Little Miss Babysitter

-- 22 --

"This was a baaaaaad idea. My mom is going to kill me."

According to someone with a vicious ability to mass speed text, apparently it was a good idea to leak the location of the party spot where 'Nate Rider' was supposedly going to be. Yes. Rog convinced me to invite him, only to have one of the brunettes he invited slip up and text everyone on her contacts list. Now, with Rog plastered to the left of my pelvis, and a heated makeout session of two people I've never seen in my life on my right, you'd say I was having a swell night.

Hint the sarcasm.

I was starting to think that wherever Nate went, the party went, too.

You see, I don't own high definition speakers, but somehow, they magically materialized in my living room. Techno music poured out of them, making the house rattle beneath me. Millions of broken vases mottled the floors, each piece representing every strand of hair that fell out of my head.

Because of Mom's alcoholic problem during October, not one drop of that stuff has ever existed in our household. And yet, here I am, surrounded by cups and jugs of a fizzing, pee looking substance that makes white girls go 'dancing', heels in hand.

"Ok, I admit. This one's on me." He laughed, snaking his arm around my shoulders. My nose snuggled close to his scarred neck for added effect. His lips came close to my ear, so close that I could feel his breath on me. "Have you seen Taya yet?"

"No, which is weird, since we're doing this whole thing for her." I added, my voice clipped and begrudging.

"Where's that boy that you like so much?" He sneered, tangling my fingers with his.

I'm on a semi-friend basis with Rog, nothing more, nothing less. And yet, it still feels as if I'm cheating on someone. As if someone were to walk in at that very moment, I'd be cau--

"Ela? I found y--! Rog?!" Taya squeaked, suddenly appearing in front of us amidst the throng of sleazy bodies. "Are you two, what? You two.. Are you like,"

"Taya, spit it out, you fart face." Rog teased, his eyebrow cocking in a somewhat challenging trance. His arm stiffly tightened around my shoulders, drawing me into his chest more so than before.

She froze, her eyes darting back and forth between us. Such cloudy emotions made her sky blue irises hazy, and she seemed to be assessing us. As if inspecting if what we were doing was genuine.

Apparently, it was, as a light bulb went off inside her head, and she grinned, ear to ear.

"Good choice, you sneaky girl, Els. Can't get much better than Rog." She grinned happily, stamping her way through the crowd of people between us, and ruffling our heads. "You two have fun! I'll be in the kitchen."

And with that, she moped into the heart of the party where the majority of the shouts and noises seemed to be originating from.

"Well, that didn't go v--"

"Ela!" A painstakingly familiar voice ripped my attention from Rog, and I spotted Nekou rapidly approaching us, a wide smile on his face. "Hey! What are you doing here?"

"Well, I sort-of live here." I groaned lowly, bringing my knees to my chin. "What are you doing here?"

"My friend invited me." He flashed a smile, glancing between us. "This your boyfriend?"

My eyebrows unconsciously rose, and I found myself gazing at Rog. He backed away from my stare, gesturing for me to answer him with an alarmed expression on his face.

"Umm..." I mumbled hesitantly. "Ynos."

"Ela? Who's this?" Rog questioned, his general curiousness somehow making the back of my head begin to ache. I pinched the bridge of my nose, and suddenly wished for everyone that was inside my house to be somewhere far away.

In a pit.

With live rattlesnakes.

I stumbled to my feet, much to muscles' dismay, and beckoned for Rog to join me. "Rog, this is Nekou. Nekou, Rog."

"Pleased to meet you." Rog extended a rugged hand in greeting, having Nekou accept it with a light shake. "Rog."

"I'm Nekou." He offered a smile, finalizing his eyes on mine yet again. "What you guys up to?"

"Nothing, really." I sighed, slumping my cheek against my palm. I gazed across my torn and tattered waste land of a living room, silently pleading my mom won't kill me too slowly for the bodies strewn in every way possible. There was even a limp blonde hanging off of the fireplace mantel.

"I'm gonna go get us some drinks." Rog whispered in my ear, feeling him evaporate from my side. I instantly grew cold and felt vulnerable, as if a predator could come at me from angle, now that I didn't have a protective coat of arms to shield me.

"Nice guy." Nekou smiled, tugging on the bottom of his loose fitted black tee. It stretched downwards, exposing that tattoo of the dragon on a bed of tiger lilies for me to see.

"I know." I muttered absentmindedly, craning my neck to see his inked skin at a better position. "Don't mind me asking, but can I see your tattoo?"

