Dominic (34 page)

I sighed. "You don't know that half of it."

Alannah chuckled. "I'm goin' to get some more brown paint. I'll mix up some others for us in the art room and be back in a second."

I nodded and didn't pay any attention to Alannah as she grabbed some stuff and moved towards the entrance of the hall. I was too busy watching the girls in the hall watch Dominic, but the crashing noise from the hallway outside got my attention and so did the shouting. No one else in the hall seemed to hear it over all the voices and music, but I could, and because Alannah had just went out there made me a little worried, so before I even thought about it I got up and headed out of the hall and into the hallway.

When I got outside I was more than shocked to see Micah standing over Alannah and squirting what was left in her almost empty paint bottles onto her hair, face, and uniform.

"There bitch, I'll pay for my uniform to be cleaned and you can pay for yours. Watch where you're fuckin' goin' next time, look up when you're walkin' instead of down at the ground!" Micah snapped.

I was so disgusted with what I was seeing, but when Alannah sniffled and rubbed her face to try and stop her tears from falling, I became furious.

"Who the fuck do you think you are?" I snapped and rushed forward, shoving Micah in the back and knocking her and Alannah onto the ground.

I quickly reached down and helped Alannah to her feet. She was crying and had paint everywhere, her hair was messed up as well, like it had been pulled on, and I instantly knew who caused that. I turned to Micah, who was getting to her feet and brushing herself off.

"Mind your own business, this has
nothin'
to do with you!" Micah snapped at me.

I glared at her and didn't move an inch. "It
is
me business when you hurt me friend."

"
Your friend
? Since when do
you
have a friend?" Micah scoffed.

I was about to reply when I felt a hand on my shoulder.

"Since now," Alannah's voice answered.

I looked over my shoulder and smiled at her tear and paint streaked face.

"Isn't that touchin', a loner and a book lover are friends. Excuse me while I puke."

I shook my head when Micah brushed passed us.

"Leave us alone, Micah. We won't bother you, and you won't bother us from now on. Deal?" I said to her when she paused by the main hall entrance.

She looked at me for a long moment before nodding her head and saying, "Just stay out of me way and we won't have problems."

I didn't know why but in that moment I knew she wouldn't bother me anymore and not because Dominic warned her not to but because I stood up for myself. She didn't know how to react.

It was a great feeling, not only would she be staying away from me but Destiny hadn't so much as looked in my direction since our spat in the hall a few weeks ago. Both girls had been problems over the last few weeks, and I could breathe easy now knowing that those problems wouldn't come about ever again.

Even dickhead Jason hadn't muttered an insult my way in ages. Sure he still glared at me and probably thought all sort of horrible things, but he didn't voice them anymore, and he didn't bug me which was just Heaven. I knew him staying away from me was
completely
due to Dominic but whatever; once he kept to himself I was happy.

When Micah went inside the hall the noise of the door shutting got my attention. I fully turned to Alannah and sighed. "She is such a bitch, she got paint everywhere."

Alannah surprised me then by wrapping her arms around my body and pressing her cheek to mine. "Thank you."

I felt a huge wave of emotion suddenly hit me, so I hugged her back. I felt like the last layer of the brick wall I had built up so long ago around my heart just came crashing down, and it felt good, really good. "No problem, that's what friends are for, right? We look out for each other."

Alannah pulled back from me and smiled. "Right."

When she got a good look at me, she burst out laughing. "I got a bit of paint on you."

I looked down to my uniform and laughed as well; she got more than a bit on me. I reached up to my face, touching my cheek then looked to my now blue fingers. I laughed as I looked to myself and to Alannah. "We look gorgeous."

"Stunners is what we are," she sarcastically replied then bent down to pick up her things.

I helped her then went with her to the art room so she could refill the paint bottle and mix the new colours we needed for the rest of the posters we had to do. I was looking around the art room while Alannah was busy and read the label on some of the new paint bottles.

"It says that all the paint is clothes friendly and can be washed out of fabrics," I said aloud then looked to Alannah.

She nodded. "I know, I tried to tell Micah that but she didn't listen. She just pushed me down and pulled my hair."

"What a cunt," I grunted making Alannah laugh.

I chuckled along with her then helped her carry the paint and some clean brushes and palettes back to the main hall.

"Girls what happened?" Miss McKesson's voice shouted when we entered the hall.

This got everyone's attention to fall on us.

Alannah looked at me with a panicked face, so I put on a playful one and said, "Things got a bit wild in the art room while we were mixin' some paint but don't worry, nothin' was damaged. Well, not beyond repair anyway."

Miss McKesson shook her head and waved us on as she chuckled.

Alannah and I blew out a breath and headed back over to our section where our posters still awaited us. We were sorting out our things when I felt a presence beyond me followed by a shadow falling over my worktop.

"Is there a reason why Micah is covered in paint and has a mad look about her?" Dominic's voice asked.

I turned around and smiled widely at him. "I have no idea what you're talkin' about, boyfriend."

Dominic smiled at me and flicked his eyes over my face then down to the front of my uniform. He looked to Alannah as well; who made a big show of looking around like Damien wasn't standing directly in front of her asking why her eye was swelling.

I grabbed Alannah's hand and tugged her to me then murmured, "You said she just pulled your hair! Did she punch you in the face too?"

"Just once but it's fine," she murmured back.

"You know we can hear everything you're saying," Damien's voice interrupted our murmuring chat.

I looked to him then to Dominic, who stood like he was waiting for an explanation.

I glared at him. "Don't give me that look. Micah was hittin' her over a stupid accident, like I'm goin' to stand by and not help me friend out when she needs me!"

