Peterick//More Than You Bargained For

eight: kitchen sink

By the time we were finished analyzing our scripts, it was 4:45pm.

Pete stands up and stretches before shoving his script into his backpack. "I'd better get going," he tells me.

I nod. "I'll walk you out."

We descend the stairs together and exit through my front door. "How are you going to get home? The bus, I assume?" I ask. Years ago, he would take the bus home from my house, but I'm not too sure of that any more because he may have a car now.

"I still take the bus. I would drive, but most of the time I can't afford gas, so..."

"Yeah, I get that." I'm 17 now, and I have my license but I can't afford a car. Pete's lucky to even have one.

"When should we rehearse again?" Pete asks me.

"How about Sunday? Two o'clock?"

He smiles. "Perfect. Your house?"

"Sure. See you then," I say.

Pete waves goodbye as he walks towards the nearest bus stop. I wave back.

When he faces away from me, I struggle to keep my eyes off his ass (and inevitably fail). He rounds the block and disappears from my view, and I turn around to go inside and lock the door shut.

I don't see my mom in the living room, so I call her name.

She answers me from the kitchen. I walk in to see her smiling at her phone. "Ooh, who ya talking to?"

She blushes. "Travis."

I raise my eyebrows in surprise, getting a bad feeling in my stomach. "You guys broke up like a year ago. Didn't he steal all your pain meds?"

"Yeah, but he texted me an apology and he's being really sweet. I'm not sure if I can resist," she says shyly.

"I don't know mom, it could be a bad idea. What if he's just trying to use you for pain meds again?"

She looks horrified. "Travis would never do that!" She scolds me.

He... he already did it once... how blind is she?

I walk out of the kitchen before I lose my cool on her. If Travis comes back, I'm sure that everything around me will go to shit. It can't happen.

A few minutes later, I text Joe and Andy if I can come over. Andy responds to me before Joe.

Sure. We're at Joe's house.

I grab my backpack and quickly pack some overnight stuff, assuming that I'll be spending at Joe's.

I tread the stairs and open the door, then shout to my mom "I'm going to Joe's!"

I hear no response from the kitchen. I roll my eyes and slam the door behind me. I bet she's still talking to Travis.

When I open the door to Joe's house, the sticky sweet smell of pot washes over me. I enter the house to see Andy and Joe playing video games, with Joe smoking a blunt.

I set my backpack on the ground and sit next to Joe on the couch. "'Sup. Want a hit?" He offers me the blunt.

"No thank you."