just today? Ask Brian to do it! Please, please, please," I begged. Michelle shook her head and winced. "Really? Brian? Is that really a good idea?" she questioned. I groaned, knowing she was right. "I am really sorry, but you know the rules. Sean, you are welcome to stay if you'd like. Lovely meeting you," she smiled and walked out of the room.
I groaned and flopped my body on the bed, holding my arm over my forehead. "What was that about?" Sean asked lowly. I sighed dramatically, and got up on my feet. "Only my indentured servitude," I looked away and felt bad. I promised him we would have fun and play on my computer.
He raised an eyebrow and smirked. "What is it you have to do, Cinderella?" I stuck my tongue out, and he giggled. I loved his laugh. It was warm and quite infectious. I let out a small laugh and walked by the door. "I completely forgot I have to cook dinner tonight. I guess we can do this another day if you want," I sulked.
Sean's eyes became wide. "Cooking? What do you make?" Scratching my head, I shrugged. "I make quite a bit of stuff. My mom is a great cook, but she has been working a lot at night, so she is pretty tired. I just use her recipes she lays out," I told him. He seemed genuinely interested, so I couldn't help but ask. "Do you like cooking or something?" Nodding, he gave a bashful smile and walked closer to me.
"Yeah, I kind of love it. When I was bored I went and helped my mom make dinner. Don't tell Aaron, though. He finds anything he possibly can to make fun of me, which of course, isn't much," he winked. I rolled my eyes and laughed. "Yes, because god forbid we wouldn't want the Hotchner boys, i.e. 'Perfection', to show a flaw of any kind," I joked.
He narrowed his eyes and stuck out his tongue, mimicking me. I giggled and wrapped my arm around his, and walked out of my room. "So, you can leave, or you could help me cook, if you wanted to," I laid out the options. My mind raced, hoping he would help me so we could hang out after dinner, but that is pretty rude to ask my new friend to stay and help me cook for my family.
"Are you kidding? That actually sounds cool. I just have some rules, like I don't do dishes, I like to use machinery, and we get to taste as we go." I laughed, and nodded. "Deal. Just don't use fingers. One word... ew," I shuddered. Walking to the kitchen, I looked on the chalk board and listed for today was spaghetti and garlic bread. Relieved, I walked to the cupboards and grabbed the ingredients.
Sean stood at the kitchen island, and waited for me to finish rounding up the stuff. "Have you made this before?" I asked. He swallowed, and nodded. "Y-yeah. Um... that is a lot of stuff, though, isn't it?" Putting the tomatoes on the island, I grabbed a cutting board and a knife.
"What's the matter?" I could see he was nervous but didn't understand how if he made it before. "It's uh... it's just that I never made this much before. What if I don't make enough and I starve your family and they never let me over again?" he rambled. I squeezed his arm and walked around to grab the baguette.
"Don't worry. We make extras so there are leftovers too, so I am sure we will make enough. You do realize I have four older brothers, right? If there was no food in this house my brothers would turn cannibal on us in a heartbeat." He nodded, and took a deep breath. "Okay, here we go, then," he muttered.
We made it quite fast and Sean gained more confidence throughout making the pasta. He seemed quite happy and when we finished, we called everyone down to dinner. We were quite proud of our food and we ended up making enough leftovers to feed us for the whole week, but everyone liked it so much they had a couple helpings each.
Sean met my step-father, Rich, and my brothers, who kind of ignored him. I asked my brother, Jason, why they did that, and they said, "When he starts to go on dates with you, that's when we'll give a damn about him. Did you tell him we each own guns?" I narrowed my eyes and checked to see if Sean had come back from using the bathroom yet.
"Jason, don't be stupid. You don't have any guns," I hissed. Jason blushed slightly and threw his hands up. "Yeah, but he doesn't know that!" I scoffed and shook my head, over with this conversation. I walked to my room and sat on the bed, waiting for Sean.
Walking in, he leaped on my bed and rubbed his full stomach. "That was freakin' delicious! Thanks for letting me stay for dinner." I smiled and waved him off, glad he had a good time. I really liked him as a friend, and this had meant a lot to me to have a friendship again.
