Foreign Objects

07 • Janssen

She joins briefly before sitting back down and resting her back on her bed frame.

It's quiet for a little bit. I just stare down at my notebook and from the corner of my eye, I see Peyton still on her phone.

Then, a few seconds later, she speaks again.

"Jeremiah texted me today."

"What?" I turn to face her, eyebrows furrowed. "When?"

She looks at me. "Before you got here."

Did he tell her about us? About what happened?

No, he wouldn't. He said it himself, she'd just ridicule us both

What did he text her for then?

"What did he say?" I try to act nonchalant about it, looking back down to my (still) empty page.

"Just 'hey'"

"Hey?"

"Hey." She snorts. "This is why I initially didn't want to go greet him last week because now he probably thinks I want him back or something." She gives a little laugh. "Pathetic."

I stay quiet. With his attitude earlier when I mentioned Peyton, he didn't seem like one who even wanted anything to do with her. But then again, that's how he was the entirety of their relationship.

"But you don't want him back," I say slowly.

"Of course not," she denies.

She said that almost every other time they broke up.

I nod. "Good. Um, I'm gonna have to go. My mom's gonna be home early today and besides," I sigh as I look down at the blank page of the notebook, "today is not my day. Creativity wise."

Peyton pouts but nods. "It's okay. Everyone has those days."

When I'm out of her house and walking down the street, I pull out my phone and call the only person I can really talk to about everything right now.

"Yo."

"Mike, I'm coming over. I've got something really important to tell you."

🛸🛸🛸

"What I'm about to tell you is gonna sound crazy as fuck."

Mike is standing in front of me with his arms crossed as I'm sitting on his bed.

"You might think I'm crazy-"

"Dee, I ain't Veronica. I know a crazy bitch when I see one and you ain't one. Spit it out."

"I developed abilities."

His eyes widen a fraction and his hands fall down. "Whoa, seriously?"

I nod slowly.

"Bitch what you got? Tell me."

I bite my bottom lip. "I will but, I have to clarify something first."

He lifts an eyebrow. "What's that?"

"So, my alien abduction story wasn't really...complete."

"What do you mean?"

"That night...I wasn't alone. There was someone else with me and we experienced this together."

"Who?" Mike edged, stepping closer.

I blow a breath. "Jeremiah."

He eyes me. "Peyton's Jeremiah?"

I grit my teeth. "Yeah, that one."