Because You're Different ✔

58. Flight

Sam

"You sure you don't want me to get you inside?"

The sun was just setting, and it was kind of dark out, with people still being shadows instead of humans. Hayley had been drinking, not as much as she would've if we'd brought June the alcoholic with us, but enough for her not to notice her hair was a real mess. She was sitting beside me, head leaning against the back of the seat, face completely white from tiredness. It took her some time to turn to me, but when she did, she rolled her eyes in the perfect Hayley-way. "It's literally ten feet away," she said. "I think I can manage."

She unfastened her seatbelt, threw her whole body against the car door to open it, and jumped out. I thought she wasn't going to look back anymore, that this was it, when her slightly red eyes focused on me again: "I like that we're friends now," she said. "June is being weird."

See? I wasn't the only one who'd detected it. I sat up straight, trying to keep the big grin from my face. "You're weird too."

She smiled at that. I liked it when she smiled. "You're weirder." Then, she stepped back, almost slamming the door shut, changing her mind at the last second. "See you in a few hours?"

"Okey-dokey."

As soon as the words left me and she started to laugh, I wanted to slap myself. Which dipshit said 'okey-dokey' anymore? She was about to respond, so I interrupted: "Just go in. You're driving me wild."

Another eye roll, and she left. I waited until she was well inside her house before I drove off, stealing glances towards the empty seat next to me every once in a while. Knucklehead. I was going to see her again today. Since when did I actually miss Hayley when she wasn't there? It was all June's fault. If she hadn't been acting like she was, Hayley wouldn't have been bored, and I wouldn't have had to put up with her. Now that I thought about it, it was Nathan's fault too. If he'd come home already, I'd be doing stuff with him, and I wouldn't have had to do them with that bouncy girl. It was just a matter of time, though. No doubt it wouldn't be long now.

While I entered the hallway, I let out a yawn, stretching my arms above my head. Mm. There were two options here, and both were equally tempting. I could go to bed directly, catch some sleep before Hayley would be here to help prepare June's birthday breakfast, or I could get a snack. I scratched the back of my jeans, weighing out the one against the other. Food meant I had to put in effort, and I was too tired to do so. Nah, it could wait. I turned to the stairs, lifting my foot, just when my stomach rumbled. Okay, okay. Got it. Snack first.

The kitchen smelled off, overwhelmingly sweet, like something was rotting. I paused at the sight of the table, littered with the leftovers from an elaborate meal. That was weird. Judging by the number of plates, there'd been more than one person here last night. But June had never said she was expecting someone. Maybe her dad had canceled his shift to surprise her, or something. Both he and her mom were working today and tomorrow, and maybe he'd felt guilty about it. He was a good dad, after all.

I sighed. Great. Hayley and I weren't only going to be baking pancakes, we'd also be taking care of this mess. Would it be too unfair to call the cleaning lady and ask her to come over? Probably. Maybe she wouldn't mind if I paid her double. Hm. Pretty sure Hayley and June wouldn't like that. Oh well... Let's think about that after your nap, Sam.

I walked towards the fridge, just in time noticing something red and sticky on the floor. I jumped back, waving my arms to regain my balance. Shit! Was that... blood? For a second, my heart hammered in my chest, then, I noticed the wine glass beside it. Oh, thank god. No blood. Just June the alcoholic at work again. She must've been really wasted to leave it like this.