There will be new characters introduced in this chapter. I would suggest looking back at the end of the cast list to refresh your memory, but if not there will still be descriptions of them!
Keeley's POV
I woke up from a thankfully dreamless sleep to the sound of my alarm going off: it was the first day of my new, traditional high school life.
So let me catch you up:
After Nick and I's trip to the tattoo shop on Saturday, we had gone back to the house and hung out with our other brothers all day. And I really hate to say it, but no matter how much Nick and I disagree, I trust him. I trust him so much it almost makes me sick. Some part of me knows that he cares about me, but if I admit it, it would mean I have more people to worry about. It's not that I don't worry about my family, it's just that I can't afford to do so.
My brothers showed me other areas of the house, starting in the basement. In the basement were a giant game room, gym, and movie space. The gym was a large, industrial-looking room with tons of workout equipment, a boxing ring, and punching bags. The game room was basically an old-school arcade with all of the classic games, complete with a checkered floor and a window that looked from the game room into the gym. To get to those rooms though, you had to pass through a cozy movie room that had large sofas and beanbags everywhere.
They then took me to the backyard, which was apparently acres of land complete with amazing woods and gardens. The gardens were quite a ways out, but it was worth the hike. A small yet spacious, glass gazebo sat in the middle of a vast array of flowers. Everything from roses to marigolds and petunias covered the ground. This space looked like a little hidden paradise.
Callan took me shopping on Sunday for clothes and school supplies. We drove to the nearest Walmart, which just happened to be 40 minutes away, and I got all the school supplies I apparently needed: notebooks, pencils, pens, highlighters, folders, everything besides a backpack. I was using the one I was given at Mount Reform, an old army pack they had used in the '50s and '60s. It was a green canvas bag with leather straps and buckles. The rest of Sunday I had kept busy with training and escaping to my piano room.
Now though, as it was 6:00 Monday morning, I got out of my bed and showered. I let my hair dry in its natural blonde waves down my back. Afterward, I walked into my closet and decided on a pair of ripped skinny jeans and a simple off-the-shoulder, white sweater with a lacy white tank underneath. I added a few necklaces and slipped on a pair of brown moccasins.
When I looked at myself in the mirror, it was a bit odd. The girl I see looks normal: girly outfit, long wavy hair, shorter height. It didn't look like me though, but then I saw my tattoos, and I could see the weight of my past in my honey-colored eyes. I could see a girl who despite her painful past, was trying. And even though this girl was different, I kind of like her.
As I walked out of my closet, I shoved a knife in my backpack and picked up my gun to put in the car. I slung my bag over my shoulder and headed downstairs with Gus in tow.
I made it to the kitchen after letting Gus outside and saw all my brothers around the island eating breakfast. I made my way over to them and set my gun on the counter and my bag on the floor.
"Good morning," I told them as I was looking at a container that was filled with cereal and...were those marshmallows? "Hey, guys, what kind of cereal is this?"
When nobody responded, I looked up. Each of them were staring at me with an odd look in their eyes, yet I didn't know why.
"Keeley, I think your sweater fell off your shoulder," Sam finally spoke. I looked down to my shoulder, and it all looked fine to me.
"No, it's supposed to look like this. What cereal is this?"
I'm still looking at them for an answer and they're still staring back at me.
"Keeley, you need to change," Nick told me. I saw Sam nod in agreement, but Donnie slapped him upside the head.
"Why would I change?" I'm genuinely confused at this point because I don't see anything wrong with what I'm wearing. "And for the love of all things good, what are these?" I say as I shake the clear container quite aggressively.
"Keeley, you see," Finn started as I looked towards him. His big, blue eyes were filled with uncertainty as he pulled at the neck of his dress shirt. "It's just that your shirt is a little distracting with the tattoos and all and there's nothing wrong with the tattoos, they're great and really pretty and they make you-you and not that I want to change you but- um... where was I going with this?" Nick rolled his eyes as Finn's soft side peaked through his supposed to be tough exterior. My oldest brother then turned to me.
"What Finn was trying to say, was that your shirt is too revealing. None of those high school- boys need to be looking at you all day."
"Are you serious?" I ask looking at him with what I hope to be a slightly annoyed and slightly bored expression. Here we go: the little sister attitude is coming out.
