HIRAETH [1] || Grayson Hawthorne

Chapter 9- Gummybears

"Show me your legs." -Avery Grambs

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I finished setting up my new phone on my bed and decided to call my closest friends. I opened up our group chat but my finger hesitated over the call button, no one has sent any messages since last week when my phone was taken. And we hardly even hung out since the year started. The only actual friend I knew I had was Chester, and even then I don't think he could be labelled a friend. Friends don't hit each other.

Still, I type in the number I memorized and waited for someone to pick up. "Hello?" I could hear his familiar voice on the other line. I didn't speak, wondering what he would do. "Who is this? I swear if it's another prank I will find yo--" I cut him off. "It's a prank." I answered simply and I could hear him smile.

"My dearest Lorelai, how have you been. You didn't make it yesterday." He said through the line. I sighed and laid on my soft bed, surrounded by pillows. "I'm a billionaire now, don't you know?" I heard him chuckle, "So I've heard. How's the rich life treating you? Very well I suppose." He said and continued when I didn't reply, "Still so quiet huh?" I was about to answer when I heard another voice.

"Lily." It was Duke, "Hi Duke, I have another phone now. Do you want to order someone to steal this too?" I joked and he laughed. "Obviously, you still owe us. Anyways, you're on speaker and boss is asking whether or not you plan to pay the $10,000. Now that you're a billionaire I don't think you'll mind giving us a few thousand more." He told me and I let out a sigh.

"You'll get your $10,000 dollars Harp, don't expect any more though." I told her, knowing she could hear me. "What a shame." I heard her say. No one spoke and I listened to the small noises they were making on the other end. Someone walked away and a door shut, followed by retreating footsteps. "Now that Harps is gone, why'd you call? You never do." Chester asked.

"You guys are the only friends I have." I answered and both boys chuckled, "Friends don't hit each other Lily." Duke told me and I rolled my eyes. "Then I guess we aren't friends. Just enemies who play nice." I joked, with a smile on my face. "I've still got that stupid black eye you know?" I heard Chester tell me, and I laughed. "And I've still got the scabs on my leg from when you scratched me, but I'm not bitching about it." I answered back and I heard a door open and shut once more.

"Lorelai." It was Harper. "I expect full payment by the end of the week, can you make that happen?" she asked, expecting nothing else but a yes. "You'll get your $10,000. Thanks for funding my education." I answered plainly.

Harper chuckled, "Take the education I gave you and put it to good use, Lorelai." I smiled, "You know I will."

"End the call." she ordered the boys who immediately started complaining, "But we still want to talk to her." I heard Duke say. "End it. Now." The 30 year old woman ordered and they obeyed. "Bye Lily." Duke said, "Bye Lorelai." Chester pressed a button and the line dropped.

"Who were you on the phone with? And what money?" Avery said from the door conjoining our rooms. I turned my phone off and slid it underneath a pillow, startled. "What do you mean?" I asked her stupidly, of course I know what she meant.

Avery began striding towards me in large steps, "Show me your legs." she said earning a scoff from me, I shuffled to hide my legs under the blanket but she noticed. "Now. I heard you say you had scabs you weren't bitching about so show me." she ordered and pulled the blanket off rather harshly.

I panicked and cursed myself for not wearing pants in my room. "Rors.." she said with a worried frown. "Relax, you should've seen Duke and Chester." I said to try and lighten the mood. Avery let go of the blanket and hugged me tight, too tight in fact, "Ave, I can't breathe." she let go.

"When? H-how? What?" she stuttered and I shook my head. "It's nothing really, I'm fine." I said without telling her the complete truth.

"Tell me everything, now." she said with a strict tone as she sat on my bed next to me. "You and your 'nows'." I teased. "No time better to live than the present, now explain." I snorted once at her use of another 'now'.

I took a deep breath and got ready to narrate everything down to the last detail just to annoy her enough to stop asking. "So it started one wonderful morning, I woke up with my hair all messy and my eyes all tired but I noneth--" she stopped me.

"Cut the shit Lorelai, tell me what happened." Avery said and I sighed at her use of my complete first name.

"Fine, don't get your panties in a twist." I teased one more time before replacing the smile on my face with a smaller one. "I met Duke and Chester in a bar, " Avery gasped and I glared at her to keep quiet while I tell this not so exciting story. "So we met at a bar because I worked as a street cleaner. I know a 15 year old as a street cleaner, craz—" she cut me off again.

"15? What do you mean 15?!" she asked bewildered, I swatted her shoulder with my hand, "You won't know if you keep cutting me off." I said and she wisely shut her mouth. "Okay so 15, I'm cleaning the streets outside the bar and Chester, just a year older than me, gives me an offer an extremely out of this world offer." I paused for dramatic effect earning a glare from my older sister.

I suck in a deep breath, ready to debate speed talk. "He told me he knew someone I could borrow money from and I stupidly agreed when he told me he'd take me to her, yes her, I mean I know he could've been a kidnapper or something but Ches looked nice. Anyways, he takes me to her and I borrowed $50,000." I paused to let it sink in.

"Not for drugs and stuff, but okay wait, remember the money we, well you, thought dad was providing for us and all those birthday cards he supposedly gave us on our birthdays? It was all me, the birthday cards started way before mom died. I caught her one day writing a card to each of us, pretending it was dad, she made me promise that I would keep the secret and continue the card thing even after she died, and I did. Anyways we're getting off topic here, so birthday cards and the money that were supposedly from dad were all me, and mom. Well the money was all me but— okay whatever you get it. Ever since I was 15 I would need to give Harper $500-$1,000 at least, every week at the hands of her two main workers, Chester and Duke. It's usually them that give me the bruises and scratches that appear randomly. Like the one's I have now and—" I took a breath, one person can only speak so much. I pointed at my face and arms before continuing.

"And like the one's I have before, I've been paying for our school and I've also put some money aside for our college tuitions. I even bought you the shoes you thought were from dad." I finished, heaving in and out. "Oh and before you call me stupid for asking for $50,000, I was desperate and a child. Look at me—" I paused to breath, absolutely tired from my rap. "Look at me, it's been 2 years and I still haven't paid the full amount. If anyone has the right to call me stupid, it's me." I finished, for real this time.

Avery had tears in her eyes and pounced at me with a hug, I toppled over the bed and hugged her back awkwardly, my arms squeezed shut to my torso because of my older sister. 

"I should've been the one doing that, I'm older." she cried into my shoulder, cutting off my oxygen supply. "By two minutes, and anyways I'm capable." I defended. She pulled away from the hug only to do it again. "I know that you're capable."

I smiled, really smiled and wrapped my arms around her just as tight, "I love you Avery, and I would do anything for you. We're sisters for god's sake." I said before kissing her head. Something I said made her cry harder into my shoulder and I immediately felt bad, "What did I say wrong?" She shook her head.

"I love you too."

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i have no fucking idea if this was even a good backstory for rory.. whatever fuck it. go with the flow, ew. and also i might make this a slowburn unless i want grayson and rory to kiss already in like the next chapter or smn lol im kidding tf anyways i love you reader, youre valid and capable, always <3.