THE SPAWNS

Chapter XVII—Cole

My Heart to Break

© DarknessAndLight

“The bitch needs to leave!” I announced as I walked into the kitchen.

My Mum seemed a little shock at my choice of word. “I wasn’t aware we had a dog. Your dad always stopped me from getting one. And he sucks.”

I sat at one of the stool by the counter, opposite to Mum. “I’m not talking about a dog.”

“I wasn’t talking about a dog anymore,” she grinned at me.

“Mum,” I groaned.

Sighing, she looked back down at the sheets she had in front of them, scribbling something on them. I had no idea what they were about. Bills probably. A sexual deviancy court ordered papers. “I’m assuming you’re talking about the red head,” she trailed, uninterested.

“She needs to leave,” I stated again. I wasn’t going to waste my fugging summer looking after her.

“Hey Cole, how do you get a red head to argue with you?” my Mum asked, suddenly seeming more enthusiastic.

“Mum, can’t you be serious for a second?” I replied, raising my eyebrows.

“YOU START TALKING!”

I bent and shook my head. “MUM! Seriously!”

We stared at each other for a second and then she told me, “She’s your cousin. And your aunt asked your dad and she never asks him anything. They really needed the break.”

Yeah, I understood the need to take a break from the maniac. What I didn’t understand was why we were the ones that had to deal with her now. “She’s not our responsibility,” I pointed out.

Mum shrugged. “It’s the right thing to do.”

“She’s making Lilibeth uncomfortable!” I burst out.

And then my mother had the nerve to snort at me. “And god forbids anyone doesn’t worship the ground that girl walks on and doesn’t walk on eggshells around her.” I gapped at my mother, utterly out of words. How dare she? “Oh, don’t look at me like that. It’s the truth. I love that girl but we need to stop trying to baby her all the time. She’s a tough girl. She can take care of herself and it’s about damn time someone says it. She doesn’t need YOU or anyone to protect her. Let her fight her own battles.”

I blinked twice. I wasn’t sure how to process what she had just said. On one hand, she might have a point, and on the other she was completely out of line. “But that’s one she doesn’t need to fight. And Dakota’s going after Jay!”

She snorted again. “Good. Maybe he’ll finally get laid if you’re not going to do it with him.”

I gasped. “MUM!”

“What?” she squealed, raising her hands. “Look, I know how much you love those two and how protective you are towards them. You can’t help it. You father me and your dad, so you assume that you need to do the same thing for everyone but Coleridge, you don’t need to take care of everyone. Start by taking care of yourself.”

“If you’re not going to be serious I’m going to deal with the parasite on my own.” I got up from my stool ready to storm out.

As I was walking away, though, my mother called after me. “Hey Cole, how do you know you’ve satisfied a red head?”

“I don’t caaaaare,” I drawled, not turning around.

“SHE UNTIES YOU!” she still yelled after me but I just ignored it.

            After this unsatisfying conversation with my Mum—seriously couldn’t she support me just this once—I stormed to my room and changed into comfortable clothes to go running. When I came back downstairs, Dakota was lounging on the couch like a beached wale.

            “That couch is coaxed with my parents bodily fluids,” I happily informed her.

            “I’ve sat on worse.”

            I wasn’t going to satisfy her by asking for clarifications on the subject. Instead, I headed straight for the door, yelling “I’m going for a run!” as I shut the door behind me. I needed to run to clear up my head. I was seriously confused and I couldn’t think clearly with Dakota’s nagging face close to me.

            Beth and I had almost kissed. That was an awesome thought on itself but obviously it hadn’t been for her. But then, after reading to her in our tree she had seemed fine, like things were going back to normal.

            So why had she been all weird during the whole afternoon? Like, really weird. Something was bothering her. And she had been like that from the point she had been alone with Dakota.

            What had Dakota said to her? Had she threatened her? I had a few hypotheses but I really needed to see Beth and talk with her about it. And I needed to talk with my unobservant best friend and tell him he should stay as far away as he could from the red head. Because a good looking man with a redhead was called a hostage.

            Since I had been thinking about the Eatons during my run, my legs had brought me to them and I was standing right in front of their house. I would have gone and knocked to their front door—well actually I would have just walked in like I lived there—but I saw light coming from Jay’s shack so I jogged to it.

            The door was unlocked so I just slipped in soundlessly, planning to scare the idiot.

            “Close the door behind you, jackass, I don’t want any flies in here,” Jayden said, not even turning around to look at me.

I looked around myself, surprised. “How did you hear me?”

“Please.” Jay chuckled. “Give me some credit. You’ve been doing that ninja trick for years now.”

“Well, that’s unfortunate.” I grabbed one of the bottles of Powerade from his table and threw myself on his couch. “What are you working on?” I asked and downed half of the bottle of blue drink.

“I’m not sure yet. I’m letting it speak to me.” I raised my head a little to get a better look but couldn’t see what he was trying to do. I had to give it to him though—most of the time the ideas he came up with left me flabbergasted. He had unbelievably impressive ideas. “What’s the run for?”

“It’s too crowded at home,” I trailed.

Jay chuckled but said nothing.

  “Jay, we need to talk,” I told him, getting up from the couch.

Without looking up from his clay he replied, “It’s alright, I already know where babies are from, Maika showed me.”

I closed my eyes for a second, shaking my head in disbelief. “I’m going to ignore that comment. I’m serious though.”

Before I could say more, Jayden lifted his hand up, stopping me, and looked my way. “If you’re going to say you’re in love with me Cole, don’t worry, I already know. And even though I’m not gay, I’m ready to try to make this work because I care about you that much.”

“OH MY BUDDHA! You are such an dumbass!”

