Welcome To Alexandria

chapter 3

   The night at Ira’s house was nice and uneventful. Ira and I watched movies in his room with the occasional checks from his siblings. He ended up falling asleep so I decided that I would just be easier to sleep in the guest bedroom, mamma Dez and Victor her husband call it my room because I’m the only guest that stays over. I’ll continue to call it the guest room I don’t like feeling like a burden to anyone especially this family they give me peace for the time being.

   The next morning comes, unfortunately we all have school but that god it’s Friday. I get ready for school I have some clothes here not a lot but enough to were I don’t have to run to my aunts house today. I just wanna be comfortable today, its just school. I grab a grey sports bra and black boy shorts before going to shower I’m so happy mostly women live here hence decent body soap. I scrounge my hair with a towel before wrapping it around my head. Going to the mirror I pull a plain white short sleeve shirt on and pair it with black sweat pants. I pull my hair out of the towel letting it fall down my  shoulders deciding to leave it like that as I put on my white forces. Giving myself a once over I roll the top of my sweat pants till they fit right. I stretch getting comfortable in my clothes seeing that my shirt reveals my tattoo that runs along my side it’s two simple roses with the stems curling into my dads and brothers birthdays. My cousins know a guy that does tattoos, my aunt's to drunk to care so I didn't have anyone to answer to about getting them. Honestly I was so numb when I got sent here I just wanted to feel something, cringy yeah I know.

     I pull my shirt back down and groan as I make my way to the smell of food. I can still feel the sleep in my eyes as they land in Victor making breakfast for everyone. He gives me a smile flashing his bright teeth while greeting me good morning. I mumble it back to him awkwardly. I take a seat at the island and he slides me a glass of orange juice… still smiling at me.

  “You’re up early. Did Ira’s snoring keep you awake.” Victor ask while going back to cooking. I raise a brow.

  “How would his snoring have bothered my from all the way down stairs? I slept in the gue-“ Victor gives me a warning look about not calling it my room. “ m-my room last night hot would I have heard him snore?”I stutter out quickly fixing my choice of words. Victor is very intermating I guess you have to be to be married to mamma Dez.

  “ I know you slept in your room, I heard you go up stairs.” He pauses and smirks at me while I take a drink. “ but I know you sleep in there and just leave before Dez gets home.”

 He states plainly, but choke on my juice spit all over myself. ‘ f**k I got it on my pants’ I curse inwardly. Victor is laughing hard as he hands my paper towels.

  “That was better than I thought it was gonna be.” He laughs more.

  I want to glare at him but like I said he’s really intimidating. My curiosity gets the best of me plus the scene I’ve made confirmed what he said even if he was just fishing. Just to be on the safe side I act stupid.

  “What would making you think that?” I ask hoping he doesn’t have a real answer. He me a ‘duh’ look and I feel doomed.

  “ well Alex lets not play dumb. Just like I heard you go to your room last night I here him sneak you back up there before his mom comes home.” I want the earth to swallow me f**k.

  “I’m not going to tell his mom though.” I look at him confused. He noticed my look and explains.

  “You guys are good kids, I know because I walk by a couple times to make sure nothing is going on in there.”

  I wrinkle my face thinking it gross what if we were doing something. He notices that look to, and puts his hand up to stop my thinking.

  “It’s not like that, if I were to ever hear something that even sounded close to those noises I would walk away. I’m not Dez I know kids are going to find away to do what they want, like you two have with your sleeping arrangement, I’d rather take precautions than have accidents. I’ve already talked to Ira made sure he’s prepared if-“

  “oh god please stop!”

  I cut him off before he can finish what he was about to say. Squaring my shoulder I look him seeing that his hands are up in surrender. He’s about to start talking again but Ira comes around the corner dressed in a white T, his rosery laying over it with blacked ripped jeans an white forces. For like two seconds I think its cute that we match. It might have been visible on my face because Victor starts laughing and I quickly wipe whatever look was on my face away. Ira lightly flicks my ear before sitting next to me stacking food onto his plate. I punch his arm and wince remembering that my knuckles are still messed up.

  “Don’t hurt yourself tough guy.” Ira laughs looking at his sleeve like I left a mark. I roll my eyes and punch my with my left.

   “What was that one for?” Ira asked rubbing his arm. I smirk in triumph as I go to get up.

  “Where are you going? You didn’t eat anything.” Ira asked with a mouth full of eggs. I turn to scoop another bite in his already full mouth.

