Angels and Roses

Chapter 2: Being Neighborly

“Ugh," Lissa groaned, walking over to Parker. “My mom just called, she wants me home." She rolled her eyes as she waved her cell phone back and forth.

“Is something up?" Parker asked, concerned with how annoyed Lissa was.

“No, she just wants to talk about James," she said, rolling her eyes again. “As if I need to spend another minute on that loser." Parker laughed lightly. Lissa did know how to turn around quickly!

“Well, if you have to go," Parker said slowly.

“I mean, I can stay a little longer," Lissa said, casting her eyes back at Damien. Parker sighed, knowing that Lissa's only real interest was the boys.

“Sure," Parker said with a nod. Lissa hurried back over to Damien.

“Would you care to see the house?" Malakai asked Blanche.

“Certainly," Parker's mother said. They headed inside, and Parker was left standing alone and watching her friend flirt with her new neighbor.

“You could do better," a sharp voice said from behind, way too close to her ear. Parker whipped around, finding Lucien standing behind her. She put her hands up to put a barrier between them. He eyed her curiously, clearly not concerned with personal boundaries.

“Personal space," Parker said. Lucien smirked at her, his blue eyes roaming over her hungrily. “What do you mean, I can do better?" Parker asked, self-conscious suddenly. Had Lucien caught her staring at his brother!?

“Your friend," he said, “she isn't here for you." Parker crossed her arms and glared at Lucien.

“Lissa and I have been friends since kindergarten. I don't know where you come from, but here, that means something," she said. Lucien scoffed and shrugged his shoulders.

“I stand by what I said," he told her. The gleam in his eyes got brighter, and Parker took a half step back. He was dangerous! Parker felt it right down to her bones!

“You're going to be a junior too?" she asked, needing to fill the silence with something. Normally, the boys who talked to her made it obvious that they were just using her to get to Lissa. Lucien was the first boy she'd ever talked to who focused on her, even though it made her uneasy.

“If I must," he drawled in a bored tone. Parker glanced over her shoulder at Lissa and Damien. From the starry look in Lissa's eyes, she'd moved on to telling Damien about her most recent breakup in an attempt to earn his sympathy. He didn't seem impressed.

Damien had heavy bags under his eyes. She looked back at Lucien and noticed he had them too. Like the brothers hadn't been sleeping much.

“You and Damien are in the same grade?" she asked. She didn't think they were twins, but she also couldn't tell who was older and who was younger.

“We travel a lot," he said vaguely, giving her an indifferent shrug. It didn't really answer her question, but he didn't elaborate. Parker nodded.

The silence between them became uncomfortable. Something Parker was used to. She turned to walk over to Lissa, finding it more comfortable to stand next to someone who could carry on a conversation.

“You know," Lucien said, grabbing her shoulder and keeping her from leaving. Parker was stunned by his contact. His fingers were cold despite the hot summer sun, and she hadn't invited his touch.

“Hey!" she snapped, pulling away from him.

“My apologies," he said with a dismissive wave, no real hint of remorse in his voice. “Your eyes, they are quite intriguing." Parker felt her cheeks burn, and she lifted her hands, curling them around her temple and forehead to hide her eyes from him.

“I know, they are freaky," she muttered. Again, Lucien touched her liberally, placing his hands over hers and pulling them away from her face.

“I was going to say beautiful," he told her. With that, Lucien released her and strode back to the house, disappearing inside. Parker's cheeks continued to burn red. She'd never received a compliment about her looks before, let alone from a guy who found them attractive! She wondered if Lucien had been mocking her.

He seemed the type to do so.

With Lucien gone, Parker went back over to Lissa, who still had Damien captive, even though he looked relieved when Parker joined them.

“Hey, Liss, what time did your mom want you home?" Parker asked. Lissa looked at her phone, then glared at Parker.

“I guess I should go," she said with a sigh and an eye roll. “It was really nice to meet you, Damien, I'll see you soon." She winked at him and headed off.

“I'll talk to you later," Parker called after Lissa, getting only a dismissive wave in response. Parker sighed.

“She's very full of energy," Damien said with a chuckle. Parker smiled and nodded.

“That's Lissa," she said. “So, Lucien said you travel a lot, where did you move from?" she was a little shaky, trying her hand at small talk. Damien hadn't made any excuses to leave, though.

“We've been all over recently. Mostly homeschooled, but it is nice to finally be somewhere long enough we can have a house and attend a real school," Damien told her. Parker thought the way he spoke was too formal for a teenager.

Like Lucien, Damien's answer was just vague enough.

“You'll like it here," Parker said. “Well, if you like slow towns with not a lot going on." Damien chuckled, shaking his head. His hair looked so silky and soft. Parker felt herself relaxing with him. Unlike Lucien, she'd been ready to run at any second. Damien was much easy to let loose around.

“That actually sounds like heaven," Damien admitted. He crossed bulging arms over a burly chest and sighed, letting his head fall back on his neck, eyes closed. In the direct light, Parker could see just how gaunt and dark the rings were under his eyes.

Moving had to be an exhausting experience, especially for someone who clearly just wanted to settle down in one place for a while.

“Not for me," Parker said with a sigh. “I need more space than this."

“Really?" Damien asked, righting his head and looking at her. She nodded. “That surprises me, Parker."

“It does?" she asked, wondering what this boy she just met could possibly think he knows about her.

“You strike me as the type who can fit in anywhere," he said. Parker laughed, outright laughed. She saw the crease in Damien's brow, and she covered her mouth quickly.

“Sorry, I didn't realize you were serious," she said, shaking her head. “Fitting in doesn't exactly come naturally to me." Damien tilted his head to look at her.

“Why?" he asked. Parker blinked at him.

“Hair, eyes, they aren't exactly…normal," she said with a heavy sigh. Damien really looked at her. She felt the intensity of his gaze. It didn't make her uncomfortable, though. She didn't get the same 'dangerous' feeling from him as she had gotten from Lucien.

She'd been so relaxed with Damien she'd actually opened up a little! It was a strange feeling, one that gave her butterflies and made her cheeks burn. He kept looking at her, studying her like she was a piece of art, not inspecting her like she was something that could be a threat.

“I don't see it," Damien said with a friendly smile. “I don't see anything wrong with the way you look at all." Parker's blush deepened, and she looked away from Damien. How was it that in the past hour she had gotten her first two, real compliments and they came from brothers!

“Thanks," she said softly.

“Damien, these boxes aren't going to unpack themselves," Malakai called out the front door. Blanche was saying her goodbyes as she headed down the stairs.

“It was good to meet you, Parker," Damien said. “We'll see each other again." Parker nodded as Damien left.

“They are cute, aren't they?" Blanche asked, putting her arm around her daughter's shoulder. Parker rolled her eyes.

“Mom!" she hissed, shaking her head.

“Oh, honey, you know I want you to make friends and date, and come out of your shell a little," she said, kissing Parker's temple before releasing her. They walked back to their house.

“I know," Parker said. “The problem is, boys like that…never go for a girl like me. No boys ever go for a girl like me."

“Parker, you know that isn't true," Blanche said. “One day, you'll meet someone who cares more about who you are than how you look. That same person will also appreciate how you look, just like I always have." Parker smiled; her mom always knew what to say!

“Yea, I just have to make it through high school first," she grumbled.

“Trust me, when high school is over, the boys will start to mature a little," her mother said with a laugh, opening their front door. “There is a whole world out there of people that will love you, respect you, and appreciate you, every aspect of you."

Parker was eager for the day to explore that world!