Dominic fucking beamed at me as he said, "
Friend
?"

I felt myself flush. "Yeah, we're friends, it's not
that
shockin'!"

Dominic laughed, reached forward and pulled me into him.

"I'm gettin' paint on you," I gasped.

"It's school paint, it will wash out," he replied.

"If only Micah had that logic," Alannah mumbled making me laugh.

I glanced at her and watched as she blatantly ignored Damien's attempts at flirting to get her attention. I grinned when he frowned at the back of her paint stained head; he looked so confused as to why he didn't have her attention. The poor sod didn't realise he wasn't going to get her for the dirty romp he wanted.

"I'm going to finish helping with hanging up the posters," Damien said to the back of Alannah's head.

"Bye," Alannah chirped and began lowly singing along to the song that was playing through the speakers in the hall.

Damien grunted then turned and walked off. No, more like stormed off.

"What's eating him?" Dominic murmured as he watched his brother walk away.

I tugged on Dominic's shirt for his attention, and when I got it, I flicked my eyes Alannah's way. "He wants someone he can't have," I whispered.

Dominic looked to Alannah and then to Damien, who was already straight into flirting with girls across the hall, probably to make himself feel better about Alannah ignoring him.

Dominic fully smiled when he looked back to me. "You made a friend and stood up to Micah; Damien got shut down by a girl; I haven't gotten into a fight this week. What the hell is happening around here?"

I chuckled and hugged him tight. "Things are changin' for the better," I said as I flicked my eyes to my new friend then to Damien, who was watching her from across the hall with a look of determination about him. "Definitely for the better."

"Bronagh?" Dominic's voice called from downstairs.

I peeked my head from under the covers of my bed. "What?" I shouted back.

"Come here!" he shouted even louder.

I groaned as I pushed my blankets from my body and got out of my bed. I slipped my feet into my fuzzy slippers and walked zombie-like out of my room, down the hall, and down the stairs. No one was in the sitting room so I went into the kitchen and froze when I caught sight of all the Slater brothers seated at my kitchen table. They made the room look tiny.

"Is someone dead?" I asked, wariness in my voice.

Ryder gave me a weird look. "No, why?"

I shrugged. "The last time this many people were sat around my kitchen table was when a bunch of people were tellin' me that me ma and da were gone to Heaven and wouldn't be comin' home. I was young, but I still knew that meant they were dead."

Ryder blinked at me while the others just looked at me with different expressions on their faces.

"Then of course the Garda tried to take me away and put me into care, and that resulted in Branna almost gettin' arrested for assaultin' a Garda," I smirked making the five brothers snort and laugh as well.

"How come she wasn't charged?" Damien asked me as I turned and began looking through the fridge for something to eat.

"They said she was shocked over our parents death and that someone tryin' to take me from her was askin' to be punched in the face, which is exactly what Branna did." I stood up when I had the makings for a sandwich and turned to Ryder with a grin on my face. "She used to kickbox before our parents died, so remember that when you make her mad."

Ryder laughed and rubbed his jaw. "I could have done with knowing that information a few months ago."

I smiled. "She has a mean right hook, huh?"

Ryder pouted and nodded, making his brothers laugh. I chuckled as well then turned and began making my sandwich.

"What has you all here tonight? Do you all have a night off from criminal activities or somethin'?" I asked and was met with complete and utter silence.

I looked over my shoulder and smiled to the wide-eyed stares looking back at me. "I know a creepy man, Mr. Doyle, down the road in an apartment complex who stares for too long if you all need to scratch a need-for-crime itch. I'll turn a blind eye while you deliver it as well, won't rat or anythin'."

Alec was the first to smile at me. "You're a regular fucking comedian aren't you?"

I snorted. "Yep, because I insinuated you, Mr. Escort, would be
kickin'
someone's arse instead of
fuckin'
it."

I couldn't hear Alec's reply because the rest of the brothers burst out laughing and banged on the table with their hands.

When my sandwich was made I picked it up and bit into it before turning around and leaning against the counter while I looked at the still chuckling group of brothers. Dominic was smiling wide at me, which made me straighten up.

"What?" I asked him nervously.

"Oh, look at her face, she is nervous that little brother will redden that ass," Kane teased.

I looked at Kane and gave him an are-you-serious look. "The day he spanks me arse is the day pigs fly."

All the lads oh'd and teased Dominic saying I was challenging him, which only caused Dominic to stand up and shake his arms and legs out which instantly made me place my sandwich on the counter so I could have free hands.

"You want some of this, stretch? Let's go," I said, and put my hands up into fists, which only made the lot of them crack up laughing again.

Dominic all but fell back into his chair while Damien was falling against him from laughing so hard. I rolled my eyes and turned back to my sandwich, but just as I was about to pick it up, I heard the noise of a chair scrap against the floor and then felt pain as it filled my behind.

"Ow, that sounded like a sore spanking," Ryder laughed.

"Oh, is that a pig I see flying across the night sky?" Alec snickered.

I ignored them both as I turned and dove on Dominic who was behind me and ready to grab me. The fucker was so fast; he blocked every single one of my attempts at hitting him. Even trying to kick him failed miserably. The laughing from the lads and Dominic's smug face reduced me to tears. Fake tears, of course.

I covered my face with my hands and cried into them and turned myself outwards from Dominic's body. It took only three or four seconds for silence to fill the room and for Dominic to tense around me.

"Shit, babe, I'm sorry I didn't mean to- oft!" Dominic grunted as I delivered him a gut full of elbow.