Natalie's POV
"Hey Natty! Won't you wake up!? Get your ass down here!!” my brother yelled downstairs. I groaned on the bed, turning to my side. The alarm had gone off minutes ago but I still wanted to get more moments of sleep. We had a leaving party last night, and it was a blast. Yeah, I'm leaving middesville to New Orleans.
My door burst open, revealing the hunk of a brother.
"Natty, if I come to get you there, you'll punch the wall 60 times as your punishment..."
"I'm up, I'm up. And I am not punching the wall. I need my hands when I'm carrying those boxes." I said, sitting up.
"Good. I need you downstairs in the next 5 minutes, no more no less."
I took a proper look at my brother and frowned.
"What are you doing in my room without a shirt?” I asked. He raised a brow, confused.
"Huh?" He looked down, later smiling and revealing his fang-like teeth, which always made him look devilishly handsome. " I went for a run, just came back in."
"How many times have I told you not to come into my room looking like that? "
"I Always forget. Your time's counting " he said and left the room, the door ajar.
I slipped into my soft slippers and slammed the door shut. Then proceeded to the bathroom to brush my teeth and wash my face, I'll save bathing for later.
Wearing my mom's favorite necklace, I kissed one of her pictures and headed downstairs. My brother was busy dishing his breakfast, just oats and some fruits, nothing Fancy. I grabbed a bottle of milk and sat down to have my breakfast. Taking a spoonful of oats, I turned to look at my brother.
"Jace, when is Greg coming to pick us up?"
"Soon... And that's why we have to hurry. You know he hates delay.” I rolled my eyes.
"I barely know him." I muttered, taking another spoonful.
"But I do, and just like dad, he hates when his time is wasted. So if you have anything you need to take, I suggest you go get it now."
I stared at all of the boxes around me. " I can't carry all of this."
"Go get help. I thought you were the head of your basketball team once..."
"They're coming..."
"Then hurry with your breakfast and go get ready... I'll be in the gym in case you need me." He said, standing up.
"Why didn't you just take us?” I yelled after him.
“You know I'm a terrible driver" he yelled back.
I scoffed, smiling. That was true. His favorite quote was, why drive a car when it's not trying to kill you? Only God knows where he read that one from....
I washed the plates and wore my running shoes for a quick jog. Along the way, I walked to my mom's grave. She died a long time ago due to cancer, when I was three, so I don't remember her much, but my brothers do. They say I look a bit like her, without my long hair.
Squatting beside her grave, I removed my earphones.
"Hey mom, how are things up there in heaven? Pretty good, huh? Just like I guessed... I'll be leaving Middesville today, the town where you raised us all to New Orleans so I'll be closer to dad and my brothers cause lately he's not been feeling well and needs all his kids by his side." I said, as if she was alive and could hear me.
“I'll try to be a good girl, but we both know that's not possible... Just protect me from where you are and help me not to get into trouble... Cause I do that a lot........ Unfortunately I have to leave now. Greg is coming soon, and he is going to freak out when he finds out that I'm not ready yet.”
Sighing, I added. " Take care of yourself." before standing up and fixing my earphones back into my ears.
Going back the way I came, I ran back home. I spotted a few guys carrying boxes to the moving car. It's the basketball team, I thought. I smiled.
They saw me and some of them waved. I hurried over to them, giving each of them fists bumps. A few girls were with them. Looks like it was my entire class that came to see me off. Which is weird cause I had a party last night.
"Knew you were leaving today. So we came around to help.” Drake, the captain of the basketball team, said.
"Really? You guys shouldn't have..."
"It's no biggie. Concerning how you've helped us around here. Both positively and negatively." he whispered the last part, raising his brows. I chuckled.
"Finally! I become important!"
"You've always been Natty! And we are going to miss you when you leave.” one of them said.
"Awwn thanks. I'd cry but you know I don't do tears." I said and he laughed.
Drake smiled and picked up another box.
"Trust me. I know."
"I'll leave you guys here. I need to go freshen up."
"Okay..."
I walked into the house and met Jace wearing his jacket.
"That's a lot of boys out there..." he commented, staring outside.
"I was the head of the basketball team once, remember?"
"Yeah... How did you even do that?"
"Hard work and a bit of luck." I replied, making my way to my room. One of my female bestie, my only bestie actually, was in my room, trying on my things and scattering what I had already arranged.