  “ I  need to go change.” Ira raises a brow. “We’re matching.” Ira waves his hand to say ‘okay so’

  “You two look like a couple” Izzy says rounding the corner in a pink lacey top with a white tank top underneath paired with dark jeans and knee high dark brown boots “gracias papa” she kisses Victor’s cheek  before making a plate for herself and sitting next to us. Ira looks at Izzy and she shrugs then he looks back at me.

  “okay we kinda match. So what we’re friends it makes sense that we have similar taste in clothes.” Ira says before going back to his food.

  Victor and Izzy look at each and smile. Reactions like that is NOT what I want from school today.

  “Yeah well if Izzy thinks we look like a couple than other girls will to and I don’t wanna deal with hatful girls today. So if you don’t mind…” I try to go change but Ira pulls me back to my seat. I go to punch him but he grabs my arm and holds it there. Continuing to chew his food before he speaks this time.

  “Andria, people have always said we look like a couple. We know our relationship and you’ve never had a problem putting a girl and some boys in their place before so… why is it a problem today that we match?”

  Ira raises a brow and I unconsciously look at victor. Ira looks at victor with his brows scrunched together and then his eyes go wide in realization.

“You told her about the stupid condoms you gave me didn’t you?!” Ira’s voice is slightly raised.

   Victor laughs and passes me a plate full of food and I nervously start eating fast trying to hurry so we can leave for school. ’how is this family so open about s*x Jesus’

“I told I knew about your sleeping arrangement and that I a talk with you about it… you just told her about the condoms.”

   Victor says plainly like seeing me embarrassed amuses him. Then I remembered that Izzy was eating with us. My eyes snap at her she’s just eating like she doesn’t hear us then she look at me and smile while shacking her head.

“oh I already knew you guys were sleeping together.” She says putting a hand on her chest. “It just isn’t my business”

  She says reminding why I like her so much.

  “WE ALL know you two are sleeping together. I think the only one of who isn’t in the loop is mami and the twins .” Isandro  walks in wearing a wife beater and night pants clearly just getting out of bed.

  “We’re not sleeping together we’re just…. “sleeping together” I put air quotes around sleeping together and everyone laughs. I hold my head in frustration.

 “Well whatever you’re doing don’t let mami or the twins find out. The twins will tell mami because they suck up and mami will get pissed.” Isandro says while stuffing his mouth.

 I just sigh and go up stairs to get my phone and bag for school. Looking at the time on my phone I can see we don’t have much time.

“IRA HURRY UP WE’RE-“

“You don’t have to yell I’m right here.” Ira sound like he’s in my ear. I turn around quickly to punch him for scaring me but he catches my arm again and chuckles.

“You’re gonna hurt your hand and. Comon you said we’re gonna be late for school.” I just nod “ oh and sorry for the way they said things. They mean well we all just-“

“have no filter” I interrupt

“yeah.”

I follow Ira to his car and he takes us to school.

***

I’m in my second hour class. So far so good well as good as it can get considering like I thought people keep glaring at me. Mostly girls that want Ira I just keep walking past them Ira was right we know our relationship and that’s all that matters.

  I’m concentrating on my calculus work when I feel someone poking my back I turn to see it’s Ashley a spoiled little rich b***h who also wants Ira. I roll my eyes at her turn back to work decided to let it go. I really don’t feel like doing this with her today. I wish Ira would take one of these girls to be his girlfriend so they would stop testing me

“but then you’d have to sleep by yourself. That means no one to wake you up from your nightmares”

  A voice in my head reminds I sigh and agree with myself. Self? Yeah I know but I really do need him sometimes and he’s the only one I’ve kinda let into that part of my life. Well… he kind he nudged hid way in getting comfy in my need for stability. ‘f**k’ I’m brought out of my thoughts by Ashley stabbing my in my spine with her pencil. I whip around to see her smirking at me. I want to smack that smirk off her daddies money bought face. I take a deep breathe before speaking.

“unless you wanna lose that god damn hand I suggest you refrain yourself for doing that s**t again.”

  I’m really trying to control my anger but the b***h just keeps smirking at me. When she opens her mouth I just know some dumb s**t is gonna come out.

  “ I was just wanting to know what it feel like to be a live in slut and charity case all wrapped into one?” She circles her pencil in the air motioning towards me. I wrinkle my forehead wondering what the hell she’s talking about before I ask.

   “Just what the f**k are you talking about Ashley?”

“Oh so you’re a dumb slut and charity case, should you even be in this class?” Ashely says still smirking.

   “Should you? Or did your daddy buy that for you to?” I counter

  She frowns and it’s my turn to smirk. I’m really done with this conversation but she opens her mouth again.

   “People see you two you know? You and Ira leaving his house together. The new clothes his mom buys you. The places they take you. You’re f*****g Ira and everyone knows it.”

