30 Hours With You [Completed]

Hour Ten

Ellis

We are all sitting in a cramped booth at some diner a few blocks from my brother's house. Thea is holding Violet on her lap, making funny faces at her. I don't think she's let the baby go since Matthew handed her over.

"You know you're going to have to give the baby back," I say looking at her from across the table. It's the furthest we've been apart since we started this thing and it is way too far for me. The only way to touch her is to stretch my leg across the floor so our feet touch.

"Shut up," Thea smiles and pushes back against my leg. I feel like we are middle schoolers playing footsie at the lunch table. It's all weird and I'm way too nervous considering we aren't actually doing anything.

But I guess I've been kind of nervous this whole night. I've been nervous about her just getting up and leaving or her deciding there is something about me she doesn't like. Because I like everything about her.

It feels like we've given each other so much in such a short amount of time, but I guess ten hours together is a lot.

"Any ideas on what I should show Thea next?" I ask Brenden and Matthew when I finish looking at the menu.

"Oh! You should go to the zoo," Brenden says with a smirk, a smirk that was always present through my childhood when he was getting us into all sorts of trouble while he looked on and never got involved.

I shake my head.

"Yes!" Thea says.

"It's really crowded. Plus we'd have to ride there on the bike and you're scared."

"I'll be okay," Thea says while handing more crayons to Holden.

"Ellis hates the zoo," Brenden says.

"What? Why?" Thea asks her pretty brown eyes wide as she looks between Brenden and I.

"I had a bad experience there once."

Brenden laughs so hard he has to put down his mug of coffee.

"This sounds like a story I want to hear," Thea says.

"Agreed," Matthew answers.

"Okay. So in like the third grade or something our school would take us on a field trip to the Bronx Zoo," Brenden starts.

"Wow the only field trip I went on was to see some Shakespeare play at a run down theater," Thea mumbles and smiles.

Brenden laughs, "it was a rainy day so Mom didn't want to take Ellis. All parents had to go. But Ellis cried like a fucking-"

"Language," Matthew warns glaring at Brenden and then looking at a clueless Holden.

"Sorry," Brenden rolls his eyes, "anyway Ellis cried so Dad took off work to take him. He was so excited. I think he wore a shirt with a giraffe on it or something."

Thea laughs so loud, "I'm sorry I'm just picturing baby Ellis crying while wearing a giraffe costume or something."

That makes Brenden laugh, "oh God, I wish he was wearing a whole giraffe costume that would make this story a whole lot better."

"You're building this story way up for nothing," I say annoyed but also loving how well everyone is getting along. I almost wish I wasn't leaving tomorrow morning.

"At the zoo peacocks kind of wander around all over and Ellis was scared of them. Terrified actually."

I hold my hands up, "they squawk and run around the place chasing people!"

"They don't chase people," Brenden says.

"So Ellis was running away from a peacock that couldn't care less about him and landed right in poop. We still don't know what animal the poop was from but it smelled terrible and it was big."

"Oh my god," Thea says obviously holding back a laugh.

"His giraffe shirt was ruined. He cried until Dad got him home and into the shower. And he said, that he will never go to the zoo again for as long as he lives. But I'm betting you can change that." Brenden winks at Thea.

"That is so gross. Is that why you're scared of germs and obsess with poop? Because you were covered in feces for hours?" She asks now full on laughing.

"You're obsessed with poop?" Matthew asks, "'cause I'm pretty sure Violet just made a nice one. If you wanna deal with that?"

I shake my head, "I am not obsessed with poop. I just know a lot of poop facts."

"Poop facts?" Brenden asks, "how did you get weirder since I left?"

I shrug, "the zoo screwed me up, Brenden, and you're making a joke out of it."

"Exposure therapy will do you some good. Lets go to the zoo!" Thea yells right as our waitress comes over to take our order.

***

next hour they are going to the zoo!!!

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Thanks for reading <3

-Brooke