Chapter 7:

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LOVE THE WAY YOU LIE

CHAPTER SEVEN

“Annie is that you?” Nigel called from the lounge room as soon as I stepped through the door.

Looking towards the stairs longingly I answered my brother “yeah its me” he came to the door “come in here for a second would you.”

With a heavy sigh I followed him into the lounge then paused at the sight of the people sitting there.

Glancing at them nervously I turned my attention to Nigel “what did you need me for?” He smiled at me fondly then looked at his guests “Annie these are Blake’s aunt and uncle and well they are having a party this weekend and came to invite us to attend” I smiled shyly at the older couple sitting on the couch “I am very sorry but I will be unable to attend since I am playing with my band at another party this weekend.”

The lady smiled at me in understanding while her husband seemed to look at me suspiciously “we understand don’t we Stan after all we were young once” I gave her a gracious smile then turned my attention to my brother “if you would excuse me Nig I have home work to do then I would like to work on some of the music I want to play this weekend” Nigel gave me a quick hug “I know you are running away but I will let you get away with it this time” I smiled in relief then said goodbye to the Morgan’s before hurrying to my room.

Watching the red trail run from my arm down to my finger tips I felt a moment of release as my pain took on a different form then as the blood stopped running the inner pain came back.

With hot tears running down my cheeks I wrapped my arms up then pulled my sleeves back down before leaving my room and making my way downstairs to get something to eat and watch some television.

I could hear my brother talking in the lounge room and assumed that he was talking to my father until after grabbing a cheese sandwich I made my way in there to find not my father talking to my brother but the younger males in the Morgan family.

They stopped talking when I entered the room and Nigel looked up giving me a tight smile “hey sis I thought that you were going to be in your room for the rest of the night” I shrugged moving to sit in our large arm chair “I got hungry and bored so I came down to see what you were doing” I glanced at Blake and his brother blushing when I found Kane openly studying me.

Nigel sighed looking uncomfortable “Annie I need to talk to Blake and Kane privately so perhaps you could go into dad’s room and watch his TV?” I gave him a suspicious look before getting to my feet feeling very unwanted and not welcome in my own home.

Feeling like my brother was pushing me out of his life I headed upstairs and made my way to my father’s room and the plasma that he had in there.

Settling myself back on his bed with the pillows plumped up behind me I turned the television on then pulled my mobile from my pocket and called Josh.

Josh “hello gorgeous”

Me “hey what are you up to?”

Josh “just sitting here with my brat sister watching TV what about you?

Me “sitting in my dad’s room alone talking to you”

Josh “okay well why don’t you come over here and we can work on what we are going to play on Saturday”

Me “okay call the other guys and I will be there in ten minutes”

Josh “cool see you then”

After hanging up the phone I slipped it into my pocket then turned of the television and made my way downstairs to tell Nigel I was going out.

As I approached the lounge room I heard them talking and stopped listening.

Nigel “are you serious do you know what my dad would do to me if he found out?”

Blake “he will never know but your sister well she worries us”

Nigel “leave Annie to me”

Kane “I warned her to keep her nose out of our business and if she has any sense she will do exactly that”

Nigel “do not threaten my sister I said I will deal with her so you just stay away from her”

Blake “if she finds out what we do she could cause us problems”

Nigel “my sister will not be a problem and if she is well I will get dad to send her to our aunties for awhile”

Kane “sending her away could be a good idea then we wouldn’t have to keep watching out for her while trying to do our job.”

Stepping away from the wall where I had been leaning I made some noise as I made my way towards the door praying that they wouldn’t realize I had been listening to them.

They had again stopped talking as I entered the room, Nigel gave me a questioning look “I just wanted to let you know that I am going out and wont be back until later” Nigel nodded “okay just don’t forget it is a school night” I gave him a tight nod then turned towards the door “hey don’t I get a hug?” I shook my head and kept going.

