The Outside

Chapter 3

"It's about time you've gotten down here," Louis says with a small smile creeping across his face. After the glare that my mom gives him; the smile wipes off his face.

"Sorry we had some...fashion problems," I say, shooting Ally and Jamie a look.

"Ya, fashion problems," Jamie says nervously.

I give Jamie another look trying to tell her not to go too far, and I think she gets it.

I see that Mike is sitting on the couch with his hands on his lap, trying to make eye contact with me. Man my mom can be a real biotch. I can't help myself but stair at Mike, I feel so bad for him right now. None of this was his fault.

Then my dad walks in, looking astonished.

"Hi dad...we kind of had a... problem," I say as sweetly as I can.

"As I can see," he says with a hint of amusement in his voice.

"Dad, can you get Mike and Louis some clean clothes to change into?" I ask.

"Ya, they look disgusting!" Ally shouts.

"You should of seen yourself before," Louis throws back.

Sometimes I swear they act like 12-year olds, but we are all around 15, except for Mike: he's 16. Maybe that's why he can handle things the way he does, but I think it's just his character.

My dad waves Mike and Louis over as he begins to walk up the stairs.

"Fashion problems, sure, maybe with Ally but not you," Louis whispers to me as he walks by.

Mike follows him, still avoiding eye contact with me. I hope this won't last long.

*

As soon as the boys and my dad come down the stairs, my dad prepares a lunch of pizza and fruit for us. As usual, my mom disappears into the computer room, probably doing some work. It only takes my dad about a half hour to make it and in the meantime, we just sit around barley talking.

After a few minutes, Louis says:

"Later, when we explain to your parents what happened, no one say anything about the keeper running away."

"Why?" Ally questions.

"I just think it would be a bad idea," Louis responds.

This is probably one of the first times I actually agree with him.

"I'm with Louis on this one," I say thoughtfully.

Jamie and Ally shake their heads, but Mike just sits there, still not saying a word.

"Mike, you're going to have to talk at one point," I tell him.

"I will, I just need to ya know... get what just happened through my head," he responds.

I wonder if he's talking about the water and keeper business, or what my mom just said to him. Probably both.

After a while, my dad calls us for lunch.

Louis chomps down his lunch in 5 minutes, while the rest of us are only halfway done. My mom and dad eventually come to the table. As soon as my mom sits down she says,

"After lunch I want the real explanation of what just happened."

When everyone is finally done eating, we go to sit in the family room. Mike and Jamie sit on the couch, Louis on the recliner, and Ally and I on chairs. Before my mom starts talking, she gives Louis a Mike dirty looks.

"I wonder what that's about," Ally whispers to me. In response, I just shrug my shoulders.

"So who's talking first?" my dad asks.

"I will," I say quietly, "well; we were just hanging out in the field when..." How do I describe this?

"Well get on with it," mom says eagerly.

"When big drops of water started to fall on us, so we ran to take cover under the school building, and then ran back here," I finish.

"I never thought my daughter would be a liar," my mother says under her breath.

My dad gives me a puzzled look, and then I know something is wrong.

"Whats the matter?" I ask.

"You expect us to believe you? Amber, it has never rained here. Never has, never will."
*
AUTHORS NOTE:
Hi guys, I know I haven't worked on this in a while: I have been working on other stories as well at the contest. I know that this chapter is short and a little but boring, but the next few have a lot if action in them. I will publish them soon. Thank you!