"Who is going to arrange all of that?” I asked, peeling my sweat-soaked clothes off my body.
"I am!!"Ariana replied.
"Good.... cause I'll be leaving in the next few minutes and I need to get ready."
"Our girl will be going to New Orleans soon. I hope you meet all the hot guys, and send us the pictures!" she added dreamily.
Ariana, always boy crazy. It's a good thing I was her best friend. She had a field trip flirting with all the boys in the basketball team and more.
"I think the boys in Middesville are good enough."
She scoffed, folding her hands.
"Come on. They aren't as hot as the guys in New Orleans, especially the Anderson brothers. Those guys are.... Fire!!” she exclaimed, throwing her hands in the air.
I frowned. Ariana saw my expressions and sobered up. " But they aren't like your brothers, anyway. Like that beautiful hunk down there and the one I saw at Thanksgiving.”
"We will not be having this conversation again." I stated, before heading to the bathroom to shower.
"Hey! you can't blame me though, your brothers are handsome! everyone knows that." Ariana said.
I smirked. That was true. All five of my brothers are undeniably handsome. It's even an eyesore seeing them every day.
Not every day actually, both most of the time. They are all adults now and have families. That doesn't stop them from being hunks, though. It's a real pain when you walk around with them. They are always stopping every minute to talk with a girl when they have serious relationships going on.
I let the warm water caress my skin as I reminisced about my life here in Middesville. It was a small town and perfect for raising a huge family like mine. Little wonder why mom chose here. Now I have to leave this pretty little familiar faces to a whole new world. I'm not sure am ready. I rounded up my showers and came out of the bathroom, water dripping from my skin.
Ariana was already checking out my choice of clothes. She never agrees with what I wear.
"An oversized t-shirt, crazy jeans and these ridiculous cowboy boots? Seriously Natty, don't you have anything fancier? More girly?"
"I'm moving Ariana, not going for a fashion runway."
"I still think you should wear a something pretty." she countered.
"I don't have the time, Ari. Just let it go."
I heard her huff, obviously frustrated.
I packed my hair and put some lip balm on my lips. I don't like talking about how I look, but if I paid a little more attention to it than basketball, I'm pretty sure that by now I'll be in one of those teens magazine covers, the ones we waste money on.
I turned back and saw Ariana staring at me.
"What?"
"You know, I'm really going to miss you when you move." she began, her eyes glistening. I walked up to her, wrapping my hands around her.
"Don't start crying now. You did that yesterday."
"I can't help it. I see you almost every day. And suddenly you're leaving."
I wonder why she makes sound like it's a surprise, I informed everyone two months ago.
"Hey. I'll always call. I'll never forget you. I promise"
"Wait till you meet those handsome dudes and girls out there. We will become a memory." she pouted.
"You know that's not happening...." I said hugging her, she returned it. " If you want, I can send you pictures of every guy I meet." Her face brightened. That always work.
"Really? That sounds good to me."
"I knew it would. Now help me pack my things, my brother will be here any minute."
"Uh... Which one?"
"Greg. The one you saw at Thanksgiving."
"Okay. On it."
I wore the last of my clothes and took some boxes myself. We headed down stairs where Jace was already waiting for us, already impatient.
"What took you guys so long?" He asked the moment we stepped down.
"Girl talk. You can't understand." Ariana answered. She was already swooning. Shaking my head, I stared out the window. The boys were already through.
"Trust me, I wasn't planning to. Are those last boxes?"
"Yes."
"Good. As protocols dictate, ladies first."
Ariana smiled and walked out. I followed right after.
"Thanks a lot sir, you're such a gentle man," Ariana piped in, fluttering her lashes.
"Shut up Ari." I chided.
"What!?" she retorted. I rolled my eyes. Jace only chuckled. I put the boxes in the moving van and went to join the rest of the boys.
"What do we do now?" Jace glanced at his watch.
"We wait for Greg."
"I thought you said he'll be here any minute."
"That's true... Speaking of the devil.. he's here" I glanced at the drive way. A black sleek car had already pulled in, with tinted windows. Ari was already shaking excitedly. Okay, here goes nothing...
Greg stepped out, and he looked NOTHING like the one I saw at Thanksgiving! Everyone's mouths were hanging open as they stared at him, well everyone except mine.
"Is that your brother?" Drake whispered to my ears.
"Yes."
