Devil's Gambit

Chapter 5

Harley hadn't put much thought into this plan of sneaking out. Sneaking out- he couldn't believe he was actually saying it. He sounded like a thirteen year old.

He peeked over the staircase railing to catch a glimpse of the situation downstairs, attempting to gauge how easily just walking out the front door would be.

Not easy at all, was the verdict.

Axel was stretched on the couch, the flickering glare of the light from the TV dancing across his face, as a tall woman lay on top of him. She had long brown hair, a bit frizzy with untamed beach waves, and a nose that curved down slightly. No doubt Axel's girlfriend, Harley had to admit she was beautiful with her bold features, giving her long eyelashes and thick eyebrows.

His brother was skimming his fingers lightly over her exposed shoulder, as she was adjourned in a red tube top and ripped shorts, both of their gazes trained onto the TV as some wet stabbing noises filled the room.

If Harley really wanted to push his cover, he could lean over the banister even more to see Lucas, who was laid back in the beige recliner. To Harley's surprise, Lucas didn't have his eyes trained on the screen as the couple did, but had his eyes trained on them, a strange emotion plastered on his face. Lucas remained relatively stoic, aside from the slow biting of his inner cheek, before he produced that flask again from the breast pocket of his flannel, taking a subtle swig. Axel's observant eyes immediately darted towards him, a subtle shake of his head.

"Lucas. Are you serious?" He asked pointedly. Harley blinked quickly, taken aback by Axel's sharp tone.

Fully expecting Lucas to bite back, as Harley knew damn well he was fully capable of from this morning, he simply. . . didn't. Lucas was completely silent, his vision now set on the TV, the corners of his mouth turned down slightly.

Not being able to look anymore, Harley backed away from the railing, taking a moment to process what he had just seen. No, he didn't have nearly enough time to unpack all that shit.

Turning on his heel, he strode back upstairs and to his room, where he hiked up the window as far as it would go to examine what he had to work with. There was a small piece of roof he could perch on, and it wasn't too high off the ground- it was a tiny house fit for an older woman, after all.

There wouldn't be much room to move once he got out on the roof, but Harley figured it was just enough to hang off of and jump down from a less painful height.

He paced anxiously in his room as he waited for his friend, always wracked with nerves before parties. It was less about fear, and more about do I really have to do this?

Having to jump from the roof of a house didn't exactly help that looming dread.

Just slightly after ten, Jonas rolled up to the house, headlights off as Harley had requested. He thought not only would the headlights prevent Axel from seeing him, but also prevent others from seeing the expensive ass car Jonas was driving.

He wasn't all that familiar with the neighborhood yet, so might as well play it safe.

With a deep breath, Harley swung a leg out of the window, his friend ducking down in the drivers seat to look up at him in horror. Harley put a pointed finger to his mouth, before redirecting his concentration on not slipping off as he crawled onto the roof and shut the window.

Situating himself to hang off of the gutter was the most terrifying part, as that was basically Harley letting himself drop off the side as he prayed his grip strength was enough to hold his weight.

From there he simply jumped down, a slight jolt of pain going through his ankles, which quickly subsided after a few seconds. Still crouched in the yard, Harley met Jonas' gaze in surprise at what he had just done, his friend giving a thumbs up with a maniacal grin. Rushing over, Harley hopped into the passenger seat, the two driving off quickly as Jonas flicked the headlights back on further down the street.