Knock Me Down - [COMPLETE]

12 - Mateo's Magnet

My mom finally stops talking. I called her a few hours after I texted my brother I got home safely. She had the habit of saying goodbye but then going off on another tangent.

Someone knocks on the door. I jump up because no one should be at the door this early in the AMs. And I'm alone. Defensless. Without electricity from the storm. Without the skills of a ninja to stealthily escape or fight back. I'm not expecting anyone. It's pouring. Unless it's my parents? Surprising me? I try peeping through the curtains. My front light is off so I can't see them too well. They knock again and I go down the window for a better view. I'm relieved to see it's Jasper. I quickly go to the door.

"Hey. Sorry. I thought you were an axe murderer that followed us home from the woods" He's soaked and I brainlessly reach for him and pull him in. But I'm an idiot and don't get out of the way. I stumble into him. He's empty of expression until he looks down at me cracking a bit of amusement. I mumble an apology and let him go.

"What're you doing here? You could've texted me. Or brought an umbrella"

"Phones dead. Too windy for an umbrella" He looks around and notices the candles, "Candles?"

They're Christmas Cookies and Sparkling Snow scented, but I don't say that out loud, "Doesn't your dad put on candles too?"

"He's not home"

"Oh. Where is he? Traveling too?"

"At his girlfriend's"

"You're by yourself then"

"I came to check if you were okay"

My guts feel like they've knotted themselves when he says that, "I'm okay. Thank you"

"Since you're afraid of the weather"

"I'm not that afraid!" I'm lying. This sucks, being alone, but if that means he's going to make fun of me: I'll suffer, "You can just go home. I'm perfectly fine. You're wasting your time"

He crosses his arms and shifts his weight. He's looking me up and down. I'm in shorts, a tank top and have a small blanket over my shoulders. I grip the blanket around me suddenly feeling embarrassed and much more like an adolescent. He goes to the door, "If you need anything I'll be awake for awhile"

He just leaves. I want to say to myself that I won't need him. I'm not scared. The dark isn't scary. Thunder storms aren't scary. And these candles are totally normal. But then the outside booms and all that pride goes away. It wasn't storms themselves but the idea of chaos happening in the dark that frightened me.

I feel bad. He came over to see me. Wet. And I shooed him away. Even if we argued earlier. I look at the kitchen. I made a pan of white rice and my mom made some mole for me to eat while they're gone. She didn't have to. I could've done it myself but my mom likes to overdo it when she knows she'll be away from me for awhile.

I could make and bring over enmoladas. He might be hungry. Thunder boomed again and I scurried to the kitchen to get on it. I put the food in one tote bag and candles in another along with some hygiene products.

I try for an umbrella but the wind blows it hard enough that it inverts itself. I quickly pull back and decide to just run next door. They at least have a full porch.

Im holding my arms around my body and rock a little in place from how cold I am. It's late at night and raining worse then it was 5 minutes ago.  The water on my exposed feet makes me uncomfortable. I knock on my neighbors door and curse myself for having to inconvenience because I...am a wimp.

Jasper opens up.

"You hungry?"

I get started the second I'm in to light candles around the house and turn up the heat. It looked like an abyss in here. And it's freezing. He disappears while I open the containers.