Chapter Eighteen
Placing the shoe box holding every letter I've ever received back under my bed, I drape the covers back over it and jump on top of my mattress. The letter I got earlier today was just as tender and loving as every other letter, and of course I couldn't keep my smile hidden. That, plus the fact today is Friday, has kept a smile on my face.
Bruce lifts his head as the bed shakes and huffs in annoyance as I jump onto the bed, making it rattle, but I just roll my eyes at him.
"I'm so sorry to disturb you by sitting on my own bed." I mutter, and he narrows his eyes at me.
Angel snuggles closer to him and he places his attention on her. I chuckle and pull out my phone, still on a high from reading through some of my love letters.
Of course I always wonder who it is, and with my newfound relationships with Noah and Hayden...sometimes their names float around my mind- as is to be assumed.
Noah seems a more likely contender, but he doesn't even seem to know that I get love letters. So either he's really good at acting or he truly doesn't know about them.
Hayden on the other hand is so confident that I can't tell.
I hear a knocking at my door and a second later my dad walks in with a kind smile.
"Hey pumpkin," he says, sitting on my bed.
Bruce crawls over to him and rests his head on my dad's lap, his puppy dog eyes breaking my dad's tough demeanor.
"Hey dad, what's up?" I ask, crossing my legs.
He starts playing with Bruce's ears and I laugh as Bruce scrunches up his face and shakes his head to get them back to how they were before.
"Your mother and I are going out tonight. I'm taking her for a night out on the town, and we will not be home until sometime tomorrow. Are you okay staying here alone, or would you prefer we get your grandmother to come over and watch you?" He asks, glancing at me worriedly.
My eyebrows shoot up in surprise. "You and mom are going out?"
He chuckles and nods, "I know, it's hard to believe. I don't like the idea of you staying here alone all night, you are still my little girl after all, but your mother wants it to be your decision."
I recoil slightly and blink at him. "You mean you and mom are going to let me stay home alone?"
He sighs, "I prefer we didn't. But your mother seems to think it's perfectly fine." He is just shy of spitting her name out. "You have Bruce and Angel, and I trust you to not throw a party or anything. You don't have enough friends to." He adds teasingly.
I scoff and shove him, and he chuckles.
"I'm okay staying here alone." I decide.
"Are you sure?" He asks, worry seeping into his eyes. I understand his concern, but I'm seventeen now. So there's really no need to worry.
I smile reassuringly at him. "Don't worry dad, I'll be fine."
He looks over at Bruce and Angel and gently grabs their chins so that they pay attention to him. "Alright listen up you two. If anyone, and I mean anyone comes into this house unannounced, you have my permission to sink into their leg and don't let go until I'm here to finish them off." He says. "And I'm being serious. You don't let anyone hurt my baby girl, alright?"
I swear I see them nod their heads in response, and Bruce growls at the idea of anyone laying a harmful finger on me. Angel stands from where she was lying and instead lays next to me, tucking her head into my neck so that her wet nose is against my skin in a sense of comfort.
I have the best dogs.
There is literally no competition.
My dad smiles in approval and ruffles up my hair. "Alright pumpkin, I guess we will see you tomorrow. I'll call you later tonight and in the morning to make sure everything is okay, alright?"
I nod, "Sounds good. Have a good trip dad, love you."
He leans down and kisses my forehead, "Love you too sweetheart."
My mom comes in to kiss my goodbye as well, and after another hour or so of getting ready, they load into his truck and leave. I watch them drive down the road and out of sight, and then I trail back to my room to snuggle into bed and watch TV.
The sun slowly sets in the sky as the hours wind past, and soon my room is pitch black like the sky outside.
I glance at the clock next to my bed and see that it's already ten o'clock. I may be seventeen, but this is my first time staying home alone overnight and I can't say I'm completely unafraid.
A part of me is completely terrified to be home alone- what if someone breaks in? I don't know how to fight. I always left that up to my dad since he's an intimidating person standing at a shocking 6'4".
My entire body goes rigid when I hear a noise downstairs and I grab the remote, muting the TV so that I can listen closely to see if I'm really just being paranoid. I hear another noise and all of the sudden my heart starts pounding faster in my chest and I pull my covers closer to me as if they're somehow going to protect me.
Bruce and Angel don't seem disturbed, they are still fast asleep by my feet. I nudge them to wake them up.
"Wake up!" I whisper shout. "Do you guys hear anything?"
They simply glance at me and at one another before resting their heads back down.
I glare at them and then jump at another suspicious noise downstairs, and I tightly grip my comforter between my fingers. The noise continues and hundreds of thoughts of what it could be coming from run through my head.
Someone trying to break in. Someone scratching at the window to get inside. Someone grabbing a knife from the kitchen. Someone stealing all of my mom's jewelry. Someone dropping their gun. Repeatedly.
Or it could be the washer...
I let out a huge breath of relief as I remember that our washer randomly makes noises on occasion. My heart starts slowing down and I remember how to breathe, but I'm still freaked out.
I shouldn't have said I was okay with spending the night alone. It's too dark in the entire house, but if I turn any one light on then a crazed stalker may realize I'm home alone, and I'm too scared to leave my room.
