The Tomboy and Her Nine Brothers

Katherine POV

I sighed as I hopped in the passenger seat of my brother’s car and watched as he maneuvered the streets like a pro. I wish I had my own car to drive. I had yet to get my own car because dad isn’t facing up to his little girl growing up but mom convinced him to let me have my own car on my eighteenth birthday.

Though I should have gotten mine when Kyle had earlier this year, on our seventeenth birthday like our older brothers had. But I don’t mind getting rides from my brothers, besides I’m still deciding on what car to get, but I do know I want a different one then my brothers.

Besides I need a cool ride so that I could just trade cars with my brothers if I want to change it up a bit, they already do that but you have to hand over the keys of your own car if you wanna borrow someone else’s. Of course this doesn’t apply to me yet since I didn’t get my own car like Kyle did so I just ride with whoever I feel like riding with. Luckily all my brothers have cool cars, well except Cole but he lets me ride his motorcycle after he taught me how and bought me specially made padded clothes in case of an accident.

“We’re here,” Kyle said pulling me out of my revere as he climbed out of the car. I shook my head and did the same, following him as we walked to the mall entrance side by side. It was a huge mall two, with two floors full different stores.

I glanced around as we went inside the bustling mall people of all ages walking around as the went in and out of stores. I led the way to the mall directory to see where everything was. I found a Michael’s on the left side of the mall on the second floor.

“I’m gonna go straight to Michael’s, I have my phone so call me if you need anything. We should meet up for lunch at the food court though” I said as I turned to Kyle who was gazing at the sports shops the mall had to offer.

“Yeah, there’s a couple stores I wanna hit up and I have my phone too. How about we meet around one for some lunch seeing it’s around eleven?” Kyle suggested turning to meet my gaze.

“Yeah sounds good, I’ll meet you at the food court in two hours. Text me if end up wanting to meet later and I’ll do the same” I said before waving bye and turning towards the escalator leading up to the second floor.

I looked around basically window shopping as I made my way towards Michael’s before I decided to stop by Hot Topic to see if they had anything cute. I went in and felt content, I might not be of the goth/punk/emo type I can honestly Hot Topic had some cool clothes. Especially when it came to band tees or posters.

I found a band tee for Muse, Coldplay, and Green Day grabbing one of my size in each I went towards the jewelry and found a cute black rose necklace. I grabbed some black fuzzy socks with pink skulls on them and went to the cashier with my purchases. I left Hot Topic with one bag and made my way to this shoe store that had some cool kicks. I found a pair of black and purple one’s and asked for some in my size before buying them and leaving the store.

Ten minutes and one more store later I found myself walking towards the paint supplies of Michael’s with three bags in hand. I ended up stopping buy some random store and bought a new backpack after remembering that I had found a hole in my old one, it was a Jansport backpack with black, white and different shades of blue in an abstract design.

I found myself in the paints aisle and put my bags done to grab my list of supplies I needed to replenish. I grabbed everything I need before walking around to look at the others stuff and decided on buying some new sketchpads since the one I bought last month is almost full.

I left Michael’s with two new bags adding to my other three and left walking towards Best Buy a couple stores down. I passed by a small snack place and inhaled the sweet smell of macadamia nut cookies. Deciding to indulge on my weakness I made line and ended up buying two cookies and a water.

I bite into my cookie and my eyes closed and I held back a moan when I came back up a bite of chewy nutty cookie my mouth savoring the taste. I ate my cookie in peace as I walked along the aisle glancing at the stores as I continued on my way to Best Buy.

I put the last cookie and my water in my tote and went inside the store glancing at stuff here and there. I found myself in a dilemma ten minutes later, I held a pair of blue and black Dr. Dre Beats headphones and couldn’t decide which one’s to buy. I shrugged and but both of them in knowing I could just give the one I don’t like later on to one of my brothers. I had a feeling one of them need some headphones so I put both of the them in my cart, which held my other shopping bags.

Thirty minutes later I left Best Buy with two more bags in hand. I found another one of the directories the mall had placed randomly throughout the mall and helped back a fist pump when I saw that the mall had a Borders. I went straight there and went for the supernatural teen aisle and began to find some new reading material. I found a new series of werewolf stories and bought the first three books of the series and went to the front and found a copy of Bram Stoker’s Dracula, which I also grabbed to buy since I had been wanting to read it.

I started making my way to the food court and found a table as I waited for five minutes before my brother appeared in front of the table for four bags at hand. “Hey, you wanna wait here while I get some food, then when I come back you get your own while I take care of your bags” he said placing down his bags on the floor next to mine. I nodded and watch him head over to Burger King for some food.

