Lexi began loading all the groceries into the backseat, mindful of how much room she left for Penguin to sit. Once everything was in, she hopped in the driver's seat and turned on the ignition.
"Ready?" She asked, pleased to see both of them had buckled their seatbelts. They nodded, and she pulled out of the parking lot.
"Can we listen to that song again?" Shachi asked. Lexi grinned, reaching for the CD's.
"No, but we can listen to a new song." They seemed to get excited over that, and she popped in a random CD.
It took a second for the reader to start the disc, but after a pause the beginning notes to "Love Bug" began to play. The guitar seemed to entrance the two, and she laughed, rolling down the windows as they sped away down the road. Cranking up the music, she sang to the lyrics.
"C-c-c-can you come over? A-a-a-are you around? I-I-I need to get bitten. I-I-I wanna get down." She tapped her fingers to the beat, and Shachi spoke first.
"This sounds awesome!" His head bounced up and down with the guitar, while Penguin pretended to bang on imaginary drums. Lexi's left foot bounced up and down in excitement, only because she'd never had anyone to sing with. Brittany wasn't one to sing, and it wasn't like they hung out much anyway. So this time of having fun and singing to her heart's content with other people felt really good.
"Love bug, love bug, hit me with your heart tough. Girl you got me runnin' and you gotta get your money. Hey!"
They sang the whole way home, Lexi slowly teaching them the lyrics.
Law sat with crossed arms, shaking his head in disappointment. "When would someone save spoons? That's ridiculous! Why is that an answer?" He glared at the TV, as the audience applauded. Nana, equally as frustrated as him, sat beside him in much the same fashion. Bepo, who'd been sleeping on the floor before, was now watching the screen with disinterest. He didn't get what the big deal was.
"Damn producers, got no idea what they're doing!" She shook a fist at the TV. The host waved to the camera.
"Join us tomorrow for another round!" Then, commercials for different products came on in between shows.
"This show is quite frustrating." Law muttered, and Nana chuckled as she stood up.
"You're quite right. Why don't we blow off some steam then? Follow me!" She bounded into her bedroom, leaving a very confused Bepo and a cautious Law to follow.
"Alright, I'm not gonna be the only one carrying this stuff in." Lexi called to the two pirates, who had conveniently started up the steps. They stopped at her voice, and slowly turned around.
"Right, sorry!" Penguin called, and they returned back to the truck.
The three of them could easily carry all the plastic bags into the kitchen, and they dumped them unceremoniously onto the counter. Lexi let out a huff of breath, taking off her shoes and throwing them into the corner. She began walking towards the living room, where she could hear the TV on.
"Well, I hope Nana hasn't-" She stopped, seeing no one around. The TV was playing reruns of F.R.I.E.N.D.S., which Nana hated. Obviously they hadn't been watching TV just recently…
"Nana?" She called into the house, hearing no response. Only the creak of the boards as they settled. Forgetting about the food that needed to be put in the fridge, she wandered the bedroom and lower floor for the pair.
"Captain?" Shachi tried, but he didn't answer either.
Just then, a loud gunshot rang out in the backyard. Lexi froze, immediately jogging to the back door that led to the porch. "God dammit…" She muttered throwing open the door and seeing what was outside.
There, standing in the middle of the grass yard, were Law and Nana shooting shotguns at targets set up against the shed. Bepo stood to the side and watched, with a slightly alarmed look on his face. Furious, Lexi stomped down the steps and ran over.
"What the hell are you doing?" She called, stopping just next to her grandmother. She had to cover her ears immediately though, because Nana had ear protection and hadn't heard her, and had taken another shot at the bales of hay against the shed.
Law only lowered the weapon, watching her in amusement. Obviously, he'd been having fun out here.
"Nana!" She called, tapping her shoulder. Her ears were ringing, but she just winced it off. "Give me the gun!"
"Oh! Lexi! I didn't know you'd be home so soon! I was teaching your Greek friend here how to shoot the old american classic!" She pumped the shotgun, getting ready to shoot again. Lexi grabbed the barrel and forced the gun out of her hands.
"Nana, you know how much the Robertson's hate when you shoot in the backyard." Her grandmother pursed her lips, pouting a little. "Don't give me that look. And you know Dr. Pierce told you not to handle any firearms for awhile." She scolded, ignoring Law for the time being.
"That psychiatrist may know how to fix brains, but she doesn't know how to live life! What's the point if I can enjoy what time I have left?"
