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Balancing on my toes, I squat down on the opposite side as her. “Are you supposed to be out here Delores?”
“I’m grounded but my Dad can’t keep track of me anyways.”
She shrugs but that same feeling resonates with me too. Though it’s not that my mom couldn’t keep track of me it’s that she didn’t care to. With a crinkle of my nose I take in the salty smell of sweat and raise a single eyebrow in question.
“You should listen to your dad.” The smooth metal of the fence runs against my arm as I reach through to pat the only clean part of her dress, the frilly lace along the square collar next to her shoulder.
“You know...” She chews her lip. “My brother says that you live in that house with a bunch of assholes.”
He isn’t wrong.
Maybe I have more in common with Damon than I thought.
“Assholes huh? That’s a pretty bad word for someone your age to be throwing around.”
“Yeah, but my brother’s a dick so I can’t always trust what he says. You could come live with us if you want, if those boys really are that mean.” Muddy fingers wrap around the fence, her face pushing forward till her nose almost brushes mine. “You could share my room! Do you like pink? I don’t really like pink but my mom says it’s the perfect color for a little girl’s room. Maybe if you don’t like pink either we can talk them into painting it green like I want.”
At least I know I’ll always have a home with Delores Sienna.
I glance up to the enormous picturesque house and a part of me wants to chuck a rock through their fucking window and remind them that they have a daughter. That she needs love and attention and maybe if they remembered she existed she wouldn’t be clinging to a neighbor who isn’t that great of a person to want as a roommate.
Just ask my own roommates.
“I’ll think on that. Also, maybe you shouldn’t say dick around anyone else either. Asshole and dick, those aren’t nice words.”
Even if they are accurate descriptions.
Her innocent face falls just slightly, brown strands of hair shifting over her cheeks. “Why do you look so weird today?” Her short fingers point at my mismatching garb.
If you want to know if you look completely awful, just ask a kid. They’ll be brutally honest.
Just like Delores.
“Well, let’s just say, I do indeed live in a house with assholes.” I give her the best smile I can muster. As I turn to walk back toward the house I hear her whisper her confirmation.
“Assholes.” She says it just loud enough I can hear it but quiet enough it feels like she is getting away with something.
It almost makes me smile.
Almost.
It’s hard not to drag my feet as I walk up to the grand brick house. I still haven’t gotten used to living in something that looks straight out of a movie about a rich man taking in someone poor.
Oh my god, I’m the hooker from Pretty Woman.
My mom watched that movie on repeat. Maybe she had a dream that one day she would be whisked up by a prince in a mansion with money falling out of his pockets. I mean, doesn’t every girl? Every girl except Delores. I think she could be happy with just a mud pie.
Entering the house, I walk by Knox, Landon, and Reed watching TV. My glare is a laser that burns into the back of their heads, if only it actually could hurt them. I intend to go straight to the kitchen with the hopes to ask Mr. Heethers if he could have the cook make me something, anything to eat. I’m starving.
I pretend not to notice that they all turn and watch me walk away. Maybe my laser stare really did do something.
I hope it hurt whatever it was.
“She looks like shit,” Landon mumbles.
“Good.” Knox turns back toward the television.
When I make it into the kitchen, a couple of staff members are already cleaning up what was likely the boys’ dinner. The two workers look up at me, but then turn immediately to leave when someone else enters.
