The House of Angels

Little Brat

It was about half past eleven when Moon finished her training. Her teammates were very happy to see her and they showed her all their support. She felt a lot better after her training routine but felt sad when her friends asked her to join them to have lunch together, like they always did, and she had to decline the invitation since she was supposed to have lunch at the institute.

When Moon called Josh, he was just a pair of blocks away from her so he arrived in no time.

Moon's teammates almost fainted when he got out of his car and leaned on it, waiting for her.

He wore a black t-shirt and a pair of usured jeans, his white teeth glistened in the sun along with his bracelets and piercings.

"Ok girls, see you on Monday!" Moon waved at them, running toward Josh and his black car.

"Bye Moon! Behave..." Marie, one her best friends said, winking at her. Moon rolled her eyes at the obvious mischief hidden behind her friend's words.

"Hi, little girl, did you have fun?" Josh smiled, getting in the car as well as Moon.

"I always have fun playing soccer." She said, taking a sip from a little bottle of water she pulled out from her bag.

"I spent the last hour paying bills and going through burocracy. I just need to go to the supermarket, I need to buy some groceries."

"Oh sure, I will help you carry the bags!"she smiled at him.

"Oww thank you baby..." he chuckled lighting a cigarette "Oh sorry I didn't ask, can I?" He asked, eyes wide.

"It's alright it doesen't bother me." She shrugged.

"So, how are you feeling? You don't talk much and I'm worried." He said glancing briefly at her before returning his gaze on the road.

"It's ok, Josh. I had been alone for four months before they brought me into the foster home. I had time to process. And, honestly, I was doing just fine before my stupid neighbours ruined everything." She said bitterly, looking outside the car window.

"Ok, but what about your father?" He said cautiously, before parking the car in front of the supermarket.

"I hope he rots in hell." She said dryly.

Suddenly Josh grabbed her hand and looked at her with concern in his eyes.

"What did he do to you, Moon?" He asked in a serious tone, frowning.

"W... what...?" Moon asked dumbfounded, unable to meet his gaze.

"Moon. Look me in the eyes... please." He said softly, cupping her cheeks.

"I don't want to talk about this! You... it is none of your business, Josh!" She yelled, slapping his hands away from her face and climbing out of the car.

"Moon! Wait, I'm sorry! Where are you going?" He asked, climbing off the car as well.

"I need to be alone! Just buy your f*****g groceries and leave me alone! I'll walk!" She shouted angrily, not even bothering to look at him.

"Don't be ridiculous, Moon, just get in the car, I will drive you back. I can't let you leave like this, Sister Mary will snap my neck!" He begged her.

"No need. I'm perfectly capable to move around on my own without the help of any babysitter. See you at lunch, Josh!" She said putting her ear phones on and walking away.

Josh sighed, hopeless. He took out his phone and dialed Daniel's number.

"Hey Vallentine!" Daniel greeted cheerfully.

"Hey D. Where are you?" He asked.

"I'm at the 'Siren' with some company... why?" He said with his drunken voice.

Josh shook his head in disbilief. The Siren was a pub they used to go to almost every night. The owners knew Josh and Daniel very well and they let them drink even though they knew they weren't twenty-one. It was friday and the fact that Daniel was already there meant that he'd started his weekend very early. He could hear girls giggling and the rustle of kisses in the background.

"I just screwed up, man." He sighed.

"What do you mean, J?" Daniel asked.

"I might have pissed Moon off. I asked too much about her father and she started yelling at me and ran away." He explained.

"Oh man, Sis Mary will chop your d**k off if she doesen't come back!" Daniel laughed heartily.

"f**k you, man!" Josh scowled.

"Ok ok, sorry. What do you want me to do about that? Why don't you go after her instead of calling me?" Daniel chuckled.

"I'm the last person she wants around right now. But I can't let her just go away. You're my only hope, bud!" He said, hopefully.

"What am I supposed to do? You know, we aren't exactly best friends. Not yet, at least." He said, and Josh groaned internally, he could sense the smug grin across Daniel's face at the other end of the phone.

"Be serious. You could just follow her... you know, just to make sure she is safe." He said hopefully.

"I don't know, man. I'm here with three very naughty college girls and we had a really funny day planned..." he teased his friend.

"Oh come on, she is even coming that way, Danny! You just have to walk five minutes and wait for her at the bookshop on the corner. She will be there in ten. Please, D, help me this once!" He said pouting.

"Ok but if I do it you will party hard with us all day, ok? -babe if you don't want to be f**ked right here in front of everyone you'd better take your hand off of there...-" he heard him whispering to someone.

