14

I can't remember heading back to my dad's, but I knew that I woke up in my room there. I rolled over and looked at the digital clock beside my bed, it said it was 4am. I rolled back over and groaned, I knew there was no way I was getting Bianca up this early, so I decided to try sleeping again.

I tossed back and forth for a few minutes, after the next half hour passed I gave up, I was awake now.I poked my head out my door, looked both ways, and listened carefully. No one else was up yet. I walked back into my room, and saw the bags from the store last night. I decided to start getting ready to go out for my run, I'd just have to try to wake Bianca up early.

I reached into the bag, and I found a piece of paper first. I pulled it out, flipped it over so I could read it. It was neatly hand written, an invitation to go on a date somewhere else, from Jackson. I tossed it onto my bed, not happening.

I reached into the bag again, and I felt something that wasn't what I'd bought last night, Tipping the bag over I dumped out a nice light blue dress, the first one I'd tried on, that all of the guys had matching outfits for. I put it on my bed beside the note, and just looked at it. Someone must have bought it for me, and since I'm just now getting a note to ask me on a date with the dress in the same bag, I had to guess Jackson and Bianca bought it for me. I reached over to grab the other bags, with my clothes in them.

The shoes had been hidden under the bag, but they were a sparkly silvery blue, with straps all over, and I'm pretty sure the laces tied in a bow between them were meant to go up my legs.I picked up the shoes and put them on the other side of the note. I might have to get dressed up anyways just to play with the shoes.

I finally got to my clothes, I pulled out a nice new light green tank top, that now that I actually look at it, matches Jackson's eyes. I mentally slap myself for evening thinking about his eyes, but when I looked the shirt again, I realized that Bianca isn't dumb or blind, so I know she'd notice. I put that shirt back and grabbed out a plain grey one, and a pair of black yoga pants. I looked around my room for my back pack, which had my running shoes in it, but I couldn't see it anywhere in my room.

I opened my closet to check there, but it wasn't in there either. I decided for now I would just get dressed, and wear my converses until I found Jackson to ask what happened to my back pack. By the time I finally got ready, and was leaving my room, it was just after 5, and I was expecting that since Jackson was used to my schedule, he'd be up by now.

I walked into the hallway, then stopped, I didn't know which room was Jackson's, or really anyones, besides for mine and Bianca's. I turned to walk towards the common room and when I heard a door open a little ways behind me.

I tensed up, ready to have to deal with someone I didn't know at all, the person walked towards me, and touched my should, "Hey Angela, were you looking for your back pack?"

I spun around taking in the disheveled white blond hair, his hand a stark contrast against it, his eyes were closed but I picture them the exact color of the shirt I decided against wearing, and he just had on a pair of plaid pajama pants hanging low on his hips, showing off more then the first time I met him, "Yes, where is my back pack?"

He opened his eyes slowly, and sleepily, yawning, "It's in my room, you kicked the guys out before I could leave it."

He turned and walked towards his room, which was 3 doors away from mine, "You can follow me if you want, you'll get your shoes and money faster."

"Sure, why not."

I followed him into his room, and saw his clothes thrown around the room, he walked over to a chair on the far side of the room where I could see my back pack, but hidden underneath the chair was a plastic shopping bag. I thought about it carefully, and I clearly remember him being against any of the suits he was put in, even if they all matched my dresses. He was handing my pack to me before I realized that he was in front of me even.

I took my pack, and walked to the chair on the far side of the room, and pulled the bag out from under it, "I wonder what we have here." I reached in and found a note.

I took it out and read it, exactly the same thing mine had said, only with my name, same handwritting and everything.

He came up behind me and grabbed the note, "What is this?"

I handed him the bag, "It's you're tux for the date that I apparently asked you on, but you also apparently asked me on. So we both know who set this up."

He looked confused, "Sorry, I just woke up, who set this up?"

I brushed past him, "The person I'm going to go wake up in 5 minutes."

He nodded, and as soon as I cleared the threshold for his room, he closed the door, and I heard him fall onto his bed. I guess he wasn't as used to my schedule, he just had to deal with it.

I ran back to my room, and quickly put on my tennis shoes, and ran up the stairs. I stopped in front of Bianca's door, and listened. I could hear her slightly snoring, and I almost decided to just let her sleep, and only do have of my run this morning the other half with her in the afternoon.

Then she giggled in her sleep, "Lucky Angela, going on a date with Jackson."

I pounded on her door, making her squeal for a second, then I heard her stomping around her room, and she threw her door open, and hissed at, "What are you doing, it's 5 in the f*****g morning!"

I looked around me, "5 in the f*****g morning is the best time to get out and exercise, no one will be awake to watch you."

