Silently Falling (Original): Chapter Fifteen

I mound the final step upstairs and pad down the short hallway ending with the door to my room. I almost drop one of the spoons in my hand due to a fold in the rug, and I re-balance it on top of the ice cream tubs in hand. I walk into my room and toss one to Alyse who is sitting on my bed reading a magazine.

"Really? You gave me the vanilla?" She asks, reading the label with distaste.

I roll my eyes at her as I sit down on the recliner in my room and open my own mint chocolate chip ice cream. She opens her vanilla and I toss her a bag of M&M's to pour into it.

"Better." She says, pouring the entire thing inside the tub. "Did you know they're debating making prequels to the Hunger Games?" She asks, digging her spoon into her ice cream.

"Look who you're talking to. Of course I knew!" I sign.

She nods, "Good point. So, let's get down to business- that song you played in chorus." She begins.

"What about it?"

"First of all it was amazing." She says, mixing her ice cream around to evenly spread out the M&M's. "And second of all, I know West helped come up with those lyrics. Any special meaning behind them?" She asks, wiggling her eyebrows.

I throw the lid of my ice cream at her. "Stop insinuating there's something going on between West and I."

Alyse dodges it and pouts, "But Raine! It's so obvious he likes you!" She whines.

"Really? Then how come no one else can see it?" I ask rather indignantly.

"They do!"

"You're the only one who tells me. So..." I trail off and dip my spoon in my tub of ice cream.

She purses her lips and narrows her eyes. "Don't you dare be a hypocrite."

I pause mid-bite and raise a brow at her. "How?"

"'It's so obvious he likes you! How can you two not see it? You are meant for each other!'" She mocks. "Sound like anyone you know?"

I freeze.

Sounds a little like me with her and Toby.

I shake my head with a shrug, "Well considering I can't talk, that can't sound like me."

She groans, "Raine!"

"Alyse!" I mock.

"Why can't you just admit he's shown interest in you?"

"Because I don't think he has." I sign, taking another spoonful of ice cream.

"Well I think he has." She mumbles.

"I know."

Monday

"My weekend was completely and utterly uneventful." Tyler sighs, walking with me to Calculus.

"Alyse and I binge watched The Vampire Diaries all weekend." I sign.

He chuckles, "Sounds like you two. How come I wasn't invited?" He jokes.

"I don't pin you as the type to enjoy watching vampire brothers fight over a doppelganger." I shrug, looking up at him.

"Fighting over a what now?" He asks, staring at my hands in pure confusion.

I spell it out slowly, and once he gets it his face contorts in even more confusion.

"What the hell is a doppelganger? Is that some sort of vampire gang?" He asks.

I burst out laughing and shake my head at him. "It's like someone's exact look alike. Like identical twins, only the two have no relation to one another."

He flushes bright red. "I knew that!" He defends quickly. "I was just making sure you did."

I chuckle at him. "Sure."

"I was!" He exclaims, his voice cracking.

I start to laugh even harder and his blush intensifies.

"Still going through puberty, Tyler?" I smirk, failing to control my laughter.

"Guys get voice cracks sometimes!" He defends, crossing his arms.

"When they're going through puberty, yes."

He pouts. "You love to make fun of me."

I smile widely at him. "Yep."

We near our classroom and my laughter slowly dies down, turning into small chuckles. Just before we enter the room, I see West at his locker just down the hall. Tyler walks inside but I stop in the doorway.

"I'll be right there." I sign before walking towards West, missing the deflated look on Tyler's face.

West has a deep scowl as he trades the books in his locker for a few placed in his backpack. His smirk is nowhere to be seen, replaced with an intimidating straight line. I rarely see him like this, and when I do it's usually when he's alone. This is the West that others tell rumors about, and if I didn't know him personally I may contribute to them.

However, when I reach him he glances in my direction and his lips lift into a smirk. "Hey, Sunshine." He says, shutting his locker as he turns towards me.

I smile at him, "Hey."

"How was your weekend?" He asks, leaning against the lockers.

He's wearing his leather jacket over a gray V-neck, his aviators in their usual spot. His boots are back, along with his raggedy jeans. He has slight scruff on his face from a few days missed of shaving, but if anything it makes him even more attractive.

Ugh, how can someone so attractive be so aggravating?

I shrug, "Uneventful. Alyse and I stayed in."

He nods, "I didn't do much either. So what's up?"

"I wanted to know if you were up for a lesson after school?"

