Into the Eyes of The Wild
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Chapter Two: Moderation and Hustling the Hustlers
Sunlight streamed in from between the dark blue curtains and fell in splintered rays of light against the back of the girl's eyelids. A hand flew up from underneath the light blue sheets and pressed the back of her hands against her eyes to bar out the light. "No…" She murmured and rolled over, stuffing her head underneath the large body pillow that lay underneath the three smaller ones. The sheets were cool to the touch and invited sleep to lay its hand back on her.
Nightmares had haunted her every night for the past six years except for the past month. Maybe she was growing out of the night terrors like her doctor had said she would. But that wasn't completely it… It was more so this place. She felt safe here somehow. God knows it had been embarrassing her first week here where she'd either had to crawl into bed with Mina or that one rare night that Mina hadn't been home and she'd crawled into bed with Pogue after a particularly horrible night. It had been particularly hilarious to try to explain that to the other Sons when they'd showed up bright and early to hang out.
Michelle's eyes flew open, hidden with her head underneath her pillows. The door at her back creaked opened as quietly as humanly possible and one… no two pairs, no four pairs of feet crept across the plush carpeting and surrounded the bed. "No guys don't do it!" She yelled but her pleas were muffled underneath her piles of pillows.
Four, lean, muscled boys jumped on top of the bed, the girl underneath the covers, and each other. Michelle screamed and groped around for a head with long blonde hair before she crawled over to the muscled body and cuddled into it. "Pogo! Why can't you guys let a girl sleep first thing in the morning?" Pogue laughed and ruffled the wavy head of hair that was snuggled against his shoulder. "It's almost five 'Chelle."
Michelle pushed Pogue away, forcing him off the bed and onto the floor before she kicked at Tyler who was sitting on her legs. "Off! Off! Off!" She demanded before she swept the long hair away from her face and secured it into a ponytail at the nape of her neck.
"Why didn't you wake me up?" She asked accusingly as Pogue pulled himself back onto the bed. "Ma said to let you sleep. She said if you were sleeping this long then you haven't had a nightmare and that you needed all the sleep you could get." Michelle's lips pursed as she thought about it. Mina's logic was right on as always but that didn't explain why the other Sons were here.
"Alright… I'll bite. What are we doing tonight?"
The four Sons grinned at each other before slowly turning their attention to the girl between them. "What?" She asked cautiously as she crawled over to where Tyler was leaning against the headboard and plopped into his lap. He didn't seem to mind, he merely adjusted his legs so he was more comfortable and wrapped his arms around her waist. Reid grinned at the younger girl and tugged on a bright blue pajama pants leg before he began staring slightly lower than her chin. Michelle glared at him and kicked at the pale hand that was groping her leg and adjusted the dark blue tank top she wore that was only a little bit too small for her somewhat large chest. She was only a C but did that keep Reid from looking? That's a resounding hell no.
She motioned to the headboard behind Tyler and he grabbed the large black pullover off the headboard behind him and draped it over her lap. The brunette pulled it over her head quickly turning back to her foster brother. "Pogo? What are we doing tonight?" Pogue grinned as Michelle's brow furrowed. He knew that she hated repeating herself. If he made her repeat herself again, she'd probably beat him senseless with his own arm. Ma was probably rubbing off on her. That was a scary thought.
He and Caleb exchanged a look that set Michelle's teeth on edge. She was going to kill someone if they kept playing these games with her. She leaned her head back to look at Tyler before she sighed heavily. Pogue was enjoying this way too much. Whatever it was, she was either going to hate it, or she was going to be something they did often and wanted to savor the first time. Either way, that didn't sound too good.
It was Caleb who finally spoke. "We think we've been hiding you out too long 'Chelle. You need to get out more and get acquainted with Ipswich." Now she was really confused. Now it was Tyler and Reid who shared that irritating look. She could have sworn that they had this mind reading thing going on.