"Yes, I'm serious, Keeley. Now go and change." His face and voice told me that there was no room for argument, but I am not about to let him tell me what to wear on my first day of what I hoped to be a somewhat normal high school life.
"I'm not changing, and you can't make me. Now, will somebody please tell me what this stupid cereal is?" I look around, but I still see no movement from anyone to tell me what cereal this is.
"Just leave her alone, Nick. We have to go to school soon," Sam told him, earning a sharp glare.
This comment then leads to a full-on argument about disrespect, so I was definitely not going to be getting an answer.
"Those are Lucky Charms, Munch. They're like Cheerios with marshmallows," Cal told me in a quiet voice.
"Thanks, Bubba." I give him a small smile as I pour a bowl of these Lucky Charms. Before Mount Reform, I was a picky eater and only ate a small variety of foods. Then at Mount Reform, everything we got to eat was either barely-tolerable cafeteria food or pre-packaged MREs. So this was new to me.
I ate breakfast with my brothers bickering in the background until we had to leave.
"You're going to watch over Gus while I'm gone, yeah?" I look at Cal. He gives me a small nod and ushers me out the door. I tell my older brothers goodbye before I get into my Hummer and follow the twins in their BMW to school.
It was about a fifteen-minute drive to Bayside High; and when we pulled in, everybody was staring. I parked a little ways away from Sam and Donnie, then hopped out and locked my doors. I slung my backpack over my shoulder while making sure I stood tall and emotionless. I walked over to where my brothers were, and they lead me into the school.
"Will one of you show me to the office?" I asked them.
"Yeah, I'll show you Keels," Sam offered. We started walking down the hallway after waving goodbye to Donnie, and everybody's eyes were on us. Whether it was because I'm the new girl or because Sam is popular, I didn't really like it. "This school is pretty small and relatively easy to figure out, so I don't think you'll have a problem," he told me as we walked into a small office with big windows. There was a hallway to the right when we walked in where I'm assuming the principal was.
"Hi, can I help you?" a young-looking secretary asked me. She had long brown hair and glasses perched on the tip of her nose, right in front of her deep green eyes.
"Yeah, my name is Keeley Harris and this is my first day," I tell her. She starts typing on her computer then walks out of the room. When she comes back in, she hands me a folder containing a student ID, schedule, locker info, and a calendar of all school events. She offers me a smile before Sam and I walk out and into the long narrow hallway.
Blue lockers line the hallway and the rest is white. I could see a big emblem of a manta ray, which I'm assuming is the school mascot, in the middle of where two hallways met. Different groups were gathered everywhere.
"So, what's your first class?" Sam asked while stopping to look at me.
"Umm," I glanced down at the schedule the lady had given me. "AP Calculus with Mr. Monroe," I told him.
"Okay, that's right here," he pointed me towards a classroom a few doors down. "Donnie and I have practice after school, so we won't be home right away. Have a great day and I'll see you at lunch," he kissed my head and walked away to join a rowdy group of kids at the end of the hall, leaving me by myself.
I took a deep breath as I walked into the classroom, which was relatively empty, and introduced myself to the teacher. "Hi, my name is Keeley. I'm new here," I tell the stout man. He's short and balding, not to mention he's got the bushiest eyebrows I've ever seen, and he's wearing all brown. He sure seems like a real hoot.
"Oh great, another Harris. Just what I need for my health. Here's your book and you can sit next to Aubrey. Aubrey, raise your hand," he told me in the most monotone and tired voice I've ever heard.
I turned around to see a fiery redhead raising her hand. Her eyes were a blueish-grey color and light freckles were scattered among her face. She was dressed in mom jeans with a white, fitted long sleeve shirt that was tucked in. Worn Doc Martens were on her feet, and a smile formed on her face as I walked to the table.
"Hi, I'm Keeley," I tell her while taking the aisle seat.
"I'm Aubrey, nice to meet you," she says back. We fall into an easy conversation till the bell rings.
When Mr. Monroe starts to teach, I realized I already knew most of the material he was talking about because at Mount Reform, they would make us dedicate a good chunk of the day to learning, which is why my IQ is so high, and also how I know eight languages.
The last ten minutes of class are given to us as free time. "So, why'd you transfer to here right now? And also, why were you with the Harris twins?" Aubrey asked me. Forward and to the point: I think I like her.