His hand grabbed me just as I opened the door “Annie did I do something wrong?” I stiffened then pulled my arm out of his reach “not that I am aware of but I guess I don’t know what you do these days do I?” He frowned searching my eyes “have you been smoking that shit again Annie?” I sighed grabbing the door as I stepped outside “no Nig I just don’t think I know my family as well as I thought I did.”

Slamming the door on his confused face I stormed towards my car flinging the door open I got in then just sat there staring towards the house and wondering what they would be thinking after my little performance, had I just made a big mistake if so what would my own brother and his new friends do to me?

Taking a deep calming breath hoping to settle my nervous a bit I started the car and headed towards Josh’s house.

Josh answered my knock with a grin on his face until he saw my expression then it fell away as he gathered me into his arms hugging me tight “hey what happened?” I shook my head pulling back slightly to look at him through my tears “Nig he is doing something that I think could get him into a lot of trouble?” Josh frowned “what is he doing that could get him into trouble?”

With a sigh I pulled away from him and straightened my clothes “I don’t know” Josh shook his head wrapping his arm around my waist as we made our way to his basement where we practiced our songs “then maybe he isn’t doing anything that will get him to trouble just talk to him about it” I sighed glaring at the ground “I can’t or I will be hurt.”

Josh looked at me confused but let it drop as we entered the basement to the sound of an argument.

Josh and I jumped into the middle of our arguing friends looking around them in confusion “okay what the hell are you lot arguing about?” Josh asked them all “they are idiots” Keith shouted pointing at our other three band members.

I shook my head then turned to Theodore “okay explain to us calmly what you are all fighting about” Theodore took a breath then got to the point of the problem “well Keith thinks that we should play only heavy metal at the party but the rest of us think that we should mix it up a bit since your voice sounds better when you sing the slower love ballad kind of music” I nodded in understanding giving a Theodore a smile of appreciation “I agree and I prefer playing the slower songs but we will mix it up because any party needs dancing music that you can jump around to and just go crazy to.”

Keith sighed in defeat “fine we will do it your way” I patted his shoulder as I walked past him to grab my microphone “don’t worry we will sound great just like always.”

Josh pounded fists with me as he grabbed his guitar out of its case “lets get this music cranking.

Three hours later I threw my hands up halting the guy’s racket “okay stop this is not working” Josh sat his guitar down and Damon stopped in mid drum to look at me “what do you mean we nearly had it?” I shook my head “no we didn’t every one was playing over the top of each other so that I couldn’t even hear myself sing and besides it is getting late and I need to get home.”

Keith gave Theodore and evil glare as he just about threw his guitar down “if this idiot wouldn’t try to out play me with his damn key board we would be done already.”

Theodore screwed his hands up into fists taking a big step towards Keith until I got in between them “enough you are all to blame and if this is the way you are going to act on Saturday then you will need to find a new singer.”

Josh wrapped his arms around me patting my back gently “I am sorry about this Annie I will talk to the guys and make sure that we are ready” I nodded reaching up to kiss his cheek “thanks I will see you tomorrow okay?” He nodded then released me as he turned his attention to the others while I headed upstairs to head home.

As the door closed behind me Kane walked out of our kitchen pausing as he regarded me “hey” I glared at him then went to go past him until he grabbed my arm “what is your problem Annabelle?” I looked up to glare at him “you are, you threaten me so I will stay out of your business then you go and drag my brother into it.”

His hand started to crush my arm and his eyes grew dark with warning “stay out of things that you do not understand Annabelle” I wrenched my arm away from his and started to head towards the stairs “when you are involving my brother in what ever you are doing then that is my business” I growled harshly.

He grabbed me on the second stair swinging me around to face him “what do you think I do?” He growled into my face making me shrink back in fear “I, I don’t know and I don’t want to know just leave my brother alone.”

He stepped back from me with a murderous look in his eyes “your brother works for my family now and that is the way it will stay until we say other wise you try to interfere in that and we will kill him” I stared at him in horror at the thought of my brother being killed because of me “I hate you” I whispered before swinging around and running upstairs to my room.

Submitted: March 20, 2011

Romance