a/n: Sorry for the change of writing format all of a sudden. I finally got my laptop so I’m not writing the chapters on my phone anymore. And that means that when capital letters are needed, things will be CaPiTaLiSeD. I might go back and change the other two chapters, but if not, then this is how I’ll be writing from now on.
13th December
-
I AM AWOKEN by a 7:30 text from Drew asking me to meet him at the local coffee shop in a half hour. I reply with a simple ‘sure.’
I walk down the stairs and see that no one else is awake. I tiptoe through the kitchen, trying not to make any noise. I boil the kettle and put two pop tarts in the toaster my phone buzzes again.
7:36, Drew
cool see u there
The kettle makes a clicking sound, and the tarts pop out not long after. I pour the hot water into a travel mug with a chai tea bag and start eating my pop tarts. I get out of my pyjamas and put on some socially acceptable clothing, take my tea with me and start walking to the coffee shop. After barely five minutes of walking, I spot Drew’s car and he spots me. He pulls over, sticks his head out the window and yells “Needa lift?”
I laugh and open the car door, putting my tea in the cup holder as I get in the car.
“You look tired.” He tells me as we star driving again. I lean out of my seat and catch a glimpse of the bags under my eyes in the rear view mirror. I look at him.
“So do you,” I tell him.
“I know.” He smiles at me. “Have a good time last night?”
“My god,” I look at him like he has no idea. “so good.”
“Thought you’d like it.”
“That reminds me. How on earth did you pay for that?”
He laughs. “I sorta didn’t,” I stare at him. “My dad’s younger brother works for the people hosting the event. I’ve seen Chvrches, The 1975, and The Kooks all for free. “
I stare at him, jaw hanging down to my feet. “Dude. Woah.”
He laughs. “I know, right.”
* * *
We walk into the coffee shop and I pick up a menu. We both order milkshakes. I get spearmint and he gets caramel.
“How can you even drink that stuff?” I ask drew as he gulps down his caramel milkshake.
“It’s totally delicious.” He replies looking shocked.
I screw up my face. “Too sweet.”
“But you eat candy apples. Like, all the time.”
“Yeah, but those are apples. Its not like its cotton candy or anything.”
“Weird.” He rolls his eyes at me.
* * *
Once we leave the coffee shop we walk through town. We stop at the bookshop and I buy the new Rick Yancey book. We then stop at the record store and Drew buys the new Imagine Dragons album. The town is full with tourists visiting for the summer. Families with cameras around their necks. Elders with confused faces studying maps. Applegate, our town is one of the most popular tourist towns in the state. People come from all directions in Autumn, just to photograph the abundance brown leaves. Summer’s no better, with everyone wanting to go on holiday at Christmastime. Even trying to get a parking space in target is mission impossible.
“What are you doing later on?” Drew asks me while we meander through the busy main street.
“Not much. I told my neighbour Chontelle that I’d babysit her 4 year old 6:30 tonight though.”
He turns to me. “Can I come along?”
“Sure. I don’t see why not. He’s pretty well behaved, for a 4 year old, that is. Way easier to deal with than Anna was.” I make a face. “Yikes. And his parents make him go to bed at seven anyway, so I only have to entertain him for the first half hour. The other three are just me just watching crap TV and making sure no one breaks in.”
* * *
“Fridge is all yours, nothing over PG on the tv until Jason’s in bed, umm…” The doorbell rings and Chontelle hurries over to answer it. Drew is standing at the door. He doesn’t get a chance to speak when Chontelle rushes towards me and talks through the sort of smile a schoolgirl gets before she bursts into a giggle fit. “Is this the boyfriend you told me about? What a looker-“ I blush bright red.
“I told you, he’s just a friend.”
“Whatever,” she laughs. “Just make sure Jason’s in bed by seven. Bye.”
She closes the door behind her and there is a remotely awkward silence between Drew and I that is hastily broken by Jason. “Farty poo bum!” He yells, running around the house, cackling like a demon.
“I Think,” I say to Drew. “That he needs to settle down a bit.”
We (meaning Drew) manage to force Jason to calm down and finally decide on mousetrap over monopoly junior. We spent ages trying to find what goes where and keep building a little past Jason’s bedtime.
At around half past seven we finish building the complex structure that is mousetrap and have a eureka moment when the singular marble successfully makes it out of the mouse trap. I glance at the clock for the first time in quite a while and almost spit out my cocoa to find that Jason should have been in bed long ago. Drew looks at me then at the clock. “Oopsie Daisy.” He says and then we realise that Jason can’t read a clock and will never know we kept him up later. Hopefully, his mother won’t find out either.
“I think it’s time to go to bed, Jason.” I tell him.
“But I want to stay up late! One time when I was at grandpa’s he let me stay up until nine!”
“Well,” begins Drew. “You’re not with grandpa now, you’re with us, and we’ve been told exactly when to put you in bed, mister.”
“Okay, then. Goodnight, Ally. Goodnight, Drew.”
“Goodnight, Jason”
“Seeya buddy.”
After Jason closes the door to his room, I turn to Drew and give him an impressed smile. “Who knew you were so good with kids.”
He shrugs and stick out his bottom lip. “Being a single mum with a full time job is hard. I took care of Felix a lot.”
“But seriously, how did you calm him down so easily. And get him to bed without any complaints. I take care of Jason a lot and it’s not as easy as you make it look.”
More shrugging. “I guess it sometimes just takes a guy to get through to another guy. We understand each other. Unlike girls.”
I throw a pillow at him an he sticks his tongue out at me.
* * *
Drew and I had broken into Chontelle’s game closet and taken the monopoly and started playing. ‘I am the monopoly master,’ Drew had stated earlier. ‘Don’t mess with me.’ And his prediction turned out to be far from correct, even though I could see him sneak a few extra hundred dollar notes from the bank one time.
I roll and land on a chance. “You win a raffle. Take five hundred dollars from the bank.” I say with a smug smile on my face. He rolls and also lands on a chance. He crosses his fingers as he picks up the card, asking him to give only a measly hundred dollars.
“Shit.” He shows me the card and I laugh. He takes to fifty dollar notes from his pile and I swear it halves. He throws it onto the board for the next person who lands on free parking (which, of course, turns out to be me).
I eventually send Drew bankrupt, and we turn on the tv and flick through all the channels three times until we decide on Man VS. Food, in which a short, fat man attempts to beat a world record by eating 18 burritos in one sitting. He starts shovelling down his fifth burrito when Chontelle walks in without knocking, scaring us out of our skin.
“Thank you so much Ally. And Drew. Was Jason good?”
“He was great. Absolutely no worries.” I tell her as she hands me a twenty dollar note.
“Really? I got Mikaela to babysit him last week and she said he was a nuisance.”
“Nah, he went to bed without complaining, and didn’t muck around. We even played a game.” I tell her and she looks shocked.
“Anyway, thank you. Say hi to your mum for me.”
“Will do.” I tell her and Drew and I walk out.
* * *
I get home and creep through the house as quietly as I can and see as I pass Anna’s room that she has two friends over. In pink sleeping bags. One of them is still awake and sees me, then sits up slightly to get a better look.
I put the flashlight on my phone but don’t turn on my light, so as not to wake anyone up.
I collapse on my bed and exhale. Five more fairs. Twelve more days until Christmas.
a/n: new, improved and longer chapters c:
dedicated to @addictions- for the amazing new cover.