Five's A Crowd

eighty five

After our date, Adrian walked me home, and we talked about the lives we had planned for after high school.

Since Adrian only had three months left before graduating, I was very curious about what he was hoping to do.

My brothers never talk about their aspirations, because we all know that they will be important members of the mafia, which means that they don't need to pursue another job.

I discovered that Adrian wants to be a high school teacher, and when he said that, I sort of freaked out, but quickly calmed myself back down.

Nowadays, high school teachers are quite touchy subjects, mainly because of Fletcher, and our entire traumatic story.

I was happy for Adrian though, and he's already finished all of his big exams, so now it's just a waiting game. He thinks that he's going to pass all of his tests, which makes me so proud of him. 

When we finally arrive at my home, I thank him for walking me back, and kiss him lightly on the lips, waving as he disappears into the horizon.

When he's finally gone, I walk up the talk steps of my house, and knock on the door, because I don't have a key.

I hear someone shout 'I'm coming,' from inside, along with the sound of heavy footsteps. Eventually, the front door opens, revealing Charlie, who is gently panting.

I raise my eyebrows at his current physical state, but don't say anything.

He catches onto my silent question, and answers it.

"I was in the middle of a workout," one of my youngest brothers say, as he places his hands on his knees, and breathes deeply.

I just nod my head, and step into the hallway, allowing Charlie to shut the door, and follow me inside.

It seems pretty quiet in here. There's no shouting. No TV on. Nothing.

"Where's everyone else?" I ask, curiously, turning around to face my older brother.

"We're all working out in the gym," Charlie explains. "It's near the basement, and obviously soundproof, which explains why you can't hear anything."

I mutter a small 'got it,' at his words, and let my brother take the lead, so he can direct me to this so called gym I've never set foot in.

I can't believe that there are so many rooms in this house I've never travelled to, despite having lived here for close to a year now.

"We don't spend a lot of time in the gym when you're around, which is why you've probably never seen us down there," Charlie says, turning back to me when he talks.

"I get that." I nod my head in understandment. "Am I allowed to use the gym or not?"

"Of course you're allow to use it," my older brother gushes, as if the thought of me not being allowed to, wounds him. "It's good to use when you have a supervisor, because if you get injured, no one can hear your calls for help."

Charlie's words are threatening, but I don't mind. As if I'd get hurt.

However, I do get that it may be a problem.

"Okay, so you're going to want to unlock this door with one of the keys- I'm not really sure which," my brother says, pressing his finger into one of the wooden doors. "It's open right now, because everyone's in there, but usually it remains locked."

"Right," I drawl, itching for Charlie to just throw open the door, and let me see what's inside.

He does as I silently command, and I almost gasp in awe, when I see the lovely exercise room.

It's huge, at least fifteen times larger than my bedroom is.

The rest of the family is doing their own thing around the gym, all of them focusing on muscle exercises.

I notice that everyone is shirtless, putting their toned bodies on display. Even my father, who was kept as a prisoner for over a decade. 

Now, I notice that Charlie must have quickly thrown on a shirt, because the second we walk into the room, he takes it off, and walks back to the equipment he was using before I knocked on the door.

The thought of my father and brothers being shirtless is weird, and it's even weirder to see them work for the bodies that every man is so desperate to have an maintain.

I drop my school bag, and instantly walk over to one of the bars. It doesn't specify what I have to do, so I just hang from it, trying not to drop to the floor.

My father watches me, and chuckles, while using a piece of equipment that requires him to push his legs apart against a particular weight.

"Why are you laughing at me?" I question, spinning around so I can see him.

"You're doing it completely wrong, pumpkin," he explains joyously, getting up from his exercise, and approaching mine.

"What am I supposed to do then?" I ask venomously, still hanging from the bar, like my life depends on it.

"It's made to do chin ups, silly girl," my father lights scolds.

He grips my hips gently, and pulls my body up, so my chin raises just above the bar. He does this several more times, until he lets go of my body.

"Well that was fun," I say, smiling sarcastically at my father. "I think that I am going to just stick to hanging from the bar."

My father lets out a full on laugh, and goes back to what he was doing before. 

"If the bar does break, pumpkin, don't say I didn't warn you."

I roll my eyes, but have a small fear that it's going to break now.

A/N: Hey guys, thank you so much for reading. PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE VOTE, COMMENT, AND READ WHEN I GET A CHAPTER OUT TOMORROW. I have a plan for where this book is going, I just need a little support. Also, thank you very much for 94200 reads and over 3k votes - 3784 votes - (I know that it's not a lot,) but to me, it means the world. Keep slaying in life, and I will see you tomorrow night- or day depending on where you live- when I update tomorrow. Bye <3