She squinted at me, took a deep breath, and released it, "Whatever, let me get ready."

I stood in the hall while Bianca got ready, I let my mind wander through everything that had happened since I first met Jackson. My Gucci purse being wrecked, which he is going to pay me back for, the next time I remember, Alton showing up at my work, and Sophie. Wait, where's Sophie.

Bianca walked out in a light pink tank top, and dark pink yoga pants, with purple tennis shoes, "Alright, lets go."

I stood up, "Actually, can we make a stop and bother your brother first?"

Her jaw dropped and she stared at me for an overly extended period of time, "Oh, you're being serious. Why?"

"Oh, the first time I met him, he kidnapped my co-worker, and I just want to see what happened to her."

"Makes sense, do you mean Sophie?" She glanced over her shoulder.

How did she know, "Yea, Sophie."

"She's fine, actually she's a Virq, she was taken back because she was getting ready to tell you everything, if you want to see her she's here right now." She pointed over her shoulder.

I shook my head, "No I'm good, I was just curious. Wow, that's strange, was she there on purpose to watch me?"

Bianca nodded, "So, do you still want to go see my brother?"

She wagged her eyebrows at me, "Eww, no. Not like that ever. Why are you trying to get me with all of the guys?"

She jogged to the stairs and called over her shoulder, "I didn't catch that, come on lets go."

I said more to myself, "Yea, you caught it, but you just don't want to share," I shouted after her, "Don't wear yourself out yet."

I caught up to her downstairs, and she was sitting on the floor by the front door, and when I came over she bounced up, "So, are we stretching first?"

"Yep, we're stretching first, grab your foot and pull it up to touch your butt...." I said as I demonstrated for her.

We spent the next 5 minutes stretching different parts of our bodies, mostly our legs. She'd offered while we were headed outside that at night she could teach me yoga, I figured it would be fun to try something new, even though I hated meditating, or concentrating at that. We went outside, and I remembered then it was fall in Virginia, it was quite a bit cooler here then in Cali.

A cool breeze caught my body, lifting my hair off my shoulders, bringing with it the smell of the ocean, I was on the completely other side of the country from home it seemed like. I bent down to touch my toes and feel the grass, it was cool and damp from the morning dew, and smelled like it had recently been mowed, that was my favorite time to run back home, it always smelt the best, and it hid the smell of exhaust wonderfully. I stood up and looked at Bianca who was looking into the distance, away from the city. I tried to see what she was looking at but all I could see hills for aways, then trees.

I walked up to her and laid my hand on her shoulder, "Bianca, what are you looking at?"

She jumped back, "Nothing, I just feel like I'm being watched from over there."

I shook my head, and focused over there again, "Why don't we go get Alton or Jackson?"

"For once, I'm completely for going to see my brother." We walked back to the house not taking our eyes off of the woods.

As soon as we got there she sprinted through the halls, and up the stairs, I tried to keep up with her, but it didn't do much good, she was running on pure adrenaline. When I finally caught up to her, she was leaning against the wall outside of a room, I was guessing since the door was open it was Alton's and she already told him.

He stormed out, "You're here now, good. You can't run outside."

I stomped my foot down, "Fine where can I run?"

He walked past me, back down the stairs, towards the common room, but kept going past it. He just kept walking, past almost all of the doors, stopping at the very last one. Bianca pulled me to follow him, we walked into an indoor gym, with everything that a gym goer could ever need. There was a track going around the room, it wasn't small either, there's every kind of equipment, from treadmills and yoga mats, to bench presses and punching bags.

I looked around the room, it was just a huge room, with more room for more stuff, I walked over and touched a the punching bag closest to us, and turned around to look at Alton, "This is perfect. But why can't we run outside?"

He looked away, "Don't worry about it, just know that you can come here any time, it's open all the time, as long as you know where it is. It's mostly used for those of us who need to learn how to fight," He gestured to the back wall which had a big black board looking thing on it, but upon closer inspection had all sorts of different weapons, he cleared his throat, "If you would like me to, or well I mean me and Jackson, we can train you how to use some of them."

I turned around, "Well in the morning, we're running, and at night we're going to be doing yoga, so if we can find a time, I'd love to learn how to use those, and maybe I'll be really good, and kick your a*s at it."

Alton opened his mouth to say something, but Bianca drowned him out, "Well we can do yoga every other night, I mean, it's not all that useful if you do it all the time, so it would be better to take a break every so often."

Alton smiled, "So tonight, you're doing yoga, tomorrow, you're training with me and Jackson, which works really well, because that's usually when I train, but I was willing to change when I trained to help you." He looked over the weapons, "I can't wait to hand you an a*s kicking tomorrow now."