"I just moved home after being at military school. And those are my brothers. We were born the same year, except they were born in February and me in December," I explain to her.
"Oh, okay. Did you got to school around here before you went to military school?"
"No, actually. We used to live in South Carolina and I was homeschooled," I told her.
"Wait, so it's your first time in a normal school?" This seems to surprise her.
"Yeah, crazy right?" We both let out a small laugh as I put my notebook in my backpack.
"Can I see your schedule?" I hand it to her and she squeals. "We have AP Calc, Free Period, Lunch, and Gym together! If you want to meet me at your locker after second hour, we can hang out for free period," she offers with a wide smile.
"Yeah, that sounds good. My locker is 197," I tell her just as the bell rings.
"Okay, I'll see you later Keeley," she shouts as we walk out into the hall. I like her, she seems nice. And normal.
I finally find my way to the art room, after learning it's in the basement, and walk in towards the teacher. "Hi, I'm Keeley," I tell the teacher. She has curly brown hair, which is piled on top of her head, and her brown eyes are shining brightly.
"Oh yes, a new student! It's not very often we get one of those! You will be sitting at table four with Ryder, and your easel number is ten. We're starting a new project today, so don't worry, you won't be behind!" she shouts, causing me to flinch. My right ear is sensitive to sound, and her voice isn't helping.
I give her a nod then make my way to the table, taking a seat on the right side. I just get comfortable on my stool when I hear a deep and husky voice: "You're in my spot."
I look up and I swear Adonis himself is standing in front of me. His black hair is shaved on the sides and slicked back on the top, and his eyes are a captivating blue. His jawline is sharper than what I thought was possible, and let me tell you, not only if he extremely well built, but he's covered in tattoos. His nose and ears are pierced in various places, which I wouldn't normally find attractive, but for him, I will gladly make an exception.
You don't do relationships, Keeley. Stop fantasizing.
"Listen blondie, this is my table and I sit by myself. So move it," he snarls at me. Well, that ruins it.
If he would have politely asked me to move over a seat, I wouldn't have had a problem with it, but now, he's got a poor attitude. So he can suck it up.
"Mr. Bennett, please take a seat next to Keeley. She will be your new table mate," Ms. Loren tells him. He lets out a low growl and I think it has to be one of the most attractive things I've ever heard in my life.
Snap out of it.
He sits down to my left with a huff.
"Alright, class! Today we are starting a new unit on people! So to kick-it off, you are going to draw your table partner. You can use any medium you would like and this is due at the end of class tomorrow, so chop-chop!" she squeals while shaking her hands.
"Man, does this lady ever not sound so happy?" I mumble to myself while pulling out my sketch pad.
"No she doesn't, and why so many tattoos?" he asks me.
"Like your one to talk," I fire back as I start to sketch his profile.
He lets out yet another annoyed huff as he picks up his pen. Most of the period had passed before I decided to speak again.
"Ya know, you don't really look like the art type, Mr. Bennett." He turns to me and raises his perfectly sculpted eyebrows.
"And what type do I look like, babe? Hopefully yours," he winks. Gross. "And would you stop bumping my fucking arm? Stupid lefty."
I scoff. "Well excuse me 'Mr. I'm-a-bad-boy-so-fuck-off'," I mumble. He drops his pen and turns to me, yet again, giving me an agitated glare that really only looks highly attractive.
"What did you say 'Ms. My-life-is-all-butterflies-and-rainbows'?"
"You heard me. And you know what I think your type is?" I ask him while continuing my sketch, no longer being able to hold back my comments. I always have had a short temper. "I think you are a typical jock, but double as the school's bad boy. You probably sleep with girls then throw them to the side when you're done like they are nothing. But you know what I really think? I think it's all just a front you put up. I think that you're hurting so you act like this to keep people from really knowing you. But I also believe that for the ones you love, you would give anything to keep them happy. I think that you aren't a bad boy, Ryder. You are just a guy who's hurting so he acts differently to hide how he really feels. I think you're scared," I tell him while he falls silent.
Shit, Keeley. Where the hell did that come from?
I look back at him and his mouth is slightly open. Before he could even speak, the bell rang and you bet your ass I rushed of that classroom.
I mean come on, though. I've spent the last five years putting up walls so others couldn't see the real me. I could read him like an open book.
