Chapter 3 (Content Warning: Read At Your Own Risk)

                                    

                                          
It's 8:00 AM now, I'm standing at the kitchen counter putting some freshly washed fruit into a bowl for me and Passion to share when she wakes up. I'm making sure she eats something before she heads off to her first day of summer soccer team tryouts. I strip the grapes from the stem just as I feel a pair of cold hands placed on my hips, an instant wave of discomfort washes over me and I try to move forward and leave the familiar firm grip without success. Leon tightens his hands and pulls me closer, I drop a handful of grapes and they roll over the counter and onto the floor as he presses his bulge against my lower back. "No.." I say, I don't think he heard me because he doesn't react. But I don't want to repeat myself.
"How was your morning, Sweetheart?" He asks me in a tired voice while leaning in to place his chin on my shoulder, his unshaved chin scratching against my skin. I scrunch my nose & turn my head the other way after getting a whiff of the alcohol in his breath. "No..." I repeat a little louder. I don't know what else to say, I want him off me but he's too strong. I'm not thinking straight right now and that's the only word I can manage to get out. He lets out a low hum and slides his hands forward, I shiver uncomfortably after feeling his cold hands slide down the front of my shorts. I'm on the verge of tears at this point and I'm about to scratch at him with the risk of receiving a smack to the face when there's a knock on our door. 
Not even half a second later he yanks his hands away and smacks my ass before walking to the door. It must be someone he knows because he doesn't seem all that surprised. I was right, when he opens the door there's a man I don't recognize that looks just as tired as him. Leon looks back at me and snaps twice, pointing upstairs. I avoid looking at him and take the bowl of fruit, secretly thrilled for the sudden distraction.
When I lock my bedroom door behind me I notice Passion's already up, putting on her soccer cleats. "Don't try outs start at 12:00?" I ask her. She nods and grabs an old deflated basketball from under my bed after she secures her cleats. I watch in confusion, That thing's been under the bed for years collecting nothing but dust. "Yeah but I thought I'd practice a few tricks out in the backyard before I go, You wanna practice with me?" She asks, holding the basketball up with her eyebrows raised. I smile. "Sure, Lemme go freshen up real quick."
.
I'm sitting my ass down on the ground by my imaginary goal post, completely out of breath as she does her hundredth victory dance around me, holding the deflated basketball under her arm. We've been practicing for forever and I got a good two points out of that entire game. She throws herself down next to me and catches her breath. We're both covered in sweat and have the same low poofy fuzzball of a ponytail from the humidity. "You're actually that bad." She laughs out, throwing the pancake basketball into my lap. I scoff and hold it up. "Maybe because You've been kicking air and practicing tricks with crumbled paper in my room for WEEKS before this event, and I'm practicing with you for the first time with this." I explain in an obvious tone. She giggles at me and stands up, shrugging. "Or you just naturally suck." I roll my eyes at her as she points her thumb to the back door behind her. "I'm gonna go shower again before I go."
"Are you sure you don't want me to walk with you?" I ask her. I'm not so sure about the idea of her walking alone but ever since she found the flyer for the soccer program she's been looking at several routes to get there, it does calm me down a little knowing she found the shortest one, and it's walking distance. "I'm ok, I know how to get there." She assures me before turning to walk inside. "Get yourself one of Leon's pocket knives just in case, he left one on the living room table." I tell her, she nods before shutting the door behind her. Maybe I should let her be. I'd definitely wanna walk alone too.
She exits out the back door after her shower and gives me a quick hug before jogging out to the front, putting one of her earbuds in. I smile to myself, watching her freshly moisturized curls bounce as she jogs away. She'll be okay. I tell myself. 
I lean sideways a little more and notice a car I don't recognize in the front yard, I assume Leon's friend is still over so I'm not going back inside right now. Instead I kick my shoes and socks off and stand up, walking into the sunlit area of the backyard. I take a second to appreciate the warm grass underneath my feet, feeling the grass around them tickle my ankles. 
Suddenly a sharp jab of water hits my back and I turn quickly, quick enough to see the fence I had my back turned to shake slightly while a pair of hands that were just hanging onto the edge a second ago, disappeared. It's him, what the hell is he doing? Doesn't he have literally anything better to do. It's like ever since he moved in he's outside when I am. I don't like that. Hearing him snicker quietly confirms my suspicions so I grab my hose and turn it up to the max. Then aim it at the fence and wait for him to appear again, staying completely silent so he assumes the coast is clear. It worked, the fence wiggles again and a pair of hands appear back on the top of the fence. I spray before he does first but his head pops up at the wrong time, I was only aiming for his hands but the hose was a little higher up then I calculated. He yelps out in pain and surprise as jet mode smacks against his face with full pressure. He disappears again and I hear a thud.
Shit. I grab the stool next to the rug I forgot to put up this morning and place it in front of the fence so I can hop up and see over it. He's laying on his back with his eyes squeezed shut, cupping his hands over the one I accidentally sprayed. "Are you okay?? I didn't mean to spray your face." I tell him. He doesn't answer for far too long, just sits there covering his eye with a pained expression on his face. "Fuck! You know your hose doesn't have to be on MAX pressure in order to get a good hit!" He shouts at me. I smile at that, trying not to laugh at the state he's in right now. "Serves you right for spraying me first." I know he can hear the smile in my voice cause I do to. He looks funny as hell, I should've brought my phone with me. I don't have time to duck when he aims his hose at me and sprays my forehead. I jump back in surprise, forgetting I'm on a stool as I fall back, hitting the ground.
It's on. I'm a hundred percent sure that we both just mentally agreed to a water hose fight this very second. I hear his hose clicking as he switches his mode and I do the same. I switch mine to shower mode, getting ready to splash the hell outta this kid.