Then it happened

Chapter 9

I woke up with a start, and saw my blanket on the floor. I panicked, because I had fallen asleep while on my phone. I quickly climbed out of behind my pillow on the couch, shook my blanket, and heard a small thump. My body tensed up as I froze, suddenly aware of my grandfather in the room, sitting in a chair drinking his coffee.

"Morning Papa Jeff," I said. "Oh, goodmorning Shey," he answered without looking up from his phone. "What are you doing up this early?" I asked, as the sun hadn't even risen yet. "Work," he replied, glancing up for a second. "And you?" I bent down to find my phone and hide it before he saw it. "I don't know, I just woke up," I answered as I slipped the now-found object under my pillow and put the blanket over both.

"Speaking of which, I'm still tired so I think I'll go back to sleep." I said before climbing back into the jungle of blanket and pillow. "Hmm, are you sure you didn't wake up because you became suddenly aware that your blanket bad fallen and with it a certain device that you have taken great care to hide?" Her grandfather said while looking up with a small smile on his face. I froze again. "Fuck," I whispered under my breath.

"Um, y-yeah I guess sure. How did you find out?" I asked quietly. "It was laying on top of the blanket when I came out. I hid it in the blanket so no one else would find out." Papa Jeff said, still smiling. My mouth dropped open in shock. "You mean, you aren't going to tell Mom?" I asked still quietly so that no one else heard. "Tell her what?" He asked me. I smiled. "I don't know, I think I'm going crazy," I said and laughed, before laying back down. "Thank you Papa," I said before closing my eyes. "Thank me for what?" Was the last thing I heard before I fell back asleep.

~~~~~~

I woke again about two hours later, it was 7:30. I groaned as I rolled onto the floor, landing on my pillow. "Mommy says you have to get up," I heard someone say. I opened my eyes and saw Izzy standing over me. "AHH Izzy, you can't do that!" I said and tried to stand up. "Oh no I stood up to fast dizzy I'm dizzy," I stumbled and sat quickly on the couch, looking at Izzy. "Its quilting day, isn't it?" I asked. "Mhm, Mommy said you need to get up and eat breakfast before you go," Izzy nodded. "Oh great," I sighed and stood up, slowly this time. "Run," I told my sister.

Izzy looked at me confused. "Huh?" I smiled. "Run. Or I'll catch you," I said.
Izzy's eyes widened and she ran to the steps and then stopped. I took one step. Izzy ran up the stairs without looking back and I smiled, it worked every time. I quickly made the couch, and then went upstairs myself.

I ate, and about two hours later I was in the car with three older ladies. "Why is this me?" I thought unhappily as the car drove, and then we were there, quilting club. We went to the basement, prayed, and then started working. While I was working on the pinwheels on my quilt, I came up with stories in my head to entertain myself.

The sound of the machines working was kind of soothing, and the hour went by. Stitch. Stitch. I got out of the chair and walked over to the iron. Flatten the fabric. I walked back and started the process over again.

Finally it was time to make lunch. I ran upstairs to the kitchen, and looked at the box of stuff on the counter. "Ok, so we're making tomato soup and grilled cheese, right?" Mary's husband nodded. "Yup," I internally screamed as I made the soup, and then smiled at the sizzle of the butter on the pan.

While we cooked, Mary's husband told me about being a spy in Japan, eating proper raman, and what real spicy was. I half listened, half just in my own little world.

When the food was done, it was time to set the table. "One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight." I counted, both bowls and plates before serving the soup and sandwiches. We all ate, and everyone else complimented my cooking skills, "Oh really its not much of anything," and then it was time for dessert, chocolate chip cookie ice cream sandwiches.

After lunch it was the same routine, lay in order, stitch, iron, repeat. And then three hours later it was finally time to go home. I sat in the car for what seemed like forever, as I waited for Debby to pull up to my house, impatient as always. As soon as the car stopped I was unbuckled, out of the car with both mine and my grandmother's bags in hand which I dumped as soon as I got inside.

I ran downstairs to the bathroom and took out my phone, wifi at last. After a while just sitting there scrolling through meaningful nothingness, I left the bathroom and went to go read my book before dinner. After dinner I decided to go to bed.

"Goodnight," I texted Grace.
"Night," Grace responded, and I smiled, hoping Grace finally actually liked me. Which, in reality she did, but not really. However, I was moving farther from the fake-friend category every day.