CHAPTER 4

  If music be the food of love, play on...
-Shakespeare

Summer evenings are absolutely amazing, it's not hot like the afternoons and people go out doing so many activities, such as going on a long walk. Logan and I walked through the neighborhood where we heard echoes of children playing, elderly people sitting out on their porches and young adults mowing their lawns with a frown. As we sucked on our orange and grape popsicles, we played I spy, which was entertaining, for a while.

"I spy something red."

"That door?" I replied bored.

"Yep."

"I'm bored." I whined.

"Wait I've got one more, I spy a whiny annoying dwarf." He said, eating up the rest of his Popsicle in one bite.

I narrowed my eyes at him and he just smirked. We kept walking in silence for the next five minutes, then suddenly I saw something that made my eyes go wide, "I spy a shirtless weirdo!"

"What?" Asked Logan confused.

I pointed to a half naked boy running through his front singing his lungs out to 'Eye of the tiger'. I recognized this boy from school, and turned to look at Logan's reaction. He looked highly amused and was trying to hold in his laugh.

So I did the natural thing any 14 year old  girl stumbling across an exquisite situation would do. I recorded it on my bright pink Nokia flip phone. By now I was giggling and Logan was guffawing. The boy was playing an air guitar and jumping up and down in his shorts. Abruptly, he stopped rocking out, noticing us watching his amusing show. He walked over towards us a little red, either from embarrassment or the extreme performance, his hair disheveled and messy.

"Hey," he nodded to Logan, a little breathless. Then he looked at me, and I mean really looked at me properly for the first time. He looked in to my eyes and that's when I saw the most beautiful pair of green gems. He just kept staring at me, and I couldn't stop looking at his eyes. After a couple of seconds, Logan cleared his throat, snapping me out of my trance and I instantly looked away.

"So ... cool taste in music." Logan stated awkwardly.

"Yeah, my parents are hardcore rock fans." He mumbled not looking away from my face. "You're Scarlett Devereaux."

"Yeah, I know you too, from school."

The boy never stopped staring at me, after giving me a weird expression, he looked away and furrowed his eyebrows.

"Yeah, well you're a nerd. And you're weird." He rolled his eyes taking two steps back.

I gaped at him. What the hell? Where did that come from?

"Well you're one to talk, I'm not the one prancing half naked in their yard." I snapped.

Beside me Logan coughed, his eyes darting between us. "So, uh, nice to meet you ..."

"Alex." He responded curtly, he pushed the hair falling over his eyes back. 

"Alex, see you around. My sister and I will head back now."

"Cool." He replied. He turned around and walked away without looking back. Little did he know that by the next day, his little stunt would be shared through a particular video throughout the school.

♡♡♡

...So honey noww

Take me into your loving arms

Kiss me under the light of a thousand stars...

I twirl around my room, and dance with my imaginary partner, my eyes closed.

...But maybe we found love right where we are

Oh, baby, we found love right where we are

And we found love right where we are...  

I take a deep breath and the song dims out, ending. Today was a stressful day with the whole Evans issue and Ed Sheeran's magical voice seemed to soothe all of my worries away. I glance at myself in the mirror and see a girl looking back, a girl with dirty blonde hair tied up in a messy bun holding dried paint streaks and Hazel eyes that stand out on a pale face. Her black clothes are soiled with bright coloured paint splotches. This was the result of Alexander Evans and her meeting today, like old times.

After taking one last look at the colourful girl in the mirror, I walked in to the bathroom to take a long shower.

After my shower, which took forever because of the stubborn paint in my hair, I walked down to the living room where I heard Bree and Dave chatting. As I entered they stopped talking and looked up at me, Bree was smiling. "Hey honey, how was your day?"

"Great." I smiled slightly. 

"That's good. And are you feeling better, with sleeping and the feelings, I mean?"

"Yep."

"Do you want to talk about Dr. Decker meetings?"

"Nope."

"Jesus Christ." Breathed out Dave. I looked at him and he made an irritated face. Here we go. Bree just decided to ignore him.

"So Scarlett, we got a call from your school today, something about pulling pranks." She urged, gesturing me to sit beside her.

I plopped down. "And?" I ask nonchalantly, while inside I was freaking out. I didn't know the bald headed saggy monster would call home!

"And?! And- and we will not tolerate that sort of thing in this house young lady. Damn, it's like you get worse everyday, Brianna tries talking to you but you don't even respect her enough to answer properly." He scrunched up his bushy eyebrows and glared at me.

"It's okay, Dave, she's just tired right Sc-" Bree tried to defend me, she's such a wonderful person. Last year, she didn't have to take me in when I was alone and abandoned, she didn't owe my family anything, she'd always been mom's closest friend.

David scoffed, "she's immature is what she is. And ungrateful."

"Look, I didn't have anything to do with the prank. And I don't have to talk to you if I don't want to!" I exclaimed.

"Don't have to? You ungrateful brat, we took you in when you had nowhere to go." Dave used this against me everytime. I'm not ungrateful, I'm very thankful. To Brianna. Dave has been against me staying here since day one and he's let me know everyday, verbally abusing me when Bree's not around or deliberately ignoring that I exist in the house.

"Well I didn't ask you to take me in, I would've been better on the streets then face you everyday!"

"Yeah on the streets where you'd get treated like you deserve, like the slut you are." Dave's face is red now, pounding on to the leather couch, I bet he's imagining it as my face.

"ENOUGH!" Bree yells.

"Dave, we are having a talk about anger management. Scarlett, go to your room, we're talking later." She orders.

