We were sitting on the table, waiting for Max and Liam to get home with the pizzas. It was dinner time and the boys decided to be lazy and eat from outside today. I offered to cook but they denied saying that they don't want the house to burn down.
Did they forget I used to live alone? I know how to cook.
That doesn't mean you cook good.
But my food is still edible.
Yeah, right.
Out of nowhere, Damien came and sat down beside me. The proximity between us made my nerves go haywire.
"Are you alright?" He asked with concern lining his deep voice.
"Um.. Ye-yeah. Why wouldn't I be?" I nervously laughed and scratched the nape of my neck.
"Your face is covered in scratches." He said with a frown.
"Trust me, I left a lot of scratches on her face too. And it felt amazing pulling out her hair while she kept screamed like a banshee." I grinned proudly.
He smiled and shook his head.
"I am hungry! Where are these idio-" Zack was interuppted when Max and Liam came back laughing at something.
"We got pizzas!" Max cheered.
"Finally." Zack rolled his eyes.
***
"Jennifer, can I take your phone for a minute?" Zack asked me. "Why? What happened to yours?" I asked. "It's dead." He shrugged.
I handed him my phone and then realised something- "Wait, how do you know my password?!" I asked with narrowed eyes. Zack smirked, " 0 0 0 0. Really creative." He rolled his eyes and walked away, leaving me stunned.
"I thought it was a good password." I whispered to myself.
"It is." Max said. "Mine is the same."
***
"So how are we getting the money now?" Liam asked when everyone was seated in the living room.
"By selling Jennifer's organs, what else." Zack said nonchalantly, while flipping through the TV channels.
My eyes widened, "WHAT?!"
"He's joking." Max assured me.
I felt relieved while Zack laughed at my face.
Then suddenly, I had an idea.
"Hey, how about we rob a bank?"
***
"It was just an advice! I didn't mean to actually do it!..... And it surely didn't involve my involvement!" I stared at the four of them. We are all hiding behind the bushes planning how to execute this plan.
Yup. We are robbing a bank. In broad daylight.
Why did you have to open your mouth.
I didn't knew they would actually consider it!
"C'mon. Stop crying. You are living with us, get used to the criminal life." Zack dismissed.
"Have you done this before?!" I whispered to Max who looked absolutely excited.
"No. It's the first time." He grinned.
"What?! You aren't even experienced in this?!"
"Of course we are. We used to rob different shops and stores."
"A bank is different."
"How hard could it be?"
Turned out- A lot.
Zack was explaining us the plan while I was nervously biting my nails.
Where they serious?! A bank robbery? Seriously?! Who's dumb idea was this?
Yours.
So, according to the plan, Max and Liam would be distracting the security guard while Zack and Damien will do the actual business and I would just have to act like a hostage. What made them think I'm a good actor?
"How about we practice this first?" Zack suggested.
"You guys made me skip school to rob a bank! I don't want to do this!"
"You wanted to go to school after what happened yesterday?"
"No, I mean yes.. I mean, I would still have to go back."
"Jennifer, chill. And don't mess anything up."
"I'll try."
"Okay so, Damien, grab her arm and then point that gun on her head while Jennifer, you will act scared. This is what you're going to do when we go inside while I'll scare the people and the receptionist to get the money."
"Gun?! Point at head?!" I gasped.
"Relax, it's a fake." He rolled his pretty brown eyes.
I looked over at Damien, who hesitated at first but then suddenly grabbed my arm and pulled me towards himself.
Not expecting the sudden contact, I slipped, crashing into him and causing the both of us to go landing on the ground. I laid on top of him while he had his arms wrapped around my waist. Both of us were staring deep into each others eyes and I felt my cheeks burning.
Awkward coughs from three different voices made both of us to quickly get up and act as if nothing had happened.
Damien nervously looked anywhere but at us while I could feel my whole face burning red.
"Meow" We heard a voice coming from behind us.
We all looked down to see a cute black kitten staring up at us with its wide green eyes.
"Aww" Max cooed and bent down to see it. I joined him too and together, the both of us were awing and patting the little kitten as it rolled down on the ground, appreciating the belly scratch it was getting.
"Guys? We don't have time for this? Come back here." Zack ordered but we ignored him.
"What's your name, little friend?" Max asked the kitten.
"Max, it's a kitten. It can't speak."
"Meow." The kitten meowed at us.
"Who said it can't speak. See. It's name is Meow."
"Max and Jennifer, come here right now!" Zack yelled.
Max picked the kitten in his arms and we went near the three of them. "Can we please take it home?" He pleaded.
"No." Zack deadpanned without even giving the little kitty a look.
"Why not? I can take care of i-"
"You said the same thing for Micky and Minnie, what happened next we all k-"
"It wasn't my fault! Liam fed something to Micky after which he fell sick while you scared Minnie away!"
Max glared at Zack and Liam who were now looking at each other.