"And I thought I had muscles. Where'd he get those muscles from?" he asked, all googly eyed.
"I wasn't joking when I said you needed to eat up and work out more." I grimaced.
"I really need to fix my life." he said absentmindedly. I scoffed.
"Are you guys ready?" Greg's thick voice boomed. Jace nodded.
"Okay. Get your ass in the car." he said, pointing at Jace. He ambled to the passenger seat.
"Good morning, bro. I see Maggie's been stuffing you." I commented. He let out a crooked smile.
"Thanks Nat. I knew you would notice."
"It's Natty. I'm not a Guy."
"You don't look like a girl to me. Not with the crowd I'm seeing."
I nodded. " Should I get my butt in the car too?"
"You know you have to."
I turned to my friends, who were still lost staring at Greg. Ariana was literally drooling.
"Okay guys, snap out of it. I'm leaving now. Take care of Middesville while am gone. I'll miss you guys."
"We'll miss you too. Don't forget to call us." Drake said.
"I'll do that."
I looked at the house one last time, and my friends as well. A few were crying, seriously? I'm going to miss them so much.
"Bye."I said simply. And walked to the car, entering it.
Greg saluted them and entered the car as well. Soon, the engine revved up to life, and we began cruising out.
The whole of the basketball team was waving and Ariana as well, who kept cleaning her eyes the entire time. I waved back. It was a small town, so everyone knew we were leaving.
Staring out through their windows, I watched them watch us leave. A wave of nostalgia hit me.
"Man, I'm gonna miss this town." Jace said,
"Me too. We had our best memories here," Greg answered. They were right. We had our best memories here.
"Mom sure knew what she was doing when she made us grow up here. We'll never be like this if we grew up in the city." Jace continued, lost in thought. We all miss her.
May her soul rest in peace, I said in my mind, smiling.
"She sure did."
"Sweet conversation, but I don't think I want to hear that now. I'm headed to the city and I don't know what to expect." I voiced out.
Greg chuckled, and so did Jace. This isn't good.
"I hope you're ready Natalie...." Greg started.
"You're in for a shocker...." Jace completed.
"Just great. I'm excited." I said sarcastically. But they were right... I was in for a shocker, a shocker that changed my life forever...
Xander's POVWaking up with a slight migraine, I looked down, slowly pushing the body that lay on my chest. She was still fast asleep. Running my hands through my hair, I let out a huff. Last night was the same as all other nights. Get drunk and get laid. Same pointless sex.Wrapping a towel round my abdomen, I walked to the bathroom to have a quick shower. I needed to get my thoughts together as I stayed beneath the shower for what seemed like forever. Eventually, I was done and turned it off. Getting out of the bathroom, I met the girl already seated. I don't even know her name."Hi, good morning." she greeted shyly. I'm sure she must be feeling on top of the world for being in my bed. If only she knew it meant nothing to me. I put up a smile and played along."Good morning. How are you?" I asked."Fine. Just a little sore." she added, pouting."Sorry, I'll leave you to freshen up."Okay."I went to the wardrobe and pic
Xavier's POVI watched as her expression went from anger to surprise, but nothing close to shock. Damn! She's pretty."Anyway, I still think you should apologise. I could have been seriously hurt there," she said, glaring at me. She sure has some nerve, funny I haven't seen around here."Well, it's a good thing you aren't. Can you please leave? I'd like to go now." I said, frowning."Is it so hard for you to say sorry?""Go to Babylon for that!" I snapped and got back into my car, driving off. Watching her from my rearview mirror, I saw that she still stood there, probably surprised at my outburst. I must've made a very bad impression on her. A part of me wanted to apologise, so I slowed down, but as usual, I waved it off and drove away again. I've gone past caring about people feeling's. Who needs them anyway??***Natalie's POVI stood still, completely shocked. Isn't that the same guy Ariana is always drooling ab
Xander's POV"Dad called." Xavier announced on the dining. We've been sitting opposite each other for a while now, neither of us saying anything, and suddenly he announces this."Did he?" I asked."Yes. He said he wanted to check up on us. See how we were faring." He answered."What did you tell him?""We're fine.""Okay..." I muttered and continued eating. I have a feeling he's not done yet. " Xander, he's heard. People are telling him." he suddenly said, peering at me. I raised my brows as if I wasn't concerned."Heard what?" I asked."Your consistent partying. He made a long speech about that affecting his image....""It's all about his image, isn't it?" suddenly snapped, cutting him off. " Everything is about his image to the press, isn't it? He doesn't come home, never calls and when he finally does it is to tell us it's affecting his image.... Seriously?""It's not about that, Xander. You should
