Virginity Thieves [Rough Draft] - 01: First of Many [1/2]

I gasped. "Mother!"

"I am not dealing with your weird infatuations here, Grace. I just can't. Physically can not. I'm queasy here. I mean, Ialmost had a heart attack with that lizard thing you brought in the other day." She paused and hesitated as she looked at the door that leads to my new bedroom. "It's not still in there, is it?"

"It was not a lizard! Itwas a Bearded Dragon. They're quite snuggly if you'd give 'em half the chance," I said, pausing to roll my eyes at her over-exaggerated shudder. "He needed extra care. He's sick so I volunteered to do it."

"It attacked me!"

"Drago did no such thing!"

Mom scoffed. "Drago indeed."

Ignoring her comment, I continued, "He was getting his strength back and he needed to stretch his legs out."

"It's like this big," she argued, holding her hands five inches apart. "How much room does it need?" She let out a sigh before eyeing the side of my face. "So they're gonna let you volunteer at the shelter then?"

I nodded, hugging her side.

"Wonderful! Just do not bring anything elsehome. Ever. Again! And get rid of the dragon! I mean it, I'm not messing around this time. We can't afford to take in stray--they aren't even animals!"

Jack clucked his tongue, staring at me in disgust. "Why can't you be a normal girl and likecats or dogs?"

I reached out and punched him in the arm as hard as I could, but yanked my hand back, cringing as pain shot up my wrist. "You played with Drago last night."

He shrugged. "But I'm a guy! I'm gonna have to teach you how to punch, you wimp," he mumbled the last part.

I pushed my black, horn-rimmed glasses up my nose. "So? And I do like cats and dogs!"

Mom, having managed to reach the couch without falling, settled deep into the cushions. Another awesome thing about this apartment? It came pre-furnished. We even got new beds. It seemed too good to be true. I'd even looked up the scholarship I'd gotten yet never applied for. Yet, according to my previous school counselor, it was legit. However, the benefactor wished to remain anonymous. That would've been a red flag if the same thing hadn't been offered to a dozen other kids. Of course, not one of them was going to the same place. And the idea that I was the only one from my school to get it did set me on edge in the beginning, but I figured it was unnecessary paranoia on my part.

"Besides, it's okay not to be super social, but if things change--" Mom started subject jumping. It's something she did when we talked about one topic she wanted to discuss, but switched to another less important one.

I rolled my eyes, trying to be the 'normal teenaged girl'for once, "I know, I know. No sex preferably, but if the situation calls for it wrap it before he taps it. I got it."

Jack's mouth dropped, looking appalledas heslammed his hands over his ears. "I can't hear this! I don't want to hear this!"

I chuckled and reached forward to ruffle his hair. He jerked away, casting a disgusted look my way. "It applies to youas well,Jackie. When you're older at least, I mean, in a year and a half you'll be in high school."

It was true, and the one thing I could say that was consistent with this family... we were very pretty. If I wasn't blind as a bat, I would be too, but the only glasses we could afford for me were my lategrandmothers, on my mother's side--everyone on Dad's side of the family disappeared when he did. She'd handed them to me two days before she died, saying 'I won't need 'em long anyway.'

I laughed becauseGrandma hadalways had one ofthose foul, dry sense of humor. I took them because the dollar ones I'd been getting seemed to be making my vision worse. It didn't matter that they were gawd-awful -- they even had the old lady points in the corner, but at least they were black -- the glasses worked, and they were all I had left of Grandma. That's all that mattered really.

Jack folded his arms across his chest, his face pale as he faked a gag. "Please, just stop. Don't subject me to any more trauma."

I let it go and watched as he dropped the last box onto the floor of the living room. After we finished unpacking it, we binged on some cheap take-out that tasted more like roadkill than actual food, so of course, Jack loved it and then crashed.

Or at least, I tried to.

The move across town had been exhausting, with a new school day tomorrow, sleep was what I needed, but it was just out of my reach. Sighing, I glanced up at the red numbers on my clock. Exactly one hour before I had to get ready. The butterflies in my stomach were more like cats clawing my insides to shreds. Best of all, I now had to add dark bags under my eyes to the list of reasons why I would never belong toOak RidgeAcademy, school of the gifted and super-filthy rich.

It was going to be a long day.

Virginity Thieves [Rough Draft] - 01: First of Many [1/2] - Page 3 (2024)