I'm Sorry, Can You Repeat That?

I stared at Jack and shook my head walking out of my room closing the door behind me. They’re joking, they’re just pulling my leg, and there is no way I’m getting married to him. I leaned against the door when the doorbell rang. My bedroom door opened and I fell back only to be caught by someone.

“Aren’t you going to get that?” Jack asked holding onto me with a smirk on his face.

I scowled and pulled away and walked down the stairs when the door opened. Stacy walked in with Rob and Paul making me freeze on the steps. What’s with her and her bad timing? I ran back up to my room and pushed Jack in.

“What are you-“ he started but I cut him off.

“Friends are here and I can’t let them see you so stay here and be quiet,” I said quickly then closed the door in his face.

“Birthday girl get down here right now!” Paul yelled, “Don’t make me come and get you!”

The door opened again, “Is that a guy?” Jack asked and I closed the door again.

“Coming!” I yelled and went down the stairs where everyone was waiting for me. Paul was leaning against the banister, and Stacy was holding a small cake right next to Rob. “Nice of you to just let yourselves in,” I said sarcastically.

Paul smiled, “well this is our second home,” he pulled me into a hug, “happy seventeenth birthday.”

“Hey!” someone yelled and we all looked up the steps to see Cain looking down at me and Paul, “hands off. She’s taken!” Cain ran down the stairs and ripped me away from Paul. I looked at Paul and he looked very shocked at Cain. Why couldn’t he just stay in my room?

Paul’s eyes narrowed, “who are you?” Paul sounded mad and Cain squeezed my hand. Is he nervous? Paul is taller than Cain and relatively stronger by the looks of it. I glanced at Cain who tried to keep a threatening face on, but I could see it wavering. “Hey I asked you a question.” Paul pressed and stepped forward. Cain gave my hand another squeeze and I moved myself in between the two so nothing would break out. Paul’s like the protective older brother I never had and I guess he’s sees Cain as a threat.

“You never listen do you?” Jack came strolling down the stairs with his hands in his pockets. I watched him glance at Paul and then he looked at Cain, “Well now that we’ve established a scene I take it as my cue to leave," he stopped right next to me and Cain, “So I’ll just take this and be on my way,” he grabbed Cain by the ear and tugged him to the front door. “Oh,” he turned to me, “We’ll be back around seven-ish with the rents, so see you later.”

“Bye Cherry,” Cain said before being yanked out the door with a couple of more ‘ouch’s. The door closed and everyone looked at me with questionable expressions.

“Can someone tell me what just happened?” Stacy said and I motioned them to follow me to the kitchen. They did and taking spots to sit as I got some plates, “So tell me who those two were?”

I sat down the plates with a knife to cut the cake, “Well in short that was my in-law and husband to be,” I said and their eyes went wide.

I looked at Stacy and she had a smile tugging on her lips, “So who’s who?”

“Cain is the in-law, and his older brother, Jack, is the fiancé,” I sat down with them at the table, “frankly I’m not happy about this. I mean I haven’t even had a boyfriend and now I suddenly have a fiancé? I feel like someone’s screwing with me.”

“Jack’s the tall one correct?” Stacy asked and I nodded, “He’s hot.”

“Hey!” Rob shouted.

Stacy looked at him, “What?”

“Hello? Boyfriend right here,” he gestured to himself.

“So? I’m stating a fact,” she snapped and then looked at me, “he’s major eye candy, Cherry. Besides you always said you wanted to marry Jack.”

I narrowed my eyes, “You know well I was talking about Jack Skelington. These are two completely different Jacks were talking about,” and I don’t think Jack Skelington would go through my underwear drawer. “And if you like him so much how about you become his fiancé?”

“Hello boyfriend still here.”

“Come on Cherry,” Stacy started, “I bet with a face like that he can’t be all that bad.”

“Am I invisible over here?”

I crossed my arms, “I don’t care if he’s the next Bradley Cooper,” I thought about, “well maybe not Bradley Cooper. Still I don’t care how good looking he may be I don’t want to get married to someone I don’t know.”

“You tell her Cherry,” Paul said next to me and I looked at him as he ate a slice of cake. When did he cut the cake? “If she likes his looks so much then she can go for him.”

“Of course cause I’m just the wind over here,” Rob grumbled stabbing a slice of cake in front of him.

Stacy shook her head and gave Rob a kiss making him grumble with a slight smile on his lips, “Well he did say he’s coming back tonight. So you can just call us later when you know more, who knows he may be a nice guy.” A nice guy that raids my room making a mess out of everything. If this is mom’s surprise gift to me where can I return it, er, him?