Sweet Is Revenge

by Victoria Rose

  "Maybe to you, but I'm a man and he thinks I'm trying to step in on his daughter, so he won't be, what you call a 'teddy bear', to me I can guarantee it," I said and earned one of her bright smiles.

  "He'll loosen up as the day goes on. Just, don't piss him off when he has the gun in his hands. I'm pretty sure he won't hesitate to shoot you, in a non-fatal place of course," she warned.

  "I hope you're joking," I said with a look of shock on my face, though really I wasn't shocked. I knew who he was. Then a thought occurred to me, did she even know who he was? I wouldn't be surprised if she didn't, if they were trying to keep some sort of normalcy in her life.

  "I may or may not be. Who really knows. My dad, he can be, loco. To say the least," I heard the admiration in her voice and it disgusted me. She had a father to look up to, but it didn't stop him from being a douche bag who took one of our family members and corrupted her against us. A spark of another idea came to my head. I could do that, take Lillian and turn her against them. But then I'd have to continue putting up with her, even after I got sick of her. I wasn't willing to deal with that.

  "How the hell did you fit into those pants?" I heard a male voice come from the stairs. I looked and saw Brian coming down. "I wear loose pants, and they barely fit right now. Women have it so easy," he complained.

  "If you haven't noticed, I'm hanging over a little bit Brian. I'm still not all the way down to my normal size," I watched as she grabbed the tiniest bit of skin that was hanging over. I raised an eyebrow. This was a little odd. "I'm still hot though, you need some work," she added. I bit back a laugh. At least she wasn't self-conscious, I hate girls like that, especially when I can see nothing wrong with them.

  "Fuck you too, sis," Brian growled at her. He noticed me there then. "Oh, hey," he said before moving on.

  "He is such a diva, it's ridiculous," Lillian flopped down on the couch next to me. "So, have you ever even shot a gun before?" She turned to look at me.

  "When I was young, but I'm really not that good," big lie. I could probably outshoot her and all of her family, which would come in handy for later. Her eyes brightened.

  "It's really not that hard, but I've been shooting since I was eight. My brother wasn't allowed to have a gun until he was twelve. He always pointed at people and pretended to shoot them, he didn't understand that there were real bullets in there. I definitely got the brains of the two of us," she said in good humor. I heard Brian's voice from somewhere in the house.

  "I heard that!" She laughed and rolled her eyes. I had never seen people so happy. Everyone that I was use to were so serious all the time. This girl always laughed, and it wasn't an unattractive sound.

  "I think I'll be able to manage, and if I can't, you can always teach me," I said with a grin. I would fake magnificently if it meant she would be feeling up on me, her arms around me to get me to aim clearly.

  "That's a possibility I suppose. My dad's a much better teacher though. He taught me everything I know," she said with a smile.

  "I'd much rather have you teach me, I want to keep your dad as far away from me as possible right now," I put on the nervous act again and she laughed.

  "He won't bite."

  "Too hard at least," I heard another woman's voice and looked away from Lillian straight to someone who looked almost exactly like her.

  "He won't bite Decklin is what I meant," Lillian corrected herself. "I don't want to know about him biting you either mom, save it for the bedroom," she said and made a face. Mom? This woman looked like she could be her sister. This was the girl who killed my father? I didn't think she'd be so small and fragile looking. I had imagined someone like Betty, France's wife. She was large and meaty and you didn't fuck with her unless you had a death wish.

  "Decklin, you said?" She asked, her face showing confusion. "What's your father's name, boy?" So she did know about me. Well I wasn't falling for that.

  "I'm an orphan ma'am, I didn't know my father," I didn't get a chance because the psycho bitch had killed him. She nodded in acceptance.

  "Sometimes it's best not to know our parents," she said with a sigh. "You're going on the sacred father daughter shooting trip? You must be pretty special," she said with a raised eyebrow at her daughter.

  "I didn't know it was sacred, if I'm intruding I don't have to go," I said, though I really hoped I could go. It would be a perfect opportunity to get in good with her dad.

