I Solemnly Swear That I'm Up To No Good

9=He'll Be Too Depressed And Hung-Over To Come Play Kissy Face With You

9-‘He’ll Be Too Depressed And Hung-Over To Come Play Kissy Face With You’

Usually for me, I like waking up. Looking at the sunlight pouring through my curtains. Birds chirping sweetly in the air outside. It makes me feel good about getting up and to start the new day. You know it’s going to be a good day.

Not today.

It’s just another remind that I have to face Ryder today. If he even gets out of his bed. Maybe he won’t remember anything and we can just go back to being enemies again. Chances are he’ll remember. Or maybe I can go hide somewhere and wait till this all blows over. Chances are he’ll find me and force me to talk. 

I lug myself out of bed slowly this morning. I take my time combing through my hair, slipping on shorts and a tank top, getting rid of that awful dress, and brushing my teeth. Maybe the bugs in my real house are gone and we can go back today so I won’t have to see him. It’s only been two weeks; my mom said it’s going to take three or more.

I peek my door open a crack to check if it’s a safe Ryder-free zone. The coast is clear, so I dash down the stairs and into the kitchen quickly. It gives Zach, whose eating cereal, a mini heart attack.

“Jesus, Gabi! Why the hell are you running around like that?” He mutters, cleaning up the milk he spilt when he bumped into his bowl.

“Sorry,” I apologize sheepishly, eyes still scanning for Ryder.

“How’d the party go last night?”

“Horrible.” My eyes meet his. “Where the hell were you all last night?”

“My girlfriend and I ditched. Place was boring so we went to see a movie instead.”

I want to strangle him now. “Let me get this straight. You forced me to go to a party that you wanted to go to and you end up leaving me with your brother to terrorize me?”

“…Pretty much.”

Right now, I would hit him on the head. But I have to get this out of my system, so instead, I tell him what happened last night.

His eyes bug out of his head when I finish. “WHY THE HELL DID YOU EVEN LET HIM IN THE CAR? IF I WERE YOU I WOULD’VE DROVE OFF, LAUGHING LIKE A MANIAC!”

“Shut up, he’ll hear you!” I hiss.

He quiets his voice down to a whisper. “Well, why did you bring him home?”

“…I love him. I didn’t realize it till he was lip locked with the whore. It flashed through my mind like an old memory; the fights, the arguments, the smirks, they’re all out of love, not hate.”

Zach seems to stare for quite a long time before a smile dances on his lips. “You finally figured it out, huh?”