Masks

Chapter 12

I was the first one to wake up the next morning and quickly checked the time on my phone as I debated on leaving to return home. Given I had to work later in the afternoon and would have to go home before I could start getting ready, I began getting up and folding the blanket. For a moment I contemplated just leaving but realized someone would have to lock the door and let the others know I hadn't just disappeared.

"Mallory... Hey, Mallory. Wake up." I shook her and watched as she slowly woke up and stretched. "I have to leave, can you lock the door?"

"Hmm? Oh, yeah." She mumbled and slowly shuffled after me as I left. "Bye."

"See ya." I smiled and waved as I walked out towards my car.

My apartment was still dark when I got back and I quietly stepped inside to avoid waking up Tim as he slept close by on the couch. A dull thump from his direction made me tense up but I only found Angel blinking up at me tiredly as she stretched and drowsily walked over to greet me. I half expected her to trot over to her food bowl after rubbing against my leg but after passing it found it still had food in it from the other day.

"Is she sick?" I looked back at her as she slowly walked over and began eating, not that it eased my worrying. "I need to get her to the vet... I can't lose her."

I kelt down and petted her for a minute before getting back to my feet and going to my room to get ready. If she was sick and needed treatment then I couldn't risk being late and losing my job, even if it wasn't great.

The work day itself wasn't anything unusual. People came and went but it wasn't anything too busy. Most of my time was spent organizing the shelves and responding to Mallory's texts about hanging out as a group again tonight. Part of me wanted to say no but found myself agreeing to meet with them anyway- regret building up inside quickly afterwards, though I couldn't just cancel on them after saying yes.

"Angel does need to see a vet... I could just say that- it wouldn't be a lie. But it doesn't take that long to make an appointment... They'll just think something else is wrong." I put my phone away and decided to live with my decision- it was fun to spend time with them despite the danger I could put them in. "I just can't do this on a regular basis. This'll turn out fine... Tim's been around for a while and hasn't had anything happen... Two days with my friends... it'll be fine."

When my shift ended I clocked out and gave the next employee a quick comment about how business had been before grabbing my things and leaving. It was probably a bit blunt in retrospect but I wasn't going to get too attached after what happened with Alice.

After returning home I found Tim getting out of his car a few spaces down from where I'd parked. For a moment he seemed surprised- or perhaps relieved as well- at the sight of me but they disappeared before I could actually tell. "He did get my note right?"

I came to a stop in front of the short sidewalk leading to the apartment. "Sorry, I didn't actually mean to vanish for the night... Um, I'll probably be getting back late tonight though, friends are dragging me out to be 'social' again."

I gave a short laugh along with a self-conscious smile. "I'll uh, try not to wake you up."

"I didn't realize you had a busy social life." He pulled out a cigarette and moved to sit on a nearby bench.

"It's usually not..." I stifled a yawn, which made it sound more like a depressed sigh. "Anyway... if you need me just call- or you know... maybe call anyway so I'm not out all night again..."

Faint amusement crossed his expression as he took a drag and nodded in acknowledgement as I continued on inside to get changed, have some food, and get some sweet, much needed rest before I had to meet Landon and the others. Sleep didn't come after making the vet appointment and I soon found myself pacing around my room while Angel slept on my pillow. Music played softly in the background as usual to fill the void of silence that would only drag me deeper into the worries eating away at me.