"No worries. My house is always a swinging door. You can eat over any time," I assured him. He lit up and opened his backpack. "Sweet! Thanks, G." We hung out the rest of the night until it was time to go. I walked him outside and waved as he rode his bike down the road to his house. I was so excited for school the next day, I went to sleep as soon as I went inside.
After that, we became inseparable. If I wasn't at home, I was at his house. For a month straight we hung out together, and became best friends. We just clicked. It was awesome to know I could count on someone. Being so much younger than my brothers, I never felt very close to any of them, and I had a couple friends growing up, but we had nothing in common aside from our crushes on literary characters in our favorite novels and celebrities.
A female officer came, and gave her a glass of water. She didn't even bother saying thanks, and she just wanted to get this over with. However, she knew the more she asked, the more they would keep their mouth shut so she looked down and began to hum the song, "this is the song that never ends," and wouldn't look at the officer.
"You're the type who just want to watch the world burn, ain't ya?" the woman asked, huffing. She bit back her smile, glad to see she had gotten to her, and shrugged. Honestly, she wasn't like that... but she didn't have to know that.
Instead of responding, she started to actually sing the words. Loudly. Shaking her head, the officer walked out, and the room was quiet again.
We had a dance that happened a month after we met, and Sean had asked a girl to come but wanted me to go with them. Aaron had asked someone to go with him as well, so I felt like the fifth wheel. I decided it could be worse and not asked to go at all.
I wanted to ask someone, but I was nervous and truth be told, I thought someone would have asked me, but no one did. Not one person showed the slightest interest. So, I figured a good time out with my new friends would be enough.
Everyone was having a great time, and instead of sitting on the side all night while the Hotchner boys danced with their dates, I grabbed some girls who were in the same boat as me, and we all danced in a big group in the center of the dance floor, acting goofy. I went as Sally from the Nightmare Before Christmas and made my own costume. It was fun, and when I sat down to take a breath, Sean had come up dressed as Batman and pulled a chair next to her.
He had been nervous, and supposedly so was Aaron since tonight they had planned their first kiss with their dates, and seeing how Sean had a dopey grin and a light blush on his face, it was evident he kissed Mary. They talked about the dance and people there, and Penelope stared over by Mary, who had a few boys circling around.
"So... you want to dance later, G? Last dance with my girl?" he winked. I giggled, and narrowed my eyes.
"You have enough to worry about than to grace my dance card, mister. Do you see the vultures moving in on Mary? Go on, and I'll see you later," I warned him. It was true, ever since she practically turned down all of their grade for this dance they have been waiting for their moment to strike. Mary, with her long dark brown hair and light blue eyes and an air about her that screamed aloofness, it was no surprise.
"Wish me luck. She wasn't too happy our first kiss was in public. Maybe I should have took her out in the hallway, I don't know..." he groaned. I huffed and shook my head. This idiot doesn't get it...
"Trust me, she didn't mean that. I guarantee that she will let you kiss her again. That is, if she didn't hate it," I giggled. Narrowing his eyes, he smacked my arm lightly and got to his feet. "Well of course she wouldn't. I have it on good authority that I am a good kisser," he said indignantly. Before I could retort, Aaron came up next to us.
"Yeah, Sean, your pillow or Mom don't count as votes, so..." he smiled. His eyes gleamed in satisfaction when Sean turned and growled. Sean suddenly turned to me, and my giggles turned to full blown tears. "I was gonna say your hand doesn't count, Sean but those were better!" Sean, angry, stormed off and walked up to Mary.
Mary, dressed as a princess, didn't acknowledge him right away and Sean grabbed her hand. He then walked her out into the hallway, and all of her friends began to scatter to their own dates. When I turned to look if Aaron was still there, he was staring at me. He had a look on his face that I couldn't place, and he looked me up and down, until his gorgeous eyes settled on my own.