  "Oh no, it's fine. I invited you so you're not intruding, but if my dad's being a grump ass, that's the reason why," Lillian explained.

  "Ready to go?" Isaiah said as he walked into the living room. Both Lillian and I nodded. I followed them out to a car. "Well, I guess we won't be taking the bike this time, since we have extra company," Isaiah said with a glare at me. I tried my best to look sorry, but I am pretty sure it didn't work.

  The car ride was long. We left the little town, going down back roads at a breakneck speed. Lillian and her father chatted and I listened. I wondered if I'd have a relationship like that with my dad if I had ever gotten the chance. I couldn't imagine it, if my dad were anything like the other guys in the gang then he'd be stiff and boring, always talking about business. Plus there is something different about a father, daughter relationship than a father, son relationship. Dad's are supposed to coddle their daughters and discipline their sons as a general rule. Even so, I couldn't stop my mind from wandering.

  Lillian turned around in her seat and peeked at me through the headrest and the back of the seat. "Whatcha thinking' so hard about back there pretty boy?" Half of my mouth quirked up.

  "Pretty boy?" I asked amused. She smiled, blindingly and nodded. "Well, I was just wondering what it would have been like to have a father, watching you and yours together caused my imagination to start working," I answered honestly. She frowned.

  "I always wondered the same thing growing up too," Isaiah spoke up. "I was adopted when I was fifteen and they did just fine, it's not the same as the real thing, but it was a good second," he said, looking at me through the rearview mirror. His eyes had softened a touch.

  "I was raised by my uncle, who I guess was the polar opposite of my dad," I made up. It came so easily. "Uncle Ronnie is very business oriented, very strict, and very dull. But, he's the only living relative of mine," I said with a tight smile.

  We arrived at the shooting range a few minutes after our small conversation. It wasn't the best, but it was still pretty nice. We got on our gear and went to the targets. "You know the basics of a gun, right?" Lillian asked hesitantly.

  "Cock it and pull the trigger, I know how to work it, I think. I've listened to enough rap in my days," I joked. She rolled her eyes.

  "You don't strike me as a rap person, but yeah, that's how you do it," she handed me a gun. "To put the bullets in you do this," she showed me how it opened and the holder for the bullets came out. How she could make a small move like that look sexy was beyond me, but she did. Her fingers were small and quick as she loaded the bullets in and snapped it shut. "Alright, to put the safety on and off is right here," she said pointing and demonstrating for me. "Pull back up here," she put her finger on the back of the gun and pulled the lever down until it clicked. "Aim," she took aim, holding both arms out in front of her, her feet shoulder width apart. She closed one eye and shot, hitting the target right in the center. Damn, if that wasn't hot I don't know what is. "See, it's simple, just make sure your feet are firmly planted on the ground, it has a little kickback, and make sure your arms are steady, it's easy," she said and handed me the gun.

  I took her place and faked my aim. I was about to pull the trigger when I heard her start laughing. "Not to be mean, I know you've never done this, but you're not going to come anywhere close to hitting that target. Here," she stepped up behind me and put one of her arms on mine, lifting it up and moving it over a bit. Her small body pressed to mine made me want to forget about shooting all together and take her there. But instead I just gave her a nervous smile and let her control where my
arms were pointing. "Keep a steady hand, and shoot," she said. I shot it off and it missed the middle of the target by a few inches. "Well, you're much taller than me so your vision is different, a couple more tries and you should get it," she gave me an encouraging smile.

  "Wow, I look like an idiot compared to you," I said with a sigh. She just laughed.

  "You're a first timer, don't worry about it, you'll get there," she said and went back to her own post. We stayed there for a good hour, talking and laughing. Well, Isaiah and Lillian were laughing at me mostly. I got a couple 'lucky shots' in. Pretending to be bad at something was really frustrating.

  "Alright, I think we've given the man enough of a hard time, let's get out of here," Isaiah finally spoke up. They packed up their things and started heading out. I stayed behind a minute before reaching out with one arm, aiming, envisioning Lillian's mother's face, and hitting the center of the target. I smirked, anticipating the day that I truly would be hitting the real target.

