Plan B by Me =/ (spiritual books to read .TXT) 📕

"Wow. You... I guess you can stay here for the time being." Adrian sighs. 

"Um, thank you." I reply, much quieter than when I was on the phone with the woman who became the closest thing I'd ever had to a real family member. 

"Come on. I'll show you where you'll be staying."

 ~Sofia~

I got to the guest room he told me I'd be staying in, when he sits down on the queen sized bed and stares at me as I stand awkwardly in the middle of the room, unsure of what I can do without him thinking I'm weird. "So did he do that to your arm? Before." He suddenly asks. I simply nod in response, not noticing the flaw in my story until he said it. "If he sobered up, it would have taken more than three or four days, correct?" My breath catches in my throat, and I stall with a cough. 

"I... Don't date the right people." I decided on as my answer. The feeling of his eyes still on me, studying me, makes my heart race, and not really in a good way. He nods and stands up, exiting the room. I peek out into the hallway, and when I see no one, I shut the door. For safe measure though, I continue into the bathroom, turning on the fan. Holy shit. Not only is the bedroom amazing, but the bathroom is too. There is a shower, separate from the jacuzzi tub, and the vanity has two sinks in the middle of the slab of black marble. I lean down and grab the burner phone from my Converse shoe, and flip it open, calling Antonio. "I'm in." 

"Good job. Honestly, I didn't think you had it in you. Call me with any important information, and remember, I'll know if you say anything out of line. I have eyes on you all the time in the place, you hear me?" I say yes and hand up, as I hear a faint knock on the bedroom door. I quickly hide the phone and rush out to the door. 

"Hi. Emily right?" A girl a bit younger than me stands on the other side of the doorway when I open the oak door. I nod, and she holds out her hand. "Nice to meet you. I'm Riley. Riley Garcia." I take her hand, and once I pull out of her strong grip, I step aside to invite her in. She seems nice enough. "Adrian told me you'd be staying here, and that you need to go shopping." 

"Uh yeah." Unknown to Antonio, I actually brought all the money I've saved up over the past four years, so I'll have some to shop with. God, it's been six years since I last went, and I couldn't wait. 

"Okay, we'll go now if that's alright with you?" She smiles, and it's like the entire room lights up. It's not just her outer beauty, but her kalon is radiating off of her. She has black hair and dark blue eyes, than stand out against her pale skin. Her little button nose makes her look really young. I nod and we leave. 

"Um, Riley, right?" I ask hesitantly once we are in her red porche. She hums with a nod, and I continue. "Would you mind if I made one quick stop? I have to return some keys."

"Oh yeah, that's fine. Where to?" I give her direction to the dangerous part of town, and once we stop at the run down apartment building, I get out and rush into the building, heading to the top floor. When I get to Maria's door, I knock and she opens the door right away since she has the day off today. 

"Sofia! Hi love. What brings you here?" She brings me into a tight hug. 

"Hey doll." I started calling her different nicknames by the second year I was in Antonio's clutches. "I just wanted to say hi and give you a hug since I won't see you for a while. I'll see you whenever I can though." I hug her again as tears form in her soft brown eyes. "Please don't cry. You'll make me cry." She laughs at that, and pulls away from me. 

"I'm so proud of everything you do darling. You may not be my own, but I sure as hell think of you as my own family. Don't ever let anyone tell you that you are anything but amazing, alright? I love you Hun." She tells me, and I feel a tear threaten to fall. 

"Yeah. I better get going." I give her one final hug and run down to the awaiting car. She knows I don't believe in love, but still says it anyways. I never know how to respond. "Thank you." I tell Riley when I get back. 

"No problem. Where do you want to go first?" She asks, and then we're off. We went to what felt like a thousand different shops, getting everything from undergarments to dresses and shoes. My favorite areas were the ones with sweatshirts and hoodies in them. I get some jeans, sweatpants, leggings, and joggers for pants, and all sorts of shirts. Apparently I don't have to pay for anything, Adrian in, so I offered to take us out for lunch. Riley chose Subway, which I was okay with since it's pretty easy on the stomach and I haven't eaten in almost a week. I just get a six inch and don't even eat all of it though. 