"It's not good for you. You might get hurt." She tried to persuade her, but Nana was notoriously stubborn.
"There's no use in wasting away without having a little fun." She crossed her arms.
Lexi sighed, rubbing her forehead. "Can we just go inside now? Please?" She pleaded, not wanting to make either of them upset. With a small sigh of her own, Nana relinquished the gun over to her and trotted inside. Looking back towards the house, she could see Penguin and Shachi peeking out the door, watching the spectacle. They ducked back inside when she looked their way.
Finally turning to Law, she held out her hand for the gun, but he didn't move. Instead, his smirk widened.
"You said you'd never held a weapon before, but you handle that gun like an expert." He gestured to the comfortable grip Lexi kept on the handle. Anger, frustration, and a whole mix of other emotions flared up, and Lexi found she couldn't restrain her self. Without a word, she brought up the barrel and shot both rounds in the chamber, one after another, into the bale of hay. The paper target that had been taped on shredded to pieces and detached itself from the hail of pellets.
She turned to Law, who regarded her curiously. She wasn't so amused. "When I said I hadn't ever handled a weapon, I meant a sword. Guns?" She scoffed, ejecting the empty shell from the barrel. "I was raised with them."
Snatching the gun from his hands, she carried them both back inside the house. Law didn't follow, only watched her retreating figure with his smirk still in place.
'You are certainly full of surprises, Lexi-ya.'
A moment later, a angry older man came wandering to the side of the back fence, several yards away. He gripped the top of the fence in a white-knuckled grip, fuming.
"I told that damn woman to quit her shooting! The next time it happens I'll get the cops involved!" He pointed at Law, who only smirked back.
"I'll be sure to tell her." He said, chuckling to himself as the man waved in a dismissive manner, forgetting all about the pirate Captain.
The atmosphere was tense after that. The pirates occupied the living room while Lexi put away all the groceries. They figured it would be best to let her cool down before trying to talk to her, which probably saved their life.
Nana had gone back into her room, but Lexi didn't bother trying to talk to her. Both of them were upset and it wouldn't do any good to talk at that moment. It would only make things worse.
After the food had been properly placed, she gathered up all the plastic bags and put them into one large one, stuffing it into a drawer for later use. They'd gather a good number of them, but Lexi knew they were still reusable and useful to have around.
Once done, she retrieved her discarded shoes and her purse and headed upstairs to her room. She didn't bother even looking at the others, though she could feel their stares on her back.
Closing the door behind her, she leaned her back against the door, resting her head on the wood. Having those pirates around was doing her more harm than good, especially the way they'd been thrown into her life…
The way she'd almost hit them, it was too similar…The eerie resemblance felt like a slap in the face to Lexi, and she couldn't stop the tears that began to form in her eyes. Shaking her head, she wiped at her eyes in frustration. Crying wasn't going to help any at this point.
It had been an entire decade since Lexi had been orphaned. A whole ten years that still hadn't mended the ache. She'd hoped time would make everything easier to deal with, but that saying, 'Time heals all wounds,' it didn't feel true anymore.
In a moment of weakness, Lexi went to the nightstand and opened the bottom drawer. It was empty at first glance but, lifting the false bottom she'd put in long ago, she withdrew the contents.
A little notebook, all she had left.
Flipping open the cover, she saw the all-too-familiar picture of her and her parents, dated June of 1999. A six-year-old Lexi held hands with each parent, and they were swinging her in the air. She looked so happy, settled between her mom and dad. Smiling in bittersweet happiness, she memorized their faces; mom, with her long black hair and sweet eyes, dad, with the short military cut brown hair that she'd inherited. She stroked the picture in sorrow, wishing they were still there.
"How the hell did it come to this?" She muttered, choking back a sob. A tear fell onto the page, soaking into the already-bumpy paper from previous teardrops. Closing it with a snap, she shoved it back under the bottom drawer, shutting the nightstand closed. All this emotion was getting her worked up, and she decided that bottling it all up was not going to help things.
She needed some fresh air. Changing into running attire and strapping on her sneakers, she grabbed her iPod from her purse and plugged the earphones in.
Stepping into the hall and down the stairs, all eyes were on her. She met them with indifference. "I'm going for a run. I'll be back in an hour." And with that, she left the house through the front door, turning the music on high and taking off down the road.
ns 172.70.175.119da2
