Chapter Irritate Me
Irritate Me
Fiona
It turns out that when a baby boy naps all afternoon, he doesn’t sleep very well that night and wakes up fussy.
Fussy boys don’t like to be put down.
Baby wearing is going to have to happen until I can convince the kids to play with him instead of working. That shouldn’t be too hard.
At least my body doesn’t hurt half as badly as it did yesterday. This would be miserable if it did. I step out of my apartment building. The Street is quiet, like it always is before the sun rises. It’s a whole different vibe at this time of day.
Kind of like a movie set before the imaginary world comes to life. Streetlamps keep away the shadowy darkness, making the world feel almost romantic, which is silly because I don’t believe in romance.
If anyone could make me believe in it, it would be Max. Though yesterday was weird. Very, very odd.
Why did he act so serious about lying to me? People lie all the time. It’s a skill. One that literally saved my life.
What’s he doing there? Across the street, sitting on a bench, staring out at nothing, is Everett.
Something is definitely going on.
Max asked me to trust him.
Can I?
Not with something as important as a child’s life. I don’t know him well enough for that.
But my gut says I can.
The pain on Everett’s face makes the decision for me. I can’t walk away from a child in pain without trying to help. Even if that child is a teenager prone to drama. “Morning.”
Everett jumps a little in his seat. “Morning, Fiona.”
“Mind if I join you?” I nod to the empty part of the bench.
“Um…I guess not.” He probably does. No one sits out in the dark alone because they want company.
What in the world do I say? It’s not like I can ask. Street kids don’t like people prying into their lives.
Though lately, many of them have a tendency to overshare. I’ll take oversharing any day of the week. “Was Max able to answer your question?”
“Huh?” Everett looks baffled by my question.
“Yesterday, you were having a problem with a girl.”
He shakes his head. “Oh yeah. I forgot to ask him.”
That’s what I thought. Whatever they talked about, the conversation with Max definitely messed with his head. “Would you like to ask me? I have some time before work starts.”
“Do you like working?”
It’s my turn to think ‘huh’. “Yeah. I do.”
“Why? You have enough money to live the rest of your life without working. Why do you still do it?”
Someone has been hacking again, it seems. That intrusion can wait. “Because I love my job. I’m surrounded by delicious food every day and nice people.”
“But people aren’t always nice. And there are problems. Why do you keep doing it? Why not retire and travel the world or lie on a beach somewhere?”
“Is that what you want to do?” This is a serious conversation for a child.
“It doesn’t matter what I want. I’m not going to live long enough to retire.”
WHAT? “Are you sick?”
He shakes his head. “No. Never been sick a day in my life. I don’t even get colds or flus when they come around.”
“Then why do you think you’re going to die?” Is Everett depressed? That happens more often than not to street kids who fight for survival for so long.
“Because I’m like you and Maddox.”
Huh? “Maddox and I are still alive.”
“I know.”
“You’re talking in riddles.”
“I know.” He turns back to staring into space.
“Are you afraid of Max?”
“What? No! Max isn’t going to kill me. I mean, he might have wanted to, but he isn’t. Max seems like a good guy.”
A good guy who wanted to kill you but now doesn’t. Yeah, this conversation is as clear as mud. “Then who are you afraid of?”
“Yesterday I was going to ask you about Wynter.”
Ochs’ kid? “Wynter is a sweet girl.” Sort of. She’s kind of scary, but not in a kill-you sort of way. She was the cutest baby.
“Yeah, she is.”
How does she relate to Everett dying?
“Why is she always working out in the gym like a guy?”
This conversation makes my already tired brain hurt. “Because she likes working out.”
“But she’s not a guy.”
“So? Gender doesn’t decide what you like or don’t like. Guys can like to bake, and girls can enjoy working out.” Ace likes both, and he’s still lethal.
“I know that, but…”
“But what?”
“But she offered to help me train. To bulk up.” He frowns.
A girl who’s stronger than him is offering to train him, and it’s hurting his pride. “Do you know who Wynter’s dad is?”
“Wynter has a dad?”
I nod carefully so as not to bonk Dash on the head while he’s sleeping. “Yeah. She was born on The Street.”
“Really?”
“Yeah, her dad is Ochs. He’s one of the trainers at the gym.
He’s been training people since this place started, which means he started training Wynter practically from birth.
She’s had access to healthy food and that gym her entire life.