  I didn't know that somebody was watching me.

  Chapter Six: Liar LiarLiar Liar,

  Pants on fire.

  Liar Liar

  Stop yourself from catching fire

  The Used- Liar Liar

  Lillian

  I didn't understand why Decklin felt he had to lie to me about not being able to shoot. It was an absolutely ridiculous thing to lie about if you ask me. But he must have had a good reason. So when he asked me to hang out the next day, so I could show him around the town I agreed, but I planned to confront him.

  He picked me up at one, when I was done with my classes, he was taking me to lunch at a restaurant of my choosing. I was impressed that he was exactly on time. I chose a little Italian diner by the name of Nonna Rita's. I loved that place. It was so homey and had great Italian food.

  A plump woman with a husky voice and a great sense of humor seated us. She chatted almost non stop and was possibly one of the funniest ladies I have ever met. Her name was Lucinda, she usually took care of my family when we came here. We ordered our drinks, red wine for both of us, and started looking over the menu. "How old are you?" Decklin asked suddenly. I smiled and leaned in close.

  "Twenty, but I have friends in high places. That's how I get into The Club and can drink here," I dated a geek when I was a freshman in college. I had him wrapped around my finger so when I asked him for a fake ID he complied. I just had to make out with him. He was a cutie, but was way too into his video games for me.

  "Right on," was all Decklin had to say about that. I watched him as he studied the menu. "What would you recommend?"

  "They have amazing pasta of all kinds. If you like white sauce, they make it from scratch with a secret ingredient that totally blows your taste buds away. If you prefer red sauce, their spaghetti and meatballs is good as well. I'm in the mood for ravioli today, so I'll probably get their Italian sausage ravioli. They also make great pizza in a wood burning oven, it gives it a unique taste," I laughed at myself. I went there way too much. He made a humming noise.

  "I think I'll try the Fettuccini Alfredo," he decided.

  "Good choice, it's amazing. Well, pretty much everything is amazing here, you can't go wrong," I smiled at him. When Lucinda came back we gave her our orders and I leaned back in my booth. I sighed.

  "What's on your mind?" He asked, leaning forward on his elbows.

  "Why did you lie to me?" His expression was startled for a minute.

  "About what?" He said, copying me and leaning back in his seat, crossing his arms across his chest.

  "I came back for you yesterday, thinking you got lost or something. I saw you hit the target in the center without even really aiming," I said. "I don't understand why you thought you had to lie. I don't know you, but if there's one thing you have to know about me, it's that I hate liars. And whatever this is we're starting, this friendship or whatever, is not starting off too well," I told him. He sighed.

  "You probably wouldn't believe me if I said it was a lucky shot, would you?" He asked hopefully.

  "If you tell me it was a lucky shot, I will walk out of this restaurant right now and you'll never see me again," I said seriously. He sighed again.

  "I don't know why I lied to you."

  "I'm not buying it. You don't lie to someone for no reason, Decklin. Unless you're a pathological liar, in which case I don't want anything to do with you."

  "I honestly don't like showing off. I didn't want you thinking that I was trying to get your attention with my good shooting skills, to try to impress you. I don't want you thinking my intentions are anything but pure," he said, looking me in the eye. I laughed at him. I couldn't help myself. I learned a long time ago that no guy's intentions were 'pure,' even my brother who I loved to death didn't have pure intentions when it came to women.

  "That's bullshit. I mean, you may be trying to be honest right now, but really think about that. Why did you buy me a drink at The Club? I've seen you checking me out. You can cut the crap," I said with a raised eyebrow.

  "What do you want me to say right now? Yeah, I think you're hot as hell, I'm physically attracted to you. But I don't know you as a person, and I don't ask girls out unless I know about them. So, straight out, my intentions are to get to know you to see if we're… Without trying to sound like a cheap magazine, compatible," he said, scratching the back of his head, without looking at me. I could tell he was nervous as to my reaction. At least I felt he was trying to be honest now, though I knew something was off about him. I just ignored it, it couldn't have been too bad.

