This Love ✔️

This Wake Up Call

Eventually I fall asleep on Lucas's shoulder and when I wake up I'm curled into a ball on the passenger seat, my head pressed against the window and the only sound is from a car driving past.

I squint my eyes and look around my surroundings. I'm on my street, parked in front of my house and Lucas is nowhere to be found. The sky is dark, littered with the starting of a few stars, probably late in the evening.

A sudden tap at the window causes me to jump in my seat and snap my head towards the intruder.

"Whatcha doing kiddo?" My dad has face set in stone as he observes my sleeping position in a boys car. With no boy.

"Um," I begin, "sleeping?"

"Get out of the car," he demands.

Grudgingly and tiredly I do as he says, grabbing my backpack out as well.

"You've been out since school?"

"Yes," I tell him, too scared to tell him about my skipping the last half of the school day. It seems that he had a bad day at work or he just doesn't like to come home to find me sleeping in a strangers car in front of the house.

"Who have you been with?" He crossed his arms and taps his foot impatiently, waiting for my answer.

"It's funny actually," I begin.

"Mr. Jefferson," calls a familiar voice.

We both turn to the front of the house where Lucas is bounding down the front steps with a large grin on his face and a waving hand.

"It's so nice to see you again," he comes up and shakes my Dad's frozen hand. "I'm Mr. Favero's son, remember we ate here for dinner about a month ago."

"Yes, yes I remember clearly. You go to school with my daughter," he says tensely.

"That I do," Lucas smiles, "she's actually my tutor now if you don't remember that. I'm sorry I kidnapped your daughter today but I haven't been able to catch her this past week and there's a huge exam on Friday in most of my classes. You know all the teachers like to gang up on the kids and load them with tests all on the same day."

"Is that right?" My Dad asks, still looking protective but also confused.

"Yeah Dad," I interrupt. "I haven't been able to help him the past couple weeks because I've been sick you know, so we had to cram everything into that brain of his today after school."

"Ah," my Dad says, looking pleased to hear it from my own mouth. I don't think I've ever lied to him before, I don't like the awful taste it leaves in my mouth. "Well in that case why don't you stay for dinner son, I'm sure you kids are both starving from all that studying."

"You're generous wife already offered sir and I will be very grateful to have dinner with you tonight. I believe Mrs. Jefferson said something about tacos."

"Taco's?"

Both me and my Dad say simultaneously.

"I can't remember the last time I had a taco," my Dad reminisces.

"And Mom has never made any before. She says their bad for your health and reputation."

My Dad rolls his eyes and swings an arm over my shoulder. "Your Mom once loved tacos. When she first came to the states she ate tacos for about two weeks straight."

"Who doesn't love tacos?" Asks Lucas, holding open the door for both of us.

"I like you son," My Dad observes before walking past us and into the kitchen.

"Did you hear that?" Lucas asks, closing the door behind us and setting my back pack on the ground. "He likes me."

...

"Sadie," a knock sounds at my door, "May I come in?"

"Sure Mom."

I set my sketch book aside on the other side of my bed. I just started on a drawing of a girl with a skeleton face smoking a cigarette. I'm thinking about giving it to Quinn when I finish it. Hopefully she'll like it and not think I'm trying to tell her that smoking can kill her. Which it can but that's not what the picture is trying to say.

My Mom walks into my room and softly sits next to me on the bed. The first thing that's off is that she doesn't comment about my dirty clothes on the ground, or that it's almost ten o'clock and I have yet to do my nightly routine. Instead she curls up onto the bed beside me with a mischevious smile.

"I got a call from the school today about you missing class."

"Oh," I hesitate, "I can explain."

"You were with Lucas weren't you," she asks, her smile growing wider.

"Um yes," I say cautiously.

"And yesterday too?"

I feel the blood rush from my cheeks. How am I supposed to tell her that I missed school twice in a row to hang out with two different boys. She'll never let me leave her sight again.

Dinner went surprisingly well. My Dad was engrossed in his tacos to interrogate Lucas with any humiliating questions. Mom did though try to take out the photo album and I almost let her until I remembered a certain photo of me from when I was little. Than I shot up faster than if there was a zombie apocalypse to pry the album from her hands. She wasn't very happy at missing her chance to show off her favorite picture of me but oh well. I need to remember to find that picture and burn it.

"Fine," she groans like an upset kid, "Don't tell me." She sits up from the bed with a set of pouty lips.

My Mom is acting stranger and stranger each day. It's like she wants to... be my friend or something now.

"But you don't have to worry because I excused all of your absences. Just next time you want to ditch, let me know first so I can call ahead."

"Okay," I say utterly confused.

"Good," she says with a wide grin and bubbly cheeks. "Goodnight sweetie." She turns and closes the door behind her, leaving me behind with the most confused thoughts ever.

"I think my Mom was abducted by aliens," I say to myself before going back to drawing.