Chosen

Chapter 3

She looked away from me and rubbed at her eyes, trying hard not to cry. I wish she wouldn't. "Let's get the pizza," I said suddenly, desperate to distract the others. I squeezed Jaimie on the shoulder and left the room, I didn't want a pity party and I didn't want to see them cry for me anymore.

"Mom," I cried out hoarsely, "pepperoni!" She reappeared at the bottom of the steps and smiled grimly at me with a phone in her hand. "I'll order it as soon as your friend stops tying up the phone with her minute-by-minute phone calls," she told me lightly as I padded down the stairs.

I wanted to scream. Why couldn't Sarah just leave me in peace? "I don't want to talk to her," I told Mom in a dead-pan, no kidding voice. She just stared at me a couple seconds and pressed the END button on the phone. I smiled a little. "Problem solved, let's call Papa John's."

I leaned against the wall, unsure of where to go. I didn't want to sit in the dining room with Dad. I wasn't sure what parting words we would exchange but I didn't want to hear them now. And I couldn't go back to my room without sharing the room with two very sad sisters, so I went for the den where Mom was speaking on the phone ordering one large extra cheese pepperoni pizza with cheese sticks. My favorite. I picked up the TV remote and flipped through the channels unconsciously. Not really paying attention until I passed a flick of my school yearbook picture flashing on screen. That was when I turned it off and sat, shock still on the couch. I almost hyperventilated if not for my mom's reassuring hand on my shoulder.

She was off the phone. "Want to watch something?" she asked quietly, understandingly. I loved my mom. "Sound of Music?" I asked hopefully. She smiled warmly and I grinned back as if it was just a regular Thursday night. "Sure, I'll get it out." Soon enough my sisters both came in, red-nosed, and sidled up to me on the couch. I smiled, "I love you, guys. You know that right?" They both looked up at me. "Love you too, Leah," they both replied. The opening credits rolled on screen and suddenly mountains appeared in view. I felt anticipation roll through me.

It wasn't as if I was a theater or musical nerd. Some musicals could be extremely pointless if not obnoxious at the same time, like Singin' in the Rain. Gene Kelly wasn't my favorite. But others like The King and I or The Sound of Music were needed pick-me-ups in times of sadness. The phone continued to ring but we all ignored it. I assumed it was Sarah but I couldn't deal with it right now. I wanted to spend as much time as possible with my family. People I actually cared about and vice versa. The doorbell rang just then. Pizza! I thought childishly excited. "I'll get it," I told mom. She handed me the check wordlessly and I ran to open the door.

A familiar face stared back at me and probably the last one I wanted to see right then. "Keenan," I blurted out breathlessly. I took in his appearance in confusion. He was wearing a loose Red Hot Chili Pepper's band tee with long baggy khaki pants. I always figured him as the hipster type with the plaid shirts and skinny jeans and what not. This didn't exactly fit the image. His blonde hair was disheveled and he had his hands stuffed in his pockets as if he was digging for candy.

"Hi," he just said. I looked out into the dimly lighted street behind him for the pizza man. "What are you doing here?" I asked a little rudely. His gaze on me didn't waver as I met his eyes at last. "Look I know, it doesn't seem a huge deal right now. I get that, but Sarah's freaking out about the whole thing. She wants to talk to you." I almost slammed the door in his face.

"Why the hell did she send you to talk to me?" I tried to remember how closely Keenan lived distance-wise from me. He shrugged, unfazed, "I was driving home from the coffee shop and she called me, really upset. She didn't exactly ask me-"

"Then why are you here?" I asked again. His eyes seemed to search mine, wondering what my deal was no doubt. It didn't matter anymore. I didn't have to be polite for the sake of Sarah. He was the reason our friendship was so screwed. "Leah, I just-" I felt someone move behind me and I spun around. My dad was peering over my shoulder. "Dad, you scared me."