Just Knowing You

Chapter 33: Genevieve

My parents are going to kill me.

They are literally gonna kill me oh my gosh.

I'm trying my best to hide my nerves, but sitting in the passenger seat not uttering a single word to Otis, Sophie, or Darcy is definitely raising Otis's suspicions.

I can tell he thinks something is up with me, and I don't want to talk about it with the twins in the car, so this is my only option.

From mom to me

Where are you?

Come home now.

I'm not gonna ask again

The texts echoes in my brain. I know it's a simple text that might not make a kid be shaking in their freaking boots from reading it, but if you had parents like mine...

My dad can be chill most of the time, that's why I like him better than mom... but that doesn't mean he can't be just as hurtful as her with the things he says.

I wish I could say I didn't love them. I do, I mean it's not like they're abusive. They just overreact sometimes, and pressure me into doing things I don't like, and follow unfair rules they make on a whim.

When they see Otis pull up in the driveway, which they will because I know for a fact they're watching out the window waiting for me, they'll have my head—and his.

Sorry Otis.

I inwardly cringe at the inevitable scuffle I'll be having with them later, and the fact that they might lose their temper in front of Otis.

"Hey... you wanna talk to me Speedy?"

Otis whispers to me as the girls play with their toys in the backseat and I look over at him. His eyes are still on the road and he glances at me a couple times for barely a millisecond before I see his jaw clench and he runs a hand through his hair when I don't respond right away.

He's thinking.

"Is it something I sa—"

"Otis, shut up." He clamps his mouth closed and we pull up to my driveway, "it's just my parents... they're very... strict... when it comes to me and how I spend my time..."

"O...kay..." he puts the car in park and I unbuckle ready to sprint out of the vehicle, maybe too soon though because he puts his hand around my wrist, catching me from jumping out.

"I'm coming with you."

"Not a good idea, buddy."

"It's fine. Parents love me, I'll explain the situation."

"Well... I'm not really supposed to hang out with you... or any boy at all till I'm 18 and they're really, really strict on that rule." I look down, my cheeks burning with embarrassment, as I kick a pebble on the driveway into the grass.

"Wait... they legitimately have a no-dating rule?"

"Sorta? B-but we can still hangout I just have to let the dust settle and we can hide it better! Wait are we dating? No. I wasn't implying that we were or anything, because you probably wouldn't want to like be... well you probably like someone else and that was icky of me to say anything about us dating because we're not, and—sorry."