Jay just laughed, throwing his head back and then, smirking, wiggled his eyebrows at me, and smooched his lips.  

            “Look, I’m trying to be serious here,” I told my best friend.

            “I’m sorry.” He made a face, pressing his lips together like he was trying not to laugh. “I didn’t mean to ruin your love confession,” he crooned.

I threw my hands up in exasperation. “I’m not in love with you, you turd!”

“You have a weird way of showing it, locking your sweaty self alone with me here…”

I looked at him levelly, pointing at him. “I will punch you.”

I got a grin in return. “I welcome your attempt. Anyway I’m sure you’d stay clear of my teeth and nose.”

“Don’t bet on it.” I groaned. “And stop being a smartass for a second.”

Finally, Jayden became serious. “What’s up?”

“I don’t trust Dakota,” I said, point blank.

“With your car?” Jayden laughed at his own joke, going back to his clay.

“No, with your heart.”

 “And here comes the love confession,” Jay mumbled, cutting away pieces of the clay, forming it into… well whatever he had in mind.

I took a step forward. “I mean it Jay. She’s going to play with you and break your heart. I can feel it.”

Jayden straightened up, and gazed at me. “And what if she does? It’s my heart to break, not yours.”

I looked at him in disbelief. “Are you serious?”

“I don’t tell you how to lead your love life. I expected you would do the same.”

I frowned, taken aback a little. What the hell was that all about? Did he actually want this? “Look, I’m not telling you what to do, I’m just saying you can and should do better.”

Jayden laughed but without humour. “And where am I supposed to find better, Cole?”

“Anywhere but with Dakota Taylor!” I stated.

“What if I don’t want better though?”

Sighing, I ran my hand through my hair almost angrily. “I seriously don’t understand you right now.”

“I’m sorry of we can’t all be noble like you and deny ourselves what our dicks want. Some of us are humans,” Jay replied and the way he said it had me confused for a second—like he was somehow bitter about something.

I narrowed my eyes. “What the fug is that supposed to mean?”

“Just… just don’t play dumb with me, okay?”

Was he… No, that wasn’t possible. This was unobservant Jayden we were talking about here. I went back to the real problem. “Look, I just don’t want my best friend to get hurt. But if it’s what you want, I won’t stop you.”

Jay nodded. “Thanks.”

I rolled my eyes, exasperated. “You’re such a weirdo.”

“Look who’s talking” Jay smirked, and then went back to his clay again. “Are you staying over to sleep?”

“Are you hitting on my Jayden?” I asked feigning surprise.

“I think we should stop making jokes like that. People are going to start talking.” I laughed at the face he made. “Anyway, I already have your double jointed Asian best friend in my bed,” he added with a smirk.

“What’s Maika doing here?”

“She said it’s her daddies “Who’s you daddy” night and she didn’t want to hear that.”

“Crazy girl,” I mumbled, “Anyway, yeah, I’d rather stay over. My mum is annoying me along with a certain red head.”

Jay shrugged. “Fine with me.”

A couple of hours later, Jayden had used up all of creative drive and we both went back inside. Jay headed for his room and I headed to mine to grab a set of changing clothes and went straight to the shared bathroom to take a shower.

            This had turned into a very very weird day.  I wasn’t sure how I was supposed to process everything exactly. Sure thing was I needed to go to bed, sleep and stop thinking for a while.

When I opened the door of the bathroom, I came face to face with Beth. Well, she kind of bumped into me actually, probably thinking there wasn’t anyone in there. I steadied her, holding onto her arms, and smiled down at her. I frowned though when she looked up at me.

“Beth?” I didn’t get to say anything more because she wrapped a hand behind my neck, got on her tip toes and dragged my face down, pressing our lips together.

For a good three seconds, I was frozen, staring wide eyed at Beth. But then every kind of thought process went out in flames because Lilibeth Eaton was kissing me and I would be damned if I didn’t kiss her back.

My hands left her arms and wrapped around her waist, holding her closer, while our lips moved slowly against each other, almost like we were worried the other was going to suddenly disappear. One of my hands went in her hair, holding her face to mine and took two steps forward as Beth backed up a bit.

            And then, Beth slipped out of my arms, and ducked into the bathroom, shutting the door behind her.

            What the…

I blinked a few times, thinking I was going crazy. Had I really just kissed Lilibeth or had I just imagined it all? My lips still tingled from the kiss though, and I could almost taste her strawberry taste on them again.

And I wasn’t going to let her just get away with kissing me and not explaining what the hell it was about.

I turned back to the door and called out her name. My head leaning against the door, breathing heavily, both forearms pressed on it, I knocked on the door with my first. “Come on Beth, open the door. We’re talking about this.”

I hadn’t expected her to actually listen to me, but the door suddenly jerked open and I opened my mouth to talk but again, Beth grabbed my face and shut me up my kissing me again. But this time it wasn’t slow and gentle. Her lips moved fast against mine while her fingers tangled in my hair, holding on to me.  

I pressed her back against the door frame, because I wasn’t sure I could trust myself to stay up-right and kept kissing her back. Her tongue softly brushed against my upper lip and I left out a sort of groan into her mouth and pressed myself against he more.

Oh this is not good..

I cupped her cheeks and leaning my forehead against hers, broke our kiss. I opened my eyes and look in hers. “Beth… what?” I whispered, unable to form a sentence, barely able to breathe still.

She looked down. “I don’t want to talk about it,” she whispered back and then looked up, brushed her lips against mine again, and then pushed me out of the bathroom and shut the door in my confused face.

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A/N: MOUHAHAHAHAHAHAHA 8D I hope this chapter made the waiting worth it!

Oh and thanks to PennyLan3 who made the lovely banner on the side! :)