Chapter 7

Shane's POV

"Dad, I'm fine. Everything is alright. We were just..." I tried to say but dad cut me off by raising his right hand. I had just returned from the swimming house and was looking forward to some peace and quiet but look what we've got here.

"It's alright, Shane, I've got everything under control," He said and turned to Kade "You're grounded. No phones, definitely no video games and you're not leaving the house for a week"

"Dad?!?"

He didn't say more as he turned and walked off, leaving Kade and me behind. His friends who had come to the party were all gone and I felt so sorry that it happened because of me.

"Kade, I'm sorry..."

"You're fucking sorry? Why not say it to all my friends huh? You fucking ruined my party and embarrassed me in front of them. So good of being a goddamn good son"

He smirked after saying the last part and walked off but not without hitting me off with his shoulder. I knew he was so angry but was only trying to keep cool because dad was around.

I got up to my room and fell tiredly on the bed. A part of me wanted to meet Kade in his room and beg for forgiveness but I knew it wasn't a good idea. Doing that would make him angrier and he won't hesitate to throw a punch to my face which would lead to more trouble with dad.

Georgia knocked on the door and walked into the room "Are you okay?" She asked with worry in her voice and I nodded in response.

"You must be hungry. I went to ask your brother what he'd love to have for dinner but he wouldn't even open the door"

As she spoke, my mind raced back to the mysterious girl at the Swim House. She had dark brown hair and long sweeping lashes which looked down on constelling blue eyes. She was pretty but she freaked me out totally. What kind of person would boldly say that she wanted to EAT someone? Was she some kind of carnivore?

It felt strange how she just approached me without being afraid. Most girls in school couldn't even do that because they were scared of how muscular I was. Secondly, I wouldn't even let them come close but this one managed to wrap me around her arms and that scared the hell out of me.

Who was she?

"Shane... Shane, are you okay?"

"Yes, yes. Totally fine" I answered and she looked at me with furrowed brows. I guess she must've been talking the whole time but my mind was distracted "Um... What were you saying again?"

"What would you like for dinner?"

"Nothing. I'm not hungry"

As she opened her mouth to speak, a soft knock on the door interrupted her. I knew it wasn't Kade because he never knocked. He'd just barge in whenever he wanted and would take anything without asking for permission. Not that I needed one anyway.

"Hey, are you okay?" Dad asked once he stepped into the room. Georgia bowed slightly and dad nodded in response before asking her to leave "Look, I know that you're sad based on whatever punishment I gave to your brother. I just want you to know that he deserves it ."

"He's never gonna see it that way. He's gonna keep believing that you always take sides with me. He'll always keep saying that you take me as the good one and him as the bad one" I said calmly and he sighed.

"But it's not your fault that he's always acting up badly"

"It is dad" I countered and looked up at him "I shouldn't have made him angry. I shouldn't have disrespected him"

"How did you make him angry, Shane? By telling him you wanted to head back inside?" He asked and I sighed dejectedly. He came over and placed his hand on my shoulder "You're his brother and he should understand that. He shouldn't be bullying you"

"He wasn't bullying me, dad"

"I knew you'd say that but he has to stop treating you as some stranger. You're his brother"

He was right but I didn't care if I was bullied or not. If hitting me was what made Kade happy and what made him consider me as his brother then I didn't have any problem with it.

"I'll be leaving for Mrs. Grace's later in the evening," I told dad before he walked out of the room. He didn't object because he knew that that was my second home, especially whenever Kade was at home.

Within the next ten minutes, I packed my bag and couldn't wait to leave. Surprisingly, I was excited. Not because I was leaving the house but because I couldn't wait to tell Layla and Theoden about the mysterious girl I had met today.

Sadly, I couldn't get her off my mind and it was frustrating. I wasn't the type of guy to think about girls but this one just managed to pull me off. Hopefully, I won't see her again because the mere thought about her brought this chills running down my spine.

*

Renee's POV

"She's so pretty, mum" I heard Theoden gush to his mum. They had just returned from wherever they went and Mrs. Grace was just telling them about me.

"He's right." Layla mumbled "For the first time in my life, I'll have to admit that someone else is prettier than me"

"You're not even pretty. You only get all the attention from the guys at school cause you're always walking with the two most handsome guys which is Shane and I"

"That's... That's the lamest thing I've heard all day " Layla spluttered out and laughed "Shane is handsome and everyone knows that but you... You are nothing close to it"

"Yeah, why wouldn't Shane be so handsome to you? It's obvious that you like him and because of that, no one else can ever look handsome in your eyes"

"What??? I... I don't... Okay, fine, I like him but just as a best friend okay? Besides, you shouldn't be saying that out loud. It's a secret, you dimwit!"

"That's enough, both of you " Mrs. Grace chipped in, ending their conversation abruptly. Finally! Is it just me or they talk way too much? "I was talking about our new guest who has come to stay. She'll be staying here for some months until her dad thinks it's time to invite her over to Mexico"

Okay, I think it's time to meet them. They were having lunch so I got down the stairs and headed for the dining area.

"Mexico? What's he doing there?" Theoden asked.

"What of her mum? If her dad is away, she should be left with her mum, right?"

I stopped walking and held my breath upon hearing the second question. It came out casually but it meant a lot to me. Where was my mother? Instead of being left here with Mrs. Grace and her family, I should be with my mother, right?