He chuckled softly, pulling his shirt over his head to reveal his ridiculously defined abdomenals. Something about them scared me a little. Just how much power could be stored up in there, it frightened me to the extent that I didn't even want to step close to him any longer.

"Come on. I don't bite. I promise." He grinned, his eyes flickering in amusement. I reluctantly stepped nearer, and examined his neck.

It was so beautifully crafted, so artistically refined, it made my eyes bulge out of my head.

"That's awesome." I traced his skin with the tip of my finger, and he tensed under my touch. "Why did you get it done?"

He smirked at me from his elevated few inches above my head. "Curious, are we?"

I flushed, letting my fingers drop.

"Ela! Howdy! I haven't seen you--" Nate appeared as if out of no where, right over Nekou's shoulder. I saw the dimly lit exhilaration in his eyes, which quickly dissipated into nothing, as he looked at the mannish boy in front of me. "Who.."

I saw Nekou's lip twitch faintly before he looked down at me with such a thirsty quality, the breath literally escaping my throat.

"Sorry 'bout this, baby doll." He muttered, before sinking his hands in my hair, and pulling me up to match his lips.

The smooth pads of his mouth caressed mine, and I could tell he didn't necessarily want to be kissing me. But lucky for him, the feelings were mutual.

I screamed into his mouth, thrashing about in his grip, when he calmly let me go, and pushed me onto the couch.

"What the f--" I barked, when Nate's thunderous voice interrupted my feverish attempts at an offensive response.

"Nekou, you bastard."

I peeked around the legs of his pants to see Nate, his shoulders large, and his voice grave. His eyes were nearly pitch black, and I could see how much he was trying to restrain himself from lashing out and doing something that he would later come to regret.

"My dear friend, Nathaniel. How nice to see you." Nekou countered, his voice menacing, yet raised in a playful manner. "How have you been?"

"Bastard." He growled, repeating his earlier claim. He remained silent, awaiting Nekou's response.

He sighed eventually, crossing his arms over his chest. "You caught me at a bad time, you did Natty. I was in the middle of kissing my dear Ela here, when you came. It wouldn't be the first time, though."

Nate's face was turning red at this point, and I'd never felt so helpless. I knew I couldn't just stand there and watch this crazed showdown, if that's what you'd call it, but there wasn't much I could do besides just that.

"You're lying." Nate stated, his eyes closing now. One more word from Nekou, and he was sure to punch him in th--

"Nope. Yesterday, at your baseball game. You just had to punch him in the face, didn't you?"

Nate said nothing, simply stared, so Nekou continued.

"So that you could interrupt us, right? Because you love her." Nekou jabbed, his words making Nate cringe. "She's a good kisser. You wouldn't know tho--"

Nate broke. I saw his interior walls crumble to the ground, and almost in the blink of an eye, he thrusted his hands out and grabbed a hold of Nekou's jacket. He shook him back and forth with such force, I was sure his neck was due to snap.

Nekou planted a left hook to Nate's jaw, effectively thrusting his head to the side. My breathing hitched every time I heard that thump of Nekou's knuckles on Nate's body.

They were fairly evenly matched, I'd say. Although Nekou was obviously a bit bigger, Nate was stronger. Much stronger. And I never knew, that all this time, he was tough enough to even try to fight someone like Nekou.

I could almost feel every sharp point of pain inflicted on Nate, as if we were connected somehow. Every punch, every choke; it was scarily realistic.

Wait. Nekou knew Nate. He called him Nathaniel. Do... Do they know each other?

I whisked the questions out of my mind, only then realizing just what was going on in my living room. I rushed to the mouth of the brawl, pushing them apart with all of my might.

"Stop it, Ela! Let me kill him!" Nate howled, shoving me out of the way so that I tripped over my own feet. The nerve of this guy!

"No! I tell you what! Nate, stop it!" I shrieked, coming between them yet again, when Nekou reached for something quickly in his pocket.

"Nate, you're a fucked up fella. Maybe this will teach you a lesson." Nekou grinned mischeviously, only then advertising just what was in his hand. Or should I say, on. A blinding pair of brass knuckles.

He drew back his hand, and in the last moment, I instinctively lunged for Nekou in the hopes of knocking some sense into him, when a searing pain ripped up the side of my body, and I came crashing down to the floor.

"Oh." Nekou's voice carried above me. I was too busy cowering on the ground, hugging my waist, to care what they were conversing about. All I know is that Nekou tapped his boots lightly against each other, before taking one foot after the other, and leaving my house.

I heaved my cries out, only then noticing the music had somehow managed to crank up, and a rippling pain traveled through my ears. I didn't have enough hands to press in the places that needed to be soothed.

