Kick, Punch, Dance?

Chapter 8- Sneaking Out Using a Fire Ladder

~Tess~

"Tess.Turn down the music." was all the greeting I got from my father. No "Hi honey how was your day" or "Hi Tess, I'm home". Nope, I get the stiff cop recently off duty who is too annoyed with his life to say hello to his only daughter. 

"Hi Dad. How was your day?" I asked sarcastically as I turned the music down and went to putting the living room back together. I had moved the two couches to either wall and pushed the coffee table back down the hall way towards the laundry room and garage. 

"It was fine Tess. Where's your brother?" my dad asked taking off his Sheriff jacket, badge and gun holster. He dropped them all on the entry way table, making the glass rattle. 

"I don't know where he is. He might be at Jake's or at Macy's, or dead in a ditch somewhere but I haven't seen him since this morning." I said walking around the coffee table I had just righted and made my way into the kitchen. I was vaguely aware of my father following me when I rounded the island my hands clenching the granite top, my back to him. 

"Be nice to your brother Tess, he does a lot for you." he said. It was then that I whirled around to face him. I had been doing my best to hide the whole I-was-bitch-slapped thing, but it looks like the cat is out of the bag now. 

"He does a lot for me!? Do you know how many times he's left me in the morning, so I have to run to school? or how many times he refuses to pick me up from dance, so I have to walk back the eight miles alone? My brother is worse than you, when it comes to taking care of me." I screamed at him. Don't get me wrong, I love my brother more than anything but he is not the perfect child my father seems to think he is. 

As you can tell I have a little anger pent up about this whole "parental unit" situation and how everyone's child is better than his only daughter. And there being a constant reminder that I'm not good enough. 

"Tess, I'm not having this conversation ith you, right now. Now what happened to your face?" my dad demanded, rounding the kitchen island to stand in front of me. He was about a head taller than me, and I could make out the 5 o' clock shadow covering his face, and the purple bags under his crystal blue eyes, same color as mine,  which confirmed my theory that he doesn't sleep. 

"Dad, my face is fine." I said pulling my chin out of his rough grasp. 

"Your face is defiantly not fine! Who the hell did this to you?" he roared in my face taking my chin back into his hands and pulling my blue cheek into the light more. 

"It doesn't matter, I handled it." I said once again ripping my face out of his hands. He didn't seem to like that answer though. 

"Oh you handled it? Just like you handled Hunter? Instead of talking out your issues you just dump them? Really Tess that no way to handle anything-"

"Hunter, was the one who did this to me, Dad. He's not that golden boy you put on a pedestal. Just because his father is your biggest benefactor, doesn't mean his son is on top of the moral food chain." I screamed in retaliation. At that point, Tucker walk in holding a bag of Chinese food and a four- cup holder with three drinks. 

"Shit. No family dinner tonight then?" was all my brother said. He didn't look surprised, considering me and my father fighting is not something new to him.  I sighed and turned to go upstairs my dad still in a state of shock. I usually never confront him, but tonight I was not in the mood. What I really needed was a distraction. And I knew just where to go for it....

~Declan~ 

My fist hit the punching bag once again, making my arms ripple with the force. It was about 12 a.m. and I couldn't sleep so I taped my hands, pulled up a work out play list and went to work pummeling the black bag in front of me. 

Seeing Tatum tonight was like a rude awaking. Yes I knew about Carter and his revenge, yes I knew he was not at all pleased with me, and I also knew it wouldn't take long for him to find me. But for one of my best friends to show up and warn me that Carter was out for blood was a little sickening. 

I was about to leap into a kick when a light out of the window caught me eye. I saw a single beam of light cross my window and I was curious as to what it was. I looked out across my lawn and saw that the light was a flashlight dropping to the ground. I looked upwards and saw a figure leaning out a window, a fire ladder dangling below. 

What the hell? i thought. Thinking someone was breaking into Tess's bedroom, I was about to grab a bat and go outside, but then I realized that the figure was Tess, and she was sneaking out. 

I left the window and hurried down the hall way and out the front door. 

I crossed the street in a matter of seconds just as Tess's tiny feet hit the grass under her window. 

"What the hell do you think you're doing?" I whispered at her. 

She whirled around looking at me like she was about to scream. 

I covered her mouth with my hand, similar to a week ago. 

"Declan!" she hissed. " You scared the crap out of me! What the hell are you doing out here?" she asked pushed my hand off her face. 

"Wondering why your sneaking out using a fire ladder." 

~Tess~ 

"What the hell do you think you're doing?" I hear a voice behind me as i step off the last rung of the fire ladder. I whirl around about to scream, but I turn to see Declan instead of a masked figure I was imagining.

Before I got let a scream rip through, his hands came up to block my mouth. Again.  Why did it seem that he was always making me scream and having to cover it up? 

"Declan" I hissed at him throwing his hands away. " You scared the crap out of me! What the hell are you doing out here?" I asked.

"Wondering why your sneaking out using a fire ladder." he said crossing his arms over his chest. Which I now noticed was bare. And sweaty, like he jut got donw working out.

"Well sneaking out using a rope made of bed sheets was a little to cliche for my taste." I replyed. i picked up the flashlight at my feet. 

"Now if you'll excuse me, I have somewhere I need to be so, bye."  I said walking around him, and starting off in the direction of the shed on the other side of the house.

"Now hold on a minute. Where exactly are you going? and why in the middle of the night, Tess?" he said grabbing on to my arm and spinning me to him. 

I tried not to notice he lack of a shirt and how he looked damn good with out one...

And I tried really hard not to notice the deep v his hips made going down into the waist band of his grey sweat pants and his chiseled chest muscles and how his shoulders were very broad and strong... 

And I tired really, really hard not to notice the tattoo the peeked out over his right shoulder... 

And I even tried my very best not to count how many abs he had ( he had an amazing 6 pack!).

I tried, I really did. But I seemed to be failing, because I looked up meet his dark green gaze and he was smirking down at me inthat knowing way of his.

"Um, I'm... Uh going to let out some steam." I stuttered. 

The hell was this boy doing to me?