"So, Aaron, where is your date? I'm sorry, I have to ask... what is she by the way?" I had to ask. He winced and sighed. "Yeah... I was too afraid to ask. I wasn't sure if I should say that she looked beautiful or terrifying and terrifying was not what she was going for, apparently..." he scratched his head. I slapped a hand to my mouth, and laughed. I sympathized with him, and even though I sort of secretly wished I was the one he asked, I wanted him to enjoy himself.
"Oh well, I better get back. See you later Penelope," he smiled. I waved, and got to my feet. After another hour of awkward group dances and too much non-spiked punch, I sat back down. The DJ warned the group there was one more dance after the one playing and it was time to head home. I was just going to sit them out. Looking out, I saw Sean immediately, dancing with his date. They were dancing to the fast song playing and talking over the loud music.
I checked my phone and saw it was almost time to go, so I threw my drink in the trash. When I turned around, Aaron was walking up behind me. His date stayed where they had been dancing, talking to some friends, and after throwing their food in the garbage, Aaron took down his hood. "It's hot in here! Next year I am going to wear a toga, I swear to god!" he groaned as he waved his heated face. I nodded agreeing. I was wearing a dress and I could tell how warm it was. Of course, picturing him in a toga sent my cheeks crimson instantly.
"They need to actually open some doors in this place. It's forty degrees outside and all they use are the old fans overhead!" I agreed. Aaron nodded and placed his scythe on a nearby table. Looking at me, he glanced at his brother across the room. "So are you coming to our house after?"
"Yeah, I'm spending the night. You want to hang out with us?" Aaron furrowed his brows and looked down. "Yeah for a bit, I guess." Suddenly, the song changed and it was a slow song. I nodded and waved my goodbye since I knew he had to get back to the girl he was with.
"Penelope? Do you want to dance?" Shocked, I almost didn't turn to him. I wasn't expecting to dance with him. His brother, maybe; but not him. Aaron's sweet smile revealed this wasn't a joke, he was serious. "Don't be silly! Your girlfriend is waiting for you!" I told him. I hoped beyond hope that he would still want to dance with me, even though I knew it wasn't possible.
"She is just a date. Please, Penelope?" he asked again. His elbow extended out, he waited for my arm to slip in with his. If I didn't have a vomit-colored green paint on my face he may have seen my deep blush. I couldn't speak, too tongue-tied and only nodded. It was just a dance, and I wasn't even sure why I was getting so worked up about it, but I was.
Walking toward him, I wrapped my arm around his, and we walked to the dance floor. "Thanks. I swear I will try not to step on your toes, but I make no promises," I murmured. He laughed and brought us to near the middle of the dance floor.
My heart was pounding wildly, and even my hands were slightly shaking. I nervously wrapped them around his neck, while he held my hips, and we swayed back and forth at first. "You look great tonight. That costume is amazing. You said you sewn the costume yourself?" he wondered. His hands naturally bunched the fabric in his hands, raising my hem above my knees. Blushing, he let go of it and looked down.
I retained my blush and I knew his intentions. It wasn't like he was just going to hike up my dress all of a sudden or anything. "Thanks. Yeah, I tried to match it to the movie, but I couldn't distress this part of the fabric enough and I couldn't get the right pattern for this cloth here, and..." I was stopped by a small squeeze on my hips. My dress took me a while to make, since it was a large amount of throwing together chunks of fabric and using thick threads to tie them all together.
"It looks amazing. I have always loved that movie. I was actually thinking about being Jack Skellington this year but I wasn't able to figure out the head issues." Shocked, it took me a moment to speak.
"I didn't know you liked that movie. We should watch it tonight! Sean said he never saw it. Do you have it at home?" he thought about it, and after a few seconds he nodded. "Yeah I believe it's in the basement." Excited, I jumped quickly up and down, and Aaron laughed.
"Thanks for the dance. It's fun to dance with a group but it turns a little weird when one of them starts to put their head on your shoulders." Aaron had moved a tiny step forward, and it didn't amount to much difference but I couldn't help but notice his warmth.
