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“I told you not to get me anything,” I argued.
“And I told you I’m not listening,” Hunter retorted with a smug grin. I always argued with them over things like this. They all had jobs that they worked after school and on weekends. They were trying hard to save up enough to get their own place and I knew that was a struggle for them, so I hated it when they spent money on me. “Eat!” he ordered as he opened his own sandwich up and took an indecently huge bite of it.
I looked between the others as I held my sandwich, feeling terrible they felt the need to take care of me in that way.
“Mads, it’s just a sandwich,” Cameron sighed.
“Have you even eaten anything today?” Everett asked as he locked those pale blue eyes on mine, looking for the truth.
“Yes,” I replied lamely.
“Not enough,” he argued. “You never eat enough.”
“I’m fine,” I tried to reassure them, but they didn’t buy it. Even though they had no idea about the abuse I faced in my current home, they had a good idea it wasn’t a good placement. It was obvious from the clothes I wore and how thin I was, that I wasn’t exactly living in luxury. They worried about me more than I would like, and they were constantly bringing me food. “How was practice?” I asked, hoping to change the subject. To appease them I opened up my sandwich and took a bite.
“Tough. That new coach is a grade A asshole!” Kai groaned. “We’re leaving the team.”
“What?” I gasped. “Why? You guys love football!” I had never actually seen them play since they went to a school on the other side of town, but all they ever talked about was the team they played for, and games they had coming up. If they weren’t in such a shitty situation I was sure they’d have all gone on to college to play in some big, important team.
“We need more time to work. We have to get a security deposit and first month’s rent together for a place. As soon as the twins turn eighteen at the end of summer we’re gonna be out on our asses,” Hunter explained.
“Maybe I could help?” I offered. “I could get another job too.” I already worked on Saturdays stacking shelves at a grocery store. It didn’t pay much but it was enough for me to keep my cell topped up so I could speak with the guys and to buy the basic toiletries I needed and the odd snack to keep the hunger at bay.
“We appreciate that, sunshine, but we got this,” Kai assured me. I took another bite of my sandwich and attempted to work up enough courage to ask them what I hadn’t yet dared to.
“W-where will you go? Will I still see you?”
“Of course you will, crazy girl,” Everett laughed as he wrapped an arm around my shoulders and pulled me into his side.
“We’re staying close, Maddie. We’re going to find a place in town and we expect you to be there a lot,” Hunter added.
“We want you to come and live with us when you age out,” Kai added.
“If you want that, of course. You might want to go off to college,” Cameron said.
“Yeah right,” I scoffed. College was not going to be an option for me. I wasn’t stupid, but with so much chaos in my life, my grades at school weren’t great, and they certainly wouldn’t be getting me any scholarships any time soon. I planned to finish school and get a job, with the possibility of some community college classes somewhere in my future.
“You’re so smart,” Cameron told me as he looked around his brother to meet my eyes. “You can do anything you set your mind to.”
“I’d like to come and live with all of you,” I told them with a sigh. That was way better than anything I had ever dared to hope for. I couldn’t believe they had even offered, but I wasn’t going to turn them down.
“Then that’s what you’ll do. We’ll take care of you, Maddie, always. We’re family,” Hunter assured me. I smiled and nodded as tears welled up in my eyes. Family. It was a concept that was completely alien to me, but one I very much wanted. I looked between them all emotionally. I was so lucky they had come into my life when I needed them most and I knew it.
We ate in a comfortable silence for a few moments then. I was lost in the relief that they weren’t leaving me. The fear that they would had been eating at me for months, ever since they told me their plans to move out together.
“So, about your birthday tomorrow,” Hunter said, cutting into my thoughts. I looked up to him, shocked he even knew it was my birthday the next day.
“What about it?” I asked.
“It’s your sweet sixteen. We need to celebrate it in style,” Kai said.
“We don’t have to,” I argued. I hadn’t really celebrated a birthday with anything I cared to remember in a really long time, and it was no use starting now. “How did you even know?”
“It’s on your Facebook profile,” Cam reminded me. I forgot I had even set that thing up. The guys had wanted me to do it so we could chat through the message app, but that was the only reason I even had one.
“Wewillbe celebrating,” Kai said more firmly.
“We will,” Hunter agreed. “You’re going to meet us here and we’re taking you out for dinner, and then to the movies to see that action film you wanted to see.”
