My eyes soon opened. As they did, it took me a milisecond to realize where I was and for the entirety yesterday to replay in my head and how I got here.
I heard the birds chirping outside the two medium-sized windows on either side of the bed. I could somehow tell I woke up really early. I turned to my side and reached over for my glasses and put them on. Then I snatched my phone. When I had it, I immediately called my sister. I wasted no time. Nalia ghosting me was probably the worst thing to happen.
Fear panged in my chest when her phone went straight to voicemail. Oh please please please not today.
I called her again. Straight to voicemail.
At this point I was literally done with her. Never again am I going with her terrible plans with too many backfires. She literally used me for her own benefit. You know what, if she gets in trouble by mom, fine. I won't stand up for her. She's on her own from now on.
I snarled and rolled my eyes, still mumbling words about her.
Really, I wanted to stay in this room. I didn't want to go out because I wasn't sure of what i'd be met with. Though I wondered if Dallas was awake. But my main goal here was to make sure my sister would answer her phone. I had hope that maybe if I called enough, she'd answer. But with every voicemail I was getting frustrated.
Soon I started getting hungry. Even though I was on a tightrope at the moment, maybe food'll calm me down. But going in someone's kitchen and grabbing food isn't really cool like that, so I thought i'd ask Dallas, if he's awake.
I got out of bed, swinging the covers off of my body. My feet hung from the bed at first but then they hugged the floor once I stood up. Taking my phone with me, I walked to the room door.
It was bright in the room. I hadn't realized that there were no curtains inside until now. The sun shined brightly through. It was pretty, but it kind of hurt my half-asleep eyes.
Soon I had opened the room door and was met with the sort-of familiar hallway. It was bright, just like the room. My moves were slowed. I wanted to be quiet, cause I didn't know if anyone else were awake. As far as my knowledge goes, i'm not even supposed to be here.
I looked left and right first before stepping out fully. I tried to remember which hallway led to Dallas's room. But soon my brain recognized the door to the left.
I walked down the hallway slowly and crept up to his room. When I approached, I wrapped my hand around the knob slowly, my intention was for the door not to creak so much, I turned it without causing the clicking sound and pushed it open.
More and more of his room came into view. He still had his mess everywhere, I had saw.
But soon I saw him. Knocked out in his bed. His covers only went up to his chest so I could see his sleeping face from afar. His mouth was slightly open and his face was at rest.
I stared for a moment, contemplating what I should do next. But then I thought, you know what, let him sleep. He went through alot for me last night. If it wasn't for me he'd probably be asleep sooner.
So I closed the door, turning the knob before it shut so it wouldn't make any noise.
When I finished, I backed away slowly. Taking a breath, I thought.
Should I just go grab a snack in the kitchen? Would that be too much? What if I cooked breakfast for him? Breakfast in his own home? Sounds ridiculous. Especially for a guest. He had asked me if I wanted a snack last night so i'm guessing they have some.
Sooner or later I decided going downstairs was the best idea at the moment.
Maybe if I check out the scope then my plan'll go from there.
I started walking towards the stairs. Soon I got to them and took a step at a time down, making as little noise as possible.
I got the view of downstairs when I was on my 3rd to last step. Seeing this place now, it's alot brighter than I thought. Whoever lived here with Dallas must be crazy about vitamin D, because there were no curtains in the house. Every window had enough sun to shine through, that they would never need electricity.
With all this light, I began to notice more things about the house. See more furniture, and family pictures.
I walked further away from the stairs, figuring I was alone so I didn't have to step so cautiously anymore. I walked to where I remembered where the kitchen was. I went through the entrance and found myself there. There was a kitchen counter island, and there was a large glass slide door that led to the backyard next to everything.
Their backyard was big, with a basketball court-like design, and a wooden deck to chill on. The more I looked around, the more I liked this house.
Then I saw the fridge. It was a black color and looked neat. I grabbed ahold of the handle and pulled it open. I was almost shocked of what I saw. Food, snacks, drinks in every corner. Everything was organized. The fruits and vegetables in the slots at the bottom, the drinks hung on the door, the leftovers at the bottom plank, food in the middle plank, and ingredients at the top.
Though my eyes were on the strawberries. Those sure looked good. I'd be drooling. But then I shook my head and closed the fridge.
This is wrong.
I can't just storm in someone's house and take their strawberries. Then i'd be a strawberry thief. It'd be all over the news. Wanted-girl-arrested-for-stealing-strawberries-outta-somebody-house.
And that just would not look good on my resume.
Soon I decided that I should go back upstairs and deal with my sister who apparently thought Halloween came early so she wanna be a ghost. I did a 360, heading straight back for the stairs and holding up my phone. I wanted to try calling her again.
