savior

eleven

DAY TWELVE; NINETEEN DAYS TO GO

Its been a week since Anna decided that I had to invite Ashton for a double date with her and Calum. I was—and still am—reluctant to do so. Ashton and I were just becoming somewhat good friends with each other, and I didn't want to ruin it by freaking him out with that. After watching him walk with so much caution, I knew he'd stop everything we had right now because of one silly—and maybe romantic if Anna has anything to do with it—night with each other.

Anna has also flipped out because Ashton gave me his number a few days ago. I didn't take it as such a big deal, but apparently, it means he's crushing on me. I doubt that, though. He even told me himself he'd never like me like that.

Plus, I didn't care about that. All that mattered at that moment was that he'd be alive by the end of the month, and I would be, too.

"Do you want me to pick you up and take you to school?" I asked Ashton through the phone.

I had the phone tucked between my ear and my shoulder, giving me the ability to find a shirt from my closet. It was seven a.m. on a Thursday morning, meaning it was almost time to go to school. After clicking the speaker phone button, I set the phone down, and pulled the shirt over my head.

"No thanks, Armel. I've got somewhere to go before classes start," he said slowly in his groggy morning voice. For the past few days, Ashton had gotten used to calling me by my last name. I begged for him to call me by my first name, or even my usual nickname, Re. But he decided to defy that. He said he'd rather bug me than be unoriginal.

"Again? I could always take you, you know," I responded, while tying the shoelaces of my boots.

It was quiet on the other line for a second, and if I didn't hear him let out a sigh, I would've thought he hung up. After adjusting all my clothing, and checking everything out in the mirror, I picked up the phone again, and set it on its regular setting.

"Uh, no, it's fine. You don't have to do that. I'll see you at school, okay?" he said. I heard a blast of wind blowing through the phone, and then a small ding in the background. Where was he?

He hung up before I could even say goodbye to him.

Kaitlynn was sitting at the table when I walked out of my bedroom, eating from a stack of pancakes. Mom must have woken up early.

"Where's the rest of them?" I asked as I looked around. Pancakes were my favorite breakfast food. I was always in a happy mood when Mom cooked them, which was only on special occasions.

Kaitlynn snickered, then pointed to her stomach. "Whoops," she said. A sly smile appeared on her face. I rolled my eyes at her.

As much as I hated to admit it, Kaitlynn and I never had a good relationship. Ever since my dad walked away from us, she had been practically evil towards me, like it was all my fault. She does everything in her power to make sure things don't go my way—today it was the pancakes. God only knows what's next.

Mom emerged from her bedroom into the kitchen, whistling a tune to herself. She had a smile on her face. Her hair was fixed up all wavy and neat. She looked like a model; just not as skinny. It was way too early in the morning for her to be all done up like that.

"What's the deal, Mom? Pancakes? Getting dressed up?" I questioned. "What's going on?"

She smiled a bit more. Then invited both Kaitlynn and I to sit with her on the couch. We both took a seat near her, without being too close to each other. Mom didn't seem to notice the feud between us, although, it had been going on for more than half a year.

"Well, girls," she started, clapping her hands in excitement. "Today is the day I figure out what gender the baby will be! It's so exciting!"

Kaitlynn didn't react too much—she really just sat there with a small forced smile. I don't think she was too excited about this new sibling thing. "That's great, Mom," she mumbled.

"And I want you two to come with me," Mom said, throwing an arm over both of our shoulders. "News like this shouldn't have to wait until you get back from school!"

I couldn't even think about Ashton at this point. I was just too excited for my mom and my little brother or sister. Maybe this baby could bring the family back together. We could return to normal. That's all we needed right now.