Trying to find home

25

At around 5, I was able to stand up and move away from the wall. The tremors in my limbs had slowly faded, so I was able to carry Salem without waking her up. She purred in her sleep as I scratched behind her ears, making me smile weakly. I set her down on the couch so I could get dressed and get ready for the day.

I honestly couldn't care about I wore today. I was too emotionally drained from my nightmare and all of the shit from yesterday. I just threw on some soft leggings and the biggest, softest hoodie I could find. It helped chase away the phantom cold that had soaked into my bones. 

Right after I had brushed my teeth, I heard a loud knock on my door. Salem hissed loudly and I could hear her claws scratching across the floor. I sighed before walking over to the door. I just hoped it wasn't some scam because I wasn't in the mood to kick some ass right now. Surprisingly, it was worse than a scam. 

Tony stood in the hallway, holding out a cup of coffee toward me. I simply took the drink out of his hands and slammed the door in his face. I was soooooo not in the mood today. The loud knocking continued. I figured if he wanted the door open so bad, he would have to find his own way in.

I sat down and stared at the door, counting the seconds to see how long it was going to take him to get in. 30 seconds later, the door opened with a creak. I sipped on the coffee with a raised eyebrow, Salem hissing from my shoulders.

"You know," He said, strolling in, "you could have just let me in." My face stayed on the same angry expression as when he first knocked on the door.

"You didn't make my job easy, so I'm not making yours." He winced at the words, rubbing the back of his neck.

"Yeah, that wasn't my best moment."

"You think?" I asked in my most condescending tone, rolling my eyes.

"That's what the coffee is for. A peace offering." I just stared at him before he sighed. "Yeah, ok so maybe I need a favor." There it was.

"No." I stood and walked into the bedroom to grab my backpack, anger burning hot through my veins.

"It's not that hard." He followed me like a shadow around the apartment. "I just need an extra set of eyes at Peter's school."

"So you want me to spy one your kid?" I chugged the last of the coffee, ignoring the burning down my throat. That got me a glare from the tin can.

"Don't put it like that."

"So how do you want me to put it?" I snapped, getting really annoyed.

"I just need some help finding the kid terrorizing Peter." I stared at him for a second.

"If you mean Flash, you don't need to worry about it anymore." He seemed surprised.

"Was Flash the kid who was bullying him? I didn't even know there was a bully until a few days ago, and even then I didn't get a name."

"As far as I know, it was Flash who was bugging him. Trust me, you don't need to worry about him anymore." Tony seemed taken aback at my words.

"What did you do to him?" He said warily. I rolled my eyes again. 

"He was being a bitch, so I got him suspended. He then tried to jump me with a few of his goons, but, clearly, that didn't go his way. I'm pretty sure I broke his arm." He seemed impressed with me.

"Well thanks then." He stuck his hand our, trying to give my a handshake. I opted to grab his collar and yank his face close to mine.

"Listen well and listen good," I whispered dangerously, eyes full of fire. "You touch my shit again and I swear to god I'll shatter your kneecaps and feed you the shards. Nothing I do is to make you happy or make you feel good. I do what I want, so you better get out of my fucking way before I break your spine walking over you. Ya feel me?" I hissed out the last part, pushing him away from me. "Get out before I change my mind about kicking your ass into next week."