The Stars Around Us

Chapter 3 ×EMMIE×

The house was a lot nicer than what I expected from Mom. Though she probably used the divorce money to buy it. She was pretty decent when she was sober, she put more thought into the things she did and when she was sober, she was less abusive and bitchy. Though her sobriety never lasted too long. 

        We all had our own room, while in Dad's house, Asher had a room while me and Chloe shared the biggest room, well besides the master suite. We got to pick our own rooms, and Asher picked the smallest, he said since we had more stuff and he would be going to college soon, it made sense. Mom, of course, got the master, and I let Chloe have the next biggest room, while I took the medium sized one. 

       We were in a nice little neighborhood and the street was quiet with quaint houses. We had a large yard, I think it was about five and a half acres, Mom said. My room had a light gray wall, very plain and simple. Uncle Stephen, who was driving the Uhaul with our furniture arrived about an hour after we did.        

       Uncle Stephen is probably my favorite relative who isn't part of my immediate family. He's laid back and hard to temper, plus he's rich and every birthday and Christmas, he gives us each 200 bucks every year, because he doesn't know what we like. Which is A-Okay with me. I've been saving up since I was thirteen, trying to save up for a car. So far, I've got about $1,800 and soon, Christmas will hit them I'll have two grand. I'll most likely end up buying a used car, but as long as it runs, I'll be good. For awhile anyway.

       Uncle Stephen is taking me shopping later today for new school supplies and he said he'd pay. I remember when I was turning sixteen, and he came down to visit, he told me I was his favorite niece, because I wasn't as complaining, bitchy, immature, or as hormonal as the rest of them. I enjoyed being his favorite, because it came with its benefits.

       He had another sister, who had five kids, I think, though I've only met them a total of two times. Mom doesn't like her, and Uncle Stephen only likes her because he works for her at some multibillion company. So that's why he's loaded.

       We moved from Scranton, Pennsylvania because Uncle Stephen lived here, and he was Mom's closest relative that she could tolerate. The good thing was, it wasn't too far away so Dad could easily come visit us and vice versa, once I get my car.

       After helping Chloe unpack her things and arranging her room, I went to move my furniture around, but didn't unpack yet, because I didn't have enough time before Uncle Stephen started calling for me.

       I just stayed in what I had on, not bothering to change out of my Black crop top and black high waist jeans with holes in the knees. I threw my combat boots back on, which were scuffed to hell, and figured I could probably talk Steph into buying some new ones. I grabbed my phone and walked out the door. 

       Asher had taken Stephen to get his car so when I walked out, he was waiting for me in his 2013 white Chevy Tahoe. Aside from being a lawyer, Dad owned a mechanic shop and when I was younger, he taught me everything I knew about cars. Usually, when one of Asher's friends had a messed up radiator, I was the one they called to fix it. I charged much cheaper than a shop would. I walked to the tahoe and strapped myself in.

        When he was driving, he pointed out landmarks and stuff along the way. The mall was a lot bigger than the one in Scranton, which means they would have more shops. More shops lead to more stuff, and more stuff would lead to more options, and more options means I'll need more time. I was a very indecisive person.

       On the way in, we passed a jewelry store and there was a guy running from some fat ass security guard. He went around a pillar, probably to circle back, when another guard came out of nowhere and tackled him, then put him in cuffs. They were walking towards us, and I felt bad for the guy. 

       "I didn't do it," he protested. "She put them in my pocket." "Yeah, yeah, kid. Tell us something we ain't ever heard before," said the chubby security guard. Though he was a complete stranger, something in his voice told me he wasn't lying. I did something completely out of character.

       "Hey," I called after them as they passed. They stopped and turned to me. I whispered to Uncle Stepen who was looking at me, confused. "Just play along, please." He gave me a slight nod and I walked boldly towards them. "Where are you taking my brother," I asked. The guy widened his eyes a bit, but stayed silent. The guards glanced at each other, as if asking the other if they should believe me or not. 

       "I said, where are you taking my brother? Are you guys deaf or something," I said. "Uh," was all the fat one had to say. The tall one who tackled him spoke up instead. "I'm sorry, miss, but he stole something from the jewelry store." I crossed my arms and cocked an eyebrow. "Stealing from a jewelry store," I snorted. I was playing this off better than I thought. "Does he look like the kind of guy who'd do that?" I gestured toward his dark gray tee and jeans. He didn't look gay. 

        "Ma'am," said the taller one "Stealing is stealing, so we're just following protocol." I nodded. "Okay. I get that, but what'd he steal?" The taller one looked to the fat one for an answer. "Um. Earrings, I think." I glanced at his ears. "His ears aren't even pierced, so why would he steal them," I threw at them. They didn't answer for a second and I rolled my eyes.

        "Look, our dad is right here, so why don't you just let him go now?" The tall one spoke again. "We can't. We have to take him to the office." I narrowed my eyes at him and glanced at the guy, who was just staring at me. A smirk played on my face. "Can I bribe you?" 

       The guards glanced at each other again. The fat one said. "Do we have to take you down too, for bribery?" I stayed calm, surprisingly. Usually, I most likely would've panicked, but I felt oddly confident. "No. I didn't bribe you yet. I just asked if I could. There's a difference." The tall one gave a smirk and said "How much are we talking here?" I thought about it for a moment.

       "Depends. How much would you get paid for bringing him in?" "The boss pays us $35 for each that we bring in," the tall one said. The short one seemed nervous, I wasn't sure how he felt about it. "Okay," I said, "Then I'll double it. 70 bucks." They seemed to consider then the chubby one spoke up. "Each?" I tightened my jaw. Would I risk 140 on some stranger? I looked at him, thinking it over.

        His gray eyes pleaded with me. I took a deep breath. "Deal." I said. I turned to Steph. "Please," I mouthed. He rolled his eyes and pulled out his wallet. Like I said. There were benefits to being the favorite. He put the money in my hand and I crossed my arms again. "Uncuff him," I ordered. They narrowed their eyes at me. "Give us the money first," the tall one grunted. I snorted. "I'm not a dumbass. Uncuff him and you can hold his hand if you want until I give you the money." 

       They shared another glance and pulled out the keys. They had a wrist in each hand and I held my empty hand out. "Not giving you the money till I have a grip on him," I said evenly. The chubby one released him and once the strangers hand was in mine, I placed the money in the guards hand and they released his other wrist. They nodded their heads and turned to walk away.

       "Why the hell did you do that," Stephen burst out. I turned to my uncle. "Because he was innocent," I said, raising my chin. He gave me a look of disbelief. "Do you know him or something?" I glanced at the stranger and shook my head. "No, but-" Stephen cut me off. "Then what the fuck, Emmorie?" I flinched at my real name. He was the only one that called me that anymore. 

       I locked my jaw and glared at my uncle. It had felt right. I don't know how, but I could tell that he didn't do it, and I always went with my gut. I knew it was wrong for someone to pay for a crime that they didn't commit. Uncle Stephen pulled out his wallet and held it out to me.

       "Finish getting the rest of your stuff. I'll be back in two hours to pick you up." He turned and stormed off. I yelled after him. "You know you love me, Stephen!" He turned sideways and I saw the crooked smile on his face as he waved me off. "Yeah, yeah. Go fuck yourself," he called back. I smiled and turned to the guy who was just watching our exchange.