He smirks, "Of course. I've missed my daily dose of Sunshine." He winks.

I shake my head at him, but I don't deny the ghost of a smile that lightens my lips.

"Meet me at my locker at the end of the day. I'll drive us." He says before pushing off the wall. "Now get to class, can't have you getting any tardy's on my account."

I chuckle and walk the short distance back to my classroom. I walk through the doorway just as the tardy bell sounds out. I glance back down the hall to see if West left for his own class, but instead I see him still standing there staring at me with a small, thoughtful smile.

I bite my lip to hide my own smile as I walk into class.

OoO

I walk towards West's locker once the final bell rings, and I round the corner to see him talking to Faith. His back is to me, but from his stiff posture I can tell he isn't enjoying himself. I debate whether or not I should walk up to them and make myself known, and finally I decide to throw caution to the wind and make my way towards them.

Who knows, he may even appreciate it.

As I reach them, Faith's eyes land on me and her expression drops into a scowl. West notices her looking behind him and looks over at me, and his face flushes with relief.

"Yeah, so I gotta go." He says, grabbing my arm and dragging me in the opposite direction of Faith.

Once we reach the parking lot, he lets go of my arm and lets out a deep breath. From the deep chill in the air, his breath is visible to the naked eye and it reminds me just how cold it is.

"Thank you, I was about ready to fucking snap." He breathes as I pull my jacket tighter around my body.

"What was she talking to you about?" I ask as we walk towards his Jeep. After I finish signing, I throw my hands back in my pockets to keep them warm.

"She wanted me to come to some party on Friday. Apparently she's hosting it." He mutters, unlocking his car.

We both get in, and as he starts it up he's sure to crank up the heat. Almost instantly the radio starts playing at full blast. I flinch and cover my ears as he quickly turns the dial all the way down so that the music is at a dull whisper.

"Do you ever remember to turn it down before shutting off your car?" I sign.

He smirks, "Only time I forget is when I know you will ride with me."

I scowl at him as he backs out. My phone buzzes in my pocket and I divert my gaze towards the screen.

BrotherDearest: Going over to Tyler's with Gray.

I sigh and text him back 'Okay.' I reach towards West's radio and turn it up a little so that we aren't left in silence.

"Hell yes, this is my song!" West exclaims, quickly turning it up even more than I had. "I only call you when it's half past five! The only time that I'll be by your side! I only love it when you touch me not feel me, when I'm-" He starts singing, but I send him a glare before he can curse.

"You know I hate that word."

He raises a brow and slowly smirks. "What? Fuck?"

I gape at him and he instantly starts laughing. I slap his shoulder hard enough to make him wince, but it doesn't hold back his laughter.

"Sorry Sunshine, I was just making sure we were on the same page." He says slyly, sending me a side glance.

I just huff and cross my arms.

The song soon ends and 'Never Forget You' fills its place. West scrunches up his face and starts to change it, but I slap his hand away.

"I love this song." I sign indignantly.

He scowls but doesn't attempt to change it and I smirk in accomplishment.

He pulls onto my street as the song reaches its end and, just as another starts up, West pulls into my driveway. He shuts off his car and we both get out and enter the freezing November air. I walk down my sidewalk and towards my door, fishing around my backpack for my keys as quick as possible.

"Want to speed this up? I'm kind of freezing here." West breathes, his hands deep in his pockets to keep warm.

The weather channel didn't inform anyone that the temperatures were going to go down to the mid thirties today, which is extremely low for November.

When I don't find my keys, my eyebrows scrunch together in confusion. I always have them in this exact pocket... I search a little longer, pulling random objects out and setting them on the chair on my front porch.

"Uh, why are you pulling out a bunch of tampons?" West asks awkwardly, staring down at the pile of things I've dumped out.

My body freezes in my searching and I glance at the chair.

Sure enough the pile consists of at least five tampons, three pads, and other useless junk. My face flushes bright red and I hurry to get everything back into my backpack.

Why must I embarrass myself in front of him? Of all people...

"So I'll pretend that didn't happen." He says, smirking at me.

I just fight to control my blush and zip my backpack up. "My brother isn't home and I don't have my keys." I sign.

West blinks a few times and scrunches up his face slightly. "We need to step up these lessons. I only got half of that."

I sigh deeply, my breath shown in the air, and grab my phone from my pocket. I quickly type down the sentence and pass my phone to him, my hands slightly stiff from the cold. As he reads over it, I walk towards my door and try to open it in false hope of it somehow being unlocked.