While we are driving back, Riley and I bond a lot. When we pull up she's in the middle of telling me a story. "-so, while drunk off his ass, he yanks his pants down in the middle of the party, and jumps off the diving board, yelling, 'I'll save you turtles! Hang in there, I won't let you down!' And then throws all the empty beer bottles out of pool. He ended up hitting the host in the head, and sending him to the hospital." She finished as she opens the door, and I can't help but burst out laughing. She laughs with me, but my laughter ceases as I look up. "Oh hey bro." Riley greets. 

"He's your brother??" I ask her quietly, waving my hand in Adrian's direction. She hums in response, and I glance at Adrian. He looks way more serious than he ever has around me. 

"Riley. I trust you got everything you need?" He asks me and I nod. "We'll go put your stuff away, and I'll introduce you to everyone around here. Alright?" I nod again. "Riley, please go join the others." 

"Okay. Bye Em." Her nickname makes me cringe inside. I hate lying to her, and everyone else for that matter. Marge told me to never lie, and until I got the job at the club, I didn't. I follow Adrian upstairs and drop my bags at the end of the ground. 

"Um, thanks. For, those. You know." I sigh at my awkwardness and stand next to the bed, again, awkwardly. 

He nods, then asks, "So will you be living out of bags for ever or are you going to put them away?" I pick up a bag, and walk over to the dresser, and begin unloading the pants in there. I hear the rustle of a bag, and when I look over, he is hanging up the dresses I got into the gigantic walk in closet. When I'm done with the pants and socks, I grab one the bags with shirt, and- with a sigh- join Adrian in the closet. He's soon done with the dresses, and walks out to help with another bag. I hear a chuckle and spin around, my skin immediately turning into a tomato. "Damn cupcake. I bet over half the guys I know would pay to see you in thoughs." I snatch the bag away from him, and stalk over to the dresser, throwing the entire bag of lacy undergarments into a drawer. He laughs and we go back to putting clothing away. "Okay, let's go introduce you to everyone."

"So why do so many people live here anyways?" I ask as if I don't know already. I catch him looking at me through the corner of my eye as we descend down the three levels from the fourth floor.

"Maybe you'll learn someday." He answers and we reach the bottom. We reach what appears to be a meeting room, and probably twenty people sit at the table. Most of them are men, making my palms sweating as they wring out the bottom of my shirt. "Everyone, this is Emily. She'll be staying with us for a while alright? I expect her to be treated with respect and as our equal."

"But she's not, is she?" The one with brown hair from the times we'd met before asks, his eyes glaring dangers into me. 

"What's that supposed to mean?" Baldy speaks up before Adrian or Riley can.

"Well, she isn't. Why else would she be staying here? Why would she need someone to save her, if she was really like us? Hmm? Why do you? Seems like you'd be fine with mommy and daddy, right?" My breath catches. How does he know about that? 

"Shut up Alan." Adrian growls. "Now," he changes the subject, but that doesn't make... Alan? Stop glaring. "This is Fred." Adrian introduces the red head from the restaurant the first time. "Chad." The older blonde that knocked the drinks into me. "Chase." Blondie. "Alan." The brown haired one. "Brad." Baldy. Eh. I like baldy better. It reminds me of my old best friend. We met in kindergarten and were friends until we graduated and I had to cut ties with him. When we were six his dad got cancer and lost all his hair, so he shaved his head for him and kept it that way even after he died. What's funny is his name was Brad too, but I always called him baldy. Adrian goes around the rest of the table spewing off names I try my best to remember but I doubt I'll be able to. Then he reaches the end. "...and my siblings, Riley, Garret, and Danni." He points to a girl and boy on the right of Riley. I nod, and then I'm asked to leave so they can talk about something. Oh Lord.

 ~Sofia~

"Hey, Emily right?" One of the girls, I recognize as Rose pops her head in followed by Riley,