I eventually make it to my locker, where Aubrey was already waiting. "Hey, girl! You ready?" she asked me.
"Yeah, where are we go-," I was talking to Aubrey when I felt a poke on my shoulder. I turned around to see a girl that puts drag queens to shame with the amount of makeup painted on her face.
"Can I help you?" I asked her while eyeing her tiny skirt and top that I'm pretty sure was not meant to be worn out of the house. I mean it is October in Washington. It's cold outside. Put some pants on.
"Um yeah, you're like the new girl right?" she asked while flipping her fake blonde hair over her shoulder.
"Yeaaah," I told her, looking to Aubrey to see her just as dumbfounded as I am. I swear if this girl's name is some typical "it" girl name, I'm gonna lose it.
"Well my name's Regina and this is Becca," she points to a darker skin girl with long black hair, "and this is Peyton," she points to a short and curvy brunette.
Do not laugh Keeley, she did not choose her name.
"If you like wanna be our friend, we'll totally let you," she told me while looking at her nails.
"Umm, I think I'll pass, but thanks for the offer. C'mon Aubrey," We start to walk away, while I can still manage to try and hold in my laughter.
Then, suddenly, my cheek was stinging.
I know she did not just slap me. I slowly turn and give her my coldest glare as the whole hallway watches to see what happens next.
"Listen here, hunny," I growl, "If you ever, and I mean ever try something like that again, you will regret it. Let's go, Aubrey."
Out of the corner of my eye, I see a flash of movement. She's really going to slap me after I threatened her? She's more stupid than I originally thought.
I quickly grabbed her wrist and yanked it down, her body bending with it. When her face was low enough, I kneed her in the nose and she dropped faster than a sack of potatoes.
"Don't say I didn't warn you," I told her as I gripped Aubrey's wrist and pulled her away. She leads me outside and immediately started flipping out.
"Oh my gosh, Keeley! That was the coolest thing ever! I've always wanted somebody to do that to her! You are officially my favorite person!" I was laughing at her excitement as we approached a picnic table where two guys sat.
"Boys, this is Keeley. She just beat up Ms. Queen-Bee and is now our friend. Keeley this is Alex and Xavier," she said. Alex looked like he had some Asian blood in him and had dark hair that was messy on top of his head. I could tell that he was tall even while he was sitting down.
Xavier had dark skin and easily had the best smile I've ever seen. He was tall too, and both of the boys were pretty built, Xavier more so than Alex.
"Nice to meet you, Keeley. Any friend of Aubs is a friend of ours," Alex said.
"Why don't you tell us how you beat up Ms. Regina Evans, TaterTot," Xavier added in with a wide smile.
"TaterTot?" I asked them with a confused face.
"Oh sorry, Keels. Forgot to tell you that they're big on nicknames, so you're kinda stuck with it now," Aubrey explains with a small shake of the head.
It's weird how I've been home only a few days, yet have already accumulated two new nicknames.
"No, that's fine. Anyways," I went on to explain what happened with Regina to the boys and I was congratulated once again for putting the "it" girl in her place. Through all of our free period, none of us could stop laughing and we held constant chatter.
I learned that Xavier is a boxer and trains at a gym a little outside of town. He hopes to go pro and is currently working part-time at a mechanic shop.
Alex, I learned, is extremely funny and really intelligent. He and Xavier have been friends since preschool. He is Xavier's "manager" and also his workout buddy.
I quickly found out that Aubrey is a happy-go-lucky kind of person with a bubbly personality. She's a real girly girl but isn't all unicorns-and-pink girly. Not to mention, if she thinks something, it will nine times out of ten come out of her mouth.
I tell them about my brothers and military school, which they seem to find really interesting. Eventually, though, the bell rang, signaling the end of third period. They showed me how to get to the cafeteria, and I have to say, I'm really happy I was able to make friends like them, even though I don't do relationships of any sort. They make me feel normal, even if it is only for a little while. And as much as I loved my missions team, we were never able to goof off like this. Sure we did every once in a while, but most of the time we had to be serious. It was nice being with Alex, Xavier, and Aubrey. They made me feel like I could be myself.
We were all sitting in the cafeteria at a small round table with little stools when I heard a loud voice:
"Keeley!" Sam and Donnie came stomping over to my table. What the hell did I do now?
