The Montgomery Brothers

04 - all time low

[ f o u r ] - all time low

I had survived my first week of high school by avoiding everyone but Avery. My four classes I was taking were a breeze. I found myself zoning off and gazing out the windows at the forest of trees to pass the time. Every once in a while I'd be called on to answer a question. I'd panic at first, but I always answered right. I successfully avoided Cole for the rest of the week, still shocked at what happened with his brother.
I was rudely awaken from my peaceful slumber early Saturday morning by loud banging at my door. I threw a blanket around my shoulders and slugged my way to the door. I was greeted by an angry looking women. My back straightened a little in fear.
"Hello," I croaked.
"Elena Birches, you have failed to pay your first rent on time, resulting in your eviction. You need to be out of your apartment by tonight." She said sternly. My eyes darted open and my jaw fell to the door. She handed me the paperwork and stormed off down the hall. I slammed the door and instantly collapsed on my couch. I buried my head in the pillow and screamed as loud as I could. When my lungs gave out, I glared at the paper in disbelief. There was no way I could be so foolish and forget my first ever payment.
I grunted, crumpled up the paper, and threw it across the room. I texted Avery and she knocked at my door not a minute later. I let her in and we both sat on my couch.
"How could you have let this happen, Elena?" She asked me in disbelief.
I shook my head, "I don't know, I guess I've just been focused on something else lately and I forgot."
"I would offer you to stay with us but our apartment is already so crowded..." She said trailing off, trying to think of a solution.
"Where else can I go?" I asked, defeated.
Right as her eyes lit up I knew exactly what she was thinking, so I shot her down instantly. "No, Avery. I am not calling Cole."
"Why not, they practically live in a mansion all by themselves." She whined.
I crossed my arms and stood my ground, "No way. I told you about what happened with his brother. There's no way I'm staying there."
She huffed and looked me in the eyes. I stared back, trying to get her to lay off of the idea. It was unsuccessful.
I huffed as we pulled into the driveway of Coles house. Sorry, correction, mansion. Avery shifted the car into park and turned to me, "I'll be right here. Just go knock."
I huffed and pushed open the car door. I quickly threw up my hood to avoid getting rained on. "You know I hate you," I said as I slammed the door. I could hear her muffled "I love you, too" even when the door was shut.
I climbed the steps and made my way to the front door. I huffed and cursed under my breath before knocking. After a couple seconds of no answer, I thought I was in the clear. But right as I turned to get back in the car, the door swung open, revealing Cole.
He furrowed his eyebrows, obviously shocked to see me, "Hey."
I dropped my head and tried to hide my embarrassment, "Hi." I didn't quite know what to say to him. "Can we talk?" I muttered.
He sighed and nodded, "Of course, it must be freezing out there."
I shot one last glance back at Avery in the car, where she flashed me a thumbs up, before the door shut behind me.
"Your living room is the size of my apartment." I said sarcastically.
He snickered, "I get that a lot. Have a seat."
He returned with some blankets and wrapped them around me. His fingers grazed the back of my neck as he gently pulled my hair free from under the blankets. My breath hitched and I jumped slightly. I sat there quietly as he poured himself a drink.
"It's 11 o'clock in the morning," I reminded him.
"Oh, this?" He said, motioning to his drink, "I'm just preparing for what you have to say."
I nodded, "Fair enough."
Once he got his drink, he joined me on the couch, "So?"
I took a deep breath and began telling him what happened that morning. I explained to him that I was usually extremely responsible and that I couldn't believe that I let something like that slip my mind. He listened quietly, nodded slightly every so often. When I finished he furrowed his eyebrows and thought for a moment.
"So, what brings you here, Elena?" He saids dauntingly, knowing exactly what he was doing.
I sighed, "Don't make a beg, Cole."
"How long do you want to stay here?" He asked, taking a sip of his drink.
I shrugged my shoulders, "Just a couple weeks... until I can find another place."
I could tell he was having an internal battle with himself. I felt bad for asking anyone to do anything for me, but this felt like an all time low.
"Look," I began, "I get it if you don't want me here. I just don't have anywhere else to go."
After a while he shook his head, "You can stay."
My eyes lit up with happiness and without thinking I instantly pulled him into a hug. His muscles tensed underneath me. I let go quickly and squirmed awkwardly in my seat.
"Sorry, I'm just really grateful." I say, embarrassed.
"Do you need help with you bags?" He asked, changing the subject.
I nodded and smiled, "That would be great."
I waved goodbye to Avery as Cole returned with my last bag. Cole took me up the staircase and down a hallway.
He pointed at a door to my right, "That's Braxtons room. Do yourself a favor and don't go in there." Then he pointed to the left, "This is my room." Then he pointed to the end of the hall, "And that's your room."
I nodded and pushed open the door, the room was huge. In the middle stood a king sized bed with dark red sheets and bedding. I threw my bags at the edge of the bed.
"Need anything else?" Cole asked as we finished up unpacking everything.
I shook my head and placed my hands on his chest, gazing up into his eyes, "You've done plenty, thank you."
His jaw clenched and he pulled away from me, quickly disappearing out the door. My chest tightened and I sighed. I fell backwards into the bed and stared straight up at the ceiling. I shook my head in disbelief that this was real.
After awhile of contemplating my decisions, I decided to explore a little. Although the house was big, it was far from modern. It looked quite old actually. I ran my fingering along the wallpaper as I trailed down the hallway. I found myself in a separate room. I looked like an office. A wooden desk was right in the middle of the room. I walked through the doorway and made my way over to a bookshelf, skimming through the spines of the books.
"Elena Birches, why the hell are you in my house?" The angry voice echoed in my ears. I stood frozen, afraid to turn around. A familiar hand grabbed my forearm and spun me around. Braxton stood towering over me. His face didn't match the angry tone of his voice, though. He looked more... pleased.
I gulped and pushed his hand off my arm. "Cole said I could stay here for a while." I said confidently.
He scoffed and shook his head, "Oh, this'll be fun..."

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Authors Note: Thank you for continuing to read this story. Don't worry, next chapters going to get a little steamy so get ready:) Anyways, if you enjoyed this chapter please vote and leave a comment it means the world to me. Thanks <3