Finding You

Chapter 34

"Hey honey, how was school?" Mom says in her cheery voice from the living room.

I look at her. "Uh, fine. What are you doing home so early?"

She smiles lightly. "I wasn't feeling well this morning so I took a day off."

"Oh. You seem fine now," I point out.

"Well I'm not fine, okay? Mind your own business," she snaps.

I look at her oddly. I don't know where that came from. "Ok mom, while you deal with whatever you're going through, I'll be in my room."

I'll pack now, I need her in a better mood when I tell her. I walk to my room and look for a duffel bag. In the corner is the one I had packed from last time. That part was easy.

I text Zay that I have my stuff ready and silently creep to the back door. To my surprise, he's already standing there.

"Have you been here the whole time?" I whisper.

"Yeah. I have nothing else to do," he whispers back.

I push him further from the door so we can talk normally. "My mom is already here. Apparently she doesn't feel well; I think she just didn't want to go to work."

"Oh, so are you gonna tell her now?"

"Yeah. Here take this and wait for me." I hand him my bag. I tiptoe back inside and replay what I'm gonna say to her. By the time I get back to the living room I have it down pact.

But I look at her face and lose it all. Can I really do this? Sleep next door for a couple of weeks?

I shake off my doubts and get it over with. "Hey mom?"

"Yes, Amber?" she says tiredly.

"Me and, uh, Savannah have this homework project we have to do so I'm going to spend the night at her house for a while to get it done faster." I added a part but so what, I hope she buys it.

She stares at me before answering. "Ok. How long will it be?"

I need to think fast. We didn't cover any questions she might ask. "Uh, we don't know how long yet. We're just gonna do it till it's done. The deadline is after prom so it might be some time," I blurt out.

"Prom? That's in over a week. You'll be with her for that long? Me and your father will miss you."

"Just sleeping. And I'll stay here on the weekends," I quickly add.

Ah crap. That wasn't the plan, I hope she stops asking questions.

"Okay. Is she coming to pick you up?"

I pause. She was supposed to pick me up around 3:00, the time my mom usually comes home. But I guess I'll have to change that.

"Uh yeah lemme text her right now."

I run to my room and grab my journal and bear. I run back to her and give her a kiss on the cheek. "She's here. Love you bye."

She looks like she's about to say something but I run outside before she can. Quickly, so as not to be seen, I run around the house next to mine and to the back door.

I try opening it, but it's locked. But I can feel Zay behind the door. And I know he can smell or sense me here too. "Zay, open the door."

"What's the magic word?" comes his muffled voice.

"Zay I swear, if you don't open this door. My mom could step in my backyard and see me any second."

He cracks the door. "The password is 'Zay is so sexy'," he says and shuts the door before I can move.