Jillian stirs rolling over in her bed. She bolts up looking at the square of light on her floor. She reaches over grabbing her phone from her nightstand fumbling for the lock button. It clicks and the time flashes at her bringing with it a picture of her and Eva. 11:30.
She jumps out of bed and grabs some clothes running from her room down the hall to the bathroom. After showering she yanks on her cloths tugs a brush through her hair and races down the stairs just as a squeal rings out.
Jillian rushes into the kitchen where the smell of pancakes overwhelms her making her stomach growl.
“Hey honey.” her father says as he passes the small child in the highchair. Rylee’s big brown eyes squint and he smiles a four toothed smile at her.
“Why didn't you wake me up dad?” Jillian asks grabbing a plate. Rylee screamed again a high pitched giggling screech as he threw himself backward slamming into the backrest of the chair. “I have stuff to do.”
“I-” Another scream from the boy cuts him off. He tries again as Rylee screams again. Getting impatient he yells over the boy’s third scream. “You were sleeping so good I didn't want to wake you.”
Jillian sits down grabbing a pancake and drenching it in syrup. Just then Jillian's older sister steps in followed by her two older daughters.
“Okay.” April sighed. “The girls are ready. And I see all he’s managed to do was make a mess.”
“And an awful lot of noise.” Jillian adds with a smile.
“What’s on the agenda for today?” Jillian’s father asks.
“I am going to visit a boy from school” Jillian says. She shoves a bite into her mouth chews, swallows, and continues. “He was gone all last week and I wanted to take him his makeup work then I’m heading over to Eva’s so she can help me with the math Mr. Barns loaded us with.”
Her father nods as April sits the girls down and hands them each a pancake. “I just need to get more diapers, dad. Can you watch them while I get the little monster ready?”
Their father nods and April takes the boy from his chair and races back up the stairs with him kicking in her arms.
“Do you need the car?” Her father asks.
“Um, I was just going to walk but since you're offering…” Jillian trails off finishing her pancake. She walks past her father to the sink rinsing the plate.
“You can take the car.” Her father says. “I’ll ride with your sister. I need to get some stuff to fix the sink.”
Jillian runs back up the stairs passing the bathroom. She hears Rylee ‘talking’ and can hear him splashing in the bathtub. She grabs her bag and phone from her room slipping on her shoes. The screen lights up and the thin device chimes at her.
The message is from Eva. “Are you ever coming?” it reads. Jillian replies with “yes I’m almost on my way.”
On her way she stops in the bathroom again brushing quickly through her hair again and brushing her teeth.
“So who is this boy you're going to see?” April asks her voice an octave higher than it usually is. She smiles slyly at Jillian who almost chokes on her mouthful of toothpaste. Rylee squeals and Jillian spits.
“He’s just a boy.” she says. “He was gone last week and I’m a little worried about him.”
“Uh- huh.” April coos shampooing the boys head. Jillian rolls her eyes rinsing her mouth. She shakes her head and leaves the room walking back down the stairs. She walks through the kitchen. Her father is at the sink washing Taya’s fingers with a washrag. Natalie was standing in line behind her bouncing on her feet.
“Alright I’m leaving dad.” She says opening the door to the Gurage. “I'll be back later.”
“Okay, hun.” He said finishing one hand and trying to catch the other. Taya giggles as she pulls it away from him behind her back. “Drive safe and let me know when you get there.”
Jillian nods and slams the door behind her. It sticks and takes a solid slam to get it to close. She climbs into the car starting the engine and hitting the garage opener attached to the visor. The moaning of the garage door starts as it opens. Sunlight pours in and she puts the car in reverse backing out onto the driveway. Stopping before she reached the road she unlocked her phone looking at her notes. The most recent sat on top with an address. She typed the address into google maps and the directions appeared on the screen.
The apartment is shabby at best and incredibly worn down. In some places she is amazed it still stands. There is no parking and she had to park across the street. Holding onto the straps of her backpack - slung over her shoulder - and praying no one else appears she begins to climb the stairs. The stairs squeak, moan, and clank as she climbs up them trying to make as little noise as possible.
A door opens and she freezes as she hears someone screaming from the apartment beyond. The door slams cutting whoever it was off mid-sentence. A figure rushes past her but she is so shocked she doesn’t see who it is. Taking a deep breath she continues. She reaches the third floor with no other sound but her own breathing and the squeaky stairs.
Jillian checks her phone to make sure she has the right door then reaches out a hand and knocks. There is only silence on the other side. She knocks again. Nothing. Looking around to see if anyone is watching her she sees a doorbell button and pushes it. Muffled noise comes from beyond the door but she can’t tell what it is.
“Austin.” She calls quietly. “It’s Jillian. I brought you some makeup work.”
She hears what she thinks is footsteps approaching the door but it doesn’t open. She waits a few seconds more but still nothing.
“Should I leave it here?” She asks. There is no response. She fishes the pages - all paper clipped together - out of her bag and looks around again.
“Austin, are you in there? Please open the door.” She begs. There is a thud on the door that startles her. She waits expectantly but nothing happens. Deciding against leaving the pages here to be blown away she tucks them back safely in her back pack and turns away. She turns back.
“I’m leaving now.” She says placing a hand on the door. “Feel better and I hope I’ll see you at school on Monday.”
Turning, she quickly climbs down the noisy stairs. At the bottom is a girl making out with a guy. The guy is covered in tattoos and has black hair. He is in all black with gages, snakebites and a leather jacket. The girl is in a black tank and jeans. Her hair is also died black. Jillian squeezes passed them jumping when they stop sharing saliva to look at her. The guy smiles and the girl glares. Her eyebrow is pierced.
