Chapter 5
1390 Words
Rhett
"Hey Rhett, it's Angela... Terry stop it!" my mother giggled over the voice message. "Just phoning to say that I'll be out of contact for a few days. Terry got a gig at some five star hotel in the mountains and cellphones don't work there. Anyway, babes, better go and pack."
That was it. The extent of my mother's love for me wrapped up neatly into one vile voice message. And yes, I was on first-name basis with my own mother because she didn't want her age showing when she was around Terry and his twenty-five year old band mates. Not that they all didn't already know I was her kid.
I rolled my eyes at the phone and shoved it into the nightstand's drawer, determined to ignore it. I couldn't get over the fact that none of my supposedly "close" friends from back home hadn't even bothered to call or even text me. Actually, I could believe it. People were fickle and only cared about someone if they had an ulterior motive behind it. I preferred animals by far!
"Mrs. P, I'm taking Milo for a walk." I called to Mrs. Porter, grabbing the Dalmatian's leash from the hook behind the storeroom door.
"Okay Rhett. Watch out for the cars." she called back, making me feel like I was a kid again.
Milo raised his big, slobbery head from where it rested on the step as I clipped the leash into his collar.
"Come on, boy. Let's go for a walk." I said as enthusiastically as I could muster.
At the word "walk", the dog bounded up and half dragged me to the embellished gate which lead out onto the pavement in front of the house. He sat there patiently for me to open it and close it behind us before he tugged me in the direction he wanted us to go. I let him. The dog knew the neighbourhood better than I ever did and he probably knew the route he regularly walked like the back of his paw.
"Morning sir." a postman smiled at me, patting Milo on his head and pulling a biscuit out of a little bag which hung from his waist.
"Morning." I replied, eyebrow raised slightly at the biscuit.
He laughed patted Milo on the head again.
"Son, in my line of business you either bribe the dogs into liking you or you get eaten for lunch. Besides, Milo and I are good friends."
With that, he went on his way and Milo tugged me forward. The dog was a friggin celebrity! Everyone we ran into seemed to know him and his mate, Bella, and obviously thought I was one of my father's employees and not his son. His son would never have been approached the way I was. No, his son was to be feared for one way or another... the rebel who had no business integrating himself in this pristine neighborhood. Especially after he set the town hall alight the last time he visited. Arg, there was no denying that I had cooked my reputation in the area with that fire, accidental or not.
Woof! Woof!
Milo's barking drew my mind from my musing to where a girl stood trying to drag a tyre from the trunk of her beat-up old Ford. I hushed Milo and leaned against a nearby tree, watching the girl with the hottest legs I had ever seen as she finally managed to yank the tyre free. You may ask why didn't I immediately go to her rescue. Well with the amount of feminists in this world, sometimes it's just safer not to "underestimate" the female species. But don't get me wrong, I did end up helping her... as soon as I watched her pull out a screwdriver to undo the nuts on the tyre.
"Can I help you?" I offered, not really taking in her appearance apart from the form fitting shorts she had on.
Dammit! I should have looked more... noticed anything else... like the red hair which looked as if it was shot through with fire.
"Yeah, plea..." her words died off as she turned and faced me.
Alana.
The b***h in the flesh... and I had just offered to help her.
"No. I'm fine." she snapped shortly, attempting to gouge the nut from its socket with the screwdriver.
I stood watching for a few seconds before I couldn't handle it anymore and grabbed the wheel-spanner from the trunk.
"Bloody hell, woman. Move out the way and let me do it for you. You're just going to end up hurting yourself if you carry on this way." I sighed.
She glared up at me briefly before she eventually relented and stood up, taking Milo's leash from me so that I could tackle the tyre.
"You got a jack?" I asked and was rewarded with a blank look from her. "Oh for heaven's sake. Have you never seen anyone change a tyre?"
She looked hurt... and I didn't care.
"No. I'm not home much." she replied softly.
I decided to be nice to her... the girl was obviously too sheltered for her own good and had never met a guy who could stand his own ground.
"Oh. How come?"
"I go to an all girls boarding school... Dalton Academy." she admitted.
No wonder why she was so socially awkward when it came to people outside of her family. Then again, Di – the girlfriend I really needed to remember to dump at some stage – has a friend who went to Dalton and she wasn't nearly as strange as this Alana chick was.
"Oh yeah, I've heard of it." I responded casually, jacking up the old car. "Do you like it there?"
She shrugged before sitting on the sidewalk beside me, Milo resting his head on her lap and watching me.
"It's okay I guess... school is school."
An awkward silence passed between us as I placed the new tyre in its socket and tightened its bolts, her watching me as Milo slobbered all over her lap. She didn't seem to notice or mind though, instead she just kept patting his head absently. The chick was weird, I'd give her that.
"Okay, it's done." I declared, wiping my blackened hands on my brand new jeans which Mrs. P would attack me for later.
She blushed slightly and ran her hand through her messy hair.
"Thanks a lot. I owe you one." she said, opening the front door.
Milo must have thought to take her up on that favour because as soon as the door was opened wide enough, the dog jumped in and climbed onto the back seat.
"Dammit! Sorry about this." I mumbled, trying to drag the dog from the car without avail.
"Oh, don't worry. Why don't I give you a lift home? He's not going to climb out now that he's settled."
I nodded, not really wanting to walk all the way back to my father's place with the blasted dog riding in comfort. Besides, if she arrived with Milo and not me Mrs. P would attack me for being uncivil or whatever. This was a definite lose-lose situation.
"Yeah, why not?" I muttered, climbing into the passenger seat.
I had hoped to maintain the silence until we got back... but she was female after all and couldn't keep quiet for more than a few seconds.
"So, it's my birthday this weekend and I'm having a bit of a party at my place. Feel free to come." she told me in a stiff voice.
"Sure thing. Will see what the plans for this weekend are..."
I didn't want to commit to anything... and saying no outright would probably get me into s**t. It was just what happened in this place.
She smiled at me - a smile that lit up her eyes and made them sparkle.
As we pulled up in her drive I saw her brute brothers glare at me from where they were playing basketball. They didn't look too happy that I was with their darling sister... but I didn't care. I climbed out, puling Milo with me, and thanked Alana for the lift before sauntering over to my father's place.
The last, most terrifying thought in my mind was that maybe the girl wasn't so bad after all.
- Writer
