Rebound Issues k.a.

Chapter 5

"Do you want us to bring your pizza or are you going to eat your ice cream?" Daniel says from outside my door. I don't answer because I don't know what I'm gonna do at this point. "We'll take that as you're going to eat your ice cream." This is cruel torture, abuse. They should be arrested for this.

The window! There's that tree that I can climb down. I put on my hoodie and tighten the strings so you can barely see my face. I open my window and carefully make my way down the tree. When I'm almost at the bottom I step on a weak branch and fall.

"Ow, shit!" I hold my ankle. "Walk it off, walk it off." I make it to the kitchen window and peek in to see my mom just walk out. Ok, let's see if I can do this. I quietly open the window and climb though but fall on the floor. Someone walks in and I panic. He starts to walk around the island stove as I crawl around so he won't see me. Finally, he leaves and I see that it was Daniel.

Food, here I come. I pop up and get a few slices. Let me put this in a container so I can carry it back up. I take a few bites then make my way back out the window. Halfway through the door opens. Devin stares at me with a confused face then laughs.

"Daniel, come see Nagely!" As soon as he yells it, I jump down and run to the tree. I climb as fast as I can. Just my luck a bee flies by making me scream and drop my food. I start to go back down to get it but Devin beats me to it. Soon Daniel and Kevin come running behind him.

"Whatchu gonna do, babygirl?" Kevin yells to me. He needs to chill out with these babe, baby nicknames. But what am I gonna do? I really want that pizza but Daniel's holding it and he's gonna make me come down for it.

"Your pizza is getting cold!" Daniel laughs while waving it around.

"You guys are bullies!" I yell back but they just laugh again. My stomach growls. "Can you just give me my pizza?"

"Sure, but I'm not gonna climb up there." Daniel replies. I climb down a little and reach out for it but he holds it at waist level.

"Come get it." He winks at me. I'm really starting to hate this guy. Last time I checked, my plan wasn't to get off of this tree. I lean back and roll my eyes. "Let me just see that beautiful face of yours and I'll give you your pizza."

"How would you know I'm beautiful if you haven't seen my face?"

"Oooohhhhh." Devin and Kevin say. "She got your flirty ass in a corner." Kevin nudges him in the arm cracking up. Daniel holds his heart and looks defeated.

"I have a sixth sense for beauty." He flashes a smile at me.

"No bro, you can't come back from that." Devin pats him on the back. "Aye, isn't her window open?" They all look at each other then at me. I start to climb back as fast as I can. All three of them start climbing too and pass me because they were much faster.

By the time I make it to my room Daniel's laying on my bed scrolling through the channels, Devin just walked out my bathroom, and Kevin is on his phone in my chair.

"Why are you in my room?" I try to stay calm and take deep breathes.

"Your mom said you needed to be more comfortable with people. What's better than being comfortable with you so you can be comfortable with us?" Daniel smiles at me.

"What type of fucked-up logic......." I mumble to myself.

"You want the left or right side?" Daniel asks me. I'm gonna murder someone tonight and I really have high hopes it's Daniel.

"Both because all three of you guys are not sleeping in here." I open the door for them to leave.

"What is she doing?" Devin asks Daniel.

"I don't know." He shrugs.

"You got a pet you tryna let in or something?" Kevin looks over to me.

"I'm opening the door for you to leave." I point outside.

"You know what she's talking about?" Daniel flips through more channels.

"Nope." Devin and Kevin shrug.

"Get out my room."

"Sorry, can't understand you with that hood covering your face." Daniel looks me up and down. This dude is really testing me.

"Why do you even wanna see what I look like? It doesn't matter."

"You really wanna know? Sit here." He pats a spot on the bed but I stay standing where I am. "Ok, don't sit, but Kevin would not stop rambling about how beautiful you are. And I was like shut up, but now I'm interested since he talked so damn much about it. That's why." You don't know how grateful I am for this hood right now because if it wasn't for this hood they would see me blushing. I look towards Kevin to see his response but he doesn't mind it.

"I mean I'm not gonna deny it, you're beautiful, Nagely." He says once he notices me looking at him. This is too much for me. I'm feeling very overwhelmed around these boys.

"I bet she's blushing behind that hood of hers." Devin says.

"Nagely? Nah, she doesn't blush." Kevin winks at me then goes back to watching TV. What are their problems? Do they just feel confident in fixing my nonexistent issues?

"We're not leaving anytime soon so you might wanna take a seat." Devin sits on the floor patting his lap. A very, very, very, very deep part of me wants to but I will not sit on his lap by any means. I roll my eyes and sit at my desk far away from them all.

"Can I have my pizza now?"

"Of course." Daniel walks over and gives it to me. Then he just stands there.

"May I help you?"

"No, I'm fine." He pulls up a chair and just watches me. "I just wanna see how you're gonna eat without taking off that hood." He licks then bites his lips while looking into my eyes.

"In the bathroom, that's how I'm gonna eat." This is gonna be a long night.