After a few moments of collecting myself from the bruising attack, I shakily found my feet, and only then realized Nate's eyes were trained directly on me.

His shirt was ripped clean off of his body, and a purpling splotch was located on his left shoulder. A small gash was present on his collar bone, and a light stream of blood oozed down from his cheek. Other than that and a messed mop of hair on the top of his head, he seemed fine. Except for the troubled and ultimately horrified look on his face.

"Hey." I sighed, smiling. "Are you oka--"

I attempted a step in his direction, only to wince at the pain that radiated up the sides of my torso. I wilted to one knee, clutching my ribcage. Damn you, Nekou. Damn you and your brass contraption.

After breathing heavily for a minute or so, I rose to my feet yet again. Nate's face contorted to that of distress and anguish, and I swear I saw his lip tremble for a second.

"Sorry about that. Let's go get you cleaned up."

I limped over to him and offered my hand, of which he stared at with a perplexed emotion torturing his eyes.

"Nate?"

"Did you just protect me?"

I was thrown off course by his random accusation, and I crossed my arms over my chest. "Nate, let's not worry about that right n--"

"I don't deserve your protection. Why, Ela? Why?" He hardly budged, despite my persistant prods on the tingling muscle of his arm.

I swallowed hard, the explanation itching to be relieved of sitting on my tongue.

Because I love you. Because I have to force myself to not think of you for every fucking second of every fucking hour of every fucking day because it's just too painful to know that you'd never accept me back. Because I thought I was doing all right tonight, helping out the guy that's in love with his not-sister, when all I wanted to do was look for you.

"Because I'm your babysitter."

❀❀❀❀❀❀

"Stay still, you penis loaf!"

"You're tugging on my cheek!"

"Yeah, well, I wouldn't have to if you weren't such a dumbass!"

I glared at him, my formerly concentrated grimace now having subsided into a mean scowl. Nate returned it with his own, only to stick his tongue out at me, and lick my nose. If I had half a mind, I would have slapped him clean across the face.

But, considering I'm precisely sewing that section of his body with a needle and thread, that'd just make the process longer and more tedious.

"Who was that guy you were sitting with?" Nate crinkled his nose, manipulating a fresh river of blood to trickle down the apple of his cheek.

"Who? Nekou?" I lulled, padding his face with a gauze.

"No. The guy before that." He said through a tight jaw, his sights aimed on the highly interesting wall of my bathroom.

"Oh. Rog?" I bit my lip, staring at the ceiling. "He's... He's my.. boyfriend."

Beneath my clutch, I felt Nate visibly tense up, and his head snapped front to meet me. His eyes blazed in fury, and I found myself backing away, before he caught my wrists, and dragged my face to his.

"Don't tell me." He hissed, his teeth chattering. "Don't tell me you cheated on him... With me."

"What!" I barked, throwing myself away from him. "Cheat on Rog?! Are you crazy?! I would never cheat on you!"

Simultaneously, we froze. Our eyes remained locked in a sort of emotional fix, waiting for the other to make a move.

Did I really... really just say that? How stupid can I get?

"What I meant to say.." I cleared my throat, averting my eyes. "I would never cheat on Rog. With anyone, especially you."

He blinked, his eyes transfixed. "Especially with me? What the fuck does that mean?"

I willed myself to spill some meaningless lies, when my thoughts blew up inside my head, leaving me with nothing but gibberish filled smoke.

I sighed, rubbing my temple. "I wouldn't cheat on Rog with you because... Because it's too confusing."

"Too confusing? What does that mean?!"

"Well, we kissed! What is that supposed to mean?!"

"We kissed?! No we didn't! You kissed me!"

"Yeah, well I didn't see you fighting it!"

"Oh, believe me. If you kissed me, I would so fight it."

"Good. Because I feel the same way."

Our eye contact was strong and tense, and I saw his eyebrows lower over his vicious eyes.

"Oh really? So if I kissed you right now, you'd fight me."

"Yes."

His gaze dropped to my lips at this, and his hard expression suddenly grew soft. His cut had begun to bleed again.

He cleared his throat, and shifted uncomfortably on the rim of the bathtub, before looking up into my face. His lips were turned inwards, and his eyebrows were fixed in a fine line.

I gulped through a scratchy throat, and averted my gaze. It was then that I felt a scary resemblance to a 14 aged girl on her first date to the movies. Having utterly nothing to say or talk about. I gnashed on my lip, and summed up enough courage to address what had been haunting my mind.