Page 3 of Sniper

I mumble under my breath, my eyes going over the diagram, but nothing stands out.

Crap….

Sighing, I put my pencil down and stretch my back. I'm sitting, crouched over in the white breakfast nook, trying to figure out these equations for tomorrow's test, and I swear I’m going to fail, I just know it.

I wish my dad were here right now. Last week, he was deployed with the Navy, when he promised me he wouldn't go on active duty until after I finished high school. He's the only parent I have left after my momma passed three years ago, and it was hard. I was going through my hormonal stages, and we lost her…I lost her.

A drunk driver hit her when she was leaving the grocery store, and now my father has broken his promise and gone on a mission he can't explain, and it's not like he was ordered to go. With his rank now, he can decline certain missions, and he promised he spoke to his superior about being on desk duty until after I finished school. I need him, yet he can't see that; he only thinks about himself and what he wants, just like he has for years.

I sigh. I miss him already, and it's only been a week into his year-and-a-half deployment.

My eyes go over the paper in front of me again, and I grumble, "Why do I need math anyway?"

"Talking to yourself, Aurora?" a voice says to my right, making me screech as I nearly fall out of my seat. Acid chuckles, his green eyes twinkling, and I narrow my eyes at him. He holds his hands up in surrender. "I didn't mean to scare you, honey; I just came to check on you, and make sure you're alright."

I huff at his words and look at the paper again. Acid is part of the Huntsmen MC here in New York. He was actually patched over as their Road Captain last week before my dad left. I've grown up with the club, Steel being my father's best friend and my pseudo uncle.

Apparently, my mom's dad, who I never met, was a brother before he was gunned down by a rival gang, the Hell Bound Killers, killing him instantly, and my parents kept in touch with the Huntsmen. I don't see them much, mainly Steel when he comes around for Sunday dinners along with Acid, his cousin, but since my father has gone on active duty again, they've agreed to keep an eye on me, even though I told them I didn't need babysitting.

I mean, I'm seventeen, so legally, I can move out in six months when I turn eighteen.

My dad wouldn't hear of it, and Acid volunteered, which my dad was happy about. I've known Acid since I was about ten, and he'd just joined the club at eighteen.

He's like a big brother to me, really.

I groan, banging my head on the counter when my eyes return to the equation.

"What's up, cupcake?" he asks, making me snort at the nickname he gave me after I shoved one in Billy Madison's face when he called me a poopoo brain when I was twelve.

"Math, Acid, and I know you can't help me because, well, you suck just as bad," I grumble, and he snorts, walking my way. He sits next to me, grabs the paper, and furrows his brows, his blonde hair falling over his forehead.

"What the fuck?" he mumbles, and I laugh, because that was my thought as well.

"See, you're just as dumb as me," I retort. He narrows his eyes, shoves me a little, making me laugh again as he gets his phone out. I tilt my head and ask, "Who are you calling?"

He grumbles, "Piston…."

I laugh harder, making him shove me again. Piston is his blood brother, a year younger than him, and good with numbers. He also has an old lady, a woman to whom a brother only gives their property cut if he wants forever with her, claiming them as theirs in the eyes of the club. She's riding his ass for a baby, but he claims he's not ready yet.

Apparently, in the beginning, Piston didn't see a future with Natalie, his now old lady. She’d claimed to be pregnant, and he thought he was doing the right thing, but it was a false alarm. Then he actually fell hard for her, which is good because some brothers don't fall; they stray instead. Piston also took me under his wing when I was eleven, and I wanted to learn how to ride a push bike.

He's another brother I never wanted but got anyway.

My dad was away on a short trip with the Navy at the time, and I stayed at Steel's house with Mom.

Acid puts his phone on speaker as Piston answers, "Yeah, brother?"

Acid grumbles reluctantly, "I need your help," making me laugh again, and Acid shoves me yet again, nearly knocking me off the stool, making him grin.

Piston chuckles. "Let me guess, Aurora is stuck on her math practice paper, ready for tomorrow, and you don't have a clue?"

"That's because he sucks at numbers," Natalie shouts in the background.

I snort. "He took one look at it and said, ‘What the fuck.’”

Piston laughs at my imitation of Acid's voice, while Acid drops his head, groaning. "Fuck, you two are hard work, and add Natalie into that…."

I grin wide because, yes, yes, we are, and Natalie makes it more fun for us.

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