Snaked

I'm Right Here

Avery's pov

The light in my room flicks on, making me bury my face into my pillow, not wanting to wake up or know what time it is.

"Sorry I didn't mean to wake you," I hear Willie say, making me turn over and stare at him with a murderous look on my face.

"No, it's okay. What time is it?" I say as I sit up and rub my face before reaching forward and petting the kitten that was laying on beside my leg.

He lifts his sweater sleeves and looks at his clock. "Eleven o'clock," he says before sitting down on the edge of my bed.

I nod and groan before I move into the bathroom and change into some tan jeans and black tank top before throwing a brown flannel over my shoulders. "So why are you here?" I ask as I brush my hair and finally notice that it's grown out to my mid-back.

"I wanted to see if you wanted to come have breakfast with Cam and I," he yells from my bed.

"Sure," I say as I walk back to my bed and pet the kitten again. "Ready to go?"

He nods as he stands up before he wraps his arm around the back of my shoulders and walks us into the kitchen where Cam is standing in front of the stove. "Morning Chaparrito, morning Willie," she says, not looking at either of us.

"Chaparrito?" Willie asks, looking at her then down to me.

"Y'know, 'cause she's short," she says, motioning to me with a spoon in her hand.

"Oh come on, be nice," Willie rubbing my arm.

"Nah, it's fine, I grew up surrounded guys, I'm used to a bit of teasing," I say as I laugh softly before walking over and sitting on the counter and looking down at what she's cooking. I breathe in and gag, covering my mouth so she doesn't see.

"You good?" She asks, turning her attention away from the eggs and looking up at me.

I clear my throat, trying to get the horrid smell out of my nose. "Mmhm, just perfect," I say, quietly. When I smell another whiff of the eggs, I gag again, this time it's very noticeable. "I'm so sorry," I say with my hand covering my mouth and nose.

"Nah, it's fine. You want an apple or anything?" She asks, opening the fridge next to me.

"I'll take an apple if that's okay," I say as Willie asks for one too. 

Cam hands me an apple before she throws one behind her as Willie catches it and puts it in his mouth. "So not an egg person eh?" She asks, smiling up at me before turning back to her eggs.

I shake my head as I take a bite of my apple. "Always found them disgusting. I think it's the texture," I say.

"Yeah, I get it. Sorry, Cam, those eggs are all yours, I hate them too," Willie says as he finishes off his apple. "Ave, you gonna decorate help decorate our tree tonight?"

I inhale deeply, remembering how close it is to Christmas and remembering that I'm having to spend it without the guys. "I-um," I stutter, looking at Willie for a moment before looking at Cam who was looking at me eagerly. "I don't know yet," I say, smiling and hopping off of the counter. "I gotta go, but-um, I let you know," I say before leaving the kitchen and walking quickly into my room and shutting the door.

I sit with my back against my bed and the cat jumps down and stands on my legs, making me smile sadly at it, not wanting to cry. I look up when I see Caleb poof into the room, immediately making my tears disappear and turn into anger.

"Do you want to see them?" He asks, his voice surprisingly soft and kind. I nod my head quickly and I feel hope starting to creep up on me and I let it, letting down my guard for the first time in a while. "Okay," he says before snapping his fingers, making me poof in front of Julie's house.

I smile as tears fill my eyes before I hear laughter, making me walk through the door and into the house where Christmas decorations covered every corner of the house. The farther I walk into the house, the louder the laughter and talking becomes. When I walk into the living room, a giant Christmas tree is resting in the corner of the room where the boys, Julie, Ray, and Carlos are all huddled around, decorating the tree. Carlos is on Luke's back as he puts the star on top of the tree and once he lets go of it, everybody cheers, making me half laugh and half cry.

I go to walk over to Luke but Luke walks over to Julie and wraps his arms over her shoulder so that he's hugging her from being, making me stop in my tracks as I remember every single time he did that to me. "Ugh, Ave would've loved this," Alex says, wrapping his arm around Reggie's shoulder, looking up at the tree.

"I do! I do love this!" I yell, trying to get their attention as tears fill my eyes.

"She would've, wouldn't she?" Julie says, smiling up at the tree and then to the fireplace where I see a picture of the boys and I.

"I-I'm right here, though," I say, walking forward and waving my hands in front of Alex's face as he just stares past me and toward Luke and Julie. They all stand there in silence so I run over to the lamp next to the couch and flick it off, making everybody turn their heads to look at it.

"Damn, that light's out again, I'll go get another bulb," Ray says before walking downstairs.

"The last time it did that was when I was scaring your aunt. Are you sure Ave isn't here?" Reggie asks, walking towards me but stopping when she brushes it off.

I groan as more tears fill my eyes before I walk over to the blinds to open and close them to let them know I'm here but I feel arms wrap around me and for a second I relax but then I see Willie's brown hair fall over my shoulder and immediately get mad again. "Let me go!" He does say anything, he just tightens his grip every time I try and move away. "Willie, let me go! They need to know I'm here!" I scream before Reggie turns around with a confused look on his face, almost like he heard me. I grab Willie's hands, hoping to pry them off of me but he just grunts and poofs us out and as I scream and yell in protest. He poofs us into my room and I'm still muttering the same words. "Let me go!" I yell at Willie as I finally wiggle out of his arms before I turn to face him. "What the fuck was that? Reggie heard me! I know he did!"

"Ave, Caleb was tricking you," he says, his voice angry, making me surprised as I had never heard him angry before. 

"Just go," I say to him, quieter this time in case anyone in the hall could hear me. He opens his mouth to say something but I interrupt him. "Leave! Please!" He nods slowly before leaving the room. When he closes the door I drop to my knees and cover my mouth with my hand, trying to quiet my sobs. "I'm right here," I whisper even though no one can hear me.