Crazy, Sweet

Chapter Nine

“Auntie Ali, wake up.”

I barely heard Shawn’s voice but I surely felt him climb up on top of me and sit on my chest, cutting off my oxygen.

“Shawn, what’s up?” I groaned, trying to roll him off of me and pulling him into my arms. “Auntie has no class or work today and she wants to sleep in so please…”

“No, you have to wake up,” Shawn insisted, trying to wiggle free from embrace. “Seth is here. Remember you friend? With the big red car?”

I forced my eyes open and looked at Shawn who was staring at me with the most serious expression a four-year-old can possibly muster. 

“What did you say?”

He put his chubby little hands on each side of my face and gave my cheeks a squeeze. “Your friend Seth is here. With the big red car.”

I blinked. “What is he doing here?”

The boy just shrugged. “I don’t know. He’s downstairs. Come on.”

I groaned and kicked the quilts off. “Fine, I’ll be right down. I just need a minute.”

Shawn jumped off my bed and disappeared out of the door as I dragged myself up and into the jack and jill bathroom that I shared with the two other bedrooms on the second floor.

I washed my face and pulled my hair into as neat a ponytail as I could manage. Then, I grabbed a gray hoodie and put it over the white tank top which I wore with star-print pjs.

When I got downstairs, I found Mama, Abby, Neil, Shawn and Alvin by the breakfast nook with Seth, eating what looked like breakfast overload. There were cardboard trays of croissants and muffins, omelet wraps and bacon strips and sausages.

“Hey, Ali. Good morning,” Seth greeted with a big, bright smile, standing up and beckoning me to the table. “Have some breakfast.”

“Did you bring all of these?” I asked as I sat down and picked up a croissant. 

“Yeah,” he answered as he poured me a cup of coffee. “There’s this quaint, little bed and breakfast place just outside of our neighborhood and the old lady there makes the best breakfast ever. She’s famous and she opens breakfast to everybody, not just the people staying there.”

“Thanks.” I picked up the cup he handed me and I took a sip. “What are you doing here anyway?”

“I’m taking you out on a date.”

I nearly spat my coffee out and Mama casually handed me a paper napkin. “You better get ready, Ali. Seth’s been here almost an hour just waiting for you to wake up.”

“But I’m not going anywhere today,” I argued, wiping my mouth. “I plan to stay home and do some cleaning in my room then finish a paper I have due on Monday.”