LUCARIAH

The One Where We Go Back

The journey back to Evan's house was too fast for my liking. In no time at all we were parked in the driveway.

My stomach was in flips as Lith put her car in park. I didn't want to have another argument with Ezekiel. Or run into Jericho.

I was hoping Christophen would be back with Ambrosia. But I didn't see his motorcycle in the driveway.

And I didn't see his boots by the door when we stepped inside.

"Lith?!" Evan's voice rose through the house. My instinct was to grab her and turn right back around.

He sounded furious.

Ezekiel walked into the threshold of the house with a smug grin painted on his stupid face and I couldn't help but send him my coldest glare.

I couldn't contain my anger for a second in his presence.

Evan stomped in, running a hand through his hair in frustration, "where did you go?!"

She raised a brow, crossing her arms and jutting out her hip, "just who do you think you're talking to like that?" She questioned in a very no nonsense tone.

I couldn't help but bite the skin around my thumb. If my mother talked back to Franco, he'd kick her out for a week.

Sometimes she'd punish him by leaving for two. I always wondered where she went during those times.

Instead of forcing her out like I expected, Evan sighed, "I'm sorry. Where did you go with my son?"

I frowned at the way her eyes watered. The wounded curl of her lip, "I-" she swallowed hard, looking down at me, "we went to the park."

"The park?" Ezekiel scoffed, "he can't even-"

"Shut up!" I gritted out.

He rolled his eyes and walked back the way he came. Probably off to tell his brother how disrespectful I was.

Snitch.

"Ask me next time," Evan basically pleaded, "do you know how I felt when I turned and he wasn't there?"

"Do you not trust me?"

"Of course-"

"Then you know he was safe wherever we went," she tisked, "I'm eating dinner in my room tonight. And you are not welcome."

I bit back a smirk as she disappeared around the corner and came back, plate in hand, to go upstairs.

Evan looked back at her, then at me, "where did you go?"

"Your wife said she took me to the park, no?"

He nodded sheepishly.

"Then you have no business asking me." I almost lumbered off to my room if he didn't redirect me to the dining room.

My shoulders hunched in on themselves as five pairs of eyes fell on me. I cleared my throat and fell into the closest empty seat, adjusting my crutches so they rest against the table.

"Thank you for finally joining us," Sophia said snidely, "I'm hungry."

"Why did you leave?" Blair asked. I shrugged, taking a sip of the glass in front of me.

"He decided the park was more fun," Ezekiel butt in.

"But...cooking is fun?"

Yeah, when you actually know what you're doing. I didn't say that obviously. It's like all my words vanished with the tide. Where'd they go?

They were here just a moment ago.

I seemed to get away with taking a bite of my dinner and excusing myself from the table. None of them put up much of a fight except for Evan, who fixed me with a look of protest before sighing in defeat.

Not all battles are worth fighting.

   I threw off my brace and collapsed into my bed the moment I walked into the room. All the energy drained out of me and I was left gasping in pain.

  I wasn't sure how long I could go on like this.

  I thought I finally had a moment to myself, until my door was thrown open and Blair waltzed in. Sitting on a desk chair in the corner of the room, phone in hand.

  My eyes stayed on her slumped figure for a solid three minutes before she finally sighed loudly. "Will you stop looking at me already," her eyes found mine, "I'm just sitting here, you don't have to stare."

   This is my room, I wanted to point out. But was it really mine?

   Nothing here was actually mine. Not even the clothes on my back.

   I searched around for something that belonged to me, just me. I as startled to find I couldn't name anything worth showing off. Not if you didn't include my knife- and I couldn't show that to anyone; it scared people.

   All my clothes once had previous owners, and the very room I lay in could be considered Christophen's. He is the one who painted it after all.

  Gritting my teeth, I stood and walked to the desk she sat in front of. It was a long, painful trek considering I didn't have anything supporting me.

   When I finally made it, I grabbed a paper and wrote in the shakiest handwriting, "get out," I added 'please' as an afterthought.  

   She tore the paper apart and continued her activity. I huffed and tapped the pencil on the desk repeatedly until she growled and took it out of my hand.

  "Stop that."

   I pointed to the door.

  We were locked in a staring match until she grinned, "no, and you won't do anything about it because your dad's just going to tell you to be nice to me." She stuck her tongue out then and I couldn't help scrunch my nose at the action.

   With Ambrosia it seemed childish and playful. With Blair it was bratty and downright rude.

   I rolled my eyes knowing that it was a lost cause and she wasn't going anywhere. Limping back to bed in defeat, I heard Blair mutter about how sad this was.

   My eyes widened on their own accord when she threw my arm over her shoulders and helped me walk to bed. I was still staring at her, eyes wide.

  In shock? Fear? I couldn't tell.

  "Most people say thank you," she sassed, "but I'll let you off the hook this time. Oh, stop looking at me like that! We're going to the same school, may as well be friends."

  My immediate reaction was, no. No, we could not be friends. But, we could tolerate one another for the time being. Just until I found my ground; then- bye Blair.

   She mistook my smirk as an agreement and put out a hand for me to shake, "friends?"

   I grabbed her hand and shook it with only one thought rolling through my mind.

   If Ezekiel and Jericho decided to play a part in a silent war. Then I'll take down anyone on their side.

  Watch out Blair. I'm afraid you've just made your biggest rival.