(Same day: evening time)Natalie's P. O. VI'm in my room staring at the uniform I got in preparation for my resumption to Ambrose high school tomorrow. The parcel had arrived earlier with a few other things and I was in my room trying to get it to sink in. Putting the clothes on my body and staring at the mirror in front of me, it looked perfect. I sighed. I'll never get used to it.Throwing it carelessly on the bed, I took up my phone and called up Ariana. She picked up at the first ring." Hey, girl." I greeted." Wassup? How's my favorite baby doll doing?" She greeted cheerfully. " First off, I'm not a doll. Second, I'm not so good. Missed you guys like hell," I said into the phone." We missed you too. Everyone has been mopping around since you left."" Aww. Say hi for me."" Will do. Soo... Any gist?"" Not much... Oh, I met the Anderson brothers."" You did!! Ariana shrieked and I frowned as I put the phone away from my
Natalie's P. O. VThe visit to the principal's office earned me an ID card with a small piece of book that contained the school rules, which am positive no one follows around here. Mira had earlier wanted to accompany me to class, but I dismissed her, I can manage on my own. She's been enough help. Walking through the now-empty hall as the bell had rung and there were all in their classes, I looked for my class and finally found it. Taking deep breaths, I relaxed and pulled the door open, entering into my class.First things first, the class was huge. The chairs seemed comfortable and spacy as well, not cramped like my former school. Not that I hated it, I especially liked jutting into people's seats for the fun of it. Sucks I won't be doing it here. The class immediately went quiet the moment they saw me, checking me out. They must have wondered where I come from. I glanced around the class and saw Mira; she was waving and pointing at the empty seat beside her. There were
Natalie's P. O. VI had gotten home before I realized that my ID card was no longer with me. Damn! I must've forgotten it at the basketball court. There's no way I'm going back to look for that one now. I'll just have to get a new one... Hopefully.I had just finished dressing up after my shower and was getting into my bed when someone knocked and without waiting for my reply, butted in. I should have known it was Jace." Hey sis, have you seen me?..."" For the last time, Jace, stop entering my room without a shirt!!! I'm not your girlfriend!" I yelled at him. It was a joke though, he's always going to keep doing that. I threw a pillow at him." Okay, okay... I'm sorry. Have you seen my suspenders?"" No!"" Someone sounds feisty." He noted. I groaned. He's not leaving anytime soon." Whatever. " He jumped on the bed, peering at me. " Soo... How was school today?" He asked. I walked to my wardrobe, giving him one of my many oversized sh
Natalie's P. O. VAs expected, Xander looked down. Using that quick distraction, I snatched the ball from him and made my way to the other side of the court, where I shot and it scored. I had won. I turned to him; he looked completely shocked. That brought laughter to my face." Hey! That's not fair! " He said, astonished. I bounced the ball back to him." Life's not fair," I answered." You cheated!"" It's only cheating when other people see it. " Looking around, I said, " They didn't, so I won."Xander couldn't say anything. He just stared at me, his mouth open." I didn't expect you to fall for that anyway, but you did, so..." I trailed off, smirking. " Remember, you owe me a bottle of soda," I said before walking out of the basketball court. I met Mira at the entrance, her eyes wide with shock." Did you beat Xander, like beat him??" she asked." It was just a friendly match... Nothing serious." I said nonchalantly." No w
" What did you do back there!?" I asked Xavier the second we arrived home. He had been ignoring me after he agreed on that bet and even when Natalie left for home and I couldn't even talk to him after the party ended." It's what you wanted, right? To fight me. Prove you are better... Or better still, pay me back for what I did years ago." He answered, still backing." Even I still hate you for what you did... There are better ways to solve that problem!"" I think this is perfect," He turned finally looking at me. It sent shivers down my spine. " Besides, it's just Natalie. How hard can it be? If you win, you'll finally have your sweet revenge. But if I win... There are a lot of things I plan to do as well. Have a good night." He said and walked inside the room, slamming the door behind him.I ran my hand through my hair in frustration and groaned. This should be easy, right? I mean, it's just a girl, right... How hard can it be?It's not just a girl, my su