"So did you ask anyone to go to the dance?" I looked down and shrugged. "No, someone seemed interested in our gym class, but he told me a few days ago he already asked someone else, so..." I shrugged. I naturally looked for the boy I asked, Jerry, and he had been sitting in the same spot all night, with no one to dance with. Sighing, I looked back to Aaron and butterflies erupted in my stomach. I wanted to go with a date but I honestly liked this too. If I was with a date I may not have had the chance to dance with him.
"Yeah... that could be our fault. Sorry," he said. His body was suddenly much more rigid, and I chewed my lower lip, thinking. "Sorry for what?" Aaron was looking down, and glanced over to his brother before looking at me.
"Sean overheard Max Paulson, you know, the one who everyone said he had a make out party last month? Well he said he was going to to take you to the dance. Sean confronted him, and asked if you said yes. He said he was going to ask you at lunch, and Sean may have told him that you are going with him, and may have threatened to never look in your direction ever again if he ever wanted to make it to the dance."
I sputtered, and couldn't find my voice. That was insane! Sean never asked me to go! Why would he do that? "I don't understand! Why would Sean threaten him?" I asked, confused. Aaron shrugged, and seemed he was holding something back.
"There's more isn't there..." I guessed. He nodded and let out a huge breath. His breath was fruity, like the punch with a small hint of mint from his Altoids. "Yeah, he only said that so you wouldn't go with someone he didn't think was right for you, and since the rest of class heard it they may have gossiped to the whole school that you are dating Sean, or me... or both?" He shyly looked at her, and a smile danced across his face.
"Oh my God! I'm a slut! I'm a Hotch-whore! Oh my God! I'm gonna kill him! What was he thinking?" I groaned. I was absolutely mortified, and now that I was dancing with one of them, it may as well be true. Suddenly, the music stopped and the lights turned on.
Looking around, I saw Sean wave goodbye to his date, and I turned to Aaron. "I am going to kill your brother. Or I could just get even..." I smirked and Aaron had a twinkle in his eyes, nodding. After Mary walked out of the doors of the auditorium, I walked over to Sean.
"Hey you ready to go?" Sean asked. I smiled, and shook my head. "Nope. Sorry, I am going to go to Max Paulson's make out party tonight." I smiled brightly at him. Face turning pale, he sputtered. "You can't! You were supposed to come over for a sleep over tonight! Remember?" he sputtered. I gave him a sympathetic look and smacked his shoulder.
"Don't be silly! I can make it to the party and come to see you later. He came up to me earlier and said he can't wait to see me there! Isn't that sweet?" I sighed dreamily. Sean scoffed and looked over to Max Paulson's general direction.
"What the hell, G? Why go out with him? You deserve so much better than that prick!" he snapped. I shrugged, not really caring what he had to say. He went too far. "It's my decision, Sean. The same way it was my decision if I wanted to go with someone like Max Paulson or not! You don't get to decide for me! I wouldn't have went with him, and thanks to you, everyone thinks I am a Hotch-whore now!" I fumed. Sean tried speaking, but I wouldn't let him. I stormed past him and went outside to get some air. It was cold, but the heat from inside was too stifling.
I sat on a nearby bench, when someone came up behind me. It was Aaron, who had brought my coat. He didn't sit down, but looked on at all of the other kids getting into their cars to leave. "He meant well. Besides me, you are his best friend. He's had a ton of friends, but you and him just clicked, and he was only looking out for you."
"I know, but I kept my head down before I met you guys for a reason. I don't need people finding excuses to make fun of me anymore than they already did. For the past two years, I have kept a low profile because I was always the "weird kid", and even though I had a few friends growing up, most of them always turned on me and jumped on the bandwagon. My only true friend was gay and he moved away to be closer to the "'Pray the Gay Away' programs," I admitted.
Aaron sighed, and brought his hood around his head, trying to block the wind from seeping into his bones. "My brother may be a dumb ass, but he means well. He didn't want you to get hurt, and it would really hurt him if you didn't come to our house."
