Senior Year

Chapter 9 - The Emergency Room

Chapter 9 - The Emergency Room 
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I stop in the kitchen quickly, swinging my bag onto the counter. I rummage around in the cupboards and pull out some packets of cookies and assorted bags of candy. I mean, I can't leave without food, right? I pull some cans of Diet Coke out of the fridge, and shove them into my bag. I know Mom and Dad shouldn't mind. They probably won't even notice.

Then again, it's not exactly like they want me leaving.

I shrug off the feeling of guilt, before picking up my bag, which has gotten really heavy. "Jesus," I mutter. I grab my phone and keys, making sure my house key is still on the metal loop. If I ever do decide to come back, then I have to have some way of getting in.

If.

After everything Kayleigh has done, I don't know if I even want her in my life anymore. Sure, she's my sister, and I 'love' her, blah blah blah, but if she really cared about me, she wouldn't have done stuff with Chase. I literally gag at the thought of her and him being 'intimate'.

Besides, there's a difference between 'love' and 'like'. Just because I'm obliged to love Kayleigh, doesn't mean I like her.

Swinging my hair over my shoulder, I walk out into the garage, clicking open my MINI. I throw my bag into the backseat, then jump in the front. It's only around ten o'clock, so I pretty much have the rest of the day to get myself sorted with somewhere to sleep. Even if it's in a bus-shelter, I don't care. As long as I'm away from Kayleigh.

I send Erica a text, telling her to phone me as soon as she can, so I can explain everything that's happened. She rings almost immediately

"Hey," she says, brightly.

"Hey, I thought you'd be in class?" I ask.

"I was, but I said I had the skids and needed to be excused."

"You faked having diarrhoea so you could call me?"

"Well, yeah?" she says, acting as if it's the most obvious thing in the world. What a freak. I quickly explain everything that's happened, leaving out the fact that it was Jace who told me, and she gasps and agrees occasionally. It's great having someone to talk to, who won't judge my decisions.

"So," I wind off, "can I stay with you for a while? It won't be long, and I can pay if you need me to?"

"Babe, you're practically family," she sighs. "Of course you can stay! It'll be like a permanent sleepover!"

"Really? Ohmigod, thanks so much, Erica!" I gush. That was totally what I needed to hear.

"Yeah, but if I walk in on you and some guy shagging on my bed, I won't be happy."

"Erica!" I cry. Erica's quite open, about sex and stuff. Not a bashful bone in her body.

"Don't be such a baby! Oh, and don't make any either."

"Yeah, yeah, heard it all before."

"Remember, sex is cleaner if you cover your wiener," Erica says, and I can't help but laugh.

"Yeah, don't be silly, cover your willie," I say.

"Don't be a fool, cover your tool."

"Okay, that's enough!" We say our goodbyes, and Erica tells me to head to her house, because she'll be there in a little while. After faking having a serious stomach bug, the teacher probably wouldn't let her back into class anyway.

I pull out of the drive-way, then make my way towards Erica's house.



***



Erica's parents are really cool. They're quite well off, because they own a string of antique shops throughout town, which do really well. They're like modern-day hippies, if that makes sense? They're a lot older than most parents, but that's fine in my book. They dress in weird clothes, have matching haircuts - which are grey and shoulder length on both of them, if you were wondering - but they still manage to look really cool. Anyway, they're nice, and are letting me stay at their house for as long as I need to, that's all that matters to me.