"Yes, brothers dearest?" I sigh while tucking my hair behind my ear.
"Why the fuck are people saying you beat up Regina Evans? Hell, I saw her in the hall and she had a bloody nose!" Donnie said to me, his voice slightly rising. This was odd to me considering Donnie never yelled at me, even growing up.
"Look, she slapped me and I let it go. She went to do it again and what do you want me to do? Let her? No, I kneed her face and walked away. I had it under control," I explained while trying to keep my voice even.
"Keeley, you can't be getting into fights," Sam stressed, making it obvious he was thinking about Saturday and how I lost control.
"Look, I'm fine. She'll be fine. It's all good. Now if you both could leave me alone to eat with my new friends, that would be great," I told them. They both shot me a pointed look before hesitantly walking back over to their table where all the football players sat.
"They seem lovely," Xavier said and I couldn't help but laugh. For the rest of lunch, we ate, laughed, and talked. It was by far my favorite part of the day.
***
The rest of the school day was pretty okay. None of my teachers were very happy to have another Harris in their class, but they'll learn soon that I'm not like my brothers. Xavier was in my English class, the twins were in my second free period, and Alex was in my physics class. And to top it all off, everybody that I had met today was in my gym class, including Ryder. Throughout the entire class, we would exchange glares. Yet for some reason, I still felt extremely attracted to him even though he had been a grade-A jerk.
Anyways, I was at my locker grabbing my textbooks after school when Aubrey came up to me.
"Hey Keels, do you want to go to Blue's and get a bite to eat?" she asked me. To be honest, I really did, but I needed to let out some frustrations that I only knew the gym could cure.
"I can't today, but if you want to go tomorrow we could," I tell her, hoping I don't come off as desperate.
"Okay, sounds great. I'll see ya later Keeley," she told me as she started to walk away, her long, red hair flowing gently behind her.
"Bye Aubrey." She gave me one last smile before walking out of sight.
I made my way to my car and fifteen minutes later, I'm pulling up into the driveway. I gather my textbooks and backpack before locking my door and going into the house. I immediately see Callan sitting on the couch in sweats and a t-shirt, munching on a bowl of popcorn.
"Hey squirt, how was school?" he asks me while he finished chewing his popcorn.
"It was good," I say as I plop down next to him. "I made a few new friends, got into a small fight, got tons of home-" Callan suddenly cut me off.
"What do you mean you got into a fight?" he bellowed. See Cal is scary, but nothing's scarier than when he's angry. And he's never angry at me.
"I tried to prevent it, Bubba, I really did. She hit me and when I went to walk away, she tried to do it again. So I might have kneed her in the face and gave her a bloody nose. It's all okay now, though," I said whispering the last part.
"Keeley, you can't be doing that! Hell, one punch from you and you could kill the girl!" Callan yelled, now standing in front of me. His wide frame seemed even larger from my spot on the couch. I had never known Callan to have a short temper. This was new to me.
"What do you think I should do then, Cal? Get Sam or Donnie to beat her up? Let me be her personal punching bag? Let her walk all over me? I've been that way with other people, Callan, and there is no way I'm going back to being a punching bag," I tell him with tears in the back of my eyes, yet not letting them fall.
It normally doesn't bother me when I'm yelled at. Hell, I've been yelled at my whole life. But Cal, Callan's really the only one thats ever cared for me and loved me as I've always wanted. The fact I made him angry, it hurts.
I quickly gather up my stuff and make my way towards the stairs. "Keeley, wait-" Cal calls out.
"Just forget it. You wouldn't understand," I tell him before walking to my room. I quickly change into some athletic shorts and a sports bra with my trainers. I make my way to the gym in the basement, successfully avoiding Cal.
I start on the treadmill, sprinting for about two miles before I go onto cardio and weights. After about an hour, I move onto the punching bag to take out all my aggression.
I let out a few tears as I punch, making sure nobody sees. My walls finally falling down. From trying to get along with my brothers to Regina-freaking-Evans, to any slight mention of the past where he is in it, I let out everything that had been building up.
And why does it have to be that anytime I have a great day, he comes up either directly or indirectly to just burst my bubble. I know that sooner or later he's going to find me and get his revenge, but it would just be nice to have some time without having to worry.