"f**k, ok, after lunch. I have to cook for everyone. Now, can you please put your d**k in your pants again and go look for Moon? Please?!" Josh said exasperated.

"Alright man, I'm on my way." He chuckled, disconnecting the call.

"I push my fingers into my eyes

it's the only thing that slowly stops the ache,

but it's made of all the things I have to take... Jesus it never ends, it works its way inside

if the pain goes on I'm not gonna make it!"

Moon was walking angrily, listening to "Duality" by Slipknot. She used to listen to hard rock and metal music whenever she was upset. It had a soothing effect on her, it helped her to vent anger, pain, despair.

She was approaching a small bookstore on the street corner, when she spotted a familiar figure leaning against the wall, smoking and scrolling through his phone.

'Oh my God, why do you unleash your anger on me? What on earth did I do to deserve all this?' She thought, rolling her eyes.

She kept her head down, hoping he wouldn't be able to acknowledge her, and kept walking, hiding under the hood of her sweatshirt.

She thought she had succeded, but then a hand grabbed her by the elbow, making her turn around. She scowled as her gaze landed on his smug one. She wanted to wipe that annoying grin off his face. He was very close and she could smell his perfume, fresh and clean, despite the faint smell of cigarettes and alcohol.

He was gorgeus in his black ripped jeans and white t-shirt, sunglasses on his messy hair.

His tattooed arms were so well built that he looked like an punk model. She spotted traces of different lipsticks all over his shirt and neck, and rolled her eyes. They kept looking at each other for a while, she was waiting for him to say something but he just stared at her with a cheeky grin.

"What?!" She growled, slapping his hand away and taking off her earphones.

"Hi sis, where are you going?" He asked simply.

"I was minding my own business. You should do it too." She said, turning around to leave, but he grabbed her again.

"Seriamente, idiota, che problemi hai? (Seriously, i***t, what's your problem?) I said to leave me alone!!!" She yelled at him.

"Hear me out, you little brat!" He started, visibly annoyed, now grabbing her arms with his hands in a soft but firm grip. "I'm here 'cause Josh was worried about your whereabouts and asked me to check on you. You need to stop yelling at me and, by the way, I'm really getting tired of you insulting me in a language I don't understand..." he hissed, leaning his head down, looking her straight in the eyes.

"Then leave me alone. It's really that simple." She said emotionless. His behaviour reminded her of bad things of her past and she tried not to show her uneasiness.

"No, I will walk you home. Then you can do whatever you please for I don't give a f**k about it. And, for the future, if Josh pisses you off you don't dump it on me, do you hear me?" He said, without taking his eyes off hers.

She nodded, her throat too dry to allow her to mutter a single word.

"Use your words, Moon." He said sternly.

"Ok, ok! I'm sorry I snapped at you. Now would you please let go of my arms?" She said, giving up. It wasn't his fault after all, Josh was the one to piss her off.

"Sure, honey. You see? Was it so difficult?" He grinned, letting go of her arms. She rolled her eyes, and he found that amusing.

"Now, shall we go?" he suggested, showing the way with a sweeping wave of his arm.

"Yeah. The sooner the better." She muttered.

"I heard you, little brat." He growled at her.

"Whatever."

They started walking down the street.

"So what did Josh do to piss you off?" He said, lighting another cigarette.

"He asked too much questions..." something told him she was warning him not to make the same mistake. He chuckled internally.

"Ok, I get it. You don't have to worry about that with me. I understand that you don't want to talk about certain things ... I tend to do the same. We can not talk about things together, you know." He said, with a small, genuine smile on his lips. Moon couldn't help but smile back.

"You know, you're not so bad in the end." She mocked him.

"You will love me by the end of the week, Moon, like everyone else." He said, winking, making her roll her eyes.

"But one day you will tell me about the scars... and maybe you will also tell me why you flinched when I grabbed your arms." He said casually.

"I didn't flinch, Daniel." She said, gritting her teeth.

"It's ok, you will tell me when you'll be ready." He shrugged, smiling at her.

"Impossibile. Questo tipo è impossibile!" ("Impossible, this guy's impossible!") She scowled.

"And from now on you will speak to me in english, or you will translate whatever you say." He said encircling her shoulders with his left arm.

"Why would I do something like that?" She scoffed.

"'Cause I want to know if I have to s**nk your pretty little ass or not..." he purred in her ear.

"F**k you, Daniel!" She glared at him, slapping his arm away.

"I bet you'd like it very much..." he joked, earning a punch on the arm.

"Ouch ok, ok, sorry. Stop hitting me" He chuckled amused.

They walked in comfortable silence until they reached the driveway of the institute.

"See you later, sweetheart." He said winking, before turning to leave.

"Bye." She said walking inside