I search around my bed for my phone, lifting my comforter in hopes of finding it. When I hear a loud thud on the floor, I lean down to pick up my poor phone. Going to my contacts, I click on Chloe's number and call her to either come over or invite me to her house.
It goes straight to voicemail and after a second of agitation, I remember that she's out of town visiting family.
Thanks a lot Chloe.
Scrolling through my contacts, I see Logan's number and tap on his name. Just as my finger hovers over the little phone icon to call him, my screen goes black as my phone dies.
What impeccable timing.
I groan and throw my phone down, placing my head in my hands. My charger is downstairs from when I was using it this morning, and there is no way in hell I am going down there without a working phone.
First of all it's pitch black downstairs, I don't know what could be waiting for me, and I still think I heard a noise aside from our washer. I can't help but imagine that someone is downstairs just waiting for me.
Instead of sitting here like a scared baby, I decide to unmute the TV. Maybe if I place my attention in a show I won't be so paranoid. I start scrolling through the channels to find a movie to occupy my mind-something I can hopefully fall asleep to.
I find Tangled hanging out in some HBO channel and instantly choose it- and since it's only a little past 10 I catch the movie at the beginning.
Watching the movie seems to take my mind away from my anxiety of what/who may be waiting for me downstairs. I get about halfway through before I suddenly hear another noise that was definitely not the washer.
My ears pick up the sound of my front door opening up. First I hear the doorknob jiggling, no sign of a key being needed or a lock being picked, and then I swear I hear it open.
Oh my god.
My dad told me to lock the door behind him and I never did.
My eyes widen to the size of the moon and my heart starts pounding painfully against my chest as I hear footsteps downstairs, the door closing behind whoever just entered my house. Bruce and Angel finally pick up on the noise and lift their heads, and a growl starts forming in the back of Bruce's throat. He hops off of the bed and starts walking towards the door to my room, glaring at the closed door.
What the hell am I supposed to do? My phone is dead, so I can't call anyone. I'm on the second floor so there's no way I'm going to jump out the window.
Realizing that I may be meeting my fate, I throw my covers over my body and start to send a prayer to god.
"Dear Lord, I am so so sorry for all the sins I have committed. But if you could maybe, just maybe, forgive me and save me from whoever just came into my house." I start, closing my eyes tight. "I promise I didn't mean to kill the class pet, Harold, back in third grade!" I exclaim as I hear the footsteps start to go up the stairs.
I start to freak out even more as I hear the intruder reach the top step of the stairs and its signature creak.
"He was the best turtle any girl could ask for, God! I just...I didn't know it was my turn to feed him before break! I was only in third grade, I had so many other things on my mind! Please just forgive me for killing Harold and keep me alive!" I beg. "It wasn't even my fault! What teacher trusts a third grader with a task as big as feeding the class pet?!" I exclaim.
Before I can continue my grand apology/plea for my life, a voice cuts me off.
"You killed your class pet, Cupcake? I had no clue you could be so evil."
I guess in my rant to God I didn't notice my door being opened.
I throw the covers off of my body and see Hayden leaning against my door frame with his signature smirk plastered arrogantly on his lips.
Without a moment's hesitation, I sprint out of my bed with a pillow in hand and start attacking Hayden with it.
"You! Idiot!" I screech as I slam it across his body over and over again, yelling a word with each blow. He places his hands up as a means of defense, but it doesn't work too well. "I was freaking terrified, asshole!"
Hayden starts laughing and grabs the pillow from me, taking away my only weapon and effortlessly throwing it back onto my bed. I glare up at him and let out an angered huff, crossing my arms.
"Aw, your cute pout glare is out to say hello." He grins.
"Why are you here?" I demand.
He chuckles and tilts his head. "You attack me with a pillow and then start interrogating me? You didn't even pause for a hello."
I roll my eyes and he takes that as my response.
He pushes off of my door frame and shrugs, walking around me and into my room where Bruce and Angel are calmly hanging out. I glance at them and wonder why the hell they didn't bark as Hayden walked into the room, and then I remember that since they know Hayden they probably recognized his scent once he got close enough and didn't deem him as a threat.
"Look, you didn't answer a single one of my calls so I got kinda worried and came over." Hayden explains, running a hand through his beautifully soft hair.
I do a double-take and recoil from surprise of his statement. "Oh."
He sits on my bed and glances at my phone. He picks it up and quickly realizes it's dead and throws it back down. "How come you're cooped up in your room with a dead phone anyways?"
I blush lightly and lean against my wall sheepishly. "I was scared to go downstairs and get my charger."
Hayden has the beginnings of a smirk on his lips and raises one perfect eyebrow. "Scared of what?"
"Being killed." I mutter.
Now that I see it was only Hayden, my previous paranoia seems rather childish. I live in a middle-class, suburban neighborhood that has no crime rate. What was there to even be afraid of?
Hayden gives me a weird look. "You were... scared of being hurt? With two giant ass pit-bulls to protect you?"
I look down at the floor and nod shyly.
I hear him chuckle and lift my eyes to watch him. "Well it must be your lucky day," he says as he stands up and kicks off his shoes.
I take the bait and ask him why.
He smirks and winks at me, almost causing me to swoon.
"Because your knight in shining armor is here to protect you."
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