Ryder's POV
All day I couldn't get that blonde out of my head. When I saw her this morning wearing white with her beautiful bright hair, I couldn't help but see her as an angel. Her eyes were absolutely captivating, and I could sense myself getting lost in the amber orbs whenever she looked at me. But when she talked, I could tell she was feisty and ready to fight. Between her tattoos and the way she carried herself, she had to be one of the most attractive people I've ever seen. And I couldn't help but sneak glances at her drawing all hour and how she so effortlessly drew me.
But the one thing I couldn't get out of my head was how she called me out on who I really am. I'm not mad though because she was wrong or rude about it, I'm angry that she was 100% right. How was it that she could read me so easily, yet I couldn't even understand one thing about her? She was driving me nuts and I didn't even know her last name.
Throughout the rest of the day, I heard talk of the new girl and how she made Regina Evan's nose bleed. Then when she showed up in gym, I couldn't believe how good someone could look in a simple gym uniform. Throughout the whole class, any task she was given she did perfectly without even breaking a sweat. Who was she?
It was now the end of football practice when my two best friends, Sam and Donnie, walked over to me.
"Hey Ryder, you wanna come over and hang a bit? Maybe hit the gym?" Sam asked me while swinging his duffel bag over his shoulder.
"Yeah, sounds good. I'll follow you guys there," I said as I hopped into my black Camaro. We arrived at the Harris house about fifteen minutes later. I love coming over here because they have the nicest house where the fridge is always stocked with the best foods.
I park my car and walk into the house after them.
"Sam, Donnie, we have a problem," one of their older brothers, Finn I think, spoke as we shut the door.
"What do you mean?" Sam and Donnie both looked confused.
"Well, Cal kind of pissed off Keeley after she was kind of frustrated when she got home from school and now she's in the gym and won't come out. None of us really want to go back down there because her eyes are the same color they were Saturday," he explained.
Wait, Keeley? She's their sister? Oh, shit.
"Well, what do you want me to do about it? I'm not her favorite person. Why don't you send Callan down there? She's closest to him," Sam said while shrugging his shoulders.
"You really want to send the person down there, that caused this mess mind you, to calm her down? Idiot," Donnie grumbled towards Sam. "Where's Nick? He knows how to handle her. And despite popular belief, she actually does trust him."
"He's on his way, I'll let you know when he gets here, but will you guys go down there and watch her through the window in the game room just to make sure she doesn't break anything?" Finn asks him.
"Yeah sure. C'mon."
We went downstairs and looked through the game room window that peered into the gym. And there she was: the girl that had been invading my mind all day, my best friends' little sister.
I watched her as she circled and attacked the punching bag, her moves clean and calculated, yet full of force. Her legs were glistening with sweat and her stomach was well defined with muscles. There was a huge tattoo up her left side, one up her neck and right shoulder, and another in the middle of her shoulder blades, just like her brothers had. Her body was proportioned perfectly to fit her tiny frame. If there was one word to describe her right now, it would be hypnotizing. The way she moves so easily while attacking the bag, not to mention how she looks doing it, is completely captivating. Damn.
But what I really noticed were the scars on her back. A strange feeling made its way through my body at the thought of somebody hurting her.
Sam spoke up after a moment of silence: "Man, what did they do to her at military school?"
This surprised me. "Military school?" I ask no one in particular.
"Yeah, she was there for five years before she got kicked out. She won't tell us though, aside from a few stories, what happened. She's really different than how she was. Now she's confident, strong, and a hell of a good fighter, but there's something off when she is just relaxing or doing something simple. It's like everything she does, she's either looking over her shoulder or acting like whatever she's doing determines if she lives or not," he explains with a puzzled look on his face.
Keeley: a soldier. Somehow I could see it.
"Where is she?" came a voice from behind me. There was Nick and the other two brothers were behind him.
"Currently beating the shit out of that punching bag," Donnie said motioning to the window. I watched as Nick took his suit jacket off and went hesitantly through the door. Keeley's head immediately snapped up and you could see how her eyes were dark brown and not the normal, golden-honey color they usually were. When he walked towards her, though, she launched herself at him and tackled him to the floor. Oof, that had to hurt. They wrestled till he finally got a hold of her wrists and squeezed his body to hers, I think providing some sort of...comfort? She slowly stopped struggling and her eyes returned to a normal color. He sat there with her and they just talked till she slightly nodded her head.
