The Boys Next Door

Chapter 3

Chapter 3

"Oh you poor thing!" exclaimed Susannah as soon as Blake and Ryan helped me through the door of the Ryan house.

She came over and started fussing, prodding at my ankle tenderly and asking where it hurt?

"Thanks Susannah, but I'm fine! Honestly! I'm not dead!" I said laughing lightly.

"What did these boys do to you?" She turned a beady eye on Jeremy.

"What?!" He asked defiantly. "I didn't do anything! Why do you always automatically assume that I am the cause of every problem in this house?" He shouted in frustration and threw his hands in the air, causing his phone to go flying out of his hand and go scattering across the hallway.

"Shit!" he yelled. Rather loudly as well.

"Jeremy!" Susannah screeched warningly. "Watch your language or you'll be rinsing your mouth out with soap!"

"Sorry mum." He muttered sulkily, trudging away to go and pick up his phone.

I was just stood there witnessing the whole scene, leaning against Blake for support and trying to contain my laughter at Jeremy's outburst.

Susannah faced me again and her beady glare turned into a warm smile. How I did love her and her random angry outbursts. Though they were quite scary when you were the person that they were directed at. I found that out when Cole and I decided to have a food fight when we were in the middle of baking cookies. That was a few years back and I didn't really want to be in that situation again.

"So honey, which one of these boys is getting no dinner tonight?" She asked. Of course I knew she was joking about the whole 'no dinner' thing but I knew she would still go crazy mad on them.

"Honestly, it was all me. I tripped over a football. You know how clumsy I can be." I admitted truthfully.

But then I had a wicked thought. "Although it might've been to do with the fact that I was disorientated from Cole dumping me in the pool. You know, swallowed too much water sort of thing."

"He threw you in the pool!" her eyes widened.

"Well he didn't throw me. Just sort of dropped-"

"Cole Nathaniel Ryan! Come here this instant!"

I cringed at her loud shrieking.

Even though Cole was 19 and he didn't technically have to do anything his mum told him anymore, he never disobeyed her orders. I mean not just him. None of the boys did.

So in he came shuffling along from the kitchen. He acted all cool but I could see straight through it. He was scared of what was coming. He'd be bonkers not to be.

"Is it true you threw Stephenie in the pool?" she asked him.

He shot me an accusing glare.

"What?" I asked him shrugging.

"Blake, I think you better take Stephenie into the living room." Susannah suggested pointedly "while I have some words with my oldest son."

Blake kept his arm around my waist as I limped into the 'cinema room.' It was so called because of the massive 100 inch TV screen right staring at me. Ashton was already in there watching a  movie.

"Do you want something to drink?" he asked me. In the background I could hear the deafening shrieks coming from Susannah about 'treating girls with respect' and all that jazz. I didn't really care about that to be honest.

Paybacks a bitch, huh Cole?

"Nah I'm okay. Come watch some Batman!" I patted the sofa next to me. He sat down gingerly politely ignoring the shrieks coming from the other room. I on the other hand, found it far too funny.