Chapter 12- Mr. Owl Ate My Metal Worm

‘So, what was up today?’ Raven said after awhile. ‘You met up with the gang?’
‘Yeah, well they just sort of appeared in front of us. We didn’t really have a choice to say no.’
She looked over at me blankly. ‘You know what they did to me whatever you do with that knowledge is up to you. Just saying, hanging with them may seem fun at first but trust me they’re bad news.’
‘Your parents still upset about that?’
‘Uh, duh. Nobody wants their children going to juvie for 6 months. They think something is wrong with me, so they actually considered that they should send me to a boarding school.’
‘That’s bullshit.’
‘Yeah… Just please, don’t get involved with them too much. I don’t want to see you or Eli hurt.’ She turned pink at saying Eli’s name.
‘You have it bad for him, don’t you?’ I smiled slightly.
She turned back to the TV but couldn’t help biting her lip to keep her from giggling. ‘Maybe… Do you think he likes me? Just a little? Not saying to get all up in his business or anything.’ I looked down feeling ashamed, guilty and embarrassed. ‘What?’ she said worriedly.
‘Oh, it’s nothing, just thinking of something. Don’t worry it’s not about you.’
‘Well you better tell me!’
I thought of something quick to get away from the subject of Eli, ‘Austin asked me out on a date. He’s taking me out to dinner on Saturday.’
Her eyes widened and a huge grin appeared on her face. ‘I knew y’all would start dating eventually! I just knew it.’
‘We gotta keep it on the down low okay so don’t tell anybody especially Eli. God, he would freak out so bad.’
‘Yeah what’s up with that anyways? Every time you even talk to a guy around him he gets really mad, it’s as if he’s jealous or something. The only time you can do something is if it’s behind his back.’
I sighed and looked back at the TV just as Invader Zim blew up his lab. Great, back on the subject of Eli again. ‘I don’t know but please just don’t tell him, okay?’
‘Sure- hey what’s up with your eyes,’ she looked closer at them.
Noah unglued her eyes from the TV and responded. ‘Eli said that they watched a sad movie today and cried. I think they’re still sad about it.’
Raven shot a look towards me and started busting out laughing. ‘Aww, were you watching that movie with Mary Jane in it?’
I snickered and got up to check on the dinner. ‘Is Mary Jane pretty?’ I heard Noah ask Raven.
‘Noah, Mary Jane is smoking hot,’ Raven giggled. I doubled-over in pain from laughter and tried to calm down, remembering the bruises.
I opened the oven and got a fork from the dish rack next to the sink. After I checked the steaks and potatoes I brought them out using my dish towel and set them on the oven. I had already cooked the green beans so I made everybody’s plates and set them on the table. ‘Dinner!’ I called from the kitchen.
‘You know Alice, you are like the only person I know who makes dinner at a reasonable time,’ Raven pointed out. I glanced at the clock, 6:10. ‘My parents usually make dinner around 11 or 12 o’clock at night, it sucks.’
I smirked as I set the steak sauce on the table, ‘That may be cuz you’re an only child and 17 so they expect you to make your own damn dinner but end up making it for you.’
‘Yeah probably,’ she sighed and began eating. ‘I f*****g love your food with a passion. It’s way better than the s**t they feed me at home.’
I cut up Noah’s food for her and went to go put Eli’s food in the microwave. When I went to grab the bag of potatoes to put them in the pantry I just so happened to look up towards the window to see Aaron glaring at me. ‘S**T!’ I screaming, jumping five feet in the air and dropping the potatoes onto the floor. I snatched my cell off the counter and speed-dialed Eli.
‘What?!’ Raven said, shooting up from her seat and walking over to me. I looked at her then back at the window. There was nobody there. ‘Alice, what’s wrong? Did you see something? Somebody?’ I just stared at the window where he just was.
‘Hello?’ Eli’s voice flowed from the phone.
‘Eli! It’s Alice. I swear I just Aaron through the kitchen window but now he’s not there. I was about to put the potatoes in the pantry when I saw him and now there all over the floor.’ I stopped wondering why I just mentioned the potatoes.
‘Alice just calm down, are all the doors and windows locked?’
I rushed to the front door to check. ‘Yeah they are. What if they bre-’ The knock on the door interrupted me and I caught my breath. ‘Eli?’ I barely squeaked out.
‘What was that? Is someone knocking on the door?’
‘Yes,’ I whispered and motioned Raven and Noah to get out of view of the windows. ‘I’ll check to see who it is,’ I whispered.
‘Don’t open that door, whatever you do,’ he said quickly.
I was just about to put my eye up to the peep hole when the person rapped on the door again. I jumped back but knelt down low in case they could see through side windows. ‘Hey, I know you’re in there and I saw my beloved Raven to. Why don’t you just open the door so we can have a little chat?’
I mouthed to Raven to grab Noah and go to my room and lock the door. ‘Alice, I want you to call the cops on the house phone but stay on the line with me to okay?’ I heard the phone shift from his end. ‘Where are Raven and Noah? Are they okay?’
‘Yeah, they are in my room with the door locked’ I said lowly. ‘I left the phone in the kitchen.’
‘Go get it but be careful.’
There was pounding on the door again, ‘Hey doll, you have to the count of three…. One…’ I took my chance and ran through the living room… ‘Two…’ Across the dining room and into the kitchen, slipping on a potato of course and falling on my a*s… ‘Three.’ I shot up just as someone started banging really hard on the door.
Searching the counter for the phone I found it next to the coffee pot. I dialed 911 as fast as I could and held it up to my free ear. There was a loud crack as the front door broke and footsteps entering unlawfully. ‘911 what is your emergency?’ I turned to run towards Eli’s room, which was the closest room available.
‘Hello? There’s people in my house and I think they are about to hurt me-’ I stopped chattering as I felt the barrel of a gun being pressed up against the side of my head.