His Rotten Apple

35 ~ Dressing Up

"Oh, come on, don't whine. I swear, she's perfectly harmless..."

"Zai, that's a lie," Gavin whispered into his phone, warily following Elizabeth's every movement. "She looks like she can charge any minute."

"Marshmallow, don't judge a book by its cover. She's an absolute angel... You know, once in a blue moon."

"I can't deal with people like her."

"You mean you finally met your match. And plus, you offered to do this."

"You didn't tell me how bitchy she was gonna be."

"Hey, this is my best friend you're talking about. Be nice if you don't want me to beat you up."

"I'm pretty sure she's gonna beat you to it."

"She's a lot nicer than she lets on. Don't wor-"

"Zailey!" Connor called and ran to her.

He felt her forehead, before she grabbed his arm to stop him.

Zailey went back to her call, "Seriously Gavin, out of all the times you keep quiet, this is when you open your mouth?"

"I didn't think he'd actually find you."

"I'm hanging up," she said, glaring at Connor. "Help them, alright?"

"Sure, sure whatever," Gavin said. "But if I get sent to the hospital, you're paying the bill."

"Why didn't you call me?" Connor asked right as she hung up the phone.

"Because I wanted to ask a favor," She held her phone up, "You could probably guess who it was just now, right?"

"Gavin?"

"Mhm. Since I'm not gonna be able to go around to help Jacque and Elizabeth find jobs, he offered to do it."

"And you thought it would actually work out?"

"No... But I thought that if you were there to keep everyone from blowing their heads off," she continued.

"Funny idea, considering the only head I want to blow off is his."

"Come on, please!!"

"I'm busy."

"Doing what?"

"I need to take care of you."

"How many times do I have to tell you I'm fine? You have tons of experience with part-time jobs. You can refer them to some places."

"But Zailey..."

"Please," she took his arm. "I'm so indebted to them. And I was so happy to hear them say they wanted to get their life together."

"They're not your children."

"But they're my family. They made 'Zai...' And no matter how much of a pain in the ass she is, she's strong and brave, tons of fun... They made my life suck so much less."

"This is just job hunting, Zai..."

"No, it's not." Zailey shook her head, "Believe it or not, for them to be going out like this, taking responsibility... Controlling their lives... It's a big deal for them. They might act like they don't give a fuck, but I know they're trying."

"It really means that much to you?"

Zailey nodded.

"How is it possible to fall for you even more," Connor ran his hand along her cheek. "You're burning up. I'll go to them after I drop you off."