I stalk off to my room fuming, catching Bree saying something along the lines of, 'you can't say that to her' while I exit.

This is why I just try to avoid them altogether, sure Bree and I have gone shopping together and bonded over a year where we can behave civil towards each other. But Dave has always hated me, and frankly, I too loathe his ratty face. And I hate living here, I don't belong here and I don't want to depend on anyone. As soon as I'm 18, I'm out of here.

I picked up the picture frame from my bedside table and stared at the woman in the picture. She was laughing and I swear her beautiful Hazel eyes were glowing in that moment. I wanted to be with her in that photograph, where time was still and we were so alive. My mother and I, we were inseparable, that's what they all said, nothing could tear us apart. They didn't tell me that death could do that though.

"I miss you guys." I hugged the picture to my chest.

"I want you here. I need you. Please come back." I whispered. Tears were streaming down my face and I laid in my bed for the next hour doing nothing.

♡♡♡

I was doing homework around dinnertime, and there was a knock on my door. The doorknob twisted and Bree peaked in. "Hey, I brought dinner."

She walked in with a plate of mashed potatoes, fish sticks and a slice of cherry pie. "I'm sorry about what Dave said, he just got carried away in the heat. He never meant it."

"I don't know why you're apologizing, you didn't do anything." And Lord knows that man meant it, he's a sly bastard, always saying things like that behind Bree's back.

"I know hon, I just want you to be happy and comfortable."

I just stuffed my mouth with mashed potatoes to avoid saying anything.

"So, who's locker did you bomb?" She asked excitedly.

I looked up at her caught off guard, "you're not angry?" I asked with my mouth full.

"Don't talk with your mouth full Scarlett, and of course not! This is the most normal thing you've done as a teen for the first time in the last year." She grinned, "and, I heard there's a boy involved." She sang the last part.

I swallowed, "Well I just stumbled across Evans doing the prank, Bree, I didn't have anything to do with it."

"Oh," she frowned, wasn't she supposed to be happy about this? "Well, still, a boy!!" Bree squealed.

"Okay, I'd like to eat dinner without you squealing like a preteen." I laughed.

"Alright, alright, I'll see you later love. Enjoy your cake "

"Itsh Pie!" I said with my mouth full of more mashed potatoes. So carbs, much yum.

"Same thing." Bree scrunched her nose.

"Itsh weally nor." It's really not, Dean and I are officially offended.

She turned around walking out but stopped and asked with a light voice, "Scarlie, you're taking your pills right?"

"Of coursh." I nod, lying. And she gave me a small smile then left. I didn't want to lie to her, but those pills made me someone else. On the pills, sure I'm happy and stress free, they also help me sleep. But they take away memories and they made me light headed. It was hard to think too much about anything on the pills, like I was some sort of druggie. Plus, these days I don't feel depressed too much without them.

As I finished my heavenly pie, my phone started ringing and I checked the ID. "Hey Zoe," I answered. "What's up?"

"You sneaky hoe! You went full rebel today didn't you? You could've told me you were planning a sexcapade with Alexander Evans! Oh my gosh, so there are rumours flying around that you and Evans were caught doing the frick frack in the janitor's closet and I was like-"

I almost choked on my pie, "what?! I did no such thing Zoey! I just got in trouble because I was in the wrong place at the wrong time."

"Mmmhmmmm! You were doing the skidly doo and we know it." She mocks me.

"No seriously, he was paint bombing someone and I was there when the principal caught him." I explain.

"Wow. I still think you're lying. So, how was talking to him for the first time in a year?"

"Unpleasant. He's still as obnoxious as ever, just like the day I met him."

"Sexual *cough* tension" she coughed out.

"Goodbye you dirty minded bitch, I'm off to bed." 

"Alright, well I'm picking you up tomorrow because I'm your best friend and I like doing you favours while you spill about your se-"

"Good night, Zoey." I ended the call rolling my eyes.

After dropping my plates off in the kitchen, I finished up the rest of my homework. Exhausted from the long day, I decided to climb in to bed with my novel earlier than usual.

That night, I slept and I saw them in my dreams, I saw mom's smile and dad's eyes crinkling behind his glasses. And I saw myself, happy, loved and in our old house with Logan.

♡♡♡

The next morning, I couldn't bring myself to wake up from my peaceful sleep and my blankets didn't want it's snuggling partner to leave. Just when I was falling back into deep slumber, I heard loud honks outside. I grabbed pillows and stuffed my head between them. And then my phone started ringing, so I ignored it but it just kept ringing. 

"Zoey, I will kill you." I mumbled, dragging myself up. I got ready in only 10 minutes, which was a miracle and all time record, then I dragged myself downstairs. I grabbed some leftover pie and left the house.

As I climbed in to Zoey's car, she yelled, "Morning hoe! You're freaking late!"

"Fashionably late, dear friend, fashionably late." The words slipped out before I could stop them. I looked up at Zoey and she gave me a sad smile.

"Let's go, besides it's your first detention at the end of the day, can't miss that can we you rebellious punk?" She wiggled her eyebrows, and started driving.

♡♡♡

A/N

So this chapter sucked,  and no present Alex, I know :(

You may be excited though because the next chappie is all Scarlett and Alex together and hopefully it's not shit like this one. ;)

Is the story interesting, does it have a nice flow? I welcome feedback as it'll help me improve.

Thank you SO much for reading, I love each and every one of you. 

(LOGAN GIF UP TOP-logan has brown eyes though)