Attracting Trouble

Chapter 9: Salads & Video Games

Stepping out of the front doors of church, I feel a little more refreshed. Something about the environment made me feel safe and secure. It's somewhere I can let go of everything and just feel there, like I'm not alone, even when I often feel like it.

Mom and Dad meet me at the car once they greet our pastor. Sydney and Tori thankfully went back to college yesterday night. I know I shouldn't say that, but they bring me more stress than I needed.

Once we get home, I collapse onto the couch and take my phone out to see a million messages from Hannah. She's begging me to come over since Dumb and Dumber, also known as Tyler and Will, were taking over the downstairs of her house.

I run up to my bedroom and pull on some more comfortable clothes, like some yoga pants and a big T-shirt, and announce that I'm leaving to go to Hannah's house.

"You're going to Hannah's? You're sure you don't have practice or homework or anything?" Mom asks. She's always coming up with something to get me to stay home.

I shake my head. "It's Sunday, Mom."

She sighs and purses her lips. "Okay, but don't be long. You need to be rested up for practice this week. One bad night's sleep and you'll be ruined for the rest of the week."

I mentally roll my eyes at her theories. "Okay."

With that, I leave and head to Hannah's.

*

Sprawled out on the furniture in the Carters' living room are Will and Tyler with Xbox controllers in their hands.

The game is Call of Duty, so every time they let loose an M16 on an enemy, it practically shakes the house. I almost close my ears so they don't burst.

Thankfully I'm able to sneak by them without being seen and carefully climb the stairs.

Hannah is in her room sitting on her bed, her head leaning up against the headboard so that her chin is touching her chest. A bag of Ruffles chips sits on her stomach.

When she sees me, she sits up immediately and smiles.

"Thank the Lord you're here," she says.

Her TV is blaring The Vampire Diaries re-runs on Netflix.

"What's up?" I ask her as I collapse onto her bed, grabbing a handful of chips and shoving them in my mouth.

Hannah suddenly groans. "I need to eat healthier." She adjusts her glasses on her face and shoves the bag of chips away from her.

I take them and lay them on my stomach then.

"Oh yeah, a salad sounds so good right now," I say sarcastically as I shove my mouth full with chips. Hannah laughs and shakes her head.

"But really, what's up?" I say again.

"Those boys are driving me insane!" She tells me. "We came home from church, Mom and Dad left to go to town or something like that and they've been playing that since. It's so loud."

Downstairs, the loud noise suddenly stops.

Hannah and I look at each other with wide eyes.

Then we hear the knock on the door.

Neither of us get a chance to answer it - or even lock it - before Tyler bursts into the room wearing a smile. Will follows behind him, wearing that same smile that can only mean one thing...

They want something.

"What do you want?" Hannah asks. Tyler sits on her bed and takes the bag of chips, dropping a few in his mouth.