Scream

Reyna Copulas

"Reyna, I told you your father was going to be early tonight," my mother lectures me in the kitchen. Aero got here at exactly 3:00, and now I have to explain to my mom why I'm having five people over today. 

"Mom, our friends are missing. I think we all just want a little extra comfort," I explain, playing the "oh I need help" card. "If you want, we can all eat dinner at the table." 

 "You think I can make that much food?" she questions. 

"Of course!" I cheer. "You're Super Mom." Now, I play the "you're the best now let me get my way" card. 

She sighs and peers around the bend and into the dining room, where Aero and my dad chat up a storm and share some hardy laughs. I'm actually a little surprised. Not only does Dad hate guests at home when he's early, but he's pretty stoic and lifeless. Thank you, Dad, for being the reason why Della can question if I have a personality. 

 Mom chuckles. "Well, he is a looker." 

"Mom," I stress. "We're just friends. We met at Destiny's party...Destiny, who is one of the two friends missing in my life." 

 She gives off a resigning sigh. "Alright, they can all still come. Is everyone on their way?"

I shake my head. "Aero insisted on being here an hour early."

 "Interesting," my mom sounds. "Well, I better get cooking." 

Exiting the kitchen, I say hi to my dad and Aero. It's a little weird having him here. I've never had a guy at my house besides Hanzo and Makai – but I've also never had a thing for them. Aero is cute...really cute...okay, he's hot and so far, he seems really nice. As I lead him to my room, past the suicide room and the other guest rooms, I feel like everything is too small and too dirty for him. Everything about my house and my life seems too childish and trifling for him. But I know that even if I lived in the Taj Mahal, I would still feel like it wasn't enough. 

"I like your house," Aero says, probably sensing my anxiousness, being as he's so perceptive. "It's cosy." 

 "It would be a lot cosier if your mom didn't rent out five other rooms to strangers," I retort, entering my room.

"What do you mean?" Aero questions, taking in the surroundings of my bedroom. There's white carpet, a desk and mirror, beige walls, a TV and entertainment stand, and a large window. My closet isn't too big, and I keep the doors shut because it's a cluttered mess.

"The other rooms in this hall get rented out."

 "Is that why you locked the door?" he asks, nodding towards the door.

 "Oh, yeah," I admit, feeling foolish. "It's a habit, sorry."

 "It's alright. I was getting nervous for a second," he jokes with uneasy laughter. Aero stands awkwardly, shifting his weight from foot to foot. Standing by my door, I notice how tall he is. I can stand on my toes and touch the top of the doorframe. Aero could just reach right up and grab it. I estimate him to be about six-foot.

"You can take your shoes off," I tell him as I take out the crime notebook I wrote in, during CCC. After he takes off his boat shoes, he takes the chair from my desk and brings it across from where I sit crisscross on my bed. "So I wrote down everything about the events..." 

I try not to look at my backpack that sits on my desk, filled with pictures from the suicide investigation. "What is it?" Aero asks. 

 "What did you want to tell me?" I inquire, deflecting the question by acting as I was thinking about what he said in the hall.