"Ty? Tell me what's going on before I hit something." Michelle demanded. She really was starting to look quite irritated. Reid laughed and cuddled up to the brunette. "What he means Baby Girl, is that we're taking you to Nicky's." Michelle stared down at the blonde in her lap and gently began running her fingers through his corn silk hair. "What's Nicky's?"
The four boys grinned and pushed themselves off the bed. "Get ready and we'll head out." Tyler said as he stood waiting for the other three boys to leave the room. "Is Nicky's inside or outside?" Tyler smiled. "It'll be warm inside Nicky's so dress however you want." Michelle nodded her head slowly and waved for Tyler to get out.
When she was alone she quickly changed her undergarments and stood staring from between her closet and her dresser. What to wear when you don't know what to expect? She finally settled on a black tee that fit to her every curve and sat a little higher above the faded denim mini skirt she'd pulled on. She tugged on the shirt to hide her bellybutton but finally gave up. Oh well. At least her tummy was flat, tanned enough to where she didn't blind people, and the hair on her body wasn't as dark as the hair on her head. Nothing embarrassing to hide.
Reid was the first to look up when a pair of footsteps thudded lightly down the stairs. "What no leather pants Baby Girl?" Michelle put one first on her hip and smirked. "No that's for our next date Blondie." Black leather boots covered her leg up to mid thigh like a silver buckled second skin, a faded mini clung low on her hip bones and a bare expanse of tanned tummy was visible between the line of her black tee and the waistband of her skirt. Usually Michelle straighten out the waves of her long dark hair but tonight she left them natural, waving gently to the middle of her back, a few inches above her waist. The makeup she wore was light and defined the deep blue-green of her eyes.
When she'd first come, her eyes were always dark and in certain lights looked like steel. Lately they'd been later, their color more peaceful.
"Whoa Baby Girl? Where's the party?" Tyler asked as he hopped up from his seat on the couch. Michelle rolled her eyes and snatched the leather coat that hung near the door. "Let's just go Baby Boy before I decide to go have my own party." "Whoa ho!" Reid called as he ran to catch up to the fleeing pair. "Do I get to join this private party Baby Girl?" He asked as he draped and arm around her shoulder. Michelle scoffed and pushed his arm off her shoulder. "Don't you know what private party means Garwin?"
The blonde grinned and slipped his index finger through the belt loop closest to him. He pulled her closer and whispered something in her ear that made her turn bright red and yell, "Pogue!" like her life depended on it. Pogue was there within minutes, standing between the blonde and the girl he'd started calling his little sister.
Reid held his hands up in defeat with his natural smirk in place. "I was just kidding. Take a breath."
Michelle hopped into the passenger side of the hummer while Reid and Pogue were distracted. Pogue went off towards his bike and Reid turned to the Hummer. "Oh hell no Baby Girl. You get the back seat." "No way Reid! You always get shot gun!" Reid opened the door and smirked at the pouting brunette. "I'll only get in the back if you join me Reid." She said with an edge to her silken voice that made Reid visibly shiver and scurry for the back. "Alright! Let's go!" Michelle exclaimed before turning in her seat and grinning at the pouting blonde. "I've been cheated."
After a good 20 minute drive and being forced to listen to Reid complain about having such a hot girl in the car and not having her sit in the dark with him. Michelle chose to take it as a compliment. Tyler was turning so red that everyone was wondering if he'd be ok to drive. Caleb stayed wisely silent.
Light glowed around the sign that read Nicky's. The sounds of laughter and the smell of mixed foods drifted out into the night. Michelle hopped out of the seat and listened to her boots crunch of the gravel before she found Tyler among their group and latched onto his arm. She felt incredibly tiny and immaculate compared to the four incredibly tall sexy boys that escorted her.
Sometimes life just wasn't fair.
