After your short trip to the video store, you had asked Stu to drop you off at your house so you could have some time to yourself before getting ready for his party. You were still hesitant about going, but you thought it'd be safer around a big group of friends rather than being home alone.
"You got a ride to my place tonight?" Stu asked just as you opened the door to his car.
With one foot out the vehicle, you stopped mid-way, slightly turning your body to face him as you flashed a compelling smile. "Why? You willing to give me one?"
"Actually, I was gonna say that Billy could take you," he admitted, seeing as Billy's house is only two blocks down from yours. Though, there was a microscopic shift in your expression at the mention of his name, one Stu caught. "But... I can come back to get you if that's what you want." He offered.
Your grip on the door handle tightened as you stared at the boy. You expected him to object to your request as his house resided on the other side of town, but he didn't.
Stu's blue eyes flickered between your own as he waited for your response. You stared back at him, brows furrowing as your heart involuntarily lurched inside your chest. The feeling left you confused.
"Oh, no, that's okay. I don't want to be an inconvenience." You declined, quickly sweeping the strange feeling under the rug before it made things awkward. "I can see if Dewey'll pick me up on his way to drop Sid and Tatum off."
"You sure?" He asked, and you nodded, revealing a disingenuous smile to mask your sudden nervousness.
"Yeah," You said, readjusting your bag's strap over your shoulder as you turned to exit the car. "Thanks for the ride home."
He mindlessly nodded at you, his thoughts somewhere else as something about your response felt off to him.
With nothing left to say, you stepped out of the car, waving at Stu as you shut the door behind you. He waited until you were safe inside the house before speeding off.
You entered the kitchen with a sigh, setting your backpack down on the kitchen table as you waltzed over to the refrigerator for a drink. You pulled out the jug of lemonade your mother made the week prior, and poured yourself some in a clear glass.
Just as you placed the jug back in the fridge, the house phone began to ring. You took a quick sip of your lemonade, wincing at the sourness before scurrying into the living room.
"Hello?" You spoke into the phone after picking it up.
"Hey sweetie, it's mom." You heard the familiar voice through the other line.
"Hi mom, where are you and dad?" You asked, assuming they'd be home by now. You couldn't help but feel your nerves flare back up at the thought of being alone in the house.
"I'll be home in about thirty minutes, I just got off work." She said, sounding quite exhausted. "As for your father, he has overtime, and won't be home until late tonight."
"Oh, well that's alright." You said, unable to mask the gloom in your voice. Your mother sighed into the phone after recognizing your shift in tone.
"I know it may be unseemly to work after what happened with Steven... but it is the only way we can afford his funeral expenses. I hope you can understand." She explained, and you nodded though she couldn't see.
"I do," You bit your lower lip, forcing back the emotions that have been begging to be released since the night he died. "It just doesn't feel real. I keep expecting Steve to come home and hug me like he does—like he did before. I miss him, Mom."
"I know, sweetie, so do I." There was a brief pause before you heard sniffling. She was holding back tears, too. "I'll be home soon, alright?"
"Okay..." You muttered quietly before placing the phone back on its hook.
You rested a hand against the wall in front of you, exhaling deeply. You fought to regain control of the sorrow that threatened to betray you. You couldn't cry now. If you did, you wouldn't be able to stop. You'd be an emotional wreck at Stu's party, and no one wanted that.
The phone began to ring again beside you, and you quickly picked it up thinking it was your mom. "Hello?"
"Hey, it's me." The voice belonged to your friend, Tatum.
"Hey, Tate, what's up?"
"What happened today? I thought I told you to meet me and Sid by my locker." She reminded.
"Shit, I forgot. Stu had dragged me to the video store with him," You revealed, rolling your eyes at the memory.
"You were with Stu?" The uncertainty in her voice was evident.
"Yeah, he needed help picking out some movies for tonight. Several of them being Jaime Lee Curtis movies. He just dropped me off at home." You explained, clearing up any wandering thoughts she could be having about you and her boyfriend.
"Oooh, maybe I should bring the Tom Cruise movie. We never got the chance to watch it." Tatum suggested, and you immediately thought of that one scene.
"The boys are gonna be in for a big surprise." You laughed, and you could hear snickering in the background.
"Yeah well, Sid and I are just grabbing some food for the party. We'll come and get you after, okay?" She said, and you felt relieved that you didn't have to ask. Steve was the sibling with his driver's license. He took you to school and drove you almost anywhere you asked. Now, it was weird having to catch spare rides from your friends. You hated feeling like a nuisance.
"Alright, I'll see you in a bit." You said.
"Ta-Ta, babe." Tatum said before hanging up.
You set the phone back down with a smile and reentered the kitchen to grab your lemonade. As you took another sip, the resounding ring of your phone echoed through the house for a third time.
"I sure am popular today," You mumbled to yourself before going to answer it.
"Orth Residency, how can I help you?" You answered playfully this time, setting your glass on the console table.
"𝐇𝐞𝐥𝐥𝐨, 𝐝𝐨𝐥𝐥."