The One Who Ran Away

Chapter Seventeen

Jo groggily hauled herself up. She rubbed the sleep from her eyes before looking at the ringing phone she pulled from under her pillow. "Scarlett" was calling.

"'Lo?" Jo managed to say. Her mouth felt like it was full of cotton. The vibration from her voice made her lips tingle and she rubbed them hastily with the back of her hand.

"Hey, Jo! Did I wake you up?" Scarlett's cheery voice assaulted Jo's ears. Jo squeezed her eyes shut.

"Yes."

"Oh, sorry! But I'm standing outside your house, could you let me in?"

Jo pulled the phone away from her ear and glanced at the little clock.

"Scarlett, it's not even ten yet. Why are you outside my house?"

"Because I decided to have a girl's day. You've been cranky this week. I think it's time for some Scarlett Therapy," the redhead stated. Jo stifled a yawn and threw the covers off her body. The cold air chilled her warm skin, making her shiver. She kept talking to Scarlett as she stumbled to the door.

"How do you even know where I live?"

"You'll never believe me when I tell you. Can you hurry up? It's freezing out here!" The phone suddenly clicked and Jo looked at the phone in disbelief. Scarlett had hung up on her. Shaking her head, she made her way down the hall and to the front door. She pulled the door open to reveal a blue Scarlett.

"About time!" the shivering girl muttered. Her lips were tinged blue and her teeth were chattering loudly. She wore a thick, pink coat and cute grey leggings with a pair of black Ugg boots over her feet. The boots had little pink bows. To literally cap off her look, she sported a pink beanie. The pink didn't even clash with her flaming red hair. Jo was impressed.

Jo stepped back as the girl forced her way into the house. Jo shut the door, keeping the gusting winds out. It really was freezing outside. 

"Oh, sweet warmth! How I missed you!" The girl slid her beanie off, shaking out her tangled locks. She shrugged off her coat to reveal a hot pink sweater. It hung off her right shoulder in that cute over-sized way. She looked adorable compared to Jo's own look, a pair of fuzzy green and blue plaid pants and a plain black hoodie.

"Why are you here again?" Jo asked through a yawn. She took Scarlett's coat and placed it on the coat rack a few feet inside the doorway.

"Girl's day. It's official," Scarlett reminded her. She waited and followed behind Jo as she moved down the hallway and into little Ricky's room. She found him happily sleeping in his crib still. Jo didn't have the heart to wake him.

"Who's the cutie?" Scarlett whispered over Jo's shoulder. Jo shut the oak door softly and turned to answer Scarlett.

"My brother. His name is Patrick. I call him Ricky."

"He's adorable. Looks like you, too." Jo smiled and yawned deeply, motioning for Scarlett to follow her into the kitchen.

Jo found a bowl and reached for the box of Captain Crunch cereal. She held the box up, silently asking if Scarlett wanted any.

"No thanks, I already ate."

Jo finished making the bowl of cereal before sitting down next to Scarlett on the stools. She munched on a few spoonfuls before asking, "Okay, so how did you find out where I live?"

Scarlett's face lit up. Her eyes sparkled mischievously. Jo was suddenly nervous about the answer.

"Okay, so get this. I was sitting on a bench outside of school after school had ended. You had already left and I didn't want to ruin the surprise by texting you for your address. So, there I was, scrolling through Facebook and Twitter and everything else I could think of to find your address."