"Okay, fine.. I admit it was our fault but we are here on a mission."
"Fine. I am leaving Meow here but after we are done, I'll come to get it back." Max said while keeping the kitten down, petting it for the last time.
***
"What the hell are they doing?!" Zack asked for the third time now.
Max and Liam were distracting the guard by acting as if Liam was chasing Max with a knife, trying to attack him.
Where did he get a knife from?
The guard looked skeptical at first but finally went after them to see what the matter was.
"Okay, finally! Let's go."
Zack and Damien wore black masks to keep their identities hidden. We tiptoed from behind the guard who was still looking confused with that Max and Liam situation.
"Hands up everyone!" Zack screamed while he pointed his gun at random people. As planned Damien had grabbed me and was pointing the gun at my head.
The people looked confused rather than scared but a few of them raised their hands. "We need 10 million dollars ASAP." Zack yelled again.
The receptionist lady looked scared and immediately pressed a button and within seconds, we were surrounded by an army of security guards.
"This wasn't in the plan." Zack whispered to me.
I was shit scared. We would be going to jail! What have I gotten myself into?! Why did I agree to do this? Wait- I never agreed to do this.
"Do something." I whisper pleaded to Damien.
He was the only sane one in these four.
Yet he agreed to this stupid plan.
That's a debate for later.
Okay.
"Oh please relax. We were just joking." Damien said and pulled his mask off, Zack doing the same.
"Joking?" One of the security guards asked.
"Yes, um.. You see, these guns are fake." He said while handing the guards his gun. Again, Zack followed him.
"We had lost a bet with our friends so they challenged us to rob a bank. Not really. Just like a prank. So... That's just what we were doing. Our other two friends must be recording this to show them."
And just on cue, Max and Liam walked in with that guard who looked pissed.
"Did you guys record it?" Damien asked Liam who looked confused but went with the flow. "No, dude.. We couldn't make it in time." He said while glancing at the guard.
"Yeah, these guns are fake." The security guards confirmed with each other.
The people around us were whispering and I heard some lady saying 'Kids these days' in a disappointing tone.
"This is not good kids. We need to take you all to the police station and call your parents." One of the guards said.
Zack changed the strategy and went with an emotional story on how our parents just abandoned us and we have been living with an old lady who is really ill and must be waiting for us to come back home. The five of us looked at them with puppy eyes and nodded at Zack's story. Surprisingly, it seemed to work.
They gave us a warning but decided not to involve the police. Some old man and his wife even decided to lecture us, telling us how wrong our actions were even though we weren't serious.
Finally after 15 minutes of lecture, by the end of which, many other people had joined them, we were finally able to go.
"Damn. We got lucky." Zack sighed in relief as we went towards our car.
"I'd already told you, it wasn't a good idea but no one listens to me."
"We listened to you because of which we are here."
"Thats why, you shouldn't listen to me!"
The four of them stared at me as I stared back.
The car ride was silent. We were all processing what had just happened to us.
"We left Meow there!" Max suddenly screamed only to get ignored by everyone.
Damien looked defeated. He didn't utter a word all day. He looked miserable and it broke my heart to see him like that. But then, I had another idea!
"Guys!" They all looked at me. "I have another idea!" I grinned.
"Please, you better stop before starting." Zack rolled his eyes.
"I promise this one's a good idea!"
"No"
"Listen to me at least!" I pleaded but Zack ignored me. Max was just sulking in the couch, hugging a pillow. He missed Meow. Liam looked uninterested too.
I looked over at Damien, pleading to him with my eyes to listen to me.
"Let her speak, Zack." Damien said in an 'end of discussion' tone.
Zack opened his mouth to argue but stopped.
"My parents have kept some thousand dollars in a locker in their room and my mom's expensive jewellery and dad's wrist watches among with the expensive statues, art pieces and paintings in my house plus the furniture and my car, if we sell all that, we can get a lot of money!" I excitedly told them. They all seemed to think about it.
"But your parents." Max started.
"I don't care about them. They haven't been home in forever and I don't think they're coming back."
"Are you sure we can do this, Jennifer?" Damien asked me.
"Yes! A hundred percent sure!"
He was still skeptical.
"I really want Celine to come back to you, Damien." My tongue felt as if it was on fire when I said that. But, I don't like to see Damien sad and if Celine can make him happy, then I want him to be happy.
Damien looked at me with an unreadable expression and then slowly made his way towards me.
He stopped in front of me and suddenly, pulled me in a tight embrace.
Max gasped but quickly covered his mouth while Liam and Zack stared at us with wide eyes and hanging jaws. My face was immediately on fire and my heart was racing. He pulled away and stared at me with grateful eyes before smiling and walking away.
"He hasn't even hugged me in a long time." Zack finally came out of his shock.
The three of them stared at me.
"This wasn't the first time."
Their jaws dropped again while Max gasped. I just shrugged and went to my room grinning like an idiot.