Chapter Four

Chapter Four

Annabell

IT'S FRIDAY NIGHT and I have a game tonight. Over the past few weeks, my entire focus has been on school, homework, and cheerleading. I've been spending more time with my teammates and less time around the clubhouse or house. The girls are slowly becoming friends and they don't pressure me about where I live or anything about the club members. I've even been hanging out with some of the football players after practice and before games if we all get to the school early enough. A few times I've ridden on the bus next to one of the players instead of sitting alone or with another cheerleader. I don't expect anything to happen with any of the guys, but it's nice to have someone I can talk to when we're on a long trip.

Before we leave for the school, I'm at the clubhouse with Shy to help her cook dinner for everyone. It's not something she does all the time, but a few times a week she tries to provide the guys with a home cooked meal. I guess today was one of the days she promised the guys she'd cook for them. Because I have to get to the school and prepare for the game, I told her I'd help so she wasn't doing everything on her own. Usually she'd get the ol' ladies to help her, but they're all busy and have other things to do. Plus, there's no reason I can't help her out when I've already gotten as ready as I can at home. The stretching and making sure I know what dances we're doing will have to wait until I get with the team. No, I don't want to be in the clubhouse, but that's okay. Vault's barely here these days and it works for me because I don't have to see him.

I haven't really been back to the clubhouse since Vault yelled at me in front of everyone. And I never come on Fridays because I know it's party night for the guys. I don't want, or need, to see them in various sexual acts around the clubhouse during a party. But, I'm not going to have Shy cook for everyone all alone. It's not like the house bunnies help her when she's here. They don't listen to her at all unless Slim's around. The newest round of house bunnies are so disrespectful and I wish Slim would kick all their asses out, but I know he won't unless it gets put up for a vote and passes. The single guys won't have their favorite pastime taken away from them. We all know that for a fact.

Shy and I decided since we'd have to leave from here, I should get ready for the game before we came over. So, I'm helping her make baked chicken, potatoes, and corn on the cob in my cheerleading uniform. No one's said a word to me about wearing it either; they know better. I've got the short as hell skirt on, the matching top, and my white shoes. My warm-up jacket and pants are lying over a chair because I'd be sweating to death in the kitchen with them on. I've got my hair up in a high ponytail and the necessary make-up on my face. It's the standard outfit I wear for every game and there's no reason for anyone to say a word about the amount of skin I'm showing off considering there are women in the clubhouse who walk around naked or only wearing thongs.

Shy and I are laughing and joking around while Kinsliegh and Rayven sit in a playpen playing with their toys. I keep looking at them to make sure they don't want anything while we're making enough food to feed an army. These guys sure know how to eat. And there won't be any leftovers for anyone that's not here for dinner tonight. I'm putting the chicken in the oven when the kitchen door slams open. I don't pay any attention since Shy's in the room with me. It's not until I stand up and turn around that I see Vault standing in the doorway. He's got his arm wrapped around a girl barely older than me who's wearing almost no clothing. And his face is bruised. He's been in a fight and I wonder who it was with.

Pain rips through my chest at the sight. I know he's no saint and he's had his fair share of women. He's never thrown it in my face like this though. I've never seen him with a single woman since coming to the clubhouse that fateful night. Vault has always made sure to keep his sexual activities out of the common room and never touches a woman if I'm in the clubhouse. He might walk away with them, but this is literally throwing it in my face that I'll never have anything with him. Another huge piece of my heart shatters in my chest with the thought of him and this girl going to do whatever he does and him leaving me alone. Vault hasn't talked to me since the night I went to dinner with him. I guess he was all talk and that's a new part of his character that I haven't seen before.

"What the fuck, Annabell?" he yells out, his face turning red as he lets his eyes roam over my body.

I ignore him and move to stand next to Shy. The look she's throwing at Vault would put him more than six feet under if looks could kill. He's lucky to still be standing here if her look is anything to go by. Shy is my mom even if I call her by her name. She wraps her arm around my shoulders and holds me close to her as Vault continues to stare daggers in my direction.

"I'm talkin' to you, Annabell," he slurs, anger lacing his voice as I realize that he's not going to go away until I talk to him. Even if it's the last thing I want to do.