I grabbed my phone and found a text from Ian. ‘When r u coming home? Da boys r hungry.’ I smirked and text them back, letting them know that Kyle and I are eating here but that there should be things to make sandwiches. I got back and okay from Ian right when Kyle was making his way over with his tray of food. He didn’t say anything before he began to dig. Ugh, pig.

I rolled my eyes and stood before making line for Panda Express I felt like Chinese food. I made line when I girl behind me tapped on shoulder, I turned around with my eyebrow raised in question.

“Hi, I’m Amber. Just wanted to ask where you bought those shoes, I love them,” a auburn haired girl said to me.

“I don’t know, my Mom bought them for me on my birthday” I said shrugging in apology for not knowing.

“Oh, well your mom had great taste, umm…” she said trailing when she didn’t know my name. I then realized I didn’t introduce myself.

“Oh uh, Katherine, that’s my name” I said holding my hand out for her to shake. She smiled and shook my hand before joining starting up a conversation. In the all of five minutes we talked while in line I found out she was a junior at the school I would be going to on Monday. I let her know about that and she promised to help me find my classes in the morning as well as to introduce me to her friends.

I could tell I was going to be good friends with this girl. I order my food and waited for her to pay for her before we left our separate ways, she had to get back to work. Turns out she works as a cashier at Forever 21. I waved goodbye before walking to my brother’s side where he sat halfway through with his food.

We ate in silence before he asked me what I had bought. I told him about my feeling behind why I bought two Dr. Dre Beats headphones. He shrugged at my logic but trusted me, that and most of the time I’m right.

We left the food court and began to walk around aimlessly because we didn’t want to go home yet. We were in the middle of the crowd when a gunshot was heard, screams filled the air as everybody ducked or ran. I distinctly heard Kyle yell out my name before I felt myself being grabbed and yanked up to stand. I came into focus as I noticed the mall security pulling their guns out and surrounding me.

Kyle was just behind them with his phone in hand scream at someone while his eyes were trained on me, I felt confused when his eyes began to water. I felt an arm wind around my neck almost chocking me before someone hard was against my head. I glanced at the glass of a store in front of me and saw my reflection. I felt myself begin to panic when I realized it was a gun barrel being aimed at my head as the shooter used me as a shield against the security.

“Stay back! Stay away or I shoot her! Stay back!” the shooter yelled as he dragged me with him backwards. I tripped on my feet and felt him yank me up again by my hair, I screamed as I felt my hair being yanked out of my scalp, I heard more shouts and saw my brothers running towards us scared, worried and pissed off. They went to Kyle and began to yell out things before they tried talking to the security. I saw Ian trying to wrestle his way through the security before Kyle stopped him and pointed out the gun being point to my head.

I sobbed as I tried to wiggle my way out of his grasp, which only resulted in him turning me around and slapping my hard before turning me back around. I saw Cole and Seth begin to yell at the security to do something when they got over the shock of my being held at gunpoint.

I closed my eyes to try and get the dizziness away and felt a headache coming on. I took a couple of deep breaths when I realized, I am no damn damsel in distress. I have a black belt in karate for crying out loud. I was grateful then for the years of karate classes I endured with Kyle because my brothers and father thought it would be good for me to be able to defend myself. I never though I would actually use them but in this case they are my only shot at getting out of the way so the police could take him down.

I opened my eyes and looked eyes with Kyle; he saw the determination in my eyes and nodded. I stood in front of the security a little to the side and crouched into a running position. I saw people and paparazzi throwing him confused glances while they taped and took pictures of everything.

I clenched my hands in fists and counted to ten to regulate my breathing before I thrust my elbow back into his stomach, then twisting my arm up to elbow him again but in the face. I turned and threw a spinning kick to his hand kicking the gun out his hand, before jumping to the side just in time to see Kyle jumped forward and kick the guy in face before punching him with a right hook that rendered him unconscious.

I fell to the ground in a heap, sobbing and crying as Kyle and my brothers ran to me and held me close make sure I wasn’t hurt before hugging me in relief. The police ran forward and cuffed the guy before having the EMT’s come forward to make sure the guy was alive as well as to check my vitals. I got to ride in the ambulance with Ian, my brothers following in their cars, to the hospital.

I laid back on the gurney they had me in with an oxygen mask over my face, my hand being held tightly by Ian, before closing my eyes to the world.