Wasted Time(s)

1:00

"It really is pretty.." I gaze at the home.

"Yeah. People said there- well your guy's house was haunted but that's just because it's old. It's most likely not."

I stand there, just staring at it. Like it's something I admire, because something like this is a home I'd drive by with my parents and wish to live in. How do my sisters afford this? There's no way.

"Are you gonna go in, or..." Jamie says, interrupting my thoughts.

"Y- yeah, yeah, whatever." I walk up the steps and I can tell Jamie probably wanted me to hurry so he could come inside.

"I've always wanted to see what it looked like here." He peaks around the window.

My finger stays frozen at the doorbell. I can't- I don't know what's stopping me. Well I do, it's just... it feels so... I feel so out of place. Like it's not my place.

Like I shouldn't be here, and I've done nothing to deserve to live here. I really haven't.

"Oh my goooooosh. What's taking you so long? Just-" His skinny hand balls into a fist to ring the doorbell. I smack it away out of fear. Time to stall.

"You know what? I don't even see a car, they must not be home. You wanna come back later?" I'm a chicken. He leans against the railing and rolls his eyes. Okay, sass? He checks the time.

"Bull. It's 7:57 why would they not be home? They know your coming, and there's a garage right. There." He says this, annoyed. Their car probably is parked in the garage, I'm just making excuses.

"That's bull! You don't know for sure." I say, defensive.

"But I know my chances." He replies, smug.

"You don't know anything."

"I know lots, actually."

"Like what?"

"nothing  you'd understand."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Exactly."

I roll my eyes, and step off the porch. He jumps just to miss a few steps, and rams into the back of my shoulder. He lets his board roll on the ground, and turns me around by my shoulder.

"what are you doing?" He questions, confused.

"Just walking."

"Dude, stop being a puss and just knock or something. Hell, you could probably just walk up and open the door. They'd get it!"

"They don't know me."

"What do you mean? You said they're your sisters. Wait- were you lying?" He asks this like he knows everything about what's going on.

I scrunch my eyebrows up and push his hand off my shoulder. I turn to look at him this time.

"No, I didn't lie! That's stupid, I'm just... I don't know, maybe I'm nervous. I've never met them before! I have the right to be nervous!"

He rakes a hand through his overgrown hair and flips it. "Okay but while we walk, just circle the block once or twice then you have to swear you'll go in. Cause I've got places to get to." He raises an eyebrow like it's hard for me to follow anything he's saying.

"No, you don't" I say this like I can't believe it.
He doesn't seem to be a busy person.

"I'm a very busy-bee, and everyone always wants to hangout with the coolest guy here, Jamie." He says this and points to himself, while walking backwards. Just to make a point so he can look at me while talking.

"Curb." I point.

One moment he's up, and the next his ass is on the rock cement of the road.

He gets up, and rubs the back of his neck.

"I got up, so I'm fine." I watch his cheeks fill a dainty pink. His freckles float over his flushed cheeks.

I laugh. He snaps his neck to look at me. Like it's something he's interested in.

"I told you I'm funny. Do I need to fall again to hear you laugh?" He says, not embarrassed anymore.

"I'll help you fall."

"Is that a threat?" He dramatically placed a hand on his chest, acting as if taken-aback.

"No I'm hitting on you."

"Wow, well I wouldn't be surprised."

"You seem to know a lot then."

"I know everything."

"Do you know why you smell funny?"

"Yes actually, I do, and it's because before meeting you I just got out of my brother's party, and they just so happened to have a bong!" He says this matter-of-factly.

"Maybe you should've kept that to yourself."

"You already knew, so why not just tell you?"

"You're right."

"I always am."

--------

"Okay well we're here again, you've wasted a lot of time, and I'm not waiting any longer. Ring it." I freeze. He rolls his eyes before doing it for me, ringing the bell. I jolt, this time I'm too late.

Jamie starts to talk, and I start to not listen.

"What are they gonna do? Kick you out before you've even gone in? Not possible. Y'know, you really neebla... blabala blah blah blah... blababah, blah..."

I would listen but I'm caught on something. I'm caught up on a girl who looks just like me, but she's in pink and ballet flats. I'm caught in a mirror of a parallel universe.

And I think he sees it too, because the last words I hear from him are 'holy shiittttt...' before he stops talking and is staring at the same thing I am.