Yeah, he's drunk again. It's a daily occurrence for him lately. But, I'm beyond caring what he thinks, does, or says. Vault is just someone I used to know. No, I take that back. Vault is not someone I know. Alex is a man I used to know. Vault is the person he's turned into who doesn't give a shit about anyone around him. Including the only family member he has left.

"Looks like you already picked your flavor of the minute," I say cattily, knowing I'm better than to stoop down to his level of bullshit but not being able to help myself.

"You jealous, Bell?" he asks, using a name I used to love hearing from his lips. Now it just turns my stomach and makes me feel as if everything we shared before Hound died was nothing but a lie.

"Not at all. You wanna spread your disease around, that's your decision," I say, turning toward Shy because I have no desire to look at the asshole and skank before me.

"What the fuck you wearin' in here? You know better than to dress half naked when you're in here," he says, looking at my outfit again. "Or you tryin' to let one of the brothers pop that cherry for you?"

I've had more than enough of his shit. Walking up to Vault, I reach out and slap him. Shock takes over both of us. I've never been violent in my life and for the first time I've chosen to hurt someone that I used to think was the other half of my soul.

"I'm sorry I slapped you. But, what you just said is completely uncalled for. How dare you insinuate I'm going to let anyone near me. I'm not a slut like you and your friend here. So, if you don't have anything else to say to me, I'm sure there's better things you can be doing with your time," I say, shaking out my hand as pain from the slap radiates through it. "Oh, and as for why I'm dressed like this, I have a game tonight. So, a lot more than just the members of this club are going to see me dressed like this."

Turning my back on the man who infuriates me more than anyone else, I barely register his reply.

"Oh, Bell, did you forget I've already tasted you?" he asks, his voice letting me know he's not doing anything more than taunting me with his words.

Shy gasps and I know I'm going to be questioned about this shit. Vault is making it out to be way more than what it was. We shared a kiss and nothing more. It was a one-time thing and I'm sorry that it happened now. Alex would've never thrown that in my face. Especially in front of other people. Vault doesn't give a fuck about any of that and he will use it to taunt me and get me in trouble with Slim and Shy.

"You're right, Vault. And that's my mistake to live with. I won't make it again. One little kiss means absolutely nothing to me," I spew, looking at him, my eyes filling with tears that I know I won't be able to stop from spilling over. "Shy can we go now? The house bunnies can do what they're supposed to do and finish making dinner. I mean, if they're not all spreading their legs already."

Yeah, I took a dig at the bitch still clinging to Vault. She's not even a house bunny since I've never seen her around here before. Like I said, she's just his flavor for the minute. He'll have a new woman on his arm before tomorrow morning. I know how these guys work. Especially him now. I might not be at the clubhouse on a regular basis any longer, but I have heard more about Vault in the last few weeks than I ever want to. Not only is he drinking excessively every day, but he's hooking up with multiple women on a daily basis. Bringing them to the clubhouse when he knows he's not supposed to do that shit. No one's happy with him these days.

"Yeah. We can leave. Let me just tell Slim we're heading out and then grab the girls. I'll let someone know to come in and finish dinner too," she answers, walking past Vault without a glance.

I grab my warm-ups and leave. Vault and the bitch are still standing in the doorway as I head to the common room. Valor, Savannah, Killer, and one of the Prospects are sitting at a table as I walk through. I stop at their table to talk to Savannah for a second. She lets me know they'll be at the game in a little while. Savannah and I got close because we're the youngest two females here who aren't house bunnies and we have horrible trauma that we've been through. It helps people bond together when they need someone the most.

"Oh, Annabell, have you met the new Prospect?" Savannah suddenly asks, a smile on her face and lilt to her voice that I don't hear very often. Not unless she's scheming about something.

"No. I don't think I have," I say sweetly, turning to the guy in question.

I know Vault's watching us; I can feel his eyes on me. I've always been able to tell when he's looking in my direction or in the same area as me because his eyes feel as if they're caressing my body in ways I've never felt before. I don't understand why I feel that way, or how it even happens, but there's nothing I can do to change it now.