Rolling my eyes, I knew he was right. It just sucked and I loved the kid, but if he kept this up, I will be in a house all alone feeding and cuddling with my forty cats. Getting to my feet, I walked with Aaron to Sean, who had been tapping his foot. Seeing me, he sighed in relief.
"Oh! I'm so sorry, G! I didn't want you to get your heart stomped by that jackass and," I cut him off, and waved my arms. "Aaron explained it to me, and yes I get it, but no more! Understand?" I narrowed my eyes playfully. He nodded and held out his fist.
We walked to his mother's car, and got inside. When he got to their house, we immediately went into Sean's room. We stayed up for a few more hours, watching scary movies and playing games until I couldn't keep my eyes open anymore. I wasn't sure where they wanted me to sleep, and even though I had no issues sleeping in Sean's room, they did have plenty of guest rooms.
Aaron stretched, and with a yawn, he walked by the door. "I'm out. See ya for pancakes," he winked and walked out. Looking at Sean, I whipped out some cards. "Wanna play?" I saw the excitement in his eyes and I took that as my answer. We cleared our candy out of the way and just as I finished dealing, Aaron came knocking on the door.
"Hey I am gonna crash over here. Don't mind me," he grumbled. He was visibly upset, and I wasn't sure why. Sean, confused, picked up his cards.
"I thought you were going to bed. In your room?" He pointed to the doorway, annoyed. Aaron smirked and shook his head. "Sorry, I have to be in here if she is. Father went into my room and told me to come in here," he said cautiously. Sean sighed and handed him some cards to play.
Aaron walked over, and checked his cards. "What are we playing?" I smirked, and hid behind my cards. "The volatile game known as, Go Fish. Ever played?" I asked. He smiled, and shook his head.
"Yes, a time or two. Lost my car to this game, you know," he joked, deepening his voice. I nodded sympathetically, and giggled. Sean focused on his cards and took away the pair already in his hand. "So what did Father say, exactly?"
Aaron suddenly became serious, and didn't look up from his cards. "The usual. Colossians 3:5-6." Sean's eyes narrowed and he grumbled something under his breath.
"What is "Colosseums," exactly?" I asked, not understanding. I figured it was something from the bible, but I wasn't exactly very religious. Aaron looked at her, and she could see all light leave his eyes, leaving them empty shells that sent a chill down her spine. "Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires, and greed, which is idolatry. Because of these, the wrath of God is coming."
I raised an eyebrow, and looked at an angry Sean. "That seems a little much for a sleep over. I don't get it." I didn't. Their parents agreed it was fine I could spend the night. I would be happy to head home if they suddenly felt differently.
"Our father wants to make sure you guys don't get into trouble. He thinks you are going to... you know." He waved his hand, turning bright red. I looked from the two and busted up laughing. I laughed so hard tears fell from my eyes.
"That won't be an issue. Sean? Me? Really?" I couldn't stop laughing and Sean looked up from his cards. "You don't have to laugh that hard, G," he said, insulted. It just made me laugh harder. Finally, after a few minutes, I calmed down enough to play. I felt bad Aaron was stuck in here, but he didn't seem to hate it at least.
When Sean won the last two games, they were shuffling again and about to play some Texas hold 'em when Aaron lightly chuckled to himself. After a minute, he laughed again, and soon enough, he was laughing so hard, he was holding his stomach, head almost to the floor.
Sean and I looked at one another, confused. "What's so funny, Aaron?" Sean asked, confused. Aaron took a few seconds to calm down enough to explain.
"Hotch-Whore? Really?" he guffawed. I blushed, and looked at Sean, who started laughing too. Soon, we were all laughing really hard, momentarily forgetting the card game.
Later on, they went to sleep. I slept on their couch, and Sean slept in his bed. Aaron had to sleep on the floor. The next morning, their father didn't make it for breakfast, still asleep, but Elena made her special blueberry pancakes. They were amazing. When she handed me the syrup, her sleeves slid higher and I swore I saw dark marks around her arms. I thanked her, and looked quickly away after she covered them up quickly again.
A.N.- Hey! Reviews are the best crack there is! Just sayin'! ;)
