"We're what!!!" I scream, eyeing the locked doors.
"Going home?" My Grammy says. "I really want to meet this Dale guy, he's going to be your first date after all."
I groan and collapse on the leather seats. "We need another child in this family." I mutter dejectedly, starting on the buckles of my garters.
My mom stops me with a hand. "What are you doing?"
I frown. "Taking off this ridiculous thing I have on? What else?"
My mom simply gives me a menacing eye smile while my Aunt replies. "Oh dear! We might have forgotten your shirt and pants at the boutique and the only thing we have here are ladies clothes and lingerie." Aunt Candy says with a similar threatening smile, her eyes half closed.
I gulp and take my hand away from the garters, there was no escaping, or, knowing them as well as I did, they'd put me in a skirt.
I just sit back and pray hard that no one is at home or at least if any of them were, it would be Shana, while Shana might take dangerous pictures, I wouldn't die from mortification if she finds me in a simple shirt and garters.
The silky shirt is long enough to cover my thighs but I still find myself dragging it down, definitely the last time I'm going shopping with them.
We had bought some paper back novels during our shopping so while they discuss over my head about things I don't particularly care about - plus I am still mad at them - I get comfortable on the seat, my legs curled up under me carefully, there is no need to flash the embarrassing underwear I have on and get started on a new book.
Just when I am about to find out if Theresa had cheated on the main character with his best friend, the car slides to a stop.
It's Friday and Shana and Virgil do not have a family get together this weekend so I'm not even surprised to see the window curtains drop close, Shana has probably been patiently waiting for the limo to arrive.
"Maggie!!!" Shana screams carries all the way to where we are inside the car and I wince.
We get down in time for Shana to rocket herself into a laughing Maggie's arms, those two had always had a special kind of relationship no one could understand.
"I think I'm going to get that bubble pink shade done for myself," Aunt Candy says when Shana gives her a hug as well. "What do you think Ren."
"I think you'd look like confectionery." My mom laughs loud and not in a nice way.
"Maggie?" My Aunt whines like she's five.
"Renee, stop picking on your sister." My Grammy scolds. "Are we going to spend all day, standing on the lawn? Let's go inside then, Shana there's stuff for you in the car, tell Rodriguez to bring them in.
Shana hasn't seen me yet because of her excitement to see my Aunt and grandmother, I hope she doesn't… too late!
"Oh! Hayden?" She glances at me, once, twice then she just stares before letting out an ear splitting screech. "Hayden!!! Oh my!!! Where's my phone? Where's my fucking phone?" She starts to desperately search her pockets. "Don't you dare run away before I can take a picture or I will get back at you." She threatens me.
I gulp and wait patiently for her to find her lost item, after a while and it still doesn't seem like she's going to find it, my mom speaks up.
"Here, have mine love." She offers sweetly, handing over a camera, like an honest to god, actual camera.
Shana nearly evaporates from happiness, taking the offered device.
She takes so many pictures, that I'm almost sure the camera's space got filled up.
"Happy now?" I say in a bitter voice, impatient to get inside the house so I can change from the life ending outfit I have on.
"Just slightly." She replies absently, a light smile on her face as she scrolls through the pictures she took.
"Shana love, tell me the Dale boy is inside the house." My Grammy says, leading the way to the front door.
"Of course!" She replies after quickly relaying her message to Rodriguez.
"I had to lock them up in separate rooms though." She adds lightly, like there was nothing strange about this information.
"Another Virgil?" My Aunt murmurs absently, lifting her nose like she was getting a whiff of something. "Is that safe?"
"Dale is harmless." My mom waves away and I'm just there wondering if my family's standards for normal wasn't just a little bit off.
I ignore their discussion that centers around Virgil and Dale, already beelining to my room.
Shana already beats me to it, that tiny demon... and before I can take a step out of the living room, loud voices interrupt me.
"Stop hitting me Shana." Dale's low voice clearly rings through.
"Stop glaring at Virgil and I will." She fires back.
"Ow! But he's doing it too." He complains again.
"No he's not, okay wait, now he is."
"Ow! You stomped on me, why didn't you just hit me?" Virgil's unhappy voice comes through.
"Because I can."
Their voices are coming closer now and I'm internally panicking, there's no way I can make it to my room, unless I make a mad dash for it… well mad dash it is.
I had miscalculated their positions because as soon as I take a step forward, they stumble into the room.
Their loud complaints ceases as soon as they see me, their mouths dropping open.
I risk a glance at the three witches settled on the sofas and I'm not surprised to find them intensely watching the interaction.
"I'm um...I-I'm g-going t-to go-go c-ch-change now." I stutter out when they remain quiet for an uncomfortably long time, going red all over, I internally panic when I think that the strip of bare thigh showing is red too - I look down, yup!
"Why?" Virgil frowns, blinking then he glances at Dale and grinds his teeth. "On second thoughts, I'll take you there."
I want to run up the stairs with my face in my hands sobbing but I'm not Theresa in the cliche paper back novel I was reading, I'm not even a girl so I man up and let Virgil take my hand.
My knees are locked from the tension so I stumble a bit, but before I can even regain my balance, Virgil is already sweeping me off my feet.
"Vi-Virgil!" I gasp in shock, at least he could warn me.
I'm not sure he hears me because the territorial bastard is already eating up the distance between the living room and my room, while Dale surely undergoes what had to be some high level interrogation back there.
"Did you meet someone today?" Virgil asks vaguely as we get closer to my room.
I frown, he knows I went out today to see my Grammy and he also knows that whenever I'm with my Grammy, we always go shopping but that was an oddly specific question. "W-What do y-you me-mean?" I stammer softly, staring at my hands to avoid staring at his face and how his arms are directly under my bare thigh.
"I'm just curious." He shrugs, which has to be really difficult to do while carrying me but he makes it look effortless. "So you did meet someone new." He looks directly at me.
I try my best to avoid the piercing, electric blue stare but his eyes are like laser beams. "I-I I…" I stutter, wondering why I'm so uncomfortable, it's not like we're in a relationship and I cheated on him so why am I overreacting. "Um, y-yeah." I finally mumble, we're in my room but he doesn't put me down, preferring to hold a conversation like this."I me-met s-someone."
He gently places me at the edge of the bed. "Tell me about it? I want to know how your day went." He says this so calmly that I'm immediately suspicious so automatically I go into defense.
"I-It was just some guy that spoke to me because he thought I was a g-girl, we just spoke for a couple seconds." I say in a rush, forgetting to stutter.
This must satisfy him because he hums and stands up from his crouched position in front of me which was mentally damaging by the way, I was literally wearing a dress - again, how do girls survive?
"Want to go down to the creek with me tomorrow?" He suddenly asks like he just thought about it.
I pause in the middle of loosening the leather belt around my waist. "With Shana?" I ask reflexively, I probably didn't need to, it was always us three anyway.
"No, just you and I." He says seriously, his eyes going dark.
I blink, d-did - did Virgil just ask me, on a date? "Sure?" I reply, hoping it didn't come out like a question, it most likely did.
He hums again, glancing at me. "He's dumb for thinking you were a girl and I like those socks." He adds without batting an eyelid, going out the door.
I groan and fall back on the bed, I'm not sure anymore now if I want to keep the socks or burn them.