"Hey Baby Boy." Reid nudged his friend with a smirk on his face. Michelle followed the direction the blonde was pointing but just saw a brand new SUV. "Ready for some pool Baby Boy?" "Oh yeah." Tyler laughed and hit Reid's fist with his own.
Michelle stood between them and looked up at the two boys on either side of her. "Why do I get the feeling you two are going to be doing something wrong?" Reid wrapped his arm around the brunette's shoulder and grinned over at Tyler, "Would we do something like that?" "Yes." She said with a glare of annoyance.
"Reid." Caleb said, his voice was full of a warning. As usual, the blonde wasn't listening. "So are we going to stand outside all night staring at the place or are we going in?" Pogue asked with a laugh as he clapped his best friend on the back.
Nicky's was warm and the smell of greasy food and body sweat mingled in the air. "Anyone up for some pool?" Reid asked, glancing at the other Sons with a mischievous smirk. Pogue and Caleb shook their heads and went off towards the foosball tables.
"What about you Baby Girl?" Reid asked as he wrapped his arm around her shoulders and tucked her closer to his side. She glanced at Tyler as they made their way over to an empty pool table. "Hey Reid, why don't you let me and Michelle play a game really quick? Ya know how to play?" Tyler asked, turning his attention from his best friend to the girl leaning casually against the pool table. "Not really. Can you show me?" "Of course." Tyler said as he grabbed two cues and began setting up the balls.
Michelle glanced over at Reid from the corner of her eye and gave him a small smile. "Rum and coke, plenty of ice, don't tell Pogue?" He asked with a grin. "You know me well." She said with a smile as she turned to Tyler who was handing her a cue.
Michelle watched as Tyler broke. A hand on her lower back forced her attention from the brunette in front of her to the blonde at her back who held a clear glass filled to the brim with a dark liquid. "Thanks." "No problem Baby Girl. Your wish is my command." He said with a mocking bow and a smirk. "God, get your mind out of the gutter!" Michelle snapped with a smile as she playfully shoved the blonde. "Only if you're coming with me Baby Girl." Reid teased as he grabbed her hand and placed a light kiss across her knuckles. "You're horrible." Michelle snapped. She pulled her hand away and took a drink of her coke before she set the glass down on the corner of the table.
Tyler and Reid watched for a moment as Michelle stood holding the cue in front of her looking a tad confused. "Here, let me help you." Tyler grinned as he moved around the table to her side. Reid took a couple steps back and watched as Tyler showed the slim brunette how to hold the cue and line it up for her shot.
Caleb grinned and smacked his friend on the back. "Looks like Tyler's giving Michelle some one on one lessons." Pogue glanced over his shoulder and watched as Tyler leaned over the slender brunette with his hand on her hip. Michelle made the shot and pushed the boy off with a laugh. She was saying something but he couldn't hear her over the crowd.
Something must have shown on his face because Caleb gave him a little shove to bring him back to reality. "Hey, Michelle can take care of herself Pogue and if she can't you know you're the first person she'll call. Relax. Tyler doesn't have the balls to try anything and Michelle keeps Reid in line. He hasn't used since she's been here." The last part he said quieter but the message still got across. Everyone was behaving.
"And you're supposed to be the gentleman here Tyler." Michelle teased as she took a deep drink of her rum and coke. Reid was unusually quiet as he sat at the bar on one side of the table watching the pair. Probably wondering what I look like without my clothes… Michelle thought briefly before it was her turn. She hit three solids in before she missed. "Is that right?" She asked, glancing back at Reid. He smirked and nodded. "You're just kicking Baby Boy's ass." Michelle cocked her head to the side in confusion. "The point of the game is to knock in a certain set of balls, stripes or solids, then call a hole and shoot the eight ball in." Tyler explained, looking quite frustrated.