As I walked out of the entrance, I was met with a presence that damned near gave me a heart attack. I gasped and stopped in my tracks as I looked up at the person in front of me. Phone in hand.
It wasn't Dallas, but a woman. A few inches under my height, blonde short hair, blue eyes.
She seemed obviously shocked to see me too.
We had a moment of awe until she let out a, "Hi." She says.
"Hi."
"And you are..?" She tilt her head. "Oh i'm Jasmine! Nice to meet you Mrs...Anderson? I'm assuming?" I reach out and we shake hands for a second.
"You are correct." She nods. I give an awkward chuckle and put my hands behind my back.
"I'm surprised Dallas didn't tell me he was having another girl over. I'm surprised he didn't hide you last night." She looks at me and chuckled.
"Oh I am so sorry Mrs Anderson there were just some things- I was stuck in a situation and Dallas was the one to help me I hope i'm not intruding."
Which was exactly what I was doing.
"Oh no! No, I mean- you're still here! Dallas kept you 'til morning so he probably wanted me to meet you." She stuck her hands in her back pocket.
I could tell her eyes were narrowing towards my hair, which was in the curly afro I predicted it to be in yesterday.
I shake my head, "It's nothing like that Mrs Anderson. I was just here because Dallas was helping me myself." I explain.
She nodded, "It's okay. You were in the kitchen- you hungry?" She pointed towards the kitchen.
"Ah I mean, I was shamelessly going to get a snack but I don't think-"
"Oh no it's okay! I was just about to make breakfast. Looks like i'll be cooking for four this morning."
She quickly passed me by and entered her kitchen. She started opening the fridge and doing other things according to culinary.
I watched her, that same form of guilt/insecurity hitting me in the chest. Why was she so nice?
Yell at me, curse at me, ask me why the hell i'm here. It's what my mom would do. Don't make breakfast for me, i'm an intruder. She probably thinks i'm just another one of the thots Dallas has dated. But it's become more shocking because i'm black. The first dark-skin to be in here it seems.
These were which the voices in my head spoke to me.
I was obviously insecure. Feeling a heavy weight when I knew someone was being nice to me when they didn't have to.
"You can sit down. Watch tv if you want. The remote is somewhere in there." She said as she handled the sizzling pan on the stove.
I turned around and faced the living room. I went towards the couch in my eyesight and when I got there, I sat down. The couch under me was soft yet cold on my legs. Sitting here awkwardly was not something i'd like to do so I followed her orders and looked for the remote.
I did it cautiously, not really trying to touch anything. Then I found it, in between the seats. I reached inside and grabbed it, I had it wrapped around my fingers. Then I reached out and pressed the on button with my thumb. The large tv took some time to come on and I was wondering for a second if it even worked. But soon it suddenly turned on the news.
I put the remote down. I don't watch the news, but I didn't want to mess with anything else anymore so I just settled for less. Dallas' mom was still cooking in the kitchen. I had wondered when Dallas would awake so we can figure out how I leave.
I looked down at my phone and decided to frantically call my sister once again. I probably left her about 25 missed calls.
My thumb continuously tapped her number, and every time it went straight to voicemail. After trying about 7 times, I grit my teeth and gave up. Heaving a sigh, I look back up to the tv and pretended to pay attention. I mean, what else was I going to do.
Taking short glances towards the kitchen, Dallas' mom, Mrs Anderson, kept looking back at me. More like she was giving me the short glances that I was giving her. My eyes couldn't make out the expression in her eyes. What was she possibly thinking?
She probably thinks you're going to steal something a voice in my head spoke.
I mentally threw my mind far away from that thought. It's gotta be something else. Let's put myself in her shoes.
So I wake up one morning, doing my daily thing, and suddenly I run into some chick in my own house, who's apparently wearing my sons' clothing. Knowing that my son is quick when it comes to girls, what do I think?
Oh my gosh she thinks me and Dallas...
I shivered.
"So," Mrs Anderson started. I suddenly took my attention away from the tv and to her.
"You go to Auburndale High along with Dallas?" She asked as she continued cooking.
I nodded my head, "Right."
"And you went to the game last night?" She took a glance back at me.
I nodded again, but it wasn't like she could see me. "Yeah, I did."
I wondered if it was too much to compliment how Dallas played in the game. Was I maybe going too far?
"How did you and Dallas meet last night?" She asked, turning over eggs in the pan.
"Oh um.." I remembered Dallas's alibi he told me at Quinn's party. "..I ran into him at the bowling alley." I nodded as I finished. Mrs Anderson nodded her head as she cooked. She checked the oven. My brain put together a story just in case Mrs Anderson decides to ask more questions about our whereabouts.
