I've Got This Friend

Chapter 8

Mae's heels prattled up the steps as she bolted to her bedroom holding in a giddy giggle. Whatever he was doing to her was indescribable, it almost felt wrong after losing Half Sack so recently but she couldn't deny what she felt. Reaching the top of the steps, she pulled her shoes off and stepped into her bedroom. Mae froze, seeing the window open and her things oddly misplaced, turned over or simply gone. Blindly she stumbled back and shouted for Opie.

"Mae?" He pounded up the steps to find her trembling in the hall. "What's wrong?" Peeking into her room, he could see it looked nothing like when he had left it not that long ago. "Shit."

"Someone was here and we didn't even know."

"It's okay," he whispered. "Go downstairs."

Nodding, she scurried away and Opie peered down the hallway before stepping into the bedroom. He was ashamed and embarrassed that someone had come in and done that while he was barely a hundred feet away. Whoever it was had left as quickly as they'd come but the damage was done. Making his way back downstairs, he found Mae curled up on the couch absolutely terrified.

"Whoever it was, they're gone now." He sat beside her and, wrapping his arm around her back, pulled her close. "You're okay. I am so sorry I didn't know."

"Don't apologize." His Henley muffled her words but he understood her perfectly. "I don't think they even took anything."

"You should probably check, Mae."

Gazing up at him fearfully, her bottom lip jutted out. "I really don't want to. Tonight has been pretty shitty already."

"I know but nothing is going to happen to you, I promise. I'm right here."

Stretching out her legs, Mae got to her feet but waited for him to take her hand. He her toward the stairs and she slowly climbed up with Opie by her side. "You sure no one's in there?"

"Want me to check again?" He asked with a grin. She nodded and he stepped in, without his gun drawn and checked the room. "It's fine."

Mae was silent as she picked through her jewelry box to find nothing missing. One by one, she checked her drawers only to be deeply disturbed and disappointed by what she found in the last one. "Really?"

"What?" He turned from the window to see her standing, hip pushed out, with a very disgusted look on her face.

"What do you think used to be in this drawer?"

Reaching in, he pulled out a tiny balled up thong and dangled it from his pinkie. "I'm guessing you weren't down to one."

"This nasty sicko stole my damn underwear." She stomped her foot. "What in the hell is wrong with people?"

Opie couldn't help but laugh at her mini tantrum and thankfully, it served to ease his own disgusted rage at the stranger's violation. "I'm sorry; I know you're mad. If that's it though, I think you're pretty lucky."

"I can't stay here." A shiver rolled down her spine. "Just the idea of some perv in my bedroom is making my skin crawl. Can you take me somewhere? Please?"

"Pack some stuff; you can stay at the clubhouse. I'll have Juice wire your place tomorrow first thing. No one is getting in here again without someone knowing if they try, well the break-ins will stop fucking abruptly."

Mae nodded and on her tiptoes pulled her duffle bag from the top of her closet. "I'm sorry; this is probably such a hassle. You're a biker not my knight in shining armor."

"You're not a hassle and I don't mind being a knight in dirty leather."

She looked down and away as her cheeks grew hot. "You're not off the hook." Haphazardly she began tossing clothing in her bag. "I still want to hear your story, I showed you mine. Remember our deal?"

"I remember."

Lingering in her doorway he sent a text to Juice instructing, not asking, him to do the security in Mae's. He liked this girl and they were pushed together for a reason. Tara's words rang in his head, she told him when the time was right he'd meet someone, the right someone, and Opie was thinking that someone was standing right in front of him.

"Good." She zipped up the bag and tossed it on her bed. "This is going to be weird. I can get a hotel."

"No. I'd say my house but I'm a single dad and my place makes that shit obvious."

"You're sweet," Mae laughed. "Thank you." She wanted to go on and explain her feelings because it had been weighing on her. Mae knew it was her schooling, her therapist mind at work but she didn't want him to you to think whatever it is, if it was anything to him, was because of Kip's death or the break-in. It was far more than that and it would have eased Mae's mind to know he felt the same way.

"I'm gonna make a call, you good?"

"Yeah, go ahead." She pulled open her nightstand drawer and, seeing a syringe undoubtedly full of heroin and a large color photo of her and Opie on the roof, Mae felt her chest tighten as her breath caught in her throat. "Oh, Jesus Christ." With shaking fingers she moved the needle to pick up the photo. On the back in red marker was a crudely written note. "Are you going to snitch on him too?" She read the question under her breath and her head fell. "This is fucking bad."

Hearing his boots thudding closer to her bedroom Mae met him in the hall. "Can you take this downstairs? I'm just going to grab my toothbrush and we can go."

"Yeah, sure." His thumb ran over her knuckles as he took the bag.

Once he was downstairs, Mae rushed into the bathroom, squirted the syringe into the sink, and ran the water. She knew it was Jude, he was mocking her and threatening to take care of her the way he had resolved the so called threat posed by Janet. Knowing Opie was there, protecting her, was the only thing that made Mae feel safe.

"You ready?" Opie looked fairly excited as she bopped down the steps.

"I am." She stood in front of him, her big eyes looking up at him, and smiled sweetly. "Were you going to kiss me?"

"Yeah, I was."

"Can you now?"

He shook his head. "Soon." He took her hand and led her out to his bike. Opie was, surprisingly so, a romantic. He wanted to do it in the moment and that one wasn't exactly the right one for him or her.

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Don't worry, I'm writing the sleepover too! This was a big night for Opie and Mae!