Things that you or I didn’t. You can’t compare yourself to her or really anyone else. ”
“She’s trained her whole life.”
I mean, I don’t think he trained her when she was a baby. “Basically.”
“Oh, cool. Do you think I could bulk up?”
He isn’t the most malnourished kid I’ve seen, but he is super skinny for his height. “It’ll take effort and time, but I know you can do it if you want. Do you want to be a bodybuilder? I thought you got an internship with Max. His company works with computers.”
“Yeah. Max works with computers, but he’s still big.”
Max’s physique is a work of art. “Some of that came to him naturally. His father is built like a tank, too. People naturally have more bone density and larger frames. He’s also never missed a meal in his life and has probably trained since he was a child as well.
You can’t compare yourself to other people. It isn’t fair to you or them.”
“I don’t know who my father is.”
“We can help you find out if you want.”
Everett stands up and walks away.
Poor kid.
Max might be the key to helping Everett. Time to find out those secrets.
***
Today has been nothing but one fire after the next that only I could put out. The only good thing was that they were metaphorical fires and not literal ones. Though I need to keep an eye on Fawn. She seems like the type to accidentally put a rag on the range. That girl forgets her brain sometimes.
Max has been sitting at a table for hours, and I haven’t gotten a chance to talk to him once.
Now could be the time.
Dash wakes up, giving a little cry.
Thwarted again. “Are you hungry, little man?”
“I can feed him.” Hope rushes over, holding out her hands. “He’s such a cutie. Why don’t you go take a break and grab a cup of coffee?”
A cup of coffee sounds divine. An hour of sleep would be better. But I’ll take what I can get. “Thank you.” I unwrap Dash and hand him to her. “If you need me—”
“I won’t, but if I do, I know where to find you. Now go.”
You don’t need to tell me twice. I add a double shot of espresso to my drink and head to the front.
Max’s eyes are glued to the computer screen. I should leave him alone to work. He’s been spending so much time here, missing work to take care of his daughter. But someone needs to take care of Everett, and today that’s me. “We need to talk.”
He lifts up his head to where I’m standing over him.
“We need to talk.” I stalk out of the bakery, not waiting to see if he’s going to follow me. Emilia taught me that trick, and most of the time it works on these big, bad, alpha males.
When I stop at a bench in one of the quiet parks we’ve set up, he’s right next to me. Emilia knows her stuff when it comes to men.
“What’s wrong?”
I twist my body so I’m facing him on the bench. “You need to tell me about Everett—” I hold a hand up. “—And before you tell me to trust you, Everett talked about dying today. We take thoughts of suicide seriously around here.”
Max sighs. “Everett isn’t suicidal. He’s afraid.”
“Of what?”
“I can’t tell you that.”
I open my mouth—
“And before you get your panties in a twist, I can’t tell you because I don’t know.”
Oh, I shut my mouth and lift the coffee cup to my lips. “He’s terrified.”
“Yeah, I get that. I’m a little worried myself.”
“Maddox can—”
“Everett is sure he can’t. And until I’m sure, I’m not taking any chances.” He reaches out and sets his hand on my free one.
The touch shocks me, but I don’t pull away.
“You don’t need to worry. I promise you. I’m doing everything in my power to keep him safe.”
“He’s not afraid of you.”
Max laughs. “Not even a little bit.”
“He wants to look like you.”
“That’s impossible.”
“Guys can develop body image issues. This is serious.”
“Everett is an awkward teenage boy. He’ll figure it out as he grows up.”
That’s it. He’ll figure it out. “The kids around here don’t have the skills—”
“Everett does. He’s going to be just fine. Do you always worry about the kids around here this much?”
I shrug. “Sometimes.”
Max reaches out and takes the coffee cup from my hand.
Where our fingers meet, there’s a tingling sensation.
“You’ve had enough of that for a while. Why don’t we get you a nice cup of tea?”
“Hey.” I reach for the mug. “Dash didn’t sleep well last night. I need that.”
“What you need is some sleep. Go grab a nap, and I’ll watch the little guy. Where is he anyway?”
Sleep sounds so nice. “Hope has him. I could use a short nap. But—”
“Go.” He smiles at me. “I’ve got this.”
I stand up and walk away.
Did that irritating man really take my coffee and talk me into taking a nap?
He’s sweet.
Too sweet.