DARK CRESCENT

Maggi's Window

"Are you serious right now?" I grimaced, a little offended.

"Calm down little girl I was just poking fun" Maggi giggled, as she got out of the car.

I made a face as I mocked her giggle. She came around to my window and leaned in.

"Did you need something else from the husky, because I'm not pulling a sled for you" I smiled lightly.

"How about hoisting me up in a window?"

"Come again?"

"It's three a.m. Olivia was supposed to have me home at twelve. If I go through any of the doors downstairs, my mom will hear the beep and the voice command from the alarm" Maggi explained.

"She won't hear it from the window?" I asked.

"Not my window. Come on."

And with that we were treading across the damp front yard around the side of Maggi's house. The only light from the house, came through a kitchen window. It was made by the small light over the stove and over the kitchen sink. We walked up to a six-foot red wood fence and Maggi slowly pushed open its door, trying not to make it creak. We stepped inside, and then around to a large, white lattice on the side of the house.

"Right here, and then I can go across the roof" Maggi whispered.

"I'm guessing you've done this before?" I whispered back.

"Maybe once or twice" Maggi grinned as she reached up and grabbed the bottom of the lattice.

I gripped her curvy hips, she giggled lightly.

"Really?" I smirked.

"I'm ticklish I'm sorry" She chuckled.

I lifted her up and she stuck her feet into the lattice. She climbed one diamond shaped piece of wood at a time until she was finally on the roof part of the first floor. She turned around and looked at me.

"Thanks Theo" She whispered down to me.

I saluted up to her with two fingers and turned to leave.

"Hey?" She whispered.

I turned back and shrugged.

"Wanna hang out sometimes?" She smiled.

"Yea sure" I smiled back.

"Okay text me" she said and disappeared over the top of the roof.

"Wait I don't have your number" I whispered back.

"Maggi, Maggi?!" I called as loud as I could without going above a whisper.

              Just then a light somewhere in the house came on. I gasped and bolted for the fence door. I quickly ran across the front yard, sliding in the muck to get to the car. I hopped in, crank it up and took off just as a light in the front of the house came on. Unfortunately, for me, my house wasn't built as clever as Maggi's. There was nowhere around the house that I could sneak in, not even the basement. Everything led to the front of the house, and I still would have to get upstairs and make it passed my parent's room, whose door was always opened. So, I was prepared to accept my ass-chewing like a man. I pulled up around the side in front of the closed garsge and cut off the car. I made my way inside the house and softly closed the front door behind me.

"Theo is that you?" came a whisper out of the darkness of the house.

I sighed; did we have to do this every time someone came home. To my surprise it wasn't Dad's voice that greeted me, it was Mom's. She stepped around the staircase out of the darkness of the foyer, just as I placed my skateboard down. She stopped a few feet away from me, arms across her chest, a look of disappointment on her face.

"Four a.m. really?" she grimaced.

"Mom I'm sorry I can explain" I whispered.

"Is that beer and chocolate I smell?" She whispered back.

"Okay yea it is..." I started.

"You've been drinking?" She interrupted.

"No, it got spilled on me at the party and..."

"Spilled on you, really?" Mom frowned.

"Mom come on give me a break" I pleaded.

"No, a break would have been at one a.m. you're lucky I slipped something in your dad's drink and put him to bed early so he doesn't know you missed curfew."

"What did you give him?" I asked.

"I put a few crumbs of diphenhydramine in his scotch" Mom said.

"Jesus" I smirked.

"Hey, I'm not on trial, you are" Mom pointed.

"I'm eighteen, I don't even understand why I have a curfew" I groaned.

"Because you live in this house" Mom snapped.

"You act like I'm out being a jackass I'm a good kid mom" I said.

"And I want to keep you that way, now go to your room" Mom sighed.

I exhaled and threw my hands up quickly in surrender before ascending the stairs. It's sad that mom had to drug dad to cover my ass. But at the same time, I'm glad she knew how extreme dad could be and she had my back.