Goodnight Moon

5- I'm Not As Priapic As You Think

I really hate wearing heels, but sometimes they’re just necessary.

I’m afraid that this is one of those times. The only bright side to my already-painful heels is the fact that they’re really cute and they make me taller, which is really cool because Steven is really tall. That, and they match my dress. They’re plain black and my dress is a tan color with a layer of black lace over the bottom part and a thin black belt of fabric below my boobs. The dress isn’t too short but it is kind of short- it stops about mid-thigh. My blonde hair is in a bun with a thick braid that Dana taught me how to do a while back because Dana really loves hair and cosmetology.

I check the time and see that Steven will be here in ten minutes so I slide on a thick black bangle and then I poke black heart earrings into my ears before grabbing my black clutch.

“Come on, Maxxie, I’ll feed you before I go,” I say, leaving my room with Max following me. It’s Friday night and I assume Lake isn’t here which is really good. After Wednesday, we’ve done a wonderful job of staying away from each other. He rides to school with me but he gets a ride home from one of his friends and he doesn’t eat my food or bug me while I’m in the living room. I keep most of the doors locked so I don’t have to worry about that either.

I get into the kitchen and pour some dog food into the bowl and then go to the junk drawer in my kitchen where there is somehow always a pack of gum and after taking a piece of mint gum out of the pack, I put the rest of the gum in my clutch.

“Wow, don’t you look fancy,” Lake comments as he walks into the kitchen from the living room.

I jump a little bit because I didn’t think that he was here, but I still pop my gum into my mouth and fix some runaway hairs. “I thought you left.”

“I did. I’m back now,” He explains. “I’m going to have some people over, okay?”

“What, you mean like a party?” I ask him incredulously.

“No, Ari, like three people,” He laughs. “But a party is a very good idea considering we have this whole house to ourselves. I have the connections to make that work.”

“A few friends are fine, but no party,” I say quickly. “If anything is broken or harmed or whatever- you’re replacing it.”

“My friends aren’t animals,” Lake rolls his eyes at me.

I snort and start walking back towards the living room to put Max in his room. “Well, they hang out with you so that’s debatable.”

“Seriously, that party thing is something to consider. Think about it!” He calls to me as I’m going up the stairs.

I go upstairs and I shut Max in his room in my closet. “I’ll be back in just a little bit, Max,” I assure my puppy, patting his head a few times before leaving my room and locking it behind me with the key on my key chain and then I put my keys in my purse since Steven is picking me up so I won’t need my keys or anything.

“So where are you off to?” Lake asks me when I get back downstairs. Steven said that he’d text me when he was here so I just sit down on the couch so that I don’t have to go outside and wait because it’s a little cold outside.

“It’s none of your business,” I mumble.

“Okay then, no need to get feisty,” He laughs.

I get a text from Steven and his perfect timing telling me that he’s here so I just roll my eyes at him and stand up. “Whatever. If anything happens to this house, I will put the fear of God in you when I get back.”

“Your lack of faith in me is offensive, Ari,” Lake informs me.

“Well you gave me a pretty big reason not to have faith in you,” I fire back before I walk out the door and towards Steven’s car in the driveway. He gets out of the driver seat and walks around the car to the passenger side to open the door for me.