Elijah
I stripped down to nothing but my boxers and climbed under the sheets, curling my body around hers. When she sighed I smiled, my mouth pressed against her hair. Was it crazy that I enjoyed the way it tickled my nose?
“I missed you,” I confessed and didn’t expect her to reply, but she did. “I missed you too.”
Leaning back, she turned in my arms and slid as close as possible to press her body to my own. At that moment I froze. “Babe.”
“Mmhm.”
I tried not to laugh, fuck, but it was impossible. “Did you fall asleep with the bedroom door unlocked?”
“I’m not sure, why?” she asked with her eyes still closed.
“Clayton drew on your face.”
Her eyes shot open and locked on my own. “Drew as in how?”
I leaned in just a little closer to get a better look and chuckled a little harder. “Permanent marker.”
“That son of a bitch,” my kitty growled. “I’m gonna kill him. Neuter his sorry ass and feed it to the crocodiles.”
I moved out of her way as she sprang from the bed and moved toward Clayton’s room. I’d never seen her this fired up before. Standing just outside Clayton’s door, she lifted her hand and started beating on it. Maybe I should have slowed her down, considering it was after two in the morning.
Nah, fuck it, this shit is funny.
When the door opened and a sleepy-eyed Clayton filled the space, I saw it coming before he did. She reached out and grasped his junk.
What the fuck?
I moved forward just as she twisted and loud girlish squeals ripped out of Clay.
“You drew on my face, you asshole,” Blake stated each word with force. “You better hope this shit comes off or I will castrate you. I will rip your pinky dick off and then everyone will be forced to call you Clara instead of Clayton.”
His eyes widened and I stood back as a mass of frat brothers formed to catch the show.
“You’ve just set forth a war, my friend,” Blake told him as she leaned in close. “You better sleep with one eye open because when you least expect it, I swear to you, I am bringing your ass to your knees.”
She released her hold on him and he did just that, slinking to the floor and gripping his junk.
As she spun around on her feet and began walking toward me, I hissed and she narrowed her eyes at me. The reaction seemed fitting, considering he drew a pink nose and whiskers on her face.
“She is insane,” Clayton panted, trying his best to climb up from the floor.
“Yeah, and you just brought forth the beast in her. You’ve seemed to start something I’m not so sure you’ll win.”
“Talk to her,” he insisted and I laughed.
“Nah, I think this is gonna be too fun to stop.”
Walking back to my room, I found her in the bathroom with a bottle of rubbing alcohol and a rag. I watched in the mirror blotting at the marks on her face as she worked to remove the ink.
“Should I be jealous that you just gripped one of my good friend’s jewels?” I crossed my arms over my chest when she gave me the glare of death. “You do know you just terrified the guy, right?”
“Good,” she said as she continued to work a spot on the left side of her nose. “He’s a menace.”
“I won’t argue.”
“I meant what I said, I will get him back.” I nodded, because by the determined look in her eyes, I knew she would. “It’s gonna make all these other pranks seem like nothing.”
“Are you challenging my pranks?” Now I was intrigued.
I waited while she continued to scrub and slowly the marker began to fade. I could still see it, but it was faint. When she was done she screwed the cap back on the bottle and placed it back in the medicine cabinet. Afterward she turned around to face me and took a step in my direction.
“I’ve been holding onto ideas for a few pranks myself.”
“Is that right?”
“Yes.” Again with that heavy dose of confidence. “And he just signed up to be my guinea pig.”
She stormed past me and I watched the sway of her ass as she passed. Damn, it was good to be home. For a variety of reasons, but seeing her was at the top of that list. Even if she was pissed and ready to kill someone.
“Babe,” I hollered out as I finally started to trail behind her. “Can we still cuddle?”
I understood I was poking the angry bear, but it was just so damn fun.
***
“Do you want me to go inside with you?” I reached out over the center console and took Blake’s hand in my own. “I know they aren’t here, but I also know that you won’t ask, so this is me offering.”
“I just want to get it over with.”
“Then let me help.”
When she nodded her approval I opened the car door and moved around to open hers, too. Jay’s father requested that an officer join us and he had already arrived, waiting by the front door of her old home.
As we joined him he offered us a reassuring nod. “They’ve left and will be back in thirty minutes.”
“Thank you,” Blake whispered as she stepped up onto the makeshift stair and pushed open the door. It was just as I remembered, dirty and unkempt. I swear the same dishes that littered the kitchen still sat in the same places.
“I used to hold my breath when I came home every day,” Blake said. “Practically rushed toward my room so I could open a window or light a candle. Do you know how much money I probably spent on air fresheners?” She faked a laugh but I could see through it.
“Come on.” I drew her forward toward the room at the end of the hall. Neither of us knew just what we might find on the opposite side of the door.
She paused just outside and I could visibly see her take in a deep breath before twisting the handle and pushing open the door.
I could instantly feel anger inside me ignite when I noticed that the bed and dresser that were once inside were gone. The pictures and small amount of decorations that were also there once before were missing.
I followed her further inside and saw only two boxes sitting in the middle of the room, along with a large black garbage bag.
“Looks like they made it easy,” she said with her back to me. “I don’t know what I expected.”
“For your heartless mother to somehow find some empathy inside that cold fucking heart of hers.”
Maybe I shouldn’t have said it but I couldn’t stop myself. I despised that woman.
She kneeled before the boxes and flipped open one of the lids, then the other. “The clothes that were in my dresser.” She pulled at the ties of the bag and peeked inside. “And closet.”
Everything she now owned remained in only those three containers. I felt like my heart literally cracked and I vowed that I would replace everything she had lost.
I moved around her and lifted both boxes. “Can you carry that bag?” She nodded as she lifted it and again looked around the room. “I guess everything held bad memories anyway.” With her final words she turned around and left the room.
I wanted to go on a rampage and destroy the things her mother and asshole stepfather owned. I wanted them to come home to find everything they possessed in shambles.
How could a parent be so cruel?