Delicate ✔

Chapter Fourteen

  It's a Saturday night. Lily is going over to her friend's house and Justin asked my parents if he could go hang out with some friends he met from school. Mom is waiting in the front room to drive them to their destinations. They're waiting on Lily to pack her over-night bag. I wonder if Lee goes to high school with Justin? I drum my fingers on the marble kitchen island, twisting slightly in the bar stool I'm sitting on. Sarah's not coming over to visit tonight either. At least dad was here. I didn't want to have to stay in my room until mom got back. I think he's in his room watching t.v. though.

A hand comes down on mine, stopping me from tapping my fingers any longer. I turn, already knowing who is was. Justin keeps his hand their, giving me an irritated look. A blush threatens to spill onto my face when I recall my dream this morning. I hold it back though.

"Would you stop?," he hisses. " I can hear you from the living room."

"Don't you have somewhere to be?," I ask nonchalantly.

"As soon as that little brat gets down here," he mutters, withdrawing his hand from mine.

"Leave her alone," I snap.

"You've been grouchy all day. First, you have me listen to a song that was meant to insult me. Now, you're being a--"

"A what?"

He grins, shaking his head. "Never mind. I know why you're mad."

"Do you?," my voice is skeptical.

"Does it have anything to do with me and Sarah?"

I narrow my eyes. "Maybe."

He chuckles. "You're jealous? That's cute."

"Cute?," I scoff. "You really know how to tick someone off, don't you?"

"Yeah, I piss a lot of people off."

I drop down from the bar stool, brushing past him. "Maybe you could try making someone happy for once," I say over my shoulder.

"I could," he says, making me stop and turn my head to look at him. "But there's no fun in that."

I frown, but before I can speak, he sighs at my expression.

"We'll talk about it later, okay?"

My face softens, but I turn before he can see it, leaving the kitchen. I can't decide what I think about this guy. He's always teasing me and making me bad, but then he's not. The doctors told my parents I had congenital insensitivity to pain when I was little. I can't feel physical pain. I feel like this has had an effect on my emotions. If I had never been born that way, my mom and dad would've let me go out and do things like Lily. Maybe I could understand these new feelings better too. What kind of person would I be if I was normal? Regardless of Justin's intentions, my life isn't as boring as it use to be since he came along. I know I won't be mad at him for much longer.

....

I reluctantly walk into the kitchen where my parents are. I take a seat across from them. Their conversation is cut short when they notice my solemn expression.

"Do you need something, Aubrey?"

Taking a breath, I speak in a rush. "I want to go to go to high school to finish off my senior year."

My mother nearly chokes on her mug of coffee. "Why would you want to do that? I don't even think we could get you in. You've done homeschooling all your life."

"I'm smart enough to go. Ella is a good teacher. There's no reason for them to say know."

"I told you this would happen one day, Sylvia," my dad says slyly.