Bad Boy's Pet

Number 6

Nancy whistled as she took in the painting. “You have talent girl. This is gorgeous. I would pay for this.”

“I have a bunch in the closet downstairs. You can go in there and get anyone you want” Paige offered. She was nervous. It was the first time she had a “friend” in her room. What was she to do? Sit on the bed? Talk? About what?

“You are like an all-in-one bundle. I have an invite to a party and a new painting for which I didn’t pay a dime. Perfect.”

“Yeah.”

“Now if I could get you to talk more…” Nancy frowned in thought “No matter. I talk enough for three people anyway. What are you wearing for the party tomorrow?”

“I don’t know yet.”

“Well, you definitely have a good sense of style,” Nancy said surveying her outfit before she laughed to herself, “Of course you do, you are an artist.”

“What will you wear?” Paige asked back genuinely interested as she surveyed Nancy’s crazy jeans and orange shirt.

“So, I was hanging up my clothes when I saw this really sexy green dress. Shows off just a bit of boob but the crisscross makes it look sexy A.F. I think I want to wear that. Maybe I will even meet my future boyfriend. Who knows?”

“Are you looking for a boyfriend?”

“Not exactly a boyfriend. Maybe friends with benefits. Nothing serious.”

“Oh,” Paige turned away to put away the laundry that was folded on her bed. She could not understand. Perhaps she was a romantic like her mother. She could not be friends with benefits. She wanted it all.

“Oh. Em. Gee.” Nancy squealed over her shoulder making Paige nearly drop the clothes “That top is to die for.” She reached into the wardrobe and pulled out a mesh lace, strappy red top “You have to wear this to the party. You would look so good I bet Mc Hottie wouldn’t be able to not stare.”

“I can’t.” Paige shook her head vehemently blushing a little.

“Why buy it if you won’t wear it?”

“I didn’t buy it. My mom gave it to me as a present when I turned sixteen. She thought I needed to live more.” Nancy paused determining her next course of action. She didn’t want to come off too strong but the top was too good to pass up.

“Then do it for her,” She said wiggling the top. She had lost her gran who had raised her till she turned fifteen and she knew she felt better when people didn’t skirt around the topic like it was a plague.

“I will think about it.” Paige decided.

“Good enough for me.” She put the top back on the rack and turned to look out the window “I cannot believe you have this house to yourself. It would be a dream come true for me. Perhaps I could even dye my hair. I have always wanted to go blonde.” She wiggled her curls

“Me too.” Paige giggled.

“Really?”

“Yes.”

“Did you also think about getting blue contacts and straightening out your hair just to see how differently people would treat you?”

“No…I just wanted to go blonde.”

“You are playing it safe. Boring but I understand.” She turned back to the window with a sigh “This is nice.”

“Yes, it is,” she liked having a friend.

Nancy said goodbye to her after they cleaned up the mess they made in the kitchen while trying to prepare a chicken recipe they saw online. In the end, it tasted so bad, they had ordered a pizza. “So, I will see you at the party?” Nancy asked and Paige nodded “Cool. Catch ya later” She blew her a kiss and started walking home.

Paige fell over the couch in exhaustion. It was the good kind though. It was her first Friday evening since she moved there that she had spent with a friend. A whirlwind of a friend. But she liked her. A lot. She was dozing off on the couch when the doorbell rang.

“Nancy?” She called thinking maybe she forgot something and she pulled the door open. “Sergeant Roy.”

“Just Roy.” He answered then looked at the door with a frown “Do you usually open the door without knowing who is on the other side of it?”

“I thought it was my friend. She just left.”

“You should always check who is at your door first. The world is a dangerous place.” He told her and when she started to bite her lip in embarrassment, he found his gaze dragged there. He looked up quickly “I was supposed to come during the week but I had to visit home.”

“Home?”

“My parents live in another state. Can I come in?”

“Oh yes. Sorry” She opened the door just as she realized she had not opened the letter he gave her. She had no idea where it even was. She prayed he did not ask about it. “Would you like some water, or juice?”

“You have a beer?” He grinned as a joke but then frowned at her reaction before asking more seriously and in bewilderment, “You have a beer?”

“Would you like some?” She asked heading to the fridge.

“Aren’t you like 16?”

“I turn 17 in September” She opened the fridge and grabbed a can. She almost laughed at the confusion on his face.

“I swear your brother told me you were a good girl. How did you get this?” He asked collecting the beer from her.

“I…,”

“You don’t have a fake I.D. do you?”

“No, I…,”

“You have adult friends who buy them for you?”

“No…,”

“Then do you buy them yourself? What store sells to an underage girl?”

“If you would just calm down a bit then maybe I could tell you,” She surprised herself- and him by half yelling at him

“You are going to tell me?”

“Yes.”

“And you will tell me the truth?”

“I have no reason to lie.”

