AllFreeNovel
Share Us
7
Five years ago.
“Not so fast, Tiny,” Xeno says, grabbing hold of my hoodie and yanking me backwards so my arms cartwheel in the air. I have to shuffle my feet quickly in order to stop myself falling onto my arse.
“Hey, dickhead, you could’ve choked me to death!” I shout, twirling on my feet and punching him on the arm. “I’m done with your crap today.” He’s been snarky all morning and I’m over it. He lets me go and laughs.
“Don’t be such a girl!” he accuses, enraging me further. Of all the Breakers, Xeno is the one who pushes my buttons the most. He’s always challenging me one way or the other, but today I’m not in the mood for his games.
“Go fuck off and die, Xeno.” I sidestep him, ducking beneath his arm when he holds it out to stop me.
“Woah, Tiny, you on your period?”
Low blow, arsehole.I’d been waiting for my period to start for ages, then last month it had, and what a shit show that was. I had to rely on Zayn to get me some sanitary towels because I came on here in the damn basement. Sod’s law. I was mortified, but at the time all the guys were really cool about it. Zayn even bought me chocolate. Now, Xeno has switched and seems intent on rubbing my face in being a woman, which is like a red rag to a bull with me. Narrowing my eyes, I turn to face him, folding my arms across my chest.
“You know I’d like to meet your mum,” I say.
“Yeah, why’s that?” He smirks and folds his arms across his chest, jerking his chin. I see the flash of challenge in his eyes. Yeah, that’s right, motherfucker. I might be tiny, but I’m not a pushover.
“Because I’d ask her whether she still likes Mother Nature despite what it did to you.”
“Burrrnnnnnnnnnn!” York holds his closed fist up to his mouth and starts laughing. Dax smiles and Zayn chuckles, watching us both. They know what’s coming next. This verbal sparring is becoming a regular occurrence between me and Xeno. Since we became friends almost a year ago, Xeno has spent a great deal of time trying to get me to fall in line. I won’t. No one’s the boss of me. Besides, despite appearances, I quite like the verbal sparring. It’s fun.
Xeno smiles evilly. He holds his hands up as though he’s shading his eyes then makes a show of looking for something. Eventually, he lowers his head and stares directly at me. I puff out my chest and straighten my spine, but I still only reach his chest. He’s as tall as I am short. Arsehole. I know what’s coming.
“I promise not to make fun of your height, I would never stoop to that. Might put my back out.”
Zayn, Dax, and York all chuckle. Out of the corner of my eye I can see them talking under their breaths. When we get going like this they make bets as to which one of us is going to win. The winner is always the one with the best cuss. If I can make Xeno belly laugh before he can do the same to me, then I win. Today, I’m winning.
I bark out a laugh and make a point of running my gaze up from Xeno’s feet over his low-slung denim jeans and white t-shirt, all the way to the top of his very curly-haired head. “I’m glad you’re tall, it gives me more of you to dislike.”
Xeno’s eyes spark with mirth, but his mouth is a hard line. I know he’s holding back a laugh. “I could eat a bowl of alphabet soup and shit out a better line than that.”
The Breakers lose it and start rolling around the floor holding their stomachs. Arseholes.
Xeno smirks, thinking he’s won this battle. Stepping closer, he uses his height and size to try and intimidate me. He should know by now that there’s nothing about him, or any of the Breakers that intimidate me. I like them all way too much. Right now I’m desperately holding onto a laugh.
“Ha! Nice one, Xeno, but do you know what?”
“What?”
“You should save your breath because you’ll need it to blow up your girlfriend later.”
“Whaaaaaaaa!” Zayn calls out, thumping Dax hard on the back because he seems to have turned blue from laughing so hard and not getting enough oxygen. York has tears rolling down his face. I look back at Xeno with a straight face, whilst his lip twitches and his eyes flash with amusement. His shoulders start to bounce and a moment later laughter bursts free from his lips. Pretty soon he’s doubled over.
“Take that, arsewipe!” I grin.
“Tiny, you fucking kill me. You know that, right?”
“I make it my life’s work to keep your ego a decent size.”
“Come on. Let’s get back to it,” he says, before wrapping his arm around my shoulder and rubbing his knuckles over the top of my head, successfully messing my hair up.
“Lay off,” I grouse, pushing at his hand, but not pulling away from his hold. I feel safe there.
Strange, but true.
If I’m being honest, I feel safe with all my Breakers. Some days I worry about how much I’ve come to rely on them in such a short time. The only other person in this world I care about just as much as them is Lena, but she’s too young to understand me like they do. Plus, I need to shield her as much as possible from the shit that goes on in my life, so it’s not as if I can confide in her like that. She’s too little. With his arm still slung around my shoulder, Xeno motions for the guys to get up.
