Finding Her Happiness

Chapter 14:

Colby Violet's P.O.V.

"Hey, baby. Better now?"

"Yes, Eli."

I turn to the rest of the boys, and we all start to talk about our favorite things to do. Someone taps me on the shoulder, and I bite my bottom lip as I look at Daxton.

"Yes?"

"So, you're sixteen. Where do you go to high school?"

"Well, my mom doesn't really let me out of the house, so I'm homeschooled. But Eli asked if I wanted to go to public school."

"What are you going to do?"

"I want to, but what if I'm alone?"

"I'll let you know that all five of us boys go to public school too. Maybe you would want to try it, with the five of us."

"You wouldn't mind?"

"No, we love having you around, baby. I think it would be a lot of fun."

I climb out of Eli's lap and onto Daxton's. He tucks a piece of my hair being my ear, pressing a kiss to my forehead. I play with the v-neck of his soft, navy blue t-shirt. Daxton's hand moves down my back, resting just near my butt. I shuffle my body, so his hand moves down. Daxton's eyes widen in surprise, trying to lift his hand, but I keep it there. It feels good when he touches me.

"Would you please, please, please, come to high school with us boys? Please?"

"Okay, fine. But if I don't like it..."

"You don't have to come back. We just want to spend as much time with you as possible."

"I really like you guys."

"We really like you too."

Daxton turns me around, so I can face the rest of the group. Michael winks at me before turning back to his conversation with Eli.

"Hey, baby."

Is every single one of them gonna call me baby now? That's fine with me, I'll just have to memorize what their voices sound like. This time it's Alex talking to me, his hand outstretched to mine.

"Can I talk to you?"

I nod in agreement, taking his hand. Daxton helps me off his lap. Alex and I walk around Michael's back yard, hand in hand.

"Guess what? I'm going to school with you guys!"

"Really? That's great. That's what I wanted to talk to you about."

"Oh? Is something wrong?"

"No. However, there are some problems with it. We are going to try to get at least one of us in each class with you, but that might not work. So, we are going to make sure that you are safe, but you are going to have to be alone. Not the whole day and not every period though."

"What do I do?"

"You are going to do just fine. You'll be okay. We also aren't going to be able to be around you all the time. There are things you're going to have to do yourself. We want to teach you to protect yourself in case something happens."

"Is someone going to hurt me?"

"It is our job as boyfriends that we protect you, but sometimes, boyfriends mess up. In the event that we do, we want you to be able to take care of yourself."

"Okay, but one question. Boyfriends?"

"Oh, shit. Fuck, fuckity, fuck. I'm sorry I shouldn't have said fuck that many times...but...fuck. Eli!"

Alex runs back towards the group, leaving me alone and cold. Before I get the chance to feel fear of being alone, Keegan wraps an arm around my waist. He kisses the top of my head, steering me back towards the group. I'm feeling slightly overwhelmed, so when I see Eli (the most familiar guy I know), I crawl into his comfort. Eli can sense my discomfort and begins running his fingers through my hair.

"You're okay, baby. You're okay."

"He doesn't like me anymore. I was bad. I made him upset."

"No, no. You didn't do anything to Alex. He likes you."

"But he-"

I try not to choke on the tears gathering in my eyes as I wrap my legs around Eli's waist. I bury my face in his neck, his hand rubbing comforting circles on my back.

"You did nothing wrong. You can talk to him tomorrow? You might be feeling sleepy."

"I don't want to go."

Eli doesn't say anything more, but soon, he has to get up for the bathroom. I huff, but Eli hands me off to Keegan who holds me close. He distracts me from my sadness by playing with my fingers and tickling my sides. I giggle as Keegan fails at his game on his phone. His fake hurt expression makes me smile even more, and he tickles my neck in retaliation. I feel someone tug gently at my hair, and I see Michael standing there.

I lift up my arms, so he can carry me like a child. The boys' voices start becoming more muffled as I cuddle in Michael's arms. I close my eyes, all of a sudden feeling incredibly exhausted. My breathing slows, and I gently fall asleep.