Jillian ignores them racing across the street to her car. She climbs in and locks the door. She finds Eva’s address- written in a text message- and clicks it into her phone. Looking both over her shoulder she pulls out onto the road.
Ten minutes later she sits parked in front of a huge house. It is a gray-blue with white trim. There is a nice sidewalk, a deck, and flowers surrounding the exterior with curbing and woodchips. Jillian wonders if she has the right house when the white door with an oval window opens. Eva steps out onto the deck. She is in a tank top and sweats. She tucks her hair now dyed auburn with a hint of purple behind her ear waving and folding her arms. Jillian waves back grabbing her backpack and climbing from the car. The 2001 Toyota corolla looks almost pitiful next to all the other expensive cars in the housing development.
Jillian pats the silver paint comfortingly then circles the car approaching the door. Eva smiles as she nears her.
“What took you so long?” She asks. “I thought you got lost. I was about to send out a search party for you. Jillian follows Eva inside. On the left is a sitting room and on the right is what looks like a music room. Jillian sees a piano guitar and a harp before she passes the room. Passed those rooms on the left is a huge family room and on the right is a large kitchen with a bar closing it off from the front room. There is a fireplace in the far left corner and a staircase going up on the far right wall. On the left, opposite the fireplace against the sitting room, wall is a staircase going down.
“Hey,” a male voice calls. Jillian recognizes it and turns. “She finally made it.”
Jillian smiles at Spencer then she turns to scowl at Eva. “I thought we were going to do homework before the others got here.”
“We are.” she says moving toward the basement staircase.
“Then why is he hear already?” she asks looking at all the family pictures on the wall as they descend the staircase.
“You mean Spence?” Eva asks. “He practically lives here. Just ignore him. That's what I do.”
“I heard that” Spencer calls from up the stairs probably still in the kitchen.
“You were meant to.” Eva calls back up from the bottom of the stairs. “And don’t eat all our food.”
On the opposite wall of the stars is a large - probably 60 inch - TV. The couches circle it in an L. There is a door on the fare left corner and a hallway leading back under the stairs next to it.
“Welcome to my humble abode. There’s the bathroom” Eva says waving her arms. She points at the door, “and down that hall are mine and my two sister’s rooms.”
Jillian nods as Eva jumps over the back of the couch landing in the middle. She looks over her shoulder then pats the seat next to her.
“Come on.” she says and Jillian circles the couch. “Let's get you caught up in the math department.”
A few hours later Jillian’s homework is finished. Spencer came down halfway through and bugged them until he fell asleep on the opposite couch curled up into an almost uncomfortable looking position. Now the downstairs is filled with the large group of friends. They are all laughing. Four are playing on the Xbox: Spencer, Brandon, Jessica, and Jake. Chase and Daniel are arguing over D&D, though Jillian isn’t sure what that is. The rest: Eva, Natasha, Megan and Jillian are watching all of it and laughing.
Jessica burst into giggles as Jake tickled her with one hand. The other was still controlling his racecar. Jessica squealed trying to shove him away. She jumps to her feet scampering away from him then hollering as she crashes and loses the race.
“I was winning.” She yells throwing her hands down and stomping. She tries to look angry but cannot stop herself from smiling. Jake laughs at her and she gives up looking angry and tries to pout instead.
“Okay, okay.” Jake says reaching for her. She pulls away. “I’m sorry babe. No more cheating.”
“I don't believe you.” she says folding her arms.
“How can I convince you?” He asks.
“You...Can’t!” She bursts shouting the last word as she sprints around the couch and up the stairs. Jacob’s eyes light up and he leaps off the couch following her. Jillian can hear her squeal and knows he caught her. The doorbell rings.
“I got it!” Jacob called. Eva catches her eye from across the room and smiles.
“Okay guys pizzas here,” Eva says. No one hears her and she scowls screaming. “Hey!”
The room goes quiet. Jillian can hear Jake talking to the pizza guy. He apparently says something funny because Jake and Jessica burst into laughter.
“What do y’all wanna watch?” Eva says kneeling down next to the pile of movie that were brought. Everyone mumbled ‘I don't know.’ Eva growled and Jillian smiled. She didn't care what they watched. It was just nice to hang out with a group of friends and worry about nothing.
Jake and Jessica come stomping down the stairs. Daniel screws up his face.
“Elgh.” He exclaims. “Get a room.”
When Jillian turns Jessica is blushing wiping her mouth. Both are smiling. They arrive with several whoops and hollers then settle back in their seats. Jake opens the pizza sniffing through his nose in an exaggerated fashion. Everyone laughs as he looks around with an insane hungry expression on his face.
“Well?” Eva reminds.
“Just do eeny meeny miny moe.” Jillian says. Eva nods puckering her lips, tipping her head to the side, and shrugging her shoulders as everyone digs in to the pizza boxes. Jillian can see Eva singing the song but can't hear over the sound of the others laughing and talking. She picks a movie opens the box and sticks the disk in the Blu-ray sitting on the mantle under the TV.
A box is passed to Jillian and she grabs a slice then passes it on to the two boys who are still on the floor a pile of dice surrounding them. They each grab a slice but keep the box. The movie starts and Jillian sits back nibbling on her slice. Everyone crams themselves on the couch. Jillian leans her head back closing her eyes as the song from the movie company logo begins to play.
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