Innocent Murderers

[5] Please Don't Touch My Arm With Your Arm: How I Died At Breakfast

The next morning, at precisely seven a.m I am awoken by the very apparent news that my earlier thought it was just Derek, Lucy and me staying here was in fact incorrect. Three girls jump on my huge bed with me, Lucy and two others. I groan and put a hand over my eyes to block out the light streaming in through the window.

"Guys, this is Kennedy!" Lucy's bubbly voice wakes me up, and I push myself up on my elbows.

"Howdy," I say, voice raspy and full of sleep.

"Waddup," An unfamiliar voice fills my ears and I adjust my still-blurry vision to a form kneeling next to my feet. The girl is in black pyjamas, legs crossed underneath her. Her hair is collected neatly next to her shoulder, freely flowing in short waves.

"Hellooooo!" A third voice waves in front of my eyes and I look to see a Latino girl sat next to Lucy, a nose ring glinting teasingly on her tanned skin.

"This is Penny and Rose." Lucy says, gesturing to the girls. I smile.

"Hi, I'm Kennedy." I say, "Lucy didn't tell me there were other people here," The girls laugh and I chuckle along.

"Actually, there's two more boys, and we come here every summer." Penny says, getting up to leave.

"On another note, you must be starving." Rose follows her, "Derek's cooking in the kitchen and the boys got back at around two."

Lucy grabs my arm and hoists me up from the bed. I notice she's wearing glasses, and laugh at her dishevelled blonde hair. I quickly look in the mirror on the way out and cringe at my equally as dishevelled hair, orange and obnoxious.

The kitchen tiles are an unwelcome chill against my feet compared to the soft carpet and bedsheets of my bedroom. I groan, flopping onto a bar stool in a similar fashion as yesterday.

"Morning, Kennedy," Derek's voice makes me look up and smile. He's wearing star wars pyjamas and has a mixing bowl in one hand, a spoon in the other.

"You look like my mum," I say, laughing tiredly. He smirks and winks overdramatically.

"Then your mom has to be hella smexy," He says. Lucy smacks his arm on her way past him to a cupboard above the sink.

"Kennedy, want a coffee?" She asks.

"Oh my god yes please," I practically beg.

"How many shots?" She laughs.

"Two, please ma'am," I say, poshly.

"I like your style," An unfamiliar voice resonates off the tiles behind me and I turn around. A boy is standing there, wet hair flopped over his forehead. He's grinning strangely, glasses perched on his freckled nose.

"Aaron, this is Kennedy." Penny says, regarding him with a disgusted look. Oh yeah, he's topless.

"Why hello, Kennedy."

"Kennedy, this is Aaron," She finishes. I smile politely, and he sits next to me. I try not to concentrate on his tanned arm resting so close to my own pale one.

"Here's your caffeine," Lucy says, placing a dark mug in front of me.

"Thanks," I say, taking a sip. The hot liquid burns my mouth but I welcome the distraction to the arm now touching mine.

"So, you're British, huh?" Aaron asks from beside me. I nod.

"Yup, born and raised a Londoner." The words are oddly foreign in my mouth and I cringe at my word choice. He chuckles.

"Cute," The word leaves his mouth and I choke on my coffee, spluttering clumsily and he laughs. Once I'm finished, a blush works its way up my cheeks.

"Keep it in your pants, Smith." Penny chides from her seat on the counter, annoying Derek into letting her dip her fingers in the sugar.

"Just telling the truth, Sanchez." He replies, winking. The blush turns into a mild case of heat stroke, but I am saved as Derek sets a plate piled high with steaming pancakes before us.

"Syrup and sugar is over there, unless Penny's eaten it all," He says. Penny throws her hands in the air and hops down, scowling. My belly rumbles menacingly and Aaron chuckles.

"Someone's hungry."

"Shut up," I grumble as I take a plate and munch on my breakfast.

==

"Hey where's Jackson?" Penny asks from her seat on the floor, curled around a bowl of popcorn. A cheesy romance movie is playing on the tv, and we are all sprawled around it. The unfamiliar name raises questions in my head I push down.

"Still in bed. Don't worry, I'm sure he wouldn't mind a friend." Aaron says. She sticks her tongue out at him and he smiles.

"Oh look, it's the man himself." Derek adds, looking up to the door. Someone is leaning against the doorframe, short and tired-looking.

"Who's the man himself?" He asks, taking a seat next to Penny.

"You are, lazy-ass." Lucy ruffles his curly hair and he scowls.

"Respect the art, Lucifer." He teases, smacking her hand away.

She just laughs.

My phone rings from the coffee table and I look at it, grimacing. I stand up, picking it up and answering.

"I'm gonna have to take this," I say. Aaron shoos me and I stick my tongue out, before placing the phone against my ear.

"Kennedy Eva Harper, explain yourself." My mum's voice meets my ears and I realise how much I miss it.

"Look, I'm sorry okay. But I am not going to let you drag me home and yell at me. I love you guys, I really do and I'll be back and when I do feel free to punish me in any way, shape or form. Just keep in mind that I'm seventeen and I am my own person. I'm not going to be your little girl forever, I've grown up." My voice is surprisingly calm and mature, and I'm about to hang up before my dad speaks.

"I understand."

And then the line goes dead.

A tear wells in my eye but I wipe it away before returning to the living room and my seat with my legs across Derek's lap and his across mine.

"You okay?" He asks. I smile, and nod.

I really, really am.

==

This has to be my favourite chapter yet. And after some very logical working out I have estimated there are eight people reading this, which is a lot more than I thought.

Thank you.

K bye.