Michelle nodded. There was the purple solid, the red stripe and the blue stripe, then the eight ball. All she had to do was knock in the purple then go for the eight ball and she won. Hmm…
The slim brunette rounded the corner and hopped onto the side of the table next to Tyler. The action made her skirt rise up a little, showing a little more of her pale, but not too pale thigh. "So. You just have to make in those two and the eight ball and you'll win?" She asked softly, a seductive edge to her voice as she leaned closer to the poor boy. He nodded nervously.
"Oh." She slid off the table quietly in the noise of the crowd and Tyler caught a glimpse of thigh before she walked over to where Reid was and leaned on the silent blonde, watching him. Tyler's mind wasn't cooperating as he lined up his shot and missed. The white bell fell into the corner pocket. He hadn't scratched since he first played. Damn it.
Michelle smiled at him and he knew she did it on purpose. "Something on your mind Baby Boy?" Reid called over to the shocked teen and smirked when he met his best friend's gaze. "Shut up Reid." Tyler snapped, feeling quite embarrassed. The brunette across from him smiled up at him from behind the curtain of her dark hair as she made her shot. The purple ball slammed into the hole with a crack and Michelle moved around the side to line up the shot with the eight ball.
Tyler bit his cheek to avoid using to make her miss the shot. He was a bad loser but not that bad.
The eight ball soared into the side pocket and Michelle straightened with a smile. "Congratulations Baby Girl. Nice shot." Reid said as he placed a full cup beside the grinning brunette. "How about I get in on a game?" He asked while Michelle took a deep drink of the glass he offered her. "Feel like putting money down?" She asked innocently. "I'm feeling pretty confident." Reid laughed. "As much as I hate taking your money Baby Girl. Confidence isn't everything." "Oh I don't know about that." She said as she moved behind Tyler, purposely brushing against his back. The boy straightened like he'd been stung and Michelle smirked. "I'd say I'm on a confidence high right about now."
Reid smirked as he smacked a twenty down on the table in front of him. Michelle set her glass on the edge of the table and leaned over, forcing both boys to watch as she unzipped the boot on her right leg to expose her leg to the bend of the knee and drew out a twenty and a ten. She slid the zipper back up to the middle of her thigh and smirked at the two astonished boys as she placed the twenty and the ten on top of Reid's crumpled bill. The blonde glanced at the pile of money. "Tyler, lend me ten bucks." "You already owe me twenty." The brunette said but pulled a ten out of his pocket and dropped it on the pile.
Michelle smiled. Reid had the vague feeling that that's how a tiger looked at you when it thought you were dumb enough to its cage for it to rip your face. Somehow, he had a feeling this was going to turn out bad. For him.
Reid stood staring in shock as Michelle carefully folded the fifty bucks she'd won and stuffed it in the top of her boot. She handed Tyler back his ten and gave him a sweet smile. The brunette grinned in response. "You already knew how to play didn't you!?" Reid demanded as Michelle cuddled up to Tyler. "Since I was 10." She replied. "What the hell! And you knew didn't you Baby Boy?!" Tyler laughed. "I kind of got the feeling in the middle of your guys' game that she was just playing us. But the bet was already set." Michelle smiled innocently as she wrapped her arms around Tyler's waist. "Now would I do something like that?" She murmured, still playing the innocent one.
"Apparently so." Reid said, laughing. "You're going to have to lend me my money back so I can earn some more though." He said quietly as a pair of boys moved up to the table. "Let's play a game Garwin." Reid laughed and leaned against the counter with his famous smirk in place. "I don't know Abbott. How much money you got on you tonight?" The newcomer pushed his curly hair out of his face and narrowed his icy blue eyes dangerous. "Fifty bucks each." Reid glanced at the girl standing to his right.
The newcomer followed his gaze and his lips curved into a smiled. Tyler took a step forward and smacked fifty bucks on the table, bringing everyone's attention back to him. "Are we going to play or just stand here?" Reid glanced back at Michelle and smirked. "And what do I get for this." She asked as she hopped up onto the stool behind Reid and crossed her legs lightly. "How about a kiss?" Reid asked quietly so only she could hear him.
