𝐏𝐥𝐚𝐜𝐞𝐛𝐨 𝐄𝐟𝐟𝐞𝐜𝐭 // 𝐁.𝐇

19

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Her light giggles echo through the kitchen, "So what? You just left him outside?" Her smile shows off her perfect teeth.

I nod with a laugh, "Basically, my parents would have killed me if they saw a random dog in the house," I pause for a second, flipping over the piece of bread, "I never saw him again after that." I say, placing a sandwich on her plate, the melted cheese stretching.

She mutters a quick "thanks" before taking a bite, a smile forming in her face, "Holy sh-I mean, that's really good." She compliments.

I take a playful bow, "Thank you." I say, before she changes the topic.

She finishes chewing what's in her mouth and her brows furrow, "You know," She wipes her mouth with the back of her hand, "Boys are so confusing," her brows remain furrowed and she looks in deep thought.

A small smile plasters on my face, "What do you mean?" My own brows furrow.

"Well, sometimes they don't like you for no reason at all, even when you just met them. Like, you have never talked to them and they automatically dislike you for some reason." She says, taking another bite while looking confused.

I let out a small laugh, "Don't stress it kid, boys are jerks, don't get your hopes up either, most of them remain assholes forever." I say, turning off the stove and turning back to face Max.

A small smile plays on her lips, "Yeah, probably. I mean, how do you deal with Billy?" A pity expression takes over her face, her lips pursing to the side.

I laugh at the mention of Billy, "Your brother, he's, well," I pause for a second, "complicated." I finish and see her continuing to eat her grilled cheese.

She scoffs, "Complicated? He's an asshole." She states bluntly, "He's a dick to my mom." She finishes, taking the last bite on her sandwich before it's gone.

After an awkward first encounter me and Max had hit it off, talking non stop and joking around for hours. She was the little sister I never had, and hopefully I could be the older sister she never had, or maybe a better version of Billy.

Speaking of the devil, Billy strides into the kitchen, causing Max to quickly close her mouth and avoid his gaze. My eyebrows scrunch at her reaction, is she really that scared of Billy? I turn my attention to him, watching him go towards the fridge and pulling out a beer.

He pops it open and turns to me, raising a brow and tilting it towards me, I shake my head as Max's eyes switch between both him and I, she relaxes as soon as I decline.

I clear my throat, hating the silence in the kitchen, "I made grilled cheese, want some?" I force a smile for Max's sake.

He takes a sip and turns to me, "No." he shakes head, turning towards the living room, "Lia? Can I talk to you for a sec?" His voice booms in the room and I see Max tense.

I roll my eyes and follow behind him, "What do you want?" I scoff followed by crossing my arms and an eye roll.

A smug smile is plastered on his lips, "Jesus, calm down. How's the little shit behaving?" He asks but doesn't really look interested in knowing the answer.

My head tilts back, "Good, what do you really want?" I say, getting right to the point.

"The shit bird's had you for hours, when can we talk?" He sounds actually concerned and it comes out a whisper.

I sigh, rubbing my temple, "You're still on that?" I ask, already knowing the answer. He doesn't reply, causing me to groan, "Fine, but we can talk once she's not around." I say, my hands resting on my hips.

He nods, biting his lip, "Then lets get out of here," he says, looking at me in the eyes, I furrow my eyebrows and he gets the message. "Anywhere but here, let's go on one of our little adventures." He says, a glint of hope in his eyes with a small smile on his lips.

I shake my head, "Billy even if I wanted to, I can't, I'm supposed to be taking care of Max." I say, turning to look towards the kitchen to see Max no longer there.

He scoffs, "She can take care of herself." He says, still continuing to nag.

I shake my head once more, "Maybe some other time, It's not that I don't trust her, it's that your parents trusted me-" I stop when a voice interrupts me.

I turn to see Max walk into the living room, Billy shoots daggers at her and she shoots them back, "Lia, can I go to the Arcade?" She asks, turning to avoid Billy's glare.

I swallow a gulp that formed in the throat, "Uh, Yeah? Your parents usually drop you off there and pick you up afterwards, right?" I ask, huffing at the fact that Billy would get a chance to talk about what happened that night.

A smile is on her lips, "Thanks, I won't be too long." She smiles, "Oh and you don't have to worry about dropping me off, I can skate there." She says, practically begging with her eyes.

I sigh, "Fine, but you promise to come back home before dark?" I ask giving her a raised brow, she nods, "Okay fine. I want you home before dark!" I yell out as she hurries off towards the door with her skateboard in hand.

With a sigh I turn to face Billy who held a triumphant smirk on his face, "There's no way to escape it Collins," a stupid smile is on his face and I'd be lying if I said I didn't want to kiss him.

I sigh biting my bottom lip in the process, "Sure, yeah, whatever." I say nonchalantly, looking up at his eyes, only to find him already looking at me, causing me to swallow a knot I didn't even know was there.

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