"Annabell, this is Hunter. Hunter, this is Annabell. She's Slim and Shy's daughter now, but that's her story to tell. Anyway, Hunter knows Killer," Savannah tells me, her smile turning to a smirk as I look at Hunter.

"It's nice to meet you, Hunter," I say, holding my hand out for him to shake.

"You too, Annabell," he replies, a smile on his face.

Hunter is a good-looking guy. He's got short dark hair, shaved close to his head with eyes so dark they almost look black. Like, Vault, he's got muscles in all the right places and tattoos covering his skin. Hunter's got a pierced lip, both ears are pierced, and my mind wanders to what else may be pierced on him. Yeah, he's definitely nice to look at.

"Well, I have to head out to get to the school. I'll see you all later," I say, tearing my eyes from Hunters. It's harder than I thought it would be to look away from him.

"We'll be there soon. I can't wait to see you do your thing," Savannah says with a wink.

"Oh, Valor, when you have some time can we talk about something please?" I ask, still not giving any attention to Vault because he's a piece of shit I don't want to deal with any longer.

"Anythin' for you. You know that, Pretty Girl," he answers, turning to look at me in a way that tells me he's silently asking if I'm okay. With a slight shake of my head, I let him know I'm not okay.

Valor's face is also bruised, filled with several different shades of purple, yellow, and a light green. It looks like I've got my answer about who Vault got into a fight with. The brothers may be twins, but they're as different as night and day. I used to think Vault was the man of my dreams and he's now dashing them every second of the day and night with the decisions he's making.

Valor is the man I thought Vault would be. He's sweet, loving, caring, and a man who leans on others when he needs the support. Not someone who pushes everyone away at the first sign of heartbreak or something not going right in their life. Valor is a man of loyalty while Vault is a selfish man. Vault only cares about himself and the pain that he's feeling from the loss of his dad. I don't believe he's even talked to his own brother to see if he's okay since everything happened.

I make my way to the SUV where Shy is already waiting for me. She's got the girls in their seats already and Slim's standing outside her door. They finish talking and I let them have their moment as I get settled in the vehicle next to her. Slim never lets his woman go without a kiss and some soft words spoken. Again, one of the many reasons why I want to have a relationship like the one they share.

"We'll all be there tonight, Annabell," Slim says before walking away from the SUV.

The second we're through the gate of the clubhouse, Shy lets in about what Vault said in the kitchen.

"You know you can talk to me about anything, right?" she asks, taking her eyes off the road for a split second.

"Yeah."

"What was Vault talking about in the kitchen?" Shy asks, not beating around the bush.

"Not what you're thinking, Shy. We were sitting outside the house one day and I was talking about the boys at my old school. They used to ask me out all the time and I turned them down. I was called so many names because of it. I'm not stupid though, I know they only wanted to have sex," I tell her, memories filling me as I let myself travel back in time to when my parents were still alive. "Anyway, I was talking about the boys here being the same way. I've never done anything with a boy, including kiss. So, Vault kissed me."

Shy's silent for a minute. She's taking in what I've said as she pulls into the parking lot of the school to drop me off.

"Annabell, you know you don't have to kiss anyone or have sex with anyone you don't want to, right? Wait until you find the man you're supposed to be with before you give it all away," she tells me, turning to face me so I can see that she's serious while she looks deep into my soul. "As far as Vault goes, I can't help you there. None of us know what he's going to do these days. What I want for you is to kiss the boys who make you feel alive and worthy of sharing that gift with them."

"I know Shy. I'm not going to do anything I'm not ready to do. And trust me, I'm not ready at all," I let her know, a small smile on my face as I grab my things so I can get out of the SUV.

"Annabell, you know Slim's told all the guys at the club they're not to touch you, right? That includes Hunter," she tells me, a look of determination on her face.

I look at her for a minute. While I shouldn't be surprised that Slim's warned the guys away from me, I am. I'm not his blood and I want to be able to date whoever I want. This sucks. But, I am his daughter now and I have to live by the rules he puts in place. I respect him enough to do that and I won't make his life any harder than it already is. Not after everything he's done for me.

"I get it. But, I'll be talking to Slim about this. I don't want to be limited," I tell her, getting out of the car and walking toward the school without a backward glance.

