Believe Me ✔️

[2] Procrastinating

One Day Before

I rock back and forth on the sidewalk, hugging my chest as I watch Vanessa and her parents load up the car. They're on their way to the airport. "I really wish you weren't going," I tell Vanessa again as she drops a suitcase in the trunk. I hug her tight, peeking an eye at her Mom. "Can I just kidnap her? I promise I'll feed her."

Cecile laughs. "Sorry, Addy. I wish you could come, but family trip only and we need Vanessa in New York."

"We're sisters." I wrap an arm around her shoulder and gesturing to the non-resemblance between us. "We're at each other's throats almost every day and we share clothes."

"Yeah, I already tried that," Vanessa admits. She pats my shoulder. "Thanks for trying, though. Seriously. If I could hide you in my suitcase, I would. Mom gets crazy on plane rides."

"I heard that," Cecile says as she climbs into the driver's seat. She honks the horn twice. "Come on, Derrek! The plane isn't going to wait for us."

Derrek walks out of the house carrying the last of their luggage, a beige suitcase. "With five hundred dollars a ticket, that damn plane's gonna."

"I better go now before Mom runs us over with the car." Vanessa gives me another hug before climbing in the back of the van. She rolls the window down. "Hey, I'll get you a souvenir. What do you want?"

"The Statue of Liberty."

She bites her lip. "Yeah, I don't think she'll fit in my bag."

"Try gift wrap," I joke, laughing. "Just have a safe flight, okay? And have fun."

"I'm going to be stuck with old people for the weekend," Vanessa starts as the van pulls away. She sticks her head out the window, screaming, "How do I have fun?"

"Love you too!" I wave until the van disappears around the corner.

A loud sigh escapes me. There's going to be a loud and obnoxious party at my house tonight and I have nowhere to go. Logan left this morning and every other friend I have is either out of state or at Disney World. The only thing open all night is Walmart, and I don't want to spend my night there. Walmart after midnight is a strange time, like you're entering an alternate dimension. You'll run into anyone there, on a scale from weirdo to extra weirdo that talks to stuffed animals in the kids' section. I saw that man once. He was having a very heated argument with a Minion, probably complaining about how they made two more movies.

As the Florida heat starts to burn, I turn around and walk back inside my house. Tyler and Paul are already setting up for their stupid back-to-school party. Don't get me wrong, I know how to party and I like to, sometimes. Just not the ones my brother throws. There's hundreds of red plastic cups in the kitchen, waiting to be tossed and used by drunk teenagers with bad breath and poor judgement. From the kitchen window I watch Tyler set up a keg in the backyard. He can't be serious. I shake my head, mumbling to myself, "Idiot. Let everyone know you have a keg in the backyard in broad daylight. It's like your begging for someone to call the cops."

"Talking to yourself again, Dee?" Paul asks as he walks in from the living room. "People might think you're crazy. The good kind if you know what I mean." He winks and I try not to gag.

"Shut the hell up, Paul." I grab a water bottle from the fridge before retreating back to my bedroom upstairs. "I don't have time for your shit right now."

"What about later?" He asks, following me as I try to leave our unwanted conversation in the kitchen. "Will I see you at the party tonight? I would love to see you there."

"I'm just not in a party mood, especially if you're going to be there." As I go to close my bedroom door, Paul shoves his arm threw and stops the door, his hand gripping it tight. "I wouldn't do that if I were you."

He leans in with a stupid grin. His cologne drowns me and I lean back. "Oh, come on. Don't be like that. You should come. You know your brother's parties aren't fun without you."

"You know what else won't be fun?"

"What?"

"Losing your arm." I push him back and slam the door shut, locking it. "Jackass." I kick my shoes off and toss them aside. One look at my desk and every memory of my book report comes back at once. Shit. I forgot about that. Mrs. Jensen had assigned us summer homework, a three-paragraph analysis of a specific chapter of a book of our choice. I'd picked Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen, but never actually got around to reading it. I've seen the movie about a hundred times; I'm obsessed. Guess tonight's as good as ever.

This is what I get for procrastinating. I need to get a head start before Tyler's party starts. As soon as that music comes on downstairs I won't be able to concentrate. I turn my laptop on and find the abandoned Word document I created a few days ago. The only thing written is my name and the assignment title. I hold the book in my hand, staring down at the cover. I guess I could just pick a random chapter and write about that. Simple enough, huh? I still have until tomorrow to finish it. Due tomorrow, do tomorrow. I grab my phone and set the book aside, open up Tumblr, and scroll through my feed, which consists of memes, puns, fanfics, and funny cat videos. I start spinning in my chair, tapping the desk with each turn.

This is going to be a long night.