LIL MISS NOT SO INNOCENT

Sloane stood in the middle of the stands, focusing on some of the games around her. It was only a matter of time before they announced the Easter Egg thing which would get her mind off the last time she had seen the man who had always rested in the back of her head throughout the years. She tilted her head to the side, watching some of the children running around and squealing with one another that she didn’t even see the man nearing her. Truthfully, even if she had noticed him she was more than sure he would walk right past her.

Sloane couldn’t stop thinking about it, the normal night she had with Miles and even the stupid drunken kiss he gave her to make sure she had been real. She of course ended up tucking him into bed and before she could say anything in the morning he had already been gone. She knew the next time she ran into him it would be as if it never happened so she was already preparing herself to be back on square one. She slipped her hands behind her back as she walked along side Estelle through past the stands. “So... When are you two finally going to be out in the open?” She mused in a low voice, knowing Estelle would be fully aware of what she was talking about.

It took a second for Miles to realize someone had called his name, another to put a name to the voice, and one more to sigh. Heavy and annoyed. Out of all the people in the world that could’ve run into him out there, it really had to be Sloane Campbell? Really? Clearly there was no God, at least not one who took mercy on him. He always had about fifteen backhanded compliments or snapbacks for her, always saving them for a rainy day. However, Miles’s sluggish brain hurt more and more as he shifted through each one so he settled for the truth. “I’m not in the mood to argue with you right now, Sloane.” His words only slurred a bit, fooling anyone around to the truth of his intoxication. “Just go.” He groaned into his hands, the alcohol made him more upset at his situation than before. Maybe it was because now he knew there was no hope, he was out of time and was either going to hustle on the streets or admit defeat and ask his aunt and cousin for help. No, he couldn’t go to them with his tail tucked between his legs. Miles grunted once more, finally looking up at her from his spot on the sidewalk. “Why are you still here?” Okay, his words didn’t come out as sober that time. She kind of looked like an angel with the shine of the street lamp making a halo behind her.

...

"I'm not going to start an argument with you," it was all she could say in return. Although Miles would probably never see it, it didn't matter what she said or did he was the one who always started it. His slurring only implied he was way more intoxicated than she was one and the fact he was sitting on the curb instead of heading home had her thinking about what Estelle told her a few months ago about Miles needing a roommate. Maybe things went down hill. She took a step closer to him but before she could bend down to get on his level his head was looking up at her. Her fingertips twitched in response, begging to reach out and brush her fingertips along his cheek to comfort him. She cleared her throat as she extended her hand out towards him. "Come on, let's get some food in you. Maggie's Diner should be open and I love an early morning milkshake." She cleared her throat. "Or I can make sure you get home." Knowing the second option was the one he would more than likely pick since he couldn't stand being around her.

“Always the genius!” Matthew chuckled while shaking his head, “So you’ve looked it up before?” he raised a brow, now curious of her searching habits. Granted his were just as, if not more so odd and the line of questioning usually striking in the middle of the night. “Oh just about the same. Being without a job and being here I feel…bored.” Not that he wanted to work but there had to be something to occupy his time. “You still taking classes?” he asked that being the last he remembered of what Sloane was up to.

...

“Try to keep it between us,” the blonde said in a teasing tone of voice as she nodded her head. “I like research.” Which was almost another ironic habit of hers since she refused to do anything with the fact that she was intelligent but that wasn’t why she never attended college or tried to more professional job like her father put it. She slipped her hands into the pockets of her jeans as she walked along side of him. “Have you thought about applying at the gym? I’m sure Dylan wouldn’t say no.” He had two locations now and probably could use the help. “I’m still teaching classes as for taking any, no.”

Reagan could tell her sister’s energy had shifted and while it was frustrating, being frustrated about it wasn’t going to help either of them. Taking a deep breath, the brunette nodded reassuringly. “I’m okay. I promise. Honestly I just had a really great day at work so I’m hopped up on dopamine is all really. I’ve only had a glass of Sav Blanc.” The surgeon explained as she turned her attention back to putting the final touches on their food. “Please, feel free to sit anywhere at the table. The two of us can take up the entire thing since it’s just us tonight.” She added, hoping the gesture could smooth things over slightly from her initial social blunder. “How was your day?”

...

In her eyes, Sloane was the outsider in the Campbell family. All of her sisters were in careers that had degrees to back them up. Reagan was the doctor, one was a lawyer and the other was a dentist. All she had done with her life is teach fitness classes and each little back hand comment that left her dad’s mouth at family get togethers always kept her on the edge of her seat which was why she made the comments she did, behaved the way she had and kept everyone at a distance because enough disappointment was held with her family and she didn’t need more. “What happened to everyone else again?” She asked. “Do you also have anymore of that Sav Blanc?” She walked over to the counter, turning to face her sister as she watched her cook. “It was fine. Taught a couple classes today. What about you? Have to save any lives?”

Hannah looked up at the sound of a voice, her world coming to a stop in front of her. The woman held up her keys and her heart stopped beating so quickly in her chest. “Oh, yes, those are mine!” Hannah let out a sigh from the breath she didn’t know she had been holding. “I didn’t know what I was going to do if I lost those.” She admitted to the woman, “No, I got these.” She smiled, turning to set them on the hood of her car. “Also, that class yesterday, kicked my ass, I almost didn’t get out of bed to do my errands this morning.” She teased the fitness instructor.

...

Sloane nodded her head. “I think we’ve all been there a few times. I’ve misplaced my keys more times than I feel brave enough to admit.” She chuckled as she let the woman take the keys from her, placing her hands into her pockets shortly after as she let her eyes drift towards the brunette with a chuckle leaving her lips. “I’m glad I was able to help. You feel the burn... It means you did the class well. I usually have some people who will stop me on the street and ask me if I enjoy bringing pain into people’s lives.” She laughed. “Are you sure you don’t need an extra hand with those?”

