The Quiet One

Chapter Nineteen- Mad Hatter

I woke a few hours later with the sun shining in my face from the window blowing my shade away from its window. Kat sleeps peacefully at my side, with her mouth open wide snoring. I smiled at her, and slide out of the bed heading downstairs.

I walked slowly and quietly down into the living room where a very familiar scene was playing out before me again. All the guys were passed out all over the living room just like the day Kat and I drew all over them in sharpies. I smiled at the thought, I felt like it had been years since we had done that. I don't feel like the same scared girl who had to crawl over Jack with pillows.

Walking past all of them I slumped into a chair in the kitchen, the clock across from me screamed 1:20 in the afternoon. My mind began to travel to the fact that my best friend is actually leaving soon. She will leave in less than a month and I will have to decide if I will go into my senior year alone or get my diploma early. I lean my head back to face the ceiling. I don't want her to go, but I could never discourage something that she's worked so hard to reach for years.

But I'm not scared to go into senior year alone like I would have been before. As I face the clock again I can now see that I really have changed. I've made new friends, I can talk to guys, I no longer eat alone, and I finally have embraced my confidence to take a dance solo.

Sighing I finally got up to start the coffee maker. Maybe I should make breakfast for everyone like last time. I wonder why all the boys were up to when we got back but now are all passed out again. While mixing up the pancake batter I finally figure it out.

They must have been out looking for us last night... Kat had told Joey that she was going to be at my house last night if he had learned that the two of us were gone... I turn and look at the door leading to the living room hearing a slight snore coming from it. Joey and Zack could have easily seen past our lie, they could have been looking for us. I stopped to think again. But something was missing, both of the boys should have been asleep when we left. It was obvious now that they must have been awake for the same amount of time Kat and I was.

I went over and walked around the living room looking for clues on why they were up all night. There was no food or anything around the room, it didn't even look like they were at the house at all last night. Leaving two possibilities. Either there was a party or they were looking for Kat and I. They all seemed to have fairly nice clothes on so the party seems like the best answer. That was until I saw what Jack was wearing. I was immediately taken back to when Kat and I stopped at the gas station to get snacks for the night. There was the weird guy leaning against the building wearing a dark blue hoodie just like Jacks. The car that guy was next to was the same type of car that's currently in my very own driveway. Jack. Jack saw us leaving town in Zack's truck.

I hurried out of the room as fast as I could and nervously started to make the pancakes. I knew that this wasn't good. My heart raced as I let the reality of what happened outside of Kat and I's a little bubble. They were looking for us all night. Joey is going to be pissed at Kat, which is definitely not going to make things any easier with Kats decision. My brother is going to be beyond angry at me for taking his truck and Jack... I honestly cannot find a reason why he would have even gone and told all the boys about us leaving town. Was he worried about us? I flipped the pancake. No, he must have just done it because it was his friend's girlfriend and another friends sister... he must have just been being a good friend. Not that he ever has been before.

I finish making the pancakes and place them on the table, I finish my coffee and decide that if I was going to be in deep with my brother over his truck I might as well make it good right? I quietly go back to my room and get changed into dance clothes. I grab my dance bag and Zack's keys and head right out the door. Our dance recital is this weekend and my instructor says that she has a surprise for me, but I need to make sure to practice as hard as I can.