Getting Through The Dark

Reality TV

We slowly walk back to Reid's house and get there in seemingly less time than what it to get to the book store. Not even in the house for a minute and my phone starts ringing. I hesitate, but answer it after a couple rings.

"I haven't seen you in two days!" My mother cries from the other end.

"Hi." I say calmly.

"Hi, nothing!" She shouts. "Where are you? Why aren't you home?" She sounded more upset than worried, and that only made me upset. Reid and I walk into the kitchen where I put down my book on the table, make a sign telling him "one minute" and I walk into the living room to answer my mother.

"Calm down!" I whisper/yell. "I'm practically down the block, you're acting like I ran off to China with my boyfriend or something. I'm only at Reid's house." I don't know why I bother trying to calm her down because I'm only getting her more angry with me.

"You may as well be in China with you're boyfriend because I don't know where you are and who this Reid kid is. Down the block or not, just a friend or not, this is crazy-"

"Take a breather, will you? And you say I overreact?" I say, pushing my luck a little but what do I care? She's already pissed off.

"Corah!" Ouch my eardrums. "That's enough." She says a little quieter. A little. "I would like to speak to his parents." Oh great.

"So would I."

"What? Aren't they there?" Oh crap.

"Uh, no..." Crap, crap, crap.

"What?!" Yep, there it was. "You're alone with this boy?" She was losing it.

"God forbid I'm alone with my science partner." I am to be yelled at for saying that but it was worth it.

"Yeah, well I'm quite convinced it's not just science you're doing!" Not worth it, not worth it. Oh, god she did not just say that. I hope Reid didn't hear that.

How could he? He's in the other room, dummy.

Oh, shut up.

"Mother!" I shout. Ok, he heard that for sure.

Your own fault.

Ugh.

"You have to come right now, missy." What the hell is a 'missy'. Sounds like something you would name a fat lazy pig. Reid! Oh ok, that makes sense.

"No, mom. I don't want to go home and I'm not going to." I lower my voice a little. "Reid's mom is gone, his brother's leaving and his dad's hardly around. I know what it feels like when people leave you. I'm not gonna be one of those people. His dad comes back Monday morning. I'll be home Sunday night." And I hung up the phone. I start to stomp out of the living room, my eyes on the floor, silently cursing at my mother. As I come to the doorway, I bump into Reid, who had been standing there, already.

"You heard that?" I ask, my eyes tracing the floorboards.

"Yeah," I look up, and find his eyes. "Corah, you don't have to-"

I cut him off by throwing my arms around his neck, and giving him an unexpected but well needed, hug. For a moment he's frozen, but soon raps his arms around me tightly. I feel my face flush red, and I'm glad he can't see me. A huge wave of emotions washes through me. If he wasn't holding me right now, I swear I would fall. I wasn't someone who liked to be touched, I feared hugs and ran away from human contact, but all I was thinking of right now was how I never wanted him to let me go.

That's not creepy.

Ugh. I hate my mind. Yes, I know I'm weird.

I get my thoughts under control and it takes every peace of sanity inside me to pull away from him. He looks down into my eyes and I just smile. He smiles back we walk back into the kitchen. We take the pictures we took from the waterfall and put them in our own little photo album.