Between Love And Hate

Chapter Eleven

Raven

I'd left the kitchen for my room after I'd gotten the apple juice I wanted to drink. The first thing I did was to go through my laptop.
There was a sticky note on top of it, a reminder. I must have forgotten about it. I skimmed through it.
It said I had an incomplete art project at school and Ms Genevieve had asked me to come to school on Sunday to complete it.

I was stuck. I had dinner at Janelle's house. What if I got back a little late.

I put the laptop down. I'd not asked mum if I could have dinner with Janelle's family. I got off the bed quickly, racing down the hall to the master bedroom. I stopped at the door and knocked.

"Mum, dad? You both in there." I paused for a bit before a voice came through from inside the room.
"Yes honey, come on in."

I opened the door faster than you could say butter.
"Something wrong?" Dad asked, lying in his favorite pink pajamas on the bed.

"No. Nothing serious. I just wanted both your permissions for two things." At that, dad gave me the go-ahead look.

"Well, first of all, Janelle's mum invited me over for dinner, tomorrow. And, I have this important art project I'm supposed to complete tomorrow too."

My mum looked at my dad, maybe because he was playing with her hair. "Alright, fine. You can go."
I turned around to close the door and leave when mum called me again,

"be down for dinner in a few."

When mum said be down for dinner in a few, she didn't tell me uncle Erwin and Katherine were coming too.

I sat down at the table, Janelle sitting down next to me and Katherine sitting down next to her. If my life was a game, I'd have quit playing by now. Shhhssh!

I waited patiently after eating, to have dessert which was apple pie.

"So, when is Levi coming home?" Mum asked Erwin.

Uncle Erwin paused to answer mum. "He said Monday. He'll be here by Monday. I'll go with Katie to pick him up."

"Oh, alright." mum said, turning to face me. "Your grandparents will be arriving on Tuesday too."

Oh bless my soul. "Mum, really?" She nodded, answering my question.

They were coming back to celebrate their wedding anniversary and grandma's birthday.

Great.

"You like to be alone, don't you?" I turned towards the door, Janelle was standing there.

"I do. But not in the dark though." I answered her. She walked towards the bed.
"It's one of your phobias, right? Staying in the dark?" She was sitting on the bed now, facing me.

"I guess. I don't like the dark, naturally. I used to sleep with my lights on as a kid." I laid down on the bed, Janelle followed my lead. She placed her self, right next to me.

"Raven. I just wanted to ask you something. I don't know if you'll be pissed though." this time, she turned so she was facing me and I did the same.

"You can ask anything. I don't have any deep secret or stuff that might interest you. Just in case you plan on asking." She chuckled.

"Not at all. I just want to know if you'd still consider us friends after we submit Mr Applebottom's project work. It's fine if you don't answer. I don't want to feel like I'm forcing you to be friends with me..."

She was ranting now. "We'll still be friends. You've met my family, I'm going to meet yours tomorrow. I'm certain your mum might try to poison me though." I chuckled. She blinked at me,

"You're serious? Right?" I nodded. "I'm serious. We will be graduating from high school this year. I don't want to leave knowing I did a whole Lotta shitty things to anyone. Even if it's just one person."

She blushed, staring at me, completely surprised.
"I'm really sorry. Let's just say Mr Potson was my favorite teddy at the playground. And all these years, I've been having my revenge."

"You're one of a kind type of person. You're wired differently. Who takes revenge on behalf of a teddy?" she asked, shaking with laughter.

I smiled, at least she was happy and I was well, somewhat close to happy.

I had something else on my mind, it bothered me. Whoever was stalking her could also come after me. I needed to find out who it was.

She poked me in the rib and I jumped in pain. "Are you crazy?" I shouted. "oh my! I'm so sorry. I didn't know it would hurt." she said in a very sarcastic voice.
"You weren't listening. I was talking. I had to get your attention somehow." I gave her a glare.

"And you decided to poke me?" I asked, raising an eyebrow. "Well yes. Since I have your attention now, I was asking if you had a crush..."

Wait, what?! Why's she asking that?

"I don't know. How am I supposed to know? It's more like asking, "why did you kiss me if you don't like me?" and basically, I don't have an answer to that." She blushed, taking her eyes of me to stare at my ceiling. My empty ceiling.

"I kissed you because I wanted to. Because I felt like I needed to. I won't tell you how I felt after I kissed you. That's for me to keep." She faced me again. Her cheeks the deepest red I'd ever seen on any face.

"Would it be wrong if I said I've begun to like you just more than normal?" I asked her.

She shook her head a no, "it wouldn't. My mom always told me, "there's a thin line between love and hate." so, I don't think it's wrong or weird or anything like that. And I like you too, just more than normal."

"My mum says the same thing."
I wanted to smile, but I didn't get the chance to. I felt a pair of lips against mine. I know I kissed back, I know I tangled my hands in her hair. I also know I cuddled her when she fell asleep with her arms around me. I know I felt different from my usual self. I know I didn't want to let go too. I wanted to stay that way forever.