I let out a groan when the doorknob refuses to turn and let me in. I rest my forehead on the door and bang it against it a few times before turning back to West. He passes my phone back to me.

"Leave it to you to lock yourself out of your own house." He chuckles, throwing his hands in his pockets yet again.

"This isn't funny, I'm locked out of my house." I sign, glaring at him.

"What about Toby?" West offers, leaning against the column on my porch.

"I told you, he's at Tyler's house." I sign before sitting down on my steps with a deflated breath. I pull my jacket closer around my body in hopes of it heating me up.

West hops down my steps and walks towards his jeep. "Alright, then let's head to my place. It's too cold out here to wait around for him."

My head shoots up to face him as he waits in front of his car.

"Your place?" I echo, squinting in confusion.

He raises an amused brow. "Yeah. I do have a house; I don't live on the streets, Sunshine."

I look down at the ground in embarrassment, of course I knew he had a house. I guess I've never really thought of it before. Every time I've pictured West out of school, the mental image consists of him hanging around the jail.

"You coming or do you plan on getting frostbite?" West asks, snapping me from my thoughts.

I stand from my spot and walk down the sidewalk towards him. He gets back into his Jeep with me following, reveling in the warmth it provides. I'm not used to the cold temperatures quite yet.

"Where do you live?" I sign after warming up my hands.

West adjusts his mirror before backing out. "In a house."

I let a sharp breath from my nose. "I know that."

He glances over at me and smirks. "Then why did you ask?"

I swear.

I don't sign anything else and keep my hands on my lap for the rest of our ride. I look out the window as West drives, trying to decipher where he may live rather than paying attention to where we drive. He could be secretly loaded and somehow live in the same neighborhood as Tyler and Warren, 'The WaterGates.'

I shake my head at the thought, Tyler would have seen him. It may be a rich neighborhood, but it isn't a large one. It really only consists of about four different roads and maybe twenty homes.

Then I play around with the option of him living in Gray's neighborhood. It's a nice neighborhood for a family with the average pay. Most of the homes hold three to four bedrooms and are two to three stories. Much like my house.

The lock of the doors snaps me from my thoughts and my eyes focus in on where West has driven us.

The Fan.

I scrunch up my face in confusion as he drives down the pothole covered road. My eyes soak in all the beaten down homes and apartments; the torn and ripped fences protecting weed infested yards, random objects strewn across porches, and rabid faced dogs generating hectic barking.

We roll up to a stop sign and my eyes drift to West, his jaw stiff as he glances around. When no cars come he presses on the gas and the car hauls forward down the road, jumping and bumping along the way.

We come to a stop at the end of one of the many streets, this one in particular nothing but dirt and gravel. The driveway we pull into is the same; a mix of rocks, weeds, and dirt. West puts his car in park and shuts it off, taking the keys out. But as I reach for the door, his hand shoots out and stops me. I notice him looking out the back window with a clenched jaw, and I risk looking back.

All I see are two guys, looking to be a few years older than us. However, they have the complete look of a hoodlum waiting for their debut on a mugshot.

"I'll come over and get you." West mutters before stepping out of his own side. He appears on my side and opens the door for me, his body seemingly blocking mine from any views. He stays close to me as we walk down his sidewalk that consists of nothing but a few stepping stones and grass.

I try my best to keep my face indifferent as not to offend West. It's not often I come to this part of town, and I should never be too quick to judge. West keeps one hand on the small of my back, providing a tremendous amount of warmth to my body, as he reaches for his door. It creaks open and reveals a dirty, gray carpet.

He gestures for me to go in first, his face vacant of a smirk. I step inside and he does so after me, quickly closing the door.

"Welcome to my humble abode." He mutters, throwing his keys to the side.

I look around at the one story home. Right away all the rooms are on full display. To my right is an open living room consisting of an old couch and a recliner with a TV seemingly from the early 2000's. To my left is a small office covered with papers and random cups. Then straight ahead is a small hallway with three doors of which I assume are the bedrooms. To the end of that hallway is what I would guess is the kitchen.

As small as it is, and as bad of an area as it's in, West's house has a very homey feel.

I turn to West and smile. "It's cute.

He frowns slightly. "I know it's not much and I know it isn't in the best location, but... it's home." He says with a sigh.

"How about a tour?" I ask with a smile. I spell out the final word since I don't remember teaching it.

