The Death of Me (COMPLETED)

Chapter Nine

Tessa

We reached Will's home. He had an average sized house, bigger than mine. Will parked the car and we started getting out. "The date's at 6:00. It's 4:00. Knowing girls, you might want to start getting ready at 5:00," He said. "You're going on the date with Tessa? Is that why she's here?" Jessamine asked. "Actually, she's living here now," Will said. "She's living here?" Jessamine, Cecily, and Jem asked in unison. "Yep," He replied. "Why?" Cecily asked. "That's not my business to share. Tessa can tell you if she wants," Will said. Cecily turned to me and mouthed the words tell me later and I'll get you a slushee. What is a slushee? I mouthed back. Cecily gave me a horrified look.
Will grabbed my hand and led me inside. He put his bag on a chair in the dining room. "This is the dining room," He said. There was a long, mahogany table in the center of the room and the walls were painted a deep blue. The walls were lined with photographs. I saw a photo of Will at a young age, maybe six. Cecily was posing next to him in a princess dress, probably five. I passed a picture of Jessamine as a tween wearing a nice white dress. She was smiling at the camera with a mouth full of braces. I saw a picture of Will and Jem playing soccer when they were younger. There was one of all of them posing on a cruise boat, taken recently. They all looked happy as can be. Also, I saw one of Mrs. Branwell on her wedding day, standing next to a man with red hair.
Will saw me looking at this one. "Charlotte's our adoptive mother," He explained. I turned and smiled at him. "Neat." He tucked a flyaway behind my ear. "Come on," He said. He took me into the kitchen, and then the sitting room. He showed me where all the bathrooms were. Then he led me upstairs. There were four closed doors. Will pointed to the one on the far left. "That's Charlotte and Henry's room," He explained. He pointed to the one next to it. "That's Jessamine's room. I wouldn't go in without permission, though." He pointed to the next one. "That's Cecily's room. Warning: the television is always on, no matter what she's doing or where she is. She's too lazy to turn it off." Will gestured to the final room. "That's Jem and I's room. Come on in." We walked inside. Pushed against one wall was a bunk bed. Jem was sitting on the lower bunk reading a copy of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. When we entered the room, he smiled at us and went back to reading. There was a desk in one corner of the room and a dresser pushed up against another wall and a chair with a lamp next to it. There was also a gigantic bookshelf. I saw a few possessions scattered around the room, like a couple of shirts littering the floor and two wii remotes. There was also a tv mounted on the wall with a wii underneath it next to a couple of games. "You like to read?" I asked Will. "Yes!" He said excitedly. "Do you?" I nodded eagerly. It was so exciting to be able to talk about my love for novels with another person. While I was still with Nate, I only really got to read freely at school, and I would read his books when he was out. "What's your favorite?" Will asked. "I really enjoyed A Tale Of Two Cities by Charles Dickens," I said. Will smiled. "I like that one, too." All of the sudden, Jem gasped and covered his mouth. Will glanced at him and then looked back at me. "That is a very emotional book. Trust me, I've read it," He said. "Me, too," I said. It was true; I'd read all the Harry Potter books at my old school. Will grabbed my hand. "Let's give Jem some privacy," He said. "I'll show you your room."
My room was what would've been the guest room. It had a bed with a green bedspread, a nightstand, and a dresser. A small rocking chair was sitting in the corner and there was a window that had green drapes. "It's a bit plain, but I'll help you dress it up a bit," Will offered. I smiled. "Thank you. I'd love that."
So we ran upstairs. "What do you like?" He asked. "Books. I find art fascinating as well," I replied. Will entered his room. Jem was gone. Will began pulling a couple of choice books off the shelf. "What colors do you like?" He asked. "I like the color green. I also like blue and purple and orange." He handed me the books and began digging through his desk. He eventually found some watercolor paintings that consisted of the colors I had mentioned. We went back to my room, set the books on the dresser and taped up the paintings. Will also insisted on me keeping his iPad in my room, although I protested. "You need it in case you get bored. You know, watch YouTube, play games, and we'll have to set you up an Instagram! And music. I would probably die without music," He declared.
I also managed to obtain a journal. It was an extra Will said he'd never use. "Thank you for all the possessions," I told Will. "No problem," He said. He leaned towards me, and my heart started beating faster. Was he going to kiss me? I hoped my breath didn't stink.
Jessamine barged in the room. Will pulled away from me and turned to scowl at her. "Tessa!" She cried. She began to say something else, but then she noticed Will's iPad sitting atop my dresser. "Oh my gosh, William," She huffed. "You can't just go around giving other people your iPads." "Why not?" Will challenged. "I have another one." "You do?" Jessamine seemed surprised. "Yeah. Some girl at school gave it to me. Like, she walked up to me and handed it to me. Then she started touching me and getting too close, so I bailed and, um, kind of forgot to give the iPad back," Will explained. "Will!" I cried, laughing.
"It's time to get ready for your date, Tessa," Jessamine said. "I'm helping you. Will can manage on his own."
And with that, she pulled me out of the room.