Painting Annalise

22.The progressive option

I've decided to leave this line for comments on the motivational pictures <3

"So, Brayden," Lori says. Her tone is less suggestive than her wiggling eyebrows. 

Still not able to decide why I still let her come  over, I mumble "We haven't spoken since yesterday" trying my very best to avoid the topic

"maybe because a certain human being didn't come to school"

 I think of the best excuse "I had the flu." It was one everyone seemed to use in novels or sitcoms. Right now, the phrase 'my dog ate a very important homework' would never have worked, but the flu is believed to be caught immediately after the weather gets cooler. Making it believable. 

Except for a liar like Lori." worst lie ever" she bursts into a laughing fit which has me groaning

My door slams open revealing an ecstatic-looking individual. "you have someone over." Her pause was to undeniably to look over a now standing Lori "Oh my, I've been waiting for this day. My name is Samantha but you can call me Sam. We don't have cookies and all but we can order pizza..."

"Mum" I yell sitting up

She stares embarrassed. "you're staying for dinner" she continues and when Lori nods I get up and walk to the door

"bye," I say, my fake smile comes to play so my words don't hurt too much. 

"I'll call Aaron, oh my god I never saw this day..." I slam the door before she can finish talking

Lori looks like she's trying to control her laughter and I want to hit her so badly because she caused all this.

"you can laugh" I mutter climbing back unto my bed

Her laughter fills the room making me roll my eyes.

"prick"

"I love your mum can I have her?" she asks while taking a break from her laugh, causing me to roll my eyes some more.

Just when she recovers my door slams open again, this time revealing a sweating Aaron. He looks around the room breathing heavily, before staring at Lori for a while. Finally, his eyes land on me.

"when mum said you had someone over I thought it was a boy" he explains himself shamefully 

Yes, Aaron. Be embarrassed. That's what I hope my facial expression says. 

"no boy here Aaron," Lori says, this time she does the pushing out and slamming of the door which kind of surprises me. That's because a tiny part of me expects her to get shy knowing how popular Aaron is at school, especially with the girls. 

After that, the room just goes quiet as we lay together staring at the ceiling.

My thoughts dominated with the fact that maybe, just maybe I had set up an image of Lori in my head that's different from what she really is.

"you really haven't ever had anyone over before?" she asks in a serious tone

There was no point lying, my days have been punishments up until recently." No" my answer comes as a whisper, knowing exactly where this conversation is heading.

"thank you Anna" she lifts her head to face me

"for?" my confusion trying to hide how for some reason I find this emotional and I'm actually choking up. And that's why I don't turn to face her, afraid it may escalate and I would end up crying. 

Even though I had convinced myself that, I just never thought of bringing anyone into my house because it would mean regular visits. Which to me was an invasion of privacy in a thousand words. That part of me now screamed liar.