He cracks a small smile, "It won't last very long, you've seen the majority."

I smirk, "I'd love to see how messy your room is."

West raises his brows and smirks deeply. "Is that your way of getting me into bed, Sunshine?"

I roll my eyes and shove him lightly. "Shut up."

He chuckles, his brown eyes light. Much different from the darkness that consumed them as he drove through this neighborhood. He walks to the right and all the way into his living room, and I get a better look at the room.

It's no larger than my bedroom, holding nothing but a coffee table, a couch, a recliner, and an old TV. The walls are composed of old panels of wood, complete with the random black splotches. The carpet continues on into this room, and a large stain of some sort covers the space just next to the couch. To match it, other random and tiny spots dot the floor, which somehow makes me feel more comfortable.

It isn't pristine like Tyler's house, or too worry filled to create the first stain like Gray's house. I feel like Goldilocks finding the chair that's just right.

The couch is set up across from the TV with just enough room for one person to walk behind it, and the old yellow clothed recliner faces the TV at an angle, just next to one of the three windows that occupy the room. Next to the recliner sits a small table that seems to be able to hold no more than a few remotes and a drink, but what more do you need a side table for? My eyes drift to the TV itself; an older flat screen with the box still attached to the back.

"So yeah, this is the living room. Where we live." West says, looking around with a single, small nod.

"We? Who lives with you?" I ask.

"Don't tell me you thought I lived alone?" He asks, trying to hold back a smile.

I don't respond.

"My mom and little brother both live with me." He explains amusedly.

My eyebrows shoot up in surprise. I didn't know he had a little brother. I never imagined him the type to have any little siblings... I wonder if they're close or if West's a jerk to him. I take note to the fact his father wasn't mentioned, but I don't ask him anything about it.

He walks out of the living room and to the office, which is a considerable amount smaller than the living room. In here there is nothing but a small couch fit for only two people, a desk with a desktop on it, and a rolly chair to go with it. The couch in here has a floral print, unlike the living room couch that was a light brown.

The walls of this room are the same as the living room; wooden panels. However, in here they are almost completely covered with pictures.

"This is my mom's office, and also her room." West explains, scratching the back of his head. "Sorry it's so messy, but she isn't exactly a neat freak."

I chuckle and wave it off. "Have you met me?"

"Sadly yes."

I roll my eyes at him and then walk closer to the walls to get a better look at the pictures. When I come across the first one, my brows shoot up and I laugh lightly. It's an old picture, that I can tell by the quality, and it's of West. He looks no older than ten, wearing a blazer and a bright blue tie. He's smiling cheekily at the camera, his face covered in cake along with his hands.

"Is this you?" I ask, looking back at a disgruntled West.

He shrugs. "Yeah..." He mumbles.

Is West Love...embarrassed?

"You were so cute!" I exclaim, causing him to blush lightly.

This must be a dream. I made West Love blush.

"What happened?" I ask, causing his blush to disperse and a scowl to make its way onto his face.

He walks out of the room with an eyeroll. "Let's just get this tour over with, yeah?"

I follow him as he goes to the narrow hallway containing three white doors. The walls of this hallway are cream, the ceiling low like the rest of the house. Right at the base of the hallway is the first door, and the rest follow in a zig zag motion. Then the hall opens into a kitchen.

West opens the first and I peek inside to see a small bathroom. The floors are tiled, the sink covered in toiletries and the faucet slightly rusted. The lid on the toilet is crooked, but the curtain for the shower is bright blue and free of wrinkles.

The next door holds his little brothers room, but I don't get much of a look into it. All I see is a single bed, a dresser, and bright orange walls.

"I don't know why he chose that color." West mumbles with an eyeroll.

I shrug, "It gives his room character."

He scowls, "That's what my mom said."

We walk to the final door, which I'm assuming leads into West's room. I feel myself becoming excited to get to see his room. It's not that I've wondered what it looks like, but now that I'm just seconds from finding out, hundred of possibilities run through my head. In a way, I feel sort of special to get to see what his room looks like.

I don't know West super well, but from what I've seen...he doesn't seem much like the type of person to bring girl after girl into his home. Come to think of it, he's never once mentioned his home life to me before.

"Ready for the ultimate revealing?" He jokes, smirking down at me.

I chuckle at him and nod, "Just open the door so I can see how much of a pig you are."

He turns the knob and swings the white, wooden door open.