True to their word, the entire club showed up. Even Vault is here. They all sit in the bleachers right behind the cheerleaders. I can feel more than just Vault's eyes on me throughout the entire game. The only relief I felt was when we were in the middle of the field for our half-time routine. We were far enough away I didn't mind the prying eyes from the club being on me. Most of the members and ol' ladies have already been to a game. Tonight is honestly the first time they've all shown up at the same time for me and I'm not sure if I like it or not.

As soon as we're back at the fence, Shy, Slim, and a few others are standing there waiting for me. I grab my water bottle and take several gulps while making my way over to them. Shy wraps me in her arms and tells me how good I'm doing while Slim stands next to us. He doesn't let anyone else get too close to me and I have a feeling it's because Shy told him what happened with Vault in the kitchen of the clubhouse earlier. If he knows, there's no chance in hell he'll let anyone close to me for a long time.

"Annabell, you're good. Better than I thought with all the yellin', jumpin', and other shit you gotta do out here," Slim admits, a smile on his face as he looks at me.

"Hey, Annabell," Hunter says, walking up to the fence with two trays in his hands.

He's got several drinks on one tray and food on the other tray. Always doing work for the club as a Prospect. But, honestly, most of that food could be for one person. If it's one of the guys, then I can definitely see most of that being for one of them and only one. The ol' ladies tend to snack more than anything else so that food could be all for them and no one else.

"Hey, Hunter. Hard at work?" I ask, a smile on my face as my skin starts to cool down from the halftime routine I just got done doing.

"Always," he replies with a smile of his own and I look a little longer at him.

Before anyone can say a word, Vault is calling out for Hunter to bring his stuff to him. Yeah, he's trying to cockblock the Prospect at a damn football game. What I do and who I talk to are none of his business. He can kiss my ass as far as I'm concerned. If I want to spend my entire break talking to Hunter, then that's what I'll do. Vault no longer gets to have a say in anything regarding me. I'm done with his bullshit and over the games he wants to play these days. I deserve so much better than anything he has to offer me. Even in the form of friendship.

"Shy, where are the girls?" I ask, noticing they're not here with them.

"At the clubhouse with the house bunnies. Since there's no guys there, Slim told them to watch the girls so we could have tonight. It's our date night," she answers, cuddling up to her husband with a large smile on her face.

"And you're at a football game? That's not a date night," I respond on a laugh, looking between my parents.

Shy goes to respond, but my coach is calling for us to get back in formation as the football teams begin to make their way back onto the field. I offer up a smile, set my water bottle down, and get back to focusing on the game. Not on the man who's occupied my thoughts for so long. Or the Prospect who is beginning to occupy my mind. One deserves to have my attention and the other one lost any right he ever had to my life, secrets, and anything else involving me.

We end up winning the game. It was a good night full of laughter, excitement, and doing something I never thought I'd do again. The only dark spot is going home. Shy rode here on the back of Slim's bike and now I have to figure out how I'm getting home. Usually, I'd be on the back of Vault's bike, but I don't want to ride with him. I'll never ride with him again. I'm not saying I won't ever be on the back of a bike again, but it sure as hell won't be Vault's. Something else I'm sure he feels that he has the right to make a decision about.

The choice is taken out of my hands when Slim leads me to one of the SUVs the club has. Getting in the passenger seat, I can't say that I hate this particular decision being taken out of my hands. Hunter is driving and takes me home following all the bikes to the clubhouse. We don't talk or anything on the way home from the school, but it's nice to ride with him as he drives safely. I'm sure it's only because I'm in the SUV with him and this isn't how he drives on a regular basis.

Once Hunter safely delivers me home, I head straight to bed after washing the make-up off my face and changing into my shorts and tank top. It's been a long few days and I'm exhausted. It's not exactly easy to sleep when my mind is consumed with an impossible choice that I need to make regarding Vault and how we move forward. I will never give up on Vault, but I know deep in my heart that it's time to let him go. He's not the same man I've been sharing everything with and I know more than most how much a person's death can change you. Especially when you love that person more than anything else. My thoughts are mixed up with Hunter and Vault as I drift to sleep. When I finally let sleep claim me, Vault's face is the last I see.