The Chronicles of Aida Sickler | H.S

eleven.

SONG-MY HEAD HURT I NEED TO LIE DOWN; BONES

"I suppose this is the ending of the story that you call your life."

-

"There's no one home, you can come in if you want."

I gained a few inches by my front doorstep and he looked up at me, shielding his eyes from the sun. Harry cautiously stepped into my home after I stepped to the side to let him in, his face screaming uncertainty. Our bloodshot eyes connected and I chuckled when he stood in the same place for a few seconds too long. I gestured my head to the couch in front of the television and he squeezed his eyes shut. One hand reached up to ruffle his hair the way he does but he pushed it behind his neck and massaged the skin there. "A senior entering a sophomore's home seems a bit sketchy. I should go." I hadn't even shut the front door yet and he was already thinking about leaving.

I frowned at his first thought once entering my house. Usually people tell me I have a nicely decorated living room, but he was worried about how others would portray him which didn't make sense because no one knew he was here. "Think of it as two people just relaxing after smoking." Harry didn't care about what others thought of him. At least he made it seem like he didn't. It was the weed making him doubt himself. My tingling lips tingled as he reached for the door. "You can leave if you want to. I'm not forcing you stay." With that, I moved out of his way.

Harry's tall body towered over my short one and his clothes reeked of weed. Mine as well, my lips too. I sucked on them and he breathed heavily before taking a step back. "What's gotten into you?" I laughed and locked the door before sneaking out of the close space we managed to get ourselves into. Light flooded the room when I pulled up the blinds to scare the darkness away. Harry shielded his eyes for a minute before rubbing them to adjust to the sudden ambiance change.

"You sure it's okay for me to park in the driveway?" I shared it with my neighbor who happened to be my stepdad's cousin, but I didn't think anything of it.

"I think it's okay." There was a thin moment of silence and I clapped my hands together to transition into the topic of the food in my fridge. "I have donuts from my mom's job, lunch meat and pizza rolls. Your pick." Whenever I smoked, I was either starving or nauseous. This time I was nauseous; bringing someone new into your home could be pretty nerve racking. You open yourself up wider for that person only to be betrayed sooner or later. Harry didn't seem to be the type, though. I can't always shoot people down without giving them a single chance.

"What are pizza rolls?" He asked.

I pulled them out of the freezer to show him as I gulped back the bile rising in my throat. "They're like... little pockets of pizza. Sausage, cheese and pepper encased in a crispy dough for indulging." Talking about food made shit worse but I was done before I knew it.

He nodded.

"I also have ice cream, it'll probably help with-"

"I'm fine. I would just like a drink, if you don't mind." He leaned onto the counter and I scooted past him to get a glass from the cupboard across the room. "You have a nice home. It smells very good."

"Thank you." Unintentionally, I inhaled. As if I could tell the difference. I've been told my home smelled like coffee and vanilla air fresheners, slightly accompanied by the hint of cigarettes that my stepdad smoked when he got home late at night. I handed Harry his cup. "There's iced tea and lemonade." He looked at me like he was clueless. "Don't tell me you don't know what iced tea or lemonade is."

He laughed and rose from his leaning position on the counter. "I'm just waiting for you to get it out. I wouldn't want to be rude and get it myself."