When they stood up, however, her knees started to wobble and she collapsed into Nick. He looked a little scared, but picked her up in his arms and made his way towards the door.
"Is she okay?" Callan asked full of guilt as Nick carried her through the door frame..
"I'm not sure, I mean she passed out the last time her eyes went like that, but this time she was in and out of consciousness. She told me she was sorry for hitting me and that she just couldn't take the thought of him coming back." His light blue eyes looked confused as he glanced down to Keeley's tiny frame draped in his arms.
"Who's him?" Finn asked looking puzzled.
"I have no idea but I'm going to find out and call her old Staff Sergeant. If anybody knows about what happened, it's going to be him," he explained. "I'm going to take her to her room then make that call." He left the room shifting the beautiful angel in his arms.
Okay, now I'm officially confused as to what the hell is going on.
"Well, there's nothing we can do about it now," Sam said like everything that just happened didn't actually occur.
We worked out for about two hours till it was 8:30, but a certain blonde never left my mind.
"Hey guys, I've got to get home otherwise my mom will throw a fit," I told the twins.
"Oh, alright man." I gave both Sam and Donnie a quick three-pat hug before picking up my bag. "Oh, by the way, the sweats you lent me are in my room if you want to grab them," Sam told me.
"Alright, I'll grab them on my way out."
I make my way up the basement stairs and continue up to the second floor of the huge house. When I get to the top of the stairs though, I hear the sounds of a grand piano coming from the right, and last time I checked, nobody uses those rooms.
I instinctively walked down the hall till I saw Keeley sitting at a piano, and she wasn't just good, she was great. The way she played, it was like everything she wouldn't say out loud was being spoken through the keys. I wasn't sure how long I had been watching before her fingers slowed and eventually stopped.
"That was beautiful," I voice after a minute in silence. Her head shoots up so fast, I wouldn't be surprised if she gave herself whiplash.
"How long have you been there?" she asks a little frantically as she stands up and exits the room.
"Long enough to know you are one hell of a pianist," I tell her with all honesty.
She walks past me and into another room directly across the hall. I follow her and see that it is in fact an art studio. Windows line the outside wall, and everything is bright white. A splattered tarp lays on the ground under multiple easels which she has set up. Paints are all over the floor and her paintings are on the wall. Each one different, but each more beautiful than the next. One, in particular, catches my eye.
It is a woman wearing all white who looks as if she's flying. Her skin is pale and her hair is dark. Bursts of color take up the bottom of the canvas, and everything looks as if it was smeared on, but not on accident. It had to be the most breathtaking things I had ever seen.
However, my idiotic self decided to tell her none of this because the only words I could form were: "I saw what happened today."
Dammit, Ryder. Real smooth.
Her eyes met mine and where I expected anger, there was a look I couldn't quite decipher.
"And? What do you want me to say? I have issues, especially with my anger. I may not look like it, Ryder, but I'm a full-blown mess on the inside waiting to unleash hell. So if you're here to judge me or make fun of me, ask yourself if it is really worth losing all possibility of having children." She wrapped the large jacket she was wearing tighter around her as she turned to face the windows.
I shift uncomfortably at that last comment, but still manage to speak. "I wasn't going to say anything actually. We've all got our own shit."
"Ain't that the truth," she mumbles to herself.
"Did you paint all these?" I asked after a moment while gesturing to the paintings.
"Yeah," a small smile comes over her face. It's the most beaut- wait, what? "It's a coping thing for me. How about you?"
"Woah slow down there, blondie. It almost seems as if we're getting along like friends would," I tell her with a smirk.
"I'm sorry about art, Ryder. I didn't mean to overstep," she tells me with a bit of, was that embarrassment I see?
"No worries. And I'm sorry too...friends?" Who am I and what am I doing?
I don't do friends with girls, what the hell is she doing to me?
"Yeah, friends." She gives me a small smile as I start to walk towards the door.
"Well I'll see you later, blondie," I smile back while taking in all of her angelic features. I'm halfway down the hall when I hear a melodic voice from behind me.
"See you in art class, Picasso!"
And dammit that just sealed it. There is no use in denying that this girl is consuming me, and she doesn't even know it.
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Hey guys! I hoped you enjoyed this chapter, and what do you think of Ryder?
Happy Reading!
Final Word Count: 6775