Taelin

I was not expecting to find a stunning girl sitting at the table with Mom and David. Let’s not forget she was sitting between Jayson and Alexi. I knew what that meant and who she was to them. My already cracked heart shattered at that moment. I somehow kept myself from breaking down at dinner. I thought I had gotten over my crush on them, but I was wrong. I cried to myself to sleep that night after getting home. I had just returned from the grocery store and the house was freakishly quiet when I walked in. I liked living on my own, but all this silence was starting to get to me. Even when it was just mom and I the house was not this quiet. David’s house was always a hive of activity. I grabbed the last bag out of my car when my neighbor walked up the driveway. I thought it was weird that they weren’t college kids, but they managed one of the apartment buildings down the street, so they chose to live in their house. Gloria had told me that she and Fenrick liked living around the younger crowd. She said it kept them entertained. They were barely in their 40’s so they aren’t even that old. I am sure they were beyond entertained by the drunk college kids that stumbled around the neighborhood. I had no idea they had any family besides the sister close by. Gloria had mentioned her before.

I was unaware of any nephews or nieces close by. I knew that Gloria was not as close to her family as Fenrick was to his family.

“Hey Taelin, I was wondering if I could stop by a little later. I cooked last night, and I made way too much food. I thought Fenrick’s nephews would eat more of the lasagna than they did. I have a whole one left over that you can have if you want it.”  Gloria told me.

“Hell, yeah, I will take it. I wasn’t really in the mood to cook. Sure, you can stop by, but is there something wrong?”  I asked.

“No, but I think I have something that you might like that will make your place less quiet.”  She replied.

I can’t decide if this is a good thing or not, but I tell her that I am going to work out for a couple of hours then I will be home. She says that she must grab a few things then she will be over later. I am both intrigued and scared thinking about what she has for me. Dinner was two days ago. I called the next day and apologized to mom for walking out. I really did feel bad for walking out. She wasn’t mad, but she did say that I should have stayed and talked with Jayson and Alexi. Yeah, that won’t be happening anytime soon. They made themselves clear as to where I belong in their lives and having that girl at our family dinner told me that I don’t belong in their lives. Fine if they want to pretend as if I do not exist unless we are around family then I will to. I have stayed away this long, and I will continue to stay clear of them.

“Hey cotton candy.”  Mitchell says.

“Oh, for fuck's sake, do not call me that. You know I hate that nickname.”  I hiss.

“Oh, I know you hate it and that is why I keep saying it. How are you doing? I have not seen you here in a while.”  He asks.

“Asshole, I am fine, and school is going good so far. My classes are easy, except for math.”  I told him.

“But I can tell something is bothering you. Now spill.”  Mitchell demands.

I told him about dinner the other night and what happened. I tell him about the girl and that she is nice and that I have no problems with her. He is the only person that knows about my ridiculous crush on Jayson and Alexi. He is truly my best friend. We met when I was 10 and Dad started bringing me here with him. Dad, Uncle Stanton, Uncle Harry, and Uncle Conrad insisted that I learn how to protect myself. Mom was not as thrilled, but I loved coming here. Mitchell is three months older than me and that is why we became friends fast. The two of us work out and talk for a while until we hear some commotion coming for the area of the ring. This is why I love this gym. It has a little of everything. It has MMA, martial arts classes, kickboxing, CrossFit, boxing and the regular things that you would expect to find in a gym. Mitchell and I walk towards the ring to find some guy standing there running his mouth. I have seen him in there a couple of times but have not bothered talking to him. He is a newbie and thinks he is the shit.

“Maybe you should hop in there and show the newbie that running his mouth is bad for his health.”  Mitchell comments.

“He wouldn’t stand a chance against our little Tae.”  Uncle Harry states.

“Looks like he needs to be taken down a notch or two.”  Uncle Stanton points out.

He sure as fuck does need to be taken down a notch or two. I need something to take out my frustration and anger on. I call it a win-win for everyone. Well maybe not a win-win situation for the dipshit in the ring, but that is not my problem. I hop into the ring causing chaos to erupt in the gym. 

“Sweetheart little girls like you do not belong here. Go back to the kitchen and make us some food.”  The guy says.

Oh yeah, this guy is going down. This misogynistic motherfucker is on my last nerve. How fucking dare, her tell me that women do not belong here. I will show him where women belong and that he belongs below me. 

“At least she left him alive.”  Mitchell comments.

“That is all we can ask for. Hopefully, he learned not to run his mouth.”  Uncle Conrad remarks.

I roll my eyes as I walk away from the four of them. They are being overly dramatic. I head into the locker room but as I do I swear I see one of the guys from the hockey team. Jayson and Alexi are on the team. I don’t care. Let him run to them and tell them that I kicked that bastard's ass. I don’t need them or anyone to watch over me. I can’t wait till I am done here and can get the hell out of here and move to Europe. The gym is mostly empty when I exit the Lockeroom. I tell everyone bye. I drop my bag on the floor by the door as I turn on a few lights. I clean up a little knowing that Gloria is on her way over. I smile at her when I open the door. She had a couple of things in her hands. I take the large pan which I am guessing is the lasagna. I am not sure what is in the other box, but I guess it must be my surprise that she has for me. I placed the lasagna on the counter. Damn it smelled good. I walked back out into the living room to see Gloria walking back in with a strange container in her hand. She set the container down and opened it. Two tiny kittens came walking out.

“Gloria what?”  I asked.

“My sister breeds then and these two were the only ones left. The people that had wanted them decided at the last minute not to take them. I knew you were getting lonely over here and you have told me that the house was too damn quiet so I thought you could use some company.”  Gloria explained.

I picked up the two Sphinx kittens and set them on my lap. They were both males. Both had sky blue eyes, but one was orange with darker orange stripes and the other was all black. They are so damn cute. The other box she had had everything I would need for them. I could not take my eyes off them. I had always wanted a pet growing up, but we moved around a little too much for a pet. I am sure mom and dad would have gotten me one if we had a more stable place to live growing up.

“Thanks, I have never had a pet, but I think these two and I will get along just fine.”  I told her.

“I am glad you like them, and my sister will be happy to hear that you love them.”  Gloria comments.

The rest of the night is spent making an area for their food and water in the kitchen and a spot in one of the extra bathrooms for their litter boxes. They spent most of the night exploring their new kingdom. They made sure they knew where the food was first then started trying to get into every room in the house. Gloria bought enough toys for a herd of kittens, but I had a large basket that they all fit in. I had placed a bed for them on the floor in the corner of the room. They however figured out how to get onto the bed. I fell asleep that night with a smile on my face and two kittens curled up against my stomach.