"What the hell has gotten into you?!" Tora yelled from the stairs, climbing down in a rush.
Her barrage of questions seemed to freeze Mr. Fletchlin still for a moment, but that moment's hesitation was enough; that was all she wrote. Tora grabbed her father by the wrist, gripping hold of his gun and making him powerless the moment she'd made contact. He wouldn't dare hurt her, and my respect for him hadn't changed. He looked me in the eye as I did his, and even to my surprise, I didn't smile or relish my victory over him.
I simply couldn't care less.
Though, I couldn't help but respect his duality, his wrath toward others and his gentleness toward his own. I'd never felt so much inclined. I saw as the anger in his eyes dissipated, as did I, returning to the comfort of my carefully-crafted face.
"F-Fuck..." I panted, looking as Tora finally calmed the mad-man down.
My heart beat from my chest. Even as she pulled against his body, he still felt attached to that gun, his mind unable to let go of his anger even as his body seemed to. He grunted, a unknowingly guilty expression spanning across his face as his neck aimed for me, veins exposed from his unrelenting strain. Yet, though he was much stronger than she, he couldn't bring himself to throw Tora off of him, heaving as if hyperventilating.
"B-But you said..." He struggled.
"I know what I said." Tora calmed down, seeming almost like a mother. "He's different, papa. Trust me."
After one last push, he finally gave in, his head falling in Tora's arms from exhaustion. She held his chest up, keeping him upright as he caught up with himself. I instinctively backed away, pushing the couch back into place as courtesy. His head slowly rose again, looking into the light of my eyes. I felt the itch of the glare in my pupil, but I kept my eyes open, attempting to show at least that much respect for him.
I could tell how much he cared about Tora, and despite having a shotgun barrel pointed at me, I understood where he came from. I nodded in his direction, hoping my message would reach him, but he seemed more offended by the gesture yet finally loosening his grip on the gun.
///
I climbed the stairs behind Tora, heading toward her room. My first time being alone with a girl... I thought I'd be more anxious or excited, but I think my interaction with her dad completely killed my mood. Her hair was much looser than I remembered, free as opposed to fastened closer to her head. She walked more confidently, and though I couldn't see her face from behind, I could feel how peeved she was, something making her so.
I was a bit too surprised by the personality change to pry any.
For all I knew, it may not have been a change at all. After all, I knew her the least out of anyone in our friend group. It was silent, and the tension in the air was palpable, only heightened by her attire. At a glance, she wore nothing but a white t-shirt, her long legs exposed. I averted my eyes, instinctively forcing my attention to something else.
We passed the three triplets during our ascent, each holding wide, mischievous grins. That, paired with Tora's sudden, most opportune appearance, made me think, and when I started putting the pieces together in my brain, what'd happened was apparent.
They'd ushered Tora to save the day.
"I owe you guys one." I whispered, giving Tommy a fist-bump.
The three of them each saluted in unison, watching as the long climb of their stairs finally came to a close. Multiple doors, all of which I could only assume lead to a room with different utility behind it, lined the walls of the maze-like space, Tora twisting and turning throughout it without any effort. The bed rooms were made evident, markings littered on their surface that spelled the name of it's inhabitants. Animals were hoisted like trophies all over the place, and I felt the weight of their aimless eyes as we approached what I assumed was Tora's room.
She twisted the knob, thrusting the door open and heading directly to a desk at the end of the room. Her room dimly lit by the lamp on her desk, her bed was directly behind, white sheets on it's surface. I closed the door quietly behind myself as her attention immediately turned to whatever was on that desk.
She pulled a pair of glasses to her eyes, and with that, her appearance completely changed. That, paired with the tendrils of her flowing, red hair, caused my cheeks to grow warm, and my mind turned for the worst. She was gorgeous; at least, from this angle, she seemed so. She curled her legs on top of the seat of the chair, wrapping her shirt around her knees in order to keep warm. It was then that I noticed her short gym pants; some things'll never change.
'Why the hell are you looking there, Amson.' I pressed my palm into my forehead. 'Keep your shit togeth--'
"I'm sorry about that." Tora finally said, breaking the silence.
With her words, I suddenly understood how long I'd been looking at her. It'd been silent for a good few minutes.
"I-It's no problem, really." I insisted.
"No one would say that when they just had a gun pulled on them, Amson." She sighed. "Be real with me. Better yet, be real with yourself."
I had no response to that. That was the most direct I'd ever heard Fletchlin. It was silent for another few seconds as I struggled to formulate a response to such a blunt truth.
"I-I never knew you wore glasses." I tried, my body reacting automatically to not only hers but her tone.
Just about everything about the situation made me rethink everything I thought I knew about Tora Fletchlin. She wasn't loud; she wasn't annoying. She was blunt, and unapologetically so.
"I don't wear them at school." She responded, dashing her pencil along the paper on the desk. "My mom makes sure I don't bring them because they always get stolen."
"You're right." I laughed stiffly. "Those things are expensive."
She wasn't laughing. Her face couldn't say more otherwise. Before I could finish my awkward outburst, she interrupted, straight to the point.
"Why are you here, Amson?" She asked as if demanding my answer. "Surely you didn't come here and wreck the house on some whim."
"Again, I'm sorry." I pleaded. "I... I just wanted to talk."