Home?

 

When I woke up I tried vainly to sneak out so that I wouldn’t be a problem again. I painfully pulled on my uniform and semi-folded the pj’s I had borrowed. As I was trying to slip by the rooms to the stairs I heard the low mutterings of people from the living room area. I hadn’t even thought of what I would do if they were awake.

I still kept on, stepping lightly on each step, afraid of even breathing. I was near the bottom, my breath held as I tried to make it down without crying.

“Careful, the second to last creaks.”

I let out a stupid squeak of surprise and clapped a mummy hand over my mouth. Gail laughed behind me and I could feel the crimson creeping up my cheeks. I hadn’t even heard him.

He gently helped me down the last two steps and made me feel all the more like a fool. I looked up at him, shame-faced and guilty, hoping he wouldn’t be mad that I tried to sneak out.

He gave me the divinity smile.

“And where did you have to go in such a rush?” If I had the choice I would have melted like the wicked witch on the spot.

My lungs squeezed themselves shut and I swear I thought I was going to hyperventilate. I couldn’t meet his gaze and my eyes darted around like a pick pocket’s. “To…the bathroom?” I said, almost asking him to believe me.

Gail’s smile became even brighter and he laughed a little. “Well, why didn’t you say so? Let me show you where it is.” He grasped my arm quite firmly and half dragged me to a small bathroom adjoining the living room area.

I went inside and sort of dithered around for a little while. I really did have to pee but I was kinda’ afraid he was listening at the door for escape attempts. After a moment or two I gave in and went.

When I came out he was leaning over the back of the couch, talking to his dad. I let out an inaudible sigh of relief and just hovered by the door, unsure of what to do. I went to move a couple of times but thought better of it, and that resulted in strange jerky movements. Poppies would have paled in comparison with my face. So eventually I just settled for looking awkward.

I leaned back against the wall I was standing in front of. Not a good idea. I hissed in pain and Gail and his dad both looked up. I made an embarrassed face and gave one of those stupid ‘I’m an idiot’ smiles.

Gail turned around quickly and his shoulders started to shake. His dad got away with giving me a knowing smirk, being an adult and all. I just wanted to get away period.

Eventually Gail regained his composure and got something jingly from his father. After flashing a quick smile Gail practically bounced over to me.

I was suspicious.

He was nearly glowing, and not in a way that made me regret my birth this time. He seemed genuinely happy. “I got the keys,” he said elatedly, like that would explain everything to me. My composure nearly collapsed in my attempt not to roll my eyes.

My rigid silence seemed to clue Gail in that I was missing something. “Oh, ah, to my dad’s Jeep.” He beamed at me again. “Usually I’m not allowed to drive it.”

I offered what I hoped was a polite smile. Of course it would be a car to make a guy that happy. “How nice,” I said. And this had what to do with me?

Gail seemed to some out of his car daze and realize that he wasn’t being very coherent. “I’m supposed to take you home,” he said.

I looked up at him blankly. Home.

The grin slid off his face and anxiety replaced it. He looked uneasy, like he wasn’t sure what to say. I sure didn’t. “You…do know where you live…right?” he said nervously.

Ah. Where I live. Very different. “Yeah. I can tell you where the house is.”

Gail loosened up a little but still seemed ill at ease with my answer and strange silence preceding it. He gestured for me to follow him and I trotted along behind him dutifully. With his hand on the door knob he stopped and didn’t move for a minute. I fidgeted nervously, wondering what was going on.

“Wait…didn’t you have a backpack when you came here?” he said slowly.

His lips curled up in a smirk at my shell shocked expression. I was absolutely terrible at sneaking out. I had forgotten the only possession I came with. Well, that I didn’t wear.

I grimaced at the thought of trudging up stairs. Gail saw my expression and loped off, calling back over his shoulder, “I’ll go get it, wait there.”

So I stood by the door and waited. After a bit standing became painful and I glanced around for something to sit on. Luckily there was a short wicker chair by the door, for coats I guess. I eased myself onto the edge of the seat. It wasn’t much better than standing, but at least my feet didn’t hurt too.

“There’s some optimism.”

I choked on the air I had been innocently trying to breath and looked up from my contemplation of the rug. It was the guy. He still looked as perfect as ever and that smug little smile that was ever present was - well, still present.

I made some more gasping sounds as I tried to ask him what he was doing here.

“I wanted to see you.” Well. That was succinct.

Baffled, I managed a simple word. “Why?”

He seemed to be stumped by this question, though you would never know from his expression. That was like guessing what mood a blank wall was in. It was his silence that made me think he was thrown for a loop.

A noise made us both look to the left. Er, his right as well, I suppose. Gail was back with my backack. I looked for some sign of rage on his handsome features, but he only appeared pleased at finding my bag.

I glanced over at the guy. Gone.

Feeling downright sullen at going unanswered I took the bag from Gail a little more forcefully than the situation warranted. Alright, it was more like snatched and stomped over to the door. Fine.

Confused, he opened the door for me and I huffed out of his house, Gail following and shutting the door behind us. My anger was stunted by surprise. I hadn’t come in this way.

Gail laughed behind me. “You didn’t think that we came and went through the shop all the time, did you?” I blushed because it seemed foolish of me to have thought that in the first place.

In an even fouler mood I was helped into the van by a chortling Gail and I could hear him having a jolly good time even after he closed the door. Annoyed, I looked for something to hit. I satisfied my urge for violence by maliciously slapping the lock on my door down.

That didn’t turn out to be such a great idea. My hand ached in the spot that had abused the plastic black peg and little red pain stayed to mock me. I repositioned my bag darkly and glared out the roll up windows.

Gail hopped in the other side and pulled the door shut behind him, rocking the whole vehicle. I shot him a minor injury glare (as opposed to a death glare) stealthily, but he was too hyped to notice. I big grin had plastered itself on his face and he would have wagged his tail had he possessed one.

It’s just a stupid Jeep, I though unfairly. I was shocked at my meanness. After he had been so nice to me could I really begrudge him a happy moment? Ashamed, I sunk into the seat a little.

“Sorry,” I muttered after a little while.

Snapped out of his buzzing content he glanced at me sharply, careful to try and keep his eyes on the road. Which I very much appreciated. “For what?” he asked.

I sighed a little. In for a penny in for a pound. “Well, you were being so nice and helping me out, that is, for me being so needy and stuff.”

He made a little pfft sort of sound and waved his hand in dismissal. “S’nothing.”

“No,” I said intensely, “It’s not nothing.” Gail looked quizzical. “I don’t know the odds that any other person would have taken in a stranger and shown so much…kindness,” saying the last word with a sort of awe.

“What else would we have done? I can’t think of anyone who wouldn’t have done what we did.” He must know a lot of wonderful people, I thought wistfully.

After a long silence and mumbled hesitantly, “…People haven’t been too kind to me.”

Gail looked very sad and angry at the same time. Afraid of the conflict in his eyes I hastily looked at the passing scenery. Finally, when the tension eased some he asked, “So which way is home?”

My face was blank, “I live up towards the suburbs.”

I gave him the directions and then was silent as he drove on and stared glassy eyed out the window.

Reviews

[The Perfectionist]

Okay, sorry this one took so long.

Alright, well, ignoring the thing I was none-too-happy with in the last chapter cropping up again as indeed it must, this is solid. Your writing style tends to focus heavily on unnecessary descriptive words and VERY heavily on analogy, but that's okay; it's just how you write. Since you have that talent, though, I suggest you use it for good rather than evil, and by that I mean focus less on every little nuance of a character's action, and more on things like setting and actual physical description.

Not much else to talk about; no surprises here, and I'll press on to see what lies beyond