  Now normally I would just let her talk out of her ass but now her loud mouth has even caught Mrs. Hendsons’ attention, but she like the gossip probably more than the students. I don’t care that she’s talking s**t about me, but Ira’s family didn’t deserve her ignorance she was spewing. So I hit her were it hurt her vanity.

  “You know unlike yourself, I don’t lay on my back to get treated with respect. And you have the audacity to call ME a slut?  Hell you can lay on your back with your ankles by your ears and nobody here would respect. The ugliness you have on the inside shines on the outside of you. Why do you think you can never get a guy to stick around?”

  Now everyone is staring at us and Ashley is turning red and hot behind the ears. Time for my final blow.

  “You my poor ignorant pain in the ass, are the end of a loaf of bread. EVERYONE touches you, but nobody WANTS you.”

  The classroom explodes “WORLDSTAR WORLDSTAR “ I look and even Mrs. Hendson is laughing, turning back to Ashely who give me a dirty ass look. Maybe she’ll think time before she opens her mouth.

  “Oh you’re gonna pay for this stupid slut!”

Or maybe not…. Either way I’m done with her for today.

  “Don’t expect me to hold my breathe.”

  I say as the bell rings releasing us to lunch. I really hungry because I just stuff my mouth and left Ira’s this morning. I start putting my food on my tray when some from behind flicks my ear. I turn fast to see Ira smirking at me with the other boxing boys behind him in line. I turn back to picking out my food then Ira flicks my ear again.

  “What is your problem sir?” I say sir sarcastically. Ira’s smirk turns into a full smile. I glance behind him to see the other boys are smiling at me to what the f**k is this about?

  “Problem? I don’t have a problem do you guys have a problem?”

   Ira looks at the boys behind him they shake their heads no and Ira looks back at me. He takes a step forward making me have to crane my neck to see his face. He leans down to my ear his breathe fanning my shoulder.

  “I heard you had a very interesting day best friend.” Ira sings the best friend part his warm breathe causing my hairs to stand. I take a step back to keep from shivering. I scrunch my eyebrows together and look at him then glance back at the guys, they’re all still smiling at me.

  “Not really. Can you stop being odd you’re stating to really weird me out? … ALL of you.” I turn back to my getting my food moving down the lunch line.

  “So you didn’t tell Ashely off in front of the whole class?” Ira ask knowingly. But how did he know it literally just happen. As is reading my thoughts Ira takes Joshs’ phone tapping it a few times before showing me. My eyes go wide, someone recorded the whole thing.

  “I got a text to check out the live stream.” Ira tells me with a smile. I open my mouth but Josh interrupts

  “shh shh this is my favorite part watch.” He tells me like I’m not the one in the video. Then I hear my bread comment and the class cheering. I look around the cafeteria to see almost everyone is on their phones then looking at Ira and I. I quickly grab my food and make my way to my table trying to ignore the looks I’m getting. I make it to my seat Ira and the guys are quick to follow sitting around me. Josh nudges me making look at him with a raised brow.

“what?”

Josh gives me a deadpan look but Ira asks for him.

  “What did she say to make you go off like that. Like you really went off?”

I sigh hard and start explaining what happened. I look at Ira and he’s seething. He keeps shaking his head and taking sharp breaths through his nose when I tell them about her calling me a slut. I put my hand on his shoulder.

  “Ira it’s fine really I left unfazed I can’t say the same for her though she looked pissed.”

  “Good she needs to stay the f**k away from you.”

  Ira says before piling food into his mouth like a starved man. Jeez he can eat. I try to keep the convo on anything then what happened today. The guy were quick to take the hint an obliged. When I was finished I grabbed my tray and went to through it away. When I get to the trash can I see an angry Ashley stomp my way. I’m not really paying attention but when she gets to me she pushes me HARD. I stay on my feet though and she made my some milk spill on my shoes. That’s it for me. NOBODY.FUCKS.WITH.MY.SHOES!

  “What the f**k is your problem dumb cunt?” I ask getting in Ashleys’ face. The lunch room goes silent I can see kids pulling their phone out to record. I heard hard footsteps, glances to see Ira and the guy jogging towards us. I turn back to Ashley only to be smacked in the face. It pissed me off more than it hurt. Then I felt something wet on my face. I touched my fingertips to it looking at them to see blood. I look back at Ira his eyes are begging not to hit her but I’m way to gone for that. I turn back to Ashley with a smirk. She goes to smack me again but I gab her hand, twisting her wrist as far as I could go. She cries out in pain. Then my mouth moves to her ear.

  “Thank you so much. This is going to fun for me.” I look back into her wide eyes that are filling with tears. “for you not so much”