“Fine. Tell me,” He crossed his arms.

“Ian put the order in. They bring a six-pack every month. It helps me relax sometimes.”

“Your brother ordered it in?”

“Yes.”

“You expect me to believe it is the truth?”

“Why not?”

“Because it could be a lie.”

“You don’t know me.” She frowned.

“But I know teenagers.”

“You don’t know me,” she repeated and he nodded.

“Fine. But I will ask Ian about this.”

“Fine.” She answered trying to keep herself from shooting daggers at him with her eyes. “Did you want something?”

“No. I just came to check up on you.”

“Great. I am fine. You can leave now.”

“Leave?” He asked and she raised a brow challenging him to make another comment “Ahh, you are angry I doubted you. Fair enough. I will come back tomorrow when you have calmed down a bit.” He started toward the door.

“I would appreciate it if you don’t,” She told him.

“Lock the door after me,” He said stepping out and for the second time that week, she slammed the door in a man’s face.

The audacity, she thought heading back to her room. She eyed her window with annoyance. One man wanted her for s*x and the other was calling her a liar and none of them had known her longer than a week. She found herself in front of her easel a few minutes later, adding more paint to the canvas she had started working on after she slammed the door on Cade’s face.

*

Paige worked silently as usual her fingers moving at lightning speed over the keyboard but the ladies in the room looked at her over the rim of their glasses. Jade rolled her chair over to her colleague “What do you think is wrong with her?”

“No idea,” Margaret replied

“I think this is the first time I have seen her angry,”

“Me too. She is always so…Paige.”

“Are you talking about Paige?” Judith asked sliding her chair closer to the two women

“Yes.”

“I wonder what has got her so worked up,”

“Me too.”

“Ooh, maybe she has boy problems,” Judith suggested

“Julie, the girl does not have a boyfriend,” Maggie sighed adjusting her glasses

“She didn’t. But maybe she does now. I mean the signs are all there,” Julie claimed

“I agree” Jade nodded “But we can just ask…Paige dear.”

Paige stopped typing and looked up immediately “Yes ma’am?”

“Could you come here for a bit?”

“Do you need something?” Paige asked. It was not strange to see the three women huddled together. They often talked like that and most of the time, she was huddled in with them. Even though she was the only white person in the room, she had never felt ill at ease there.

“We were just wondering if you were okay.” Judy questioned.

“I am fine thank you. How are you today?” She asked back.

“Perfect. Perfect.” Judy answered and pinched Maggie lightly.

“So, anything interesting happen in school this week?”

“Well um…there is this new girl. Her name is Nancy. She is nice and I think we are friends,”

“Ooh, you made a friend. We should celebrate,” Jade, ever ready to pop out a bottle of cheap wine suggested “No?” She wondered at Maggie’s stern look “Kill joy.”

“So, this friend. Did she annoy you or betray you already?”

“No. As a matter of fact, we are going to a party together tonight.”

“She is even going to a party? Come on, this needs to be celebrated.” Judy insisted. The other women ignored her.

“So what’s wrong?”

“I don’t understand.”

“Well honey,” Maggie started folding her hands together “You have been frowning since you got here and your usually noiseless keyboard is making more of a ruckus than a New York subway. Something must be wrong.”

“Nothing is…,”

“Is it boy problems?” Jade asked.

“Jade!” Maggie and Judy gaped, exasperated

“Is it?” Judy continued unfazed

“I…don’t know.”

“Oh oh. Pull up a chair love and tell us all about it.”

“Wait, wait, hold up. Wait a minute. So you slammed the door in a person’s face. You? Our Paige?”

“I was just a little annoyed,” she blushed, lowering her eyes.

“Way to go girl,” Judy claimed raising a hand to high-five Paige.

“No,” Jade pushed her hand away “Why did you say no?”

“What?”

“If he wanted you and you wanted him why did you say no?”

“I didn’t say I…,”

“Wanted him? Please, girl, I have ended up in more beds than I can count. I know when a woman wants a man and you want him like an addict wants crack.”

“Perhaps she said no because she didn’t want to end up in more beds than she could count.” Judy tsk-ed

“But that’s the fun part of life.”

“For you maybe.”

“You are so boring. Let Maggie settle this. What do you think?”

“This boy, how long have you known him?” Maggie asked Paige

“We started talking last week.”

“That’s not what I asked.”

“Well, on the first day of school, we had an encounter. That was the first time I saw him. I don’t think he remembers though.”

“You like him?” Maggie asked and Paige shrugged

“I am probably just infatuated. I think it will go away soon.”

“You sure about that?” Maggie asked.

“I…I…don’t know,” She sighed and buried her face in her hands “What do I do?”

“Whatever you won’t regret honey,” Maggie tapped her shoulder affectionately.

“Or whatever you will regret least” Jade piped in and Paige sighed. That was of no help to her whatsoever.