The brunette pretended to think about it for a second before offering him her cheek with a bored expression on her face. "Go ahead, before I change my mind." Reid gripped her chin lightly and pressed a light kiss on her lips. She sat shocked for a moment before she quickly regained her composure. "Jerk." She growled as she pulled the money out of the top of her boot and shoved it into his hand. "If you lose my money I'll have Pogue kick your butt." The blonde laughed and smacked his money on Tyler's. "Looking forward to it."
Michelle sat at the bar sipping her coke and rum while she watched the four boys play their game. Reid and Tyler's coats sat beside her in a pile. Her eyes drifted between Tyler and Reid as the game progressed. She'd never been very good at double teams but the two looked like they did it often and they were good at it. They also had very nice bodies when you paid attention but who would do that right?
Her attention came back to the game and she noticed that Aaron, she'd finally learned his name, and his friend, his name wasn't all that important, had made their final shot and were lining up the eight ball into the left corner pocket where Reid and Tyler were standing completely calm. She tried to meet Reid's gaze but he kept his eyes on the table. His eyes flashed back and Michelle watched the ball veer away from the pocket and land in the one beside it. What? She glanced back at his eyes and they were normal.
Michelle set down her glass and shook her head. Okay, no more of that tonight. Well… She glanced at the half full glass and shrugged. Waste not, want not.
"And you thought I'd lose your money Baby Girl." Reid announced as he handed her back the money she'd lent him and shoved his newly acquired cash into his back pocket. Michelle glanced at the two boys they'd just played and hopped down off her stool. "Back off boys. They won fair and square. You hit that last shot too hard and it bounced out." Aaron looked ready to argue when his friend grabbed his shoulder and pulled him back. "Just let it go Aaron. Let's go."
The two walked away and Michelle turned to the boys standing at her side. "Tyler?" She asked quietly. "I don't feel so good." She swayed a step and Tyler caught her before she could fall. "Boy Nicky mixes those drinks great." She said with a little laugh. Tyler looked down at the red faced girl in his arms and glanced at Reid who stood next to him. "How many did you have Baby Girl?" The blonde asked curiously, glancing at the empty glass on the counter. Michelle slowly started counting on her fingers and when she passed six Reid laughed. "Wow. You hold your booze well." Michelle grinned but grabbed her head. "It feels like my head is trying to slide off."
Tyler placed his head on her forehead and that helped. His fingers were nice and cool. "Go tell Pogue and Caleb that we're going to take her home early. I'll take her out to the car." Reid ordered as he took the sick girl from his best friend's arms. Tyler gave the pair one last glance before making his way over to the foosball tables.
"It's too hot in here." Michelle moaned as she started moving towards the door. Reid wrapped one arm around her waist and helped her before she stumbled. Would kind of blow the secret if Pogue saw her stumbling out like a drunk. Even though that's pretty close to what she was doing.
Cold air rushed across her bare arms and legs. Gooseflesh covered every bare patch of skin; she could even feel them on her scalp. Crazy. "It's freakin' cold out here Reid!" Michelle whimpered as she cuddled closer to him. Reid laughed quietly. "Too hot, too cold. You're a hard girl to please Baby Girl." Michelle laughed as he helped her into the backseat of the Hummer. "That's me. Picky as hell." She laughed again but it ended in a moan as she slumped onto the seat and lay with her head pressed against the cool leather. "Reid? Will you sit back here with me until Tyler gets here?" She asked quietly as she pushed the hair out of her face.
Reid glanced between her and the front entrance of Nicky's. No Tyler. "Alright. Hold on a second." He slammed the door and she almost decided to hit him when the door by her head opened up. She felt cool hands lift her head up before slowly letting her down on a warm lap.
