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Chapter 18

We all spent about 2 hours setting it up, filling in my contacts, and downloading apps, It was soon done. "guys we need to have a talk." I slipped the phone into my hoodie pocket and me and hunter sat beside each other on the couch, to where Joe pointed us to sit. "Right I'm going to say this to both of you now. I've spoke to you individually, but not together. Knock it off. Like I've said, this is your final warning" I looked too hunter who had his head hung, and Joe who looked down upon us. "Your basically family, it's not acceptable." He said it as if the things done by me and himself didn't happen.

"Really joe? You know what, can I speak to you outside." I stood up to leave "no, sit down I've not finished." He said calm yet irritated. "Get back here, Clarice!" I stormed out, heading to the garden. Seconds later he came out marching after me, clearly pissed. "Joe your fucking married... Why does this apply to me and hunter, but not me and you?"

"Do you know the guilt I feel, knowing that Jill has been so kind to me, and I'm here messing around with her husband for fucks sake. It's wrong." I kept walking to the river, with his footsteps catching up with mine. "Well what do you want me to do? Stop? If I stop, your still not having him it's not happening!"

"You can't fucking stop can you! If you could, you would of done it. It's not like we asked for this joe, it's not a switch you can turn and off when you feel like it. I fell for you, Stupidly. But mark my words joe, you will be picking up the pieces of what's left of this, whatever 'this' is." I turned around hearing his steps come to a halt. "Did you fall for him?"

"that's different, but that's not what we are talking about, I need you to sort this, because it's not fair on Jill. You know, me and hunter should be the least of your worries right now." I walked further out away from him. "Il tell her tonight."

My heart sunk to the floor, as much as I wanted her to know, I knew she'd hate me for it. The possibility I would break this home in half crushed me. To be in Jills shoes on this night, it would be a pain I wouldn't be able to comprehend. "Ok"

"Joe whatever happens tonight, I'm sorry. Just know you've done the right thing. If you guys don't want me anymore and I have to go back, then that's ok. If it saves your relationship with Jill, then I understand. Don't ruin what you already have." He pulled me to him giving me a warm embrace that held so much emotion. "Your not going anywhere. I have an idea, but Your not going to like it." I nodded against him to continue.

"We keep it hidden till Christmas, then I'll tell her. I wasn't supposed to tell you, but we wanted to adopt you into the family by Christmas, if you agreed to it I mean." That was only a month and a half away, I didn't think it'd be so soon. "Your joking, that's amazing. But Joe we shouldn't keep this from her, it's risky, and hunter, he's around."

"I know, but what other choice do we have. Hunter is leaving anyway, so we will be safe." Hunter didn't tell me he was leaving. "It'll be just me you and Jill. All we need to do is make sure we don't raise suspicions. Ok?" I nodded as he smiled down at me worried.

I headed back inside as joe stood there looking into the forest. "Hey you ok?" I ignored hunters words and ran straight upstairs. It pissed me off he didn't tell me he was going. Sure I didn't really know him, but we grew together in my time here. I found refuge back in my room chilling up on the circle canopy surrounded by all the pillows. I took my phone out of my pocket and began looking through it on my own. I wanted to learn more about the family, but didn't want to ask much, so I figured it would be a good idea to find out. I searched in the browser Joe Biden, and so many pages came up. I pressed the news about him, and saw Janets house pop up from the night of the incident.

Apparently we made headlines. I looked further into into some of the articles and my identity wasn't proven anywhere, apart from the victim being known as a girl. There were a few interviews with the neighbours, they didn't have much to say, but said they knew it wasn't happy house the weeks before it took place. The news Teams ate up the fact secret service were there, and tried putting two and two together. They didn't have solid proof it was to do with the bidens but they made it out like they knew already.

I found myself looking at the images from the night. It was strange seeing it from another point of view. I found a clip of a local news team on the ground covering the incident. I wasn't looking at them, but everything going on behind the reporter. The neighbours being questioned by the police, the cones blocking the street, just like how I remembered. The deafening helicopter in the back and the blaring blue and red lights. It was loud, outside, unlike being on the inside. It was a different loudness inside, like when your walking through a forest in the dead of night, and every crunch of a leaf or Twig beneath your feet, feels and sounds obnoxious.

"Hey?" I looked at the door and saw Jill stood there smiling up at me. "I did knock. I see hunter gave you that phone then." I didn't realises I was crying until I wiped my eyes "yeah, yeah he did." I climbed down the ladders and went to the bathroom grabbing some tissue trying to hide my face. I came back and Jill hugged me tight not letting me go "what's happened?" What hadn't?

"Nothing, I don't even know why I'm crying about it, I just found images of the night of Janet." She squeezed me tighter "oh honey, it's ok, I'm sorry. Come on, let's get you sorted. She sat me down on the bed and scrambled to get more tissues. "I knew it was too soon."

"No jill, it's not that, I needed to see it. I needed to see it not in my shoes, just once. I'm coping with it is all. You need to let me cope. I can't go on pretending it didn't happen." She came back rubbing me on my back handing me a pack of tissues. "I know, but it's sensitive for you, it's to early."

"Jill I saw someone blow their brains out in front of me, seeing the cop cars being outside of that house is nothing compared to what happened in there. It's just new to me. The media were all over it. Some news places still are, they think your connected."

"Well they will find out eventually. But on another note, promise me you will be careful, rushing into looking at these things, can hurt more than it can help, just ask yourself if it's too soon. It's not my process of healing, so I will leave you to your devices, but like I've said before and will say again, you are not alone. NEVER. never alone. Not in this household. Not in this life." She patted me on the back and dragged me up with her. "Anyway food is prepared, me and Joe have had ours, hunter wanted to wait so he could speak to you. So it'll just be you two dinning tonight." We walked downstairs and saw Joe and hunter sat around the tv watching American football.

They looked over at us coming in and hunters face sunk and smiled sympathetically. He shot up and did a little jog over as Jill left us both for Joe. "So we need to speak. Il meet you in there." He pointed into the bigger dinning room to which I found my place at the bottom head of the table. I looked around taking in the room, I'd only been in there about twice, it looked bigger.

I watched hunter trail back in, with two plates. He sat down next to me passing me one. "You didn't tell me you were leaving" he put his fork down, and swallowed his salad. "I was going to, but someone beat me to it." An awkward silence fell between us, we had so much to say but we didn't speak much at all. "Where are you going?"

"I have business in China. Il be gone for a while." His answers were short and quick, almost like he wasn't interested. "Oh" I tucked into my food, and I couldn't help but notice his face, Sour. He wanted to say something I was sure, but whatever it was, it wasn't positive. We sat there in complete silence, if it wasn't for the occasional scratch of a fork on the plate, you could hear a pin drop. I didn't eat it all, I couldn't stand staying in there, and I hated salad.

I tipped the food in the bin, and washed my plate. I headed upstairs and returned to the canopy in my room. I sat there all cosied up under my quilt I dragged up with me. Opening my phone, I was back looking at the articles, quickly closing those tabs, I opened another, this time going to find out about hunter.

More articles of the night appeared, which I flew past, I looked along the side and dropped my phone straight from my hands. Kids. He had kids. I knew Jill and joe were grandparents, but I didn't think it'd be hunters kids. He wasn't the sort, or so I thought. Reluctantly, I picked the phone back up. I soon discovered He'd just gotten a divorce on top of that.

I was his rebound.