Couldn't Sleep
I step into the house. The silence of my home greets me. With Gemma having her sleepover and mom working late, I was currently home alone.
I carry my bag all the way to my room and start on the homework I have.
~
Momð: sorry, but the meeting is gonna take a while.ð
Me: so what time do you think you'll arrive home?
Momð: maybe almost 2 in the morning.
Me: what?? get back home safely, okay? love you.
Momð: thank you anak. I love you too.
I place my phone beside me on the bed. I should probably sleep.
I pick up my phone to check the time. 10:54
Yep, I better go to sleep now.
I place my phone on my table beside me and pull my blankets over me. I try falling asleep, but I stare out the window instead. The beautiful night sky peeks through the glass, and although there's no stars, it's still a beautiful sky.
Finally, my eyes close as I begin to fall asleep.
Tap.
My eyes quickly open at the sound. Something hit my window. Sitting up, I look outside to investigate.
And that's when another thing flies at my window, a twig. It came from below. I look down, and spot a dark figure standing outside my house.
What the hell?
Quickly, I back away from the window. There's a freaking stranger throwing twigs at my window.
I grab my phone, planning to dial 911. At that moment, another object was thrown at my window.
This time, it was a- well I don't even know.
Slowly, I approach the window again, to peek at the stranger outside my window. The person waves at me.
Awkwardly, I wave back. Then, the stranger motions me to open my window.
Shit.
Cautiously, I open my window a little bit. "Who the hell are you, and what do you want?" I ask, trying to hide the nervousness in my voice.
The stranger lets out a small laugh. "Language, Minnie Mouse. There could be little ones around, remember?"
Oh my.
"What are you doing here?"
"I couldn't sleep," he simply replies.
"What am I supposed to do?"
He hesitates a bit, before answering. "Can I sleep on your couch, or something?"
"Excuse me?"
"Could you just let me in? I'll tell you later. It's a bit cold out here," he says impatiently, with his hands in his pockets.
I let out a sigh. "Meet me at the front door," I say tiredly.
I run downstairs to the front door and unlock it. Nathan is in front of me, his green eyes staring into mine. He looks tired, and his hair is wild. I mean, it doesn't look bad. It actually looks hot.
Shut up, Opal.
"Uh, hey," I mumble awkwardly, biting my lip.
"Hey," he replies, stepping inside.
I close the door once he steps in and lock it. When I turn around, I see him smirking at me.
"What?"
"Nice pajamas, Minnie Mouse," he says, looking me up and down and giving me a wink.
I look down at my clothes, and realize I'm wear sweatpants with Minnie Mouse faces on them. Great.
"Can you please shut up?"
"Make me," he replies.
"You act like a kid," I scoff, walking past him to the couch.
He let's out a small laugh, before taking a seat beside me on the couch. I pull my feet off the floor onto the couch. "So, why are you here?"
"Trying to get away from my sister's babysitter," he sighs.
Okay..
"Can't you watch your sister?" I ask.
"My mom doesn't think I'm that responsible," he replies, shrugging his shoulders.
I slowly nod my head. "Why try getting away from the babysitter?"
He faces me. "You know that girl in our class? Chloe Anderson? She's my sister's babysitter. But the thing is, she doesn't even watch her, she's just trying to get me in bed or something.."
Wow, okay..
"How do you know she's trying to get you in bed. It's probably all in your head," I say, raising an eyebrow at him.
"I'm serious. She came to my room today to give me grape juice, spills it all over me and then guess what she told me to do," he says. "She said I had to take my shirt off."
I let out a laugh. "Okay. Honestly, I hate that bitch, but that's fucking smooth," I say. "You're that hot, huh?"
He turns to me, smirking. "You think I'm hot?" He ask mischievously.
"I never said I thought you were hot. I'm talking about all the hoes you reel in with those green eyes of yours," I say, wiggling my eyebrows at him.
He smiles at me for a moment and looks away, combing his fingers through his dark hair.
"So, Opal Rodriguez," Nathan says, breaking the silence. "Are you.. Hispanic?" He asks awkwardly.
