Fall From Grace(80)

“Sure, if you’re attracted to giant things made of metal that mess up the environment and suck you dry for gas,” Lea quipped.

We followed Tucker into his apartment, where he threw his coat on a chair and hurried out into another room.  He left Lea and me standing there, still full of ashes and soot, and feeling oh so very welcomed.

Tucker shared his apartment with Brayden and Alex.  It was a stereotypical bachelor pad, if said bachelors were all fourteen and just hitting puberty.  Posters of half-naked schoolgirls lined the walls and empty beer cans were lined up along the coffee table, artfully holding up fifteen pizza boxes.  The smell of cologne and stale beer seemed to be their brand of air freshener.

I jabbed Lea with my elbow, “And you wanted to stay at the Waldorf, when we could have this,” I giggled spreading my arms wide.

“I rather stay in the burnt apartment.  This is ridiculous.  I don’t feel like you’re safe here, and I really want Conner and Shane with us at all times.”

“Shane?” I whispered.

“Grace, if it wasn’t for him, you’d literally be toast right now!” she hissed.  “I’m calling Conner to get his ass over here.  Tucker gets all creepy when he’s around you!”

She yanked her phone out of her bag and started talking in hushed whispers with someone on the other end.

Tucker strode out of one of the back rooms with a bottle of his precious champagne.  “Would you like some of your favorite?” he asked, holding the bottle up for me to see.

Without waiting for either of us to answer, he busied himself with trying to find clean glasses to pour the champagne in.

A knock interrupted us at the door.  Tucker cursed and opened it and cursed again.  “Yes, Ethan.  What do you need?” he snapped.

“I need Grace and Lea,” he said.  He looked at the bottle of champagne Tucker was holding and threw his hands up in the air.  “Hey, lover boy.  They were just in a house fire, so why are you trying to give them champagne?  Look at them, they need a shower and a good night’s sleep!” he yelled as he ushered us out and down the hallway.

Ethan walked us to the next apartment.  “Don’t mind Tucker.  He’s usually not such a jerk when it comes to women, but Grace, you seem to bring the idiot out in him.  Are you guys okay?  That must have been terrifying.”

“What?  Being in the fire or the thought of having to sleep over at Tucker’s? Because both seem like a nightmare to me,” I whispered.

Ethan paused as he pushed his key in to unlock his door.  He turned, hugged me tight and patted Lea on the shoulders.  “Conner and Shane are coming back and you’ll be safe here.  You both need a nice hot shower and sleep.”

Their apartment was the exact opposite of the one we were just in.  It was impeccably clean, with lovely soft leather furniture, and actual artwork framed on the walls, all with a musical theme.  There was not one naked schoolgirl poster to be seen.

I walked in and cracked up laughing.  “No way.  You, Conner, and Shane live here?  This place is...”

“Surprising?” Ethan offered.

“Grown up?” Lea giggled.

“Um, yeah, both.” I answered.

Ethan nodded, “It’s the reason we live together.  The three of us are neat freaks and I think Shane is a closet interior decorator, because he put this place together.  Come on and I’ll give you the grand tour, Grace.”

Lea walked herself into Conner’s room and closed the door behind her as Ethan led me around.  He left the bedroom doors closed though, and only pointed to each one saying the names of the owners.  My stomach lurched when he named the Bone Room and a surge of jealousy crashed through me at the thought of how many girls Shane had been in there with.  Jealous?  Am I admitting this to myself now?