  "So what do you think so far?" I asked him. He looked at me.

  "I think you're one of the funniest, care free girls I've ever met and I love how you laugh all the time. I've never met someone as happy as you and I'm actually kind of jealous," he admitted.

  "I've had a good life. I have a reason to smile. Sure, life is boring, but it's not bad," our food came at that time and we thanked Lucinda. "Why are you jealous? You seem pretty happy," I said before taking a bite of my ravioli, it didn't disappoint.

  "I am most of the time. But life gets me down too easily. I haven't had a happy life. I never knew my dad, and my mom died while I was still young, so I had to go live with my uncle who is a grumpy bastard if I've ever known one. Most days I just don't find a reason to be happy I guess," he shrugged. I felt for him. I don't know what I'd do if I lost my family. They were everything to me.

  "If you look closely, there's always something to be happy about. I mean, you're staying in a kick ass hotel, you have a job and a car, you're attractive, and you met me," he laughed at the last one and I smiled in return. "See there are lots of things to be happy about, so cheer up buttercup," I reached over and lightly hit his chin with my finger. He smiled at me.

  "Thanks Lillian, I needed that," he said sincerely. I nodded.

  "So what do you think of Nonna Rita's food? Are you going to write a good review?"

  "Oh definitely! This has the best Italian food I've ever tasted. It beats all of the big city places," he said enthusiastically. "It also has the nicest servers. You don't find people like that in a busy city. You can tell that she really enjoys her job. In the city, people are just looking out for their own, settling for second best, and holding a grudge because they believe they deserve much more," he said. I listened in awe. I had never been to a big city. It didn't sound pleasant, but I wanted to experience the hustle and bustle of the city. This town, while it was nice, and I could live here forever and not really regret it, it was just boring and way too laid back.

  "I want to experience the city," I said with a sigh.

  "You've never been to the city?" His face showed the shock that his voice was portraying. I shook my head.

  "No, my dad says it's too dangerous. He doesn't want me anywhere near a city. I think it's stupid because I know more self defense than almost any other girl my age, and there are people there every day who walk by themselves, with no knowledge of self defense, and they're just fine," I vented. "And I'm n
ot stupid, don't go down back alley's at night, don't go with a stranger from a bar, look both ways before you cross the street, honestly, my parents need to have more faith in me," I said before jabbing my ravioli.

  "Do you ever think that they trust you, it's everybody else they don't trust?" Decklin asked in a calm voice.

  "They don't have to trust anybody else to let me go. If they trusted me enough, they'd let me go even though they doubt everyone else," I argued. He shrugged.

  "It was just a thought," he said before taking another bite of is meal. I took a sip of my wine and watched him. He really was attractive. And everything he did was on the verge of being elegant. He had good table manners and an excellent posture. I found I could probably sit and watch him all day. I rolled my eyes at the thought. Was I getting my first 'crush'? I've been attracted to guys, and I've dated guys, but I've never really had true feelings about somebody. Decklin was a person I could have those feelings about… If he got over the lying.

  "You're staring at me," he said, humor evident in his voice. I smiled.

  "You're pretty," I told him. He grinned.

  "That's the nicest compliment someone's ever paid me, I do believe. Pretty eh? That is a new one, for sure," he said with a laugh. I joined him.

  "You're not feminine pretty if that makes you feel better. There's a difference between feminine and manly pretty. You're definitely manly pretty," I said with a nod. He smiled.

  "That's another thing I like about you, you say what's on your mind and don't care what other people think," I heard admiration in his voice and I felt heat creeping to my cheeks. Blushing? Seriously, I never blushed. I was glad for my dark skin right then, because it wasn't as evident that I was indeed blushing.

  We left after eating, I was pleased to see that Decklin left a generous tip, a pet peeve of mine was stingy tippers. We walked around town, going into shops and talking about insignificant things. I really liked him. He was chivalrous, holding my doors, and letting me go before him. He didn't appear as if he was trying too hard either, which is always a turn off for me. It was just natural to him, like he was born that way. He had a good sense of humor and he laughed at my stupid jokes.