"A bit," I reply.
"A bit?" He repeats.
"I'm half Filipino," I explain. "Filipinos are like a mix of Asian and Hispanic. It's from my moms side."
"What's the other half?" He asks curiously.
"The other half of me is Australian," I reply.
"Ooh, so you're kind of a mix of everything," he says teasingly, nudging my shoulder.
"Yea," I say, laughing softly. "Oh, I should- get you a blanket, or something," I stutter, standing up from the couch.
I head upstairs to my closet to grab a blanket. After finding one, I head downstairs. "Here," I say, holding out the blanket.
"Thanks," he says, taking it.
"By the way, why come to my house?" I ask.
"You're the only one I know in this neighborhood," he replies awkwardly.
"I see," I say, nodding my head.
I'm about to head back upstairs, when I add: "Don't make a noise when my mom comes home. She'll enter from the back door, but just make sure you're not seen."
Then, I turn off the lights in the living room and head to my room.
~
"Opal! Are you awake yet? You're going to be late!" My mom yells from downstairs.
"I'm awake now," I mumble.
Memories from last night flow into my mind.
I rush out of bed, planning to check the living room, when something stops me.
On my closet door is a note:
Thanks, Minnie Mouse.
-N
With a smile of relief, I roll my eyes and grab the note. Then, I head to the bathroom and throw the note in the trash.
I brush my teeth and wash my face, before heading back to my closet to pick an outfit. I'm definitely not wearing a Minnie Mouse shirt today.
I decide on my hoodie and skinny jeans. I rush downstairs, tie on my sneakers, grab my bag, and head out the door.
My eyes search for Gemma's car, but the only car on the driveway was my mom's. Oh god, I forgot.
I head back inside. "Mom, can you give me a ride?"
"Sure, anak," she replies, grabbing her keys from the hooks and heading to the front door.
~
I rush through the crowded hallways, making my way to my next class.
Finally, I step into my literacy class, just as the bell rings. I locate myself to my desk and sit down.
"Good afternoon, everyone," Ms. Peter greets us.
"Good afternoon," came the reply of a few students.
"Since we've read a few chapters yesterday, I would like to pair you into groups of four. In your groups, you will discuss what the themes of The Scarlet Letter are," she explains.
Ms. Peter calls out who is in which group.
"Chloe,
Opal,
Ryan,
and Nathan.
You four will be in the corner if the room," Ms. Peter instructs, gesturing to the back corner of the classroom.
I head toward the direction, and so do the others of my group. We sit ourselves in seats.
"Opal, I didn't know you were in this class," Nathan says, smirking at me.
"Nathan, I didn't know you existed, but I guess we learn something new everyday," I say, smiling at him.
"Okay, can we just get started?" Ryan says, interrupting our small conversation.
"Sure," I mumble. Ryan Douglas is one of the 'smart people' of our grade.
For the rest of the class, we discuss the themes we chose, as the day quickly went by.
~
The school bell rings, and I step out into the hallway, just as it starts to get crowded. I head over to my locker.
As I pass by a few lockers, I spot Nathan.
Eating Heather Bronson's face.
His arms are on her waist, as he pulls her closer. I notice his hands travel slowly under her shirt.
I'll tell Jesus to visit you and bring you some holy water.
I shiver in disgust, as I walk past them, finally making it to my locker.
After a while, I step out the building and search for Gemma's car. Finally, I find her, waving at me. I walk over and hop into the car.
"How was your day?" Gemma asks tiredly.
"It wasn't good," I reply.
"Fair enough. Let's get out of this hell hole," my sister says, as she starts the car and backs out of the parking space.
This why I love my sister, sometimes. She's not one of those sisters that's all perky about school. She hates it as much as I do.
_____________________________
A/N: Hi. I know this chapter probably seems dull, but I tried. Hope you liked it though.
By the way, if you're wondering what "anak" means, it can mean "my child" in Tagalog. It's Filipino (like yours truly).
See you in the next chapter!
-Holly Osgoodð
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