The Gang Leader's Shorty

Chapter 28

We walk through the doors to the kitchen where Callum and Caiden still have an hour of learning to do with the old women I encountered this morning, "We're home!" I announce loudly and the woman I sassed this morning knocks her cup of tea over as she jumps and Caiden snorts out some of his juice through his nose as Callum holds in a laugh. The other woman glares intently at me. 

I don't know why I am doing this, it's as if I can't control myself from being angry at the women and I just do whatever I can to piss them off. It seems childish but, for some reason, my brain and my tongue are just not in sync, conflicting with each other which causes a lot of conflict in me. It gets more difficult as the days go by, I'm getting weaker by the day as my pneumonia gets worse. I often wonder why they kept my mum in hospital for a while with the pneumonia but they never keep me in the hospital. Perhaps my case is just not as bad as my mother's and there's no need to monitor me. They told me that pneumonia can go away by itself and that's what they're hoping will happen. However, they give me tablets to reduce the effects of the symptoms. Medicine has come a long way since my mum passed away. 

"No, we did not miss you," The lady who knocked over her tea says to me and glares, "I wasn't talking to you, I was talking them," I snap at the woman, pointing to Caiden and Callum and she just rolls her eyes whilst I am willing myself to stop being so tetchy. 

"Are all teenagers this temperamental?" The other lady pipes in and, for some unknown reason, I feel myself filling with more rage and I don't know why but I can't control it, "As a matter of fact, no," I hiss and take a step forward and Cole grabs me by the waist, "Your father should take care of you like ours did back in the day!" The lady snaps back at me and I seethe in Cole's arms, wriggling to make him let go of me. 

"How dare you!" Cole shouts from behind me. Caiden and Callum shrink into their seats, knowing full well what is about to go down, "You two will end up married with children at the age of nineteen and, frankly, I don't think that's a good environment for the twins to be brought up in!" The other lady says and I gasp, she is pressing all the wrong buttons.

"Let go of me, Cole! Let me at her," I growl at him and both ladies raise their eyebrows, as if they are daring Cole to let me go. How much damage could a girl of my size do to them? My hands shake uncontrollably with rage as my blood boils, sending my face to a tinted red as Caiden and Callum watch on in horror. I feel my fingertips go cold and the palms of my hands sweaty, signifying that I am angry beyond my control. I will myself to stop acting so irrationally and be the bigger person. 

These women weren't to know my past, they didn't know that what they are saying could hurt me more than it had intended to and I don't want people treading on egg shells around me, that's not the life I want to live. Yet, somehow, the message doesn't reach my brain and I remain on the spot, shivering, tittering on the edge of screaming and I don't have the foggiest of ideas why. 

The twins step by my side, Caiden placing an arm around my shoulders and I relax at the touch. Cole stands strong, slightly in front of us, almost as angry as me, "You two are fired," Cole sneers at them and their shoulders sag as they grab their belongings, jolting into action and exiting the house, wasting no time dawdling. 

"Thanks, guys," I huff at them and sit to the breakfast bar, "No problem, you're our family," Caiden says, side hugging me as Callum sits next to us, "What do we do now, though?" He asks, twiddling with his thumbs as he rests his boney elbows on the counter top. His work remains in front of him and he stares down at the worksheet. Cole and I look at him in confusion, "Our education for this year is out the window. It took months to get a home school teacher before and now we've fired them," Caiden hints and we both gulp, turning to each other with wide eyes as realisation dawns on us.