Michelle let out a soft sigh and snuggled her face into the stomach in front of her. Reid tensed slightly but began to relax when Michelle's breathing started to even out. He'd never really had to take care of drunken girls before. Sure, he'd gotten a few girls drunk before he slept with them, but he didn't really wait to make sure that they were okay if they got sick.
"Your eyes changed colors." She was murmuring. "They tend to do that sometimes." Reid said quietly as he brushed his fingers tentatively over her hair. "Sometimes they look blue and sometimes they look darker." Michelle shook her head and stopped suddenly, a whimper reached her lips as she went to hold her head. Reid slowly moved her hands away from her head and held his own, cooler hands in place. She sighed comfortably and spoke. "No, during your game with Aaron. Your eyes turned black."
Reid's entire body stiffened and his heartbeat pounded in his ears. The driver's side door opened and Tyler's head appeared. "She okay?" His expression faltered as he glanced down at the girl in his best friend's lap before looking up at the blonde. "Or should I ask if you're okay?" Reid shook his head. "Where's Pogue and Caleb?" "They're going to hang out for awhile longer. Pogue'll take Caleb home and then come check on Michelle. Are you sure you're okay dude?" He asked as he yanked the door shut, earning a moan from the brunette in the back seat before he pulled out of the parking lot.
"I'll tell you later." Tyler laughed, "What? Did she confess undying love to you or something?" "I'll tell you what happened LATER." The tense edge in Reid's voice killed the laughter in Tyler's. Whatever happened was either bad, important, or both.
The ride to the Parry's mansion was a long one, and quiet. When they finally arrived only one light was on upstairs and from experience, they knew it was the room Pogue's dad lived in. Mina must have stayed up to talk to him. Tyler hopped out of the driver's side and ran over to Reid's door as the blonde was pulling the brunette into his arms and stood holding her bridal style when Tyler arrived. "Ready? We got to get up there before Mina sees her." Reid threw her up in his arms a little to adjust her position and followed the brunette towards the door. "I know that Baby Boy. Let's just get her up there. She's not heavy but carrying someone dead weight isn't exactly balanced."
The trio headed up the stairs quietly and down the hall to Michelle's room. "Tyler, take help me take her shoes off." Reid said as he gently laid the girl on the sheets before he proceeded to pull off one of the insane leather boots. He tossed it towards her closet and tossed the wad of crumpled bills onto the dresser.
"So what happened that's got you all jittery Reid? You're not usually this wound up." Reid paced from the door to the bedside and back again before wiping his hand over his face. "She saw me use during the game with Abbott." If this had been a cartoon Tyler's jaw would have dropped to the ground then rolled back up like a window shade. "Caleb and Pogue are gonna flip out." Reid scoffed. "Who cares about them? Michelle isn't going to want to stay here forever and we don't know if she's going to keep the secret."
Tyler shrugged. "She's drunk as hell Reid. She's not going to remember and if she does remember she'll think she imagined it. Don't worry about it. She'll probably ask one of us and we'll just have to lie." He always hated it when Tyler was the logical one but at least it made him feel a little better. He needed to be more careful that was all.
God. He was starting to think like Caleb. Holy freakin' shit. Now he needed a drink.
"Let's go before Pogue gets back. She should be fine." Reid muttered before turning and heading out the door. Tyler glanced at the door before he walked over to the side of the bed and lightly touched Michelle's pale cheek. "We'll see you later. I hope you feel better in the morning." The sleeping girl sighed and turned into his touched before turning onto her other side and sinking into a dark, dreamless sleep with only the pounding of drums filling her ears.
Tyler left the room as quietly as he could, before he ran downstairs with Reid. If Michelle remembered anything in the morning, they'd have to call a meeting of the four and discuss what was to become of the Covenant. That wasn't exactly something he was looking forward to.
Author's Note: I hope you all enjoyed this new chapter. I was surprised by how many reviews the first chapter got and I promise a few of you that I'd update sometime this weekend so here it is! Let me know what you think.
