seraphic [h.s]

chapter four.

"You always lay on your living room floor like that?"

Jett's curious voice piped up through the emptiness of my home, I wasn't expecting anybody to question my strange habits, clearly I still wasn't used to anybody else being here. My mother and father had gone to church, their early morning ritual on a Sunday. Leaving Evie and her friends to stay hidden in their rooms still asleep.

I heaved myself up onto my elbows, crossing my legs and sitting up straighter. "Oh sorry, just a habit I guess." I confessed, brushing the stray strands of hair behind my shoulders. "No need to apologise sunshine, just not used to living with a family is all." She huffed, bouncing down onto the couch near my feet. "No?" I questioned lightly, smiling softly to let her know she could elaborate if she wanted to.

"God no. My mom and dad said bye as soon as they could. Been on my own since I was fifteen." Her voice had a sense of amusement, a kind of storytelling sound that I wasn't sure how to respond to. "That's awful. I'm so sorry." I spoke in hesitation, not knowing exactly if it was a soft spot for her or not. "It's okay though, I've learnt a lot from it and thank fuck they left when they did otherwise I wouldn't be who I am right now." Jett shrugged, with a smile on her face.

It were moments like these that made me realise how much of my life I hadn't lived. It took me a long time to understand the sheltered life I'd been brought up in, as grateful as I was for everything, I could admit that I hadn't been through much. Which I wasn't sure was a good thing because really, I didn't have much to grow from. "You don't know what to say, huh?" Jett chuckled, booping my nose from her spot on the couch. I looked at her with wide eyes, a hopeful gesture for her to understand my awkwardness. "Kind of, well, not exactly. I just, am not exactly the greatest person to talk to sometimes." I mumbled, bringing my eyes down to my fidgeting hands.

"I think you're doin' just great. Plus, you think I know what to say half of the time? Because let me tell you, I absolutely do not." She exclaimed, managing to bring a grin to my cheeks. "You're nothin' like your sister y'know?" Her cheery expression stayed bright on her face, lighting up the gloomy room we sat in. The weather had taken a turn, while it was still extremely boiling outside, the sun had decided to reside behind the clouds.

"Is that good or bad?" I laughed, huddling my knees to my chest and leaning my back against the coffee table. My bare legs felt the carpet beneath me, still in my pyjamas, it had been a quick nights sleep until morning arrived. The night before slipping from my mind as I woke up to a full house, it was as if the events of last night had never even occurred to begin with. "Definitely good. You're both special in your own way, but I like you already and I haven't even been here long." Her dark eyebrows shot up to prove her point further, the single braid in my hair matching her doubles.

"There's not much to like, I'm known to be quite boring, or so I've heard." Her cheeks frowned at my words, almost in disbelief of what I'd said. "Well whoever the fuck dared to say that will have me to deal with. Trust me, I throw a good punch y'know, defended myself plenty of times." I appreciated her enthusiasm, wondering how on earth I could take a page from her book.

I admired the way she carried herself, not that I'd even known her long, though I could tell the amount of respect she had for herself was immense. Straightening my legs, I placed my slouch socked feet under the gap of the couch, leaning back on my hands. "You seem like you'd have some really good stories to tell." I spoke aloud, nodding my head at my own words as I eyed her. She chuckled out, the husk to her laugh causing a grin to appear on my cheeks alongside her own.

"I have the best fucking stories you'll ever hear. I've seen, heard and done just about everything you could ever think of." She gaped, bringing a hand up to her chest in proudness. My mind could only wonder so far, thinking about everything she could possibly be referring to. "Really? Oh you'll just have to get your stories ready because I want to hear them all." I excitedly spoke, knowing I could probably learn a lot from her.