Matthew smiled at Sloane before chuckling lightly, “Right, like what are the odds! One in a million? Two?” The feeling of nostalgia came and went pretty quickly which reassured him that coming back was the right decision. It also helped that the itch of wanting to pack his bags, despite all that he had to face, subsided within the first few days. “Not weird at all, I’m pretty sure this place kinda asks that of its customers. Think of it like window shopping I guess..” he shrugged and moved on over to the next aisle. “So what’re you up to these days?” he asked trying to fill the pieces of his time away.

...

Sloane hummed. “Technically 1 in 19,495.” She chuckled, turning her head look over at him. “At least according to Google that’s how many cities there are in the United States but if you count the whole world I’m not sure how much bigger that number gets.” She smiled as she put her hands against the basket in front of her as she let her eyes rest on him. “You have a point,” she teased as she shrugged her shoulders. “I feel like I’ve been doing a whole lot of nothing. How about you? How are you adjusting to being back?”

Rebecca’s eyes traveled down to the dress in hand and gave it one more glance before tossing it into her pile of dresses she’d never worn in her life. She had a bit of a retail therapy issue in which she would address problems in her life by attaching a price tag to them. For a moment, she gazed at the pile in utter disgust before her attention was absolutely broken the moment she heard mention of her bracelet. “It’s just… nice. A lot of people don’t get me things, so I cherish when they do..” She was not about to go deeper into her feelings, she wasn’t even fully sure how she felt about her ex anyway.

...

Sloane let her eyes drift towards the pile of dresses she was creating, wondering if she had even worn a single one. “You want to talk about what’s actually bothering you?” She asked, gesturing towards the dresses. “Because I’m pretty sure I’ve never seen you wear any of those.” She brushed her tongue along her lower lip as she glanced towards the bracelet, nodding her head as she tilted her head down towards the book in her hand as she thought about the auction date she had been forced on with Miles. “Have you seen him since you’ve been back?”

“No, they don’t, do they?” She laughed in admittance, “and honestly returning stuff can be more of a hassle than it’s worth,” she wrinkled her nose in thought. She watched Sloane grabbed one of the hammers to hand off to her. “You are honestly a life saver,” she grinned at the woman, turning on her heel and quickly spotted the smaller sized nails to grab and toss into her handheld basket. “Please let me treat you to a drink, food, ice cream, whatever you want,” she told Sloane, “it’s the least I can do for helping me out here, plus I really do not want to go home just yet and start the project that involves these things,” she laughed again, “just picking out a hammer wore me out.”

...

Sloane chuckled, shaking her head. “I think we don’t give enough credit to our local stores for making things a little easier... now returning things in Williamsburg.” She teased as she shook her head, waving her hand to let Pia know it wasn’t that big of a deal. “It’s okay, I’m glad I was able to help. Usually I’m completely helpless in some situations.” She let her eyes lift up to look at the woman, pulling her gaze from the hammers. “We can go out for drinks, I could use a good night out.” She smiled. “Maybe I can help you with the project if that’s what you need.”

“Well the Rhodes always give us a lot to talk about. But I mean, no one is safe when it comes to my father. He doesn’t really pull too many punches.” Her head shook softly as she sighed. Estelle didn’t always agree with her father’s ruthlessness. But she didn’t really openly disagree either. She noted the way that Sloane reacted when she told her about Miles’ looking for a roommate, but was not touching that one with a ten foot pole. She did not want to mix herself up in whatever triangle was brewing. “Obviously yes. So I was singing karaoke and our eyes caught in the crowd. And we were just casual at first but one thing led to another and now we’re sneaking all around town. He’s just–so hot and so nice. Like I don’t even know who I am with him sometimes.” She grinned brightly, hoping Sloane did not remember the school girl crush she’d had on him back in high school. It wasn’t like she gushed over him or anything like that but she had always been intrigued by him. “Do you remember the Shrek and Fiona at the Halloween Festival?”

...

“Remind me to never get on your father’s bad side.” Sloane let her eyes rest on the woman in front her, crossing her legs on the bed. She dropped her gaze down to her hands, putting her hands together as she let her fingers dance together. She didn’t know what it was about Miles and why every interaction the two of them have been having lately has been affecting her more than it should. She lifted her eyes up towards the woman in front of her as she listened to the story about how she met Chase Becker. She cleared her throat. “Didn’t you always have heart eyes for him, Es?” She teased as she parted her lips in a shock expression. “Get out of here! Why are you not flaunting this around town?”

Sloane meant the world to Rebecca, and she couldn’t say that about most people. Honestly, she’d probably even meant more to her than some of her own family, especially Maria. Sure, she could handle being belittled by her mother on a consistent basis, but when Maria stepped in with her two cents, all Becky wanted to do was deck her older sister in the jaw. But, she was too classy of a lady to fight, so she held it in as much as she could. Rebecca was a lot of things, but messy behavior was never her. “So… what is the first thing you think when you see it, blondie?” she asked while batting her eyelashes in anticipation.

...

Sloane adjusted herself on the bed, sitting up and crossing her legs. Lifting her blueish green hues up towards the brunette then to the dress in her hands. “I think it’s beautiful and that you may not be giving it enough credit,” the blonde gave her a little soft smile as she glanced back towards the bracelet on her wrist. “You still wear the bracelet Miles gave you back in high school.” She didn’t know why she had decided to point that out, maybe get a feel for how things were going there but it wasn’t like Miles really would give her the time of day.