- lila sydney's pov | chapter thirty-six (36)
- november 1st 2022 | lil peep - praying to the sky
while holding the family sized bag of smartfood popcorn (i picked it up from the gas station on my way here) in my left hand, i use my right hand to flick aaliyah's light switch repeatedly. it's an attempt to get her up and out of bed.
i make the lights go on, and then off, then on, then off, and then on once again, pausing to sigh because she hasn't moved an inch.
mentally deciding "oh, well" i walk over to the mattress she's laid out on and crouch down when i'm inches away from her.
i lay a hand on her torso and shake.
doesn't work; i do it again.
aaliyah begins to stir in her sleep and i let out a breath i didn't even know i was holding. i shake her again when it looks like she's about to lay back down. she turns over to look at me as she brushes loose hairs out of her view.
awkwardly, she gives me wave; mouths the word "..hi,"
i smile a bit and wave back, sitting down the popcorn so my hands can be free. "hi," i sign "how'd you sleep?"
aaliyah shrugs sleepliy, uses one hand to reply "ok,"
right..
i nod slow and then nod towards the bag of popcorn. "ah, these are for you,"
she looks at the bag for a second, smiling because she's kind. "when i told you i liked popcorn i didn't mean i liked it so much, i'm willing to eat it for breakfast."
i roll my eyes. "i'm aware. but it's 12 in the afternoon."
her eyes go wide and she sits up immediately. "wait, really?"
i nod and show her my watch. "12,"
she jams the thumb of her dominant hand, on top, into a fist on her other hand. "shit,"
"don't worry about it," i sign, trying to reassure her. "when i saw them downstairs your parents didn't seem upset. also, you never miss days. i'm positive the school won't mind."
she doesn't look reassured. "i had a test,"
"and you can take it tomorrow."
"but i'd rather not,"
"but you're gonna have to."
she doesn't sign anything. just looks around for a moment. her eyes are low, her hair is all over the place, she.. (i pause my thoughts to sniff the air a bit) she kinda reeks of alcohol
i look at her, "so, uh.. are you hungover?"
she shakes her head as she answers. "no, i didn't drink last night." i nod, mouthing the word "oh," i believe her. maybe someone just wasted a few drops on her clothes. i drop the subject without a thought and sign another question. "were you with someone at the party?"
she spells out, "juneaux," smiling when she starts on the a-u-x. the smile shows that dimple on her left cheek. cute.
i wish she would smile when she'd sign my name. she isn't though. at least, not right now. juneaux's name is what she's signing. juneaux is a junior at our school and i have to note that she's really pretty. it's understandable why aaliyah smiles at the mention of her.
