Chapter 32:

(Kerri's POV)

I wake up to a warm body against my back.

I must've fallen asleep while waiting on Grey. He took forever so I must've fallen asleep.

I see the calloused hand on my stomach. Grey.

I slide out from under his hands and walk softly on the carpet to my door.

"Mmm," Grey groans and sits up, sleepy-eyed. I smile at his ruffled hair and the imprints of wrinkles on his arms.

"Goodmorning there sleepyhead," he adds onto his groan.

"I could say the same to you."

I walk back away from the door and watch him stand up. He tugs his shirt down and gives me a huge hug.

"Your food is in the microwave downstairs, I'll go get it. We didn't sleep long." He motions to the alarm clock sitting on my bedside table.

"I'm coming with you."

I follow him downstairs and into the kitchen. I wonder where Mom and Hannah are?

He walks over to the microwave and pulls out a bag with Chinese writing on the front.

"Now, what do you say?" he jokes and holds the bag to his chest.

"Give me my food, dude."

He laughs and mine follows. His pearly white smile spread across his face.

"Nope. You can't have it until you can tell me what you're supposed to say," he steps from the microwave and walks past me and into the living room still holding the bag to his chest.

My jaw has hit the ground. What the hell does he think he is doing with my food?

"Come on now. I'm starving!" I follow him into the living room and watch as he sits on the couch still holding the damn food.

He eyes me, repeating what he said before, but with his eyes this time.

"Kerri."

"Grey."

"Kerri," he says more firmly.

"Grey!" I yell at him and step towards him slowly.

He stands up and runs up the stairs but, luckily, I've lived here longer and I know about the catch in the 13th step.

He falls onto his stomach and drops, the now crushed, Chinese food.

"You monster!!" I yell and run to catch it as it falls onto the carpeted steps.

I pick up the bag of good-smelling food and hug it to my chest.

"Are you okay?" I ask softly.

"Yeah, I'm fine," Grey replies.

I scoff," not you, you idiot. The food."

He stands up correctly and fixes his shirt.

"Well, alright then."

I laugh at him as he walks up the rest of the stairs and I follow.

Just as I fall onto the bed with Grey the doorbell rings.

Grey and I both jump up and run down the stairs to get the door, knocking each other around in the process.

As soon as I open the door I am hugged tightly. Tyler!

"Dude I missed you so much!" I yell into Tyler's ear.

We pull away and walk into the kitchen.

He stops dead in his tracks when he sees Grey.

"Tyler, I know that he isn't what you expect me to hang out with but, he's Grey, and Grey is Grey," I laugh but he just smiles.

"I met him when he came to Michael's and I's dorm. Him and his brother are opposites," Tyler laughs.

Grey's happy smile fades when Tyler mentions the word brother.

Brother? Grey has a brother?

"That's cool," I awkwardly eye Grey and then totally morph into a smile when I look over at Tyler's bright smile.

Grey dodges me and looks to Tyler,"so how is everything?"

"Great! What about you? Michael said that you were having some girl problems. Did you get her?"

I walk awkwardly into the living room, leaving them behind to talk about me. Wait, was he talking about me? Or is he talking about another girl? Lord, I hope he means me.

"So Kerri, how do you know this dashing young man?" Grey laughs into the living room, attempting to make the awkwardness dissipate.

"He's my cousin," I give him a short reply and look to Tyler instead of Grey.

"Oh."

Tyler looks at me with a smile. Grey must have not told him or he wouldn't be smiling he would look at me awkwardly.

I hung out with guys most of my life. All my cousins are guys, my best friend is a guy, I only have a little sister that I hardly communicate with.

"So how do you two know each other?" Tyler asks, sitting on the couch and turning on the tv. Grey and I continue our awkward stare.

I go to stand near Grey and eye him," he can't know."

Grey nods and we both look back at him staring intently at the screen.

"Well, he got me thrown into after school work. He basically got me stuck with him every Wednesday and we turned into friends," I answer quickly before he gets any ideas.

We walk over to him. I sit in the floor and Grey plops on the ground beside me.

"That's nice."

"I just came over to see how you were doing. I heard about McKenna and I knew you must be devastated. I just went to see Lucas, he didn't really speak, it was more like muttering to me, he cried a lot too. You should go see him," Tyler adds.

I nod," I've meant to go see him but you see, dumbass here had to crash his car with me in it and we'll... my mom has put me on house arrest for the rest of the week."

He looks over at Grey darkly. "Dude, I'd never hurt her on purpose," Grey defends with his hands up.

"Tyler, seriously, he's cool. I know that you-"

"Know that he's trouble? Know that he's a player and can easily hurt you? Anybody can decipher that, and it's even easier to notice when you've heard about him in the past," Tyler cuts me off and shoots daggers at Grey.

I can see that Grey is holding back his fight for my sakes. The last fight that happened didn't end too well.

"I know that I've made mistakes but I'm trying to be a better person now," Grey says softly.

My heart jumps into my throat.

"Well, it's not that easy to trust someone with a past like yours, especially knowing that you've already hurt her," Tyler spits.

The room becomes quiet and all I hear is the television blaring music to Ridiculousness.

Grey hangs his head low and twiddles his thumbs, quiet as possible.

A commercial comes on and Grey stands up. He walks up the stairs quietly and turns the corner.

"Well, I pissed him off," Tyler mutters, not turning his head away from the screen.

I look over at him with a grimace," yeah well he's got the right idea."

"He's trying, Tyler. You don't know what has happened througout the past month. And honestly it's none of your business," I add.

I don't know why I'm taking up for Grey, I literally thought the same of him just about four days ago. I feel like he is trying though. He made mistakes and he can reverse them by working to be a better person; in my eyes anyways.

"You're the girl aren't you?" he mutters and snaps his head to me.

I shake my head.

He grunts and smirks," whatever Kerri. You're just gonna get played like the rest of the whores. His name gets around even on the college campus."

"You know what, I am that girl. I am that girl that his brother talked about, and guess what, I don't care."

His face turns red and his jaw drops.

"Now, you can leave or you can stay and get over the fact that I never fell for Lucas, but someone better," I add and stand up.

I give him one last look of disgrace and walk up the stairs to find Grey.

Thanks for reading you guys!! We made it to 1k which makes me happy. The reads have shot up so quickly, it's truly amazing! What did you guys think...?

I also have another question that I hope you guys will answer. I have a few covers I have created with a few new titles and I want to know your favorite. So comment which number you like the best! Your answer truly is the one that counts, you guys are the ones reading it after all!!

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Thanks for reading!! -C