Twenty Questions

Chapter Six: Well Isn't That a Surprise?

Monday's suck. Well, okay, technically it wasn't Monday, it was Wednesday, but it felt like a Monday. And Monday's suck. 

"Mother!" I yelled, walking to the front door, "I'm leaving." 

"Haleen, hold on just a minute," My mother stormed into the entryway, trying to chain her pear necklace together. 

"What is it? I'm going to be late," I said, trying to hold the annoyance out of my voice. It had already taken too long for me to get ready today, and then I had to basically drag Ollie outside because that dog is worse about getting up than I am. I need to go woman! 

"Keith said he'd drive you," She answered absentmindedly, looking in the big gilded mirror to fix her hair, "Anyway, look, your father will be working late tonight, and then after we're going out to dinner, so make your brother dinner. And for God's sake, don't set the toaster on fire again, okay?" 

I never understood why I always had to make Keith dinner. He knew how to put together cereal! Why did he need me? But whatever, I'll make dinner, like always. 

"Yes mother," I dryly said. 

She pursed her lips. "I wouldn't take that tone with me if I were you. Where in the world is your brother?!" 

"Mother, Keith already left...like ten minutes ago," I said, thoroughly exasperated now. I was going to be late if I didn't leave soon! I mean, yes, I had forty minutes until school started, but knowing me, I'll get lost at least twice on my way there. 

"Oh, well, then go. Imagine what they'd think of me if I sent my child to school late on the first day!" She fretted, actually worried about the subject. 

"Mother, I'm sure they don't even care. Like, at all." 

"Just go, Haleen." 

I rolled my eyes. She KNEW I hated being called that. 

I left without another word, and headed off in the direction of the school. After walking with no real sense other than annoyance for a few seconds, I pulled up the map I'd found on my phone and saw that I was actually headed in the right direction for once. I breathed a sigh of relief that my parents hadn't taken away my phone or internet, only my freedom. Ha. 

I've been on house arrest since Saturday for yelling at my mother. Whatever, it's not like I had things to do or friends to see anyway. But it would have been nice to get out of the house for a while, even just to run. Oh well, I'll live. Hopefully. 

I continued walking for a few more blocks, getting more and more anxious with every step. I was down to thirty minutes, and the map said I still had at least twenty minutes worth of walking ahead of me. It wasn't that the school was far per se, but since we were in Barbie's Utopia of Suburbia, I had to keep making twists and turns because, apparently, creating a housing development with one main road is just ridiculous. 

"Oh shut it Hale, now you're just being too sarcastic," I muttered to myself and hoisted my back pack a little higher. 

Then, seemingly out of nowhere, an SUV pulled up beside me. "Get in," I raspy voice commanded, sending chills down my spine. 

Okay...Okay, run! My mind shouted, yet my feet remained where they were. Then I did sometime stupid, and I'm blaming it on little sleep and no caffein, and I leaned down so I could see the driver. 

Oh. 

My. 

God. 

I'm going to kill Spencer.