Suddenly I heard quick footsteps enter. "Yo big ears-" It was obviously Dallas. And he obviously stopped in his tracks when he noticed me but heard cooking in the kitchen. His jaw dropped slightly as he saw his mom. Then he looked back at me. His expression very shocked that me and his mother were in a short radius from each other.
"Oh you came just in time, breakfast is being served." Mrs Anderson took a quick glance at him while she took something out of the oven.
"Oh okay." Dallas spoke. Then he quickly looked at me and made a face that said what the hell is going on? What happened?
I responded back with my own facial expression that said, don't worry about it it's fine.
He made his way towards the round glass table. "You can go ahead and sit at the table Jasmine, food'll be right there..!" His mom said.
Right after that, I immediately stood up. I walked to where Dallas was. He sat in one of the chairs already. He had his back slightly turned and was watching me walk towards him. I passed his mother up in the kitchen and went towards the seat across from him. But Dallas scooted over and forwarded me to sit next to him.
Well okay then.
I tried to make this as less suspicious as possible. Because right now we were giving her all sort of ideas.
I took the seat next to Dallas by his silent order. When I sat, Dallas has his big brown eyes pointed at me, as if he was dying to know what the heck and how me and his mom encountered each other.
He lowered he head a bit as he looked at me. We were inches apart. All the chairs were really close to each other at the small round table.
"She knows your name..?" He whispered to me, eyebrows raised.
I gave him a quick nod and right after, his mom came to us with the food. "Alrighty! Food's ready." She said with a smile.
She served us each our plates first. I gawked. Cinnamon rolls, pancakes, eggs, strawberries, bacon. All of it served galore.
My mouth gaped. Dallas just stared at me with the same I-wanna-know look on his face.
I lift my head up and looked at his mom who was on her way to get her own plate, "Thank you so much Mrs Anderson." I said that from the deepest place in my heart. "Oh it's not problem, y'know I love to cook!" She chuckled.
Dallas laughed at my shocked face.
This is by far the biggest breakfast i'd ever had. And usually me and my family go out to eat for breakfast.
I picked up the metal fork. I wondered if I even deserve to eat this. But then it'd be rude if I didn't. I immediately went for the pancakes, sauntered in syrup. Mrs Anderson had soon came back to the table with her own plate. She sat across from us. Dallas had picked up his fork and ate as well. He was slower than me of course.
We were happily eating for a second. I soon thought, this place wasn't so bad. I'm glad I decided to stay. Funny how food can change your mind so quickly.
In the blink of an eye.
His mom narrowed her eyes towards us as she organized her food with the fork in her hand, "So, you two dating or what?"
I choked on an egg and Dallas choked on his orange juice.
"Hm?" I looked up at her with wide eyes. Dallas shook his head, "No. Nonono not at all." He said that awfully aggressive. But I agreed, "No ma'am we've never...no not in a million years." My mouth was slightly full. I sort of regretted saying that because at the end of the day that was her son. Even Dallas looked at me and furrowed his eyebrows at determined I was.
I mean he was determined too.
His mom looked at both of us in shock, "Wow, that's the first." She looked at me. I nodded my head and Dallas pointed at me with his thumb,
"Yeah we're just frien-"
"We're only schoolmat-"
Me and Dallas looked at each other.
We were stumbling with our words. Our eyes searched for the answer we were looking for. Who's going to go first? Who's going to explain to her. Our eyes spoke to each other. He raised his eyebrows.
You?
You?
No you?
Ugh fine i'll do it.
Okay good.
I turned and faced Mrs Anderson as Dallas nodded in his victory. "We're just..we just go to school together. That's it." I shake my head at her.
Mrs Anderson nodded her head, "Oh, I got it now." She picked up her glass of water.
When she wasn't looking for that second, I snarled at Dallas. He only stuck his tongue out at me.
"Okay then well.." His mother began, putting down her glass. We both immediately straightened up. "..at the bowling alley, where'd you two run into each other?" She asked.
Our eyes widened. Dallas quickly looked at me with a question mark above his head. "Uhh.." I looked down at the table, averting my eyes. Then I looked at Dallas and we had eye contact. We both looked at each other in hopeless confusion.
Then suddenly we perked up and looked at his mom,
"At the one of the bowling lanes."
"By the food stands."
We looked at each other with big eyes. Then we turned,
"Where the food was."
"We were bowling together."
We looked at each other again. Dallas gave me a frustrated expression. Then he looked at his mom, "We basically just ran into each other." He explains.
Mrs Anderson just nodded as she drunk more of her glass of water.
When she finished, she put her drink down. She smiled at us. But I think she sneakily glared at Dallas. I think I can tell when a mom is glaring at her kids. I get enough of that at home. I'll probably get more of it today.
She mustered up a grin,
"Well that explains it."