house of the missing socks

tube

"Nessie! Where ya been, Sweetie?" My step-dad yelled, setting his beer down as he stood up to meet us as we walked towards the front door. He was wearing cargo shorts, an oversized polo, and dirty white tube socks with no shoes. I inwardly cringed as we walked on the wet grass, the socks instantly turning green where he stood.

"Don't call me sweetie, Greg," I responded, passing him and motioning for Andrew to follow as I walked through the open garage. "I was at the laundromat and then got lunch with my friend,"

"Hi, I'm Andrew!" Andrew stopped in front of Greg and held his hand out, an annoyingly bright smile taking over his face. I watched, my breath catching as I was trying to figure out what was going to happen next.

"Are you sleeping with my daughter?" Greg yelled, grabbing Andrew's collar threateningly. Andrew gasped and tried to gain his composure despite Greg staring at him with an evil eye.

"Not your daughter, Greg," I sighed, setting the laundry basket on the ground and walked over to try and separate the two. "And he's not a dog, okay? Just let go of him, please,"

Greg looked at Andrew, then me, and then Andrew again before letting him go and pushing him towards me. He pointed at him and squinted.

"I don't like you, Alex," Greg said, backing away to sit back in his chair. His socks were now soaking wet, and I groaned, knowing he wouldn't listen to me when I told him he needed to wear shoes next time.

"Andrew," Andrew said, clearing his throat. My mouth opened and I stared at him in disbelief, sure that Greg was going to pummel him.

"Shut the hell up!" Greg yelled, throwing his now empty beer bottle at Andrew.

"I was just trying to correct it so you don't go shouting for Alex because my name is Andrew and I-" I decided to intervene as I saw Greg's face turning red and his jaw clenching.

"Okay, buddy, he's got it," I whispered, dragging Andrew away. "God, you are an idiot!" I laughed once we were inside my house.

It was a quaint little place, just two bedrooms, a bathroom, and a tiny closet that doubled as a desk space for a computer. Greg and I had had to move here when Mom left because we could no longer afford the bigger place we had with her, but I wasn't complaining. Not about the house, anyway. I personally liked little houses because I felt like they were easier to maintain and keep tidy. Besides, I got my own room and bed, so there wasn't a lot more I could have asked for. We had a little backyard, a garage, a kitchen. It was definitely a house, and it was the perfect size for two people.

From the garage, there was a door that led to the backyard where you then had to walk through to get to the back door. Once you entered the house, you were in the middle of the living room, kitchen, and dining room. I led Andrew through the tiny hallway and went to the door on the right, closing the door behind us. My bed was the main attraction in my room (not like that, Jesus...), considering it was the biggest piece of furniture in the minuscule space. Plopping on the comfy mattress, I heard Andrew let out a whistle.

"What a room! Such art, such passion!" He was making fun of a photographer, I figured, as he crouched this way and that and pretended to take pictures of my mint green walls. The room had been painted like that when we moved in, and I had never thought to change it.

"Ha ha," I laughed sarcastically, sitting up and moving my back against the wall as Andrew sat next to me, looking around at my very plain walls.

"Why don't you have any posters or pictures? Could really liven it up, you know," His hands motioned around in the air, making me laugh.

"I had a lot of posters, but they were all dumb ones. Little kid shows and stuff like that," I smiled, remembering my childhood room at our old house. "Lemme tell you, that Spongebob arsenal was real,"

"Speaking of Spongebob, what the hell was your step-dad wearing?" Andrew asked, referring to Greg's tube socks. I nodded, shifting my body so I was facing him better, my hands reaching out to his shoulders.

"I know! I hate those effing socks! I've told him so many times to wear shoes when he's outside on the lawn, but he never listens and I just keep rewashing them and waiting for him to get them gross and stained again and again," Andrew shook his head dramatically and wiped a fake tear from his face.

"What an awful, awful man," He whispered, sighing and placing his hand under his chin. I smacked him on the shoulder and shook my head, smiling.

"He's not actually that bad, I guess. Sometimes I just wish I hadn't ended up with him as my 'guardian,'" I tried to explain, picking at my fingernails. Andrew hummed softly in agreement and I felt him staring at me. Meeting his eyes, I was taken aback at the look he was giving me. "Yes?" I asked quietly, almost to the point where I couldn't hear it.

"I know I literally told you a couple hours ago that I wasn't ready to be with someone, but damn you're cute," He whispered. My heart felt like it was caught in my throat, and it kinda felt like I was gonna throw up.

But, like, in a good way.

Is there a good way?

I opened my mouth to try and come up with a sarcastic response, but I just... couldn't. My voice wasn't working and I didn't know why. Andrew laughed softly and it was freaking adorable which made me even more upset.

"You look like I just told you just saw a ghost, Wens." He chuckled, bopping my nose. Where he touched me was on fire, and it was spreading quick. The flames turned my skin red, and the smoke choked me up, making talking seem like a distant memory. The heat spread across my shoulders and down to my fingertips, exaggerating every sense in my body. I could hear the quietest noise and feel the softest breeze if I paid enough attention to it.

My existence was a forest, and Andrew was the flame.

The only thing I was capable of doing was smiling, and so I did just that. I smiled with all the feeling I could muster, and it was the happiest smile I have ever felt. He must have noticed, because he smiled too and put his head down, making me smile even more.

There was a fireworks show, a dangerous display in the middle of a dry and lonely patch of trees, and it was beautiful.

The thing was, I didn't want it to get extinguished any time soon, even though a fire was deadly. 

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HOLY COW I LOVE THIS CHAPTER SO MUCH OH MY WORD. i was literally smiling so big writing the last little bit. im so sorry ive been so busy with school related things lately, but i PROMISE i will try to be better about updating more regularly! im very proud of this story and the characters and how this is going, and hopefully itll just keep growing and more readers like you will find it and maybe give me a lil chance at getting a lil something-something for wattys? (probably not but hey we can dream, folks!) 

thanks SO MUCH for reading and i'll see ya in the next part!! -magi