Catch My Fall | ✔

13. He Hates It With a Burning Passion

I woke up to poking. A finger jabbed at my shoulder blade repeatedly. Smacking the hand responsible only made them poke me harder. But it was the giggling that had me opening my eyes.

Carter and Kennedy stared back at me, laughing. I was still at the Wrights. Light filtered in through the curtains. What time was it? Before I could grab my phone from the coffee table, the poking started again.

When I turned around, I came face to face with Romeo. Our faces so close that the tips of our noses touched. I realized other things as well. Like that fact that I was tucked into him, our body parts practically merged as one with our legs tangled together.

How did we end up like that? Why did we end up like that? All the couch space we had and I was laid on top of him like a blanket. "Sorry," I mumbled, peeling myself away from him. But I moved too fast and fell off the edge of the couch. The kids laughed harder. I think I even heard Romeo in the mix.

"I would've caught you," he said, peering at me on the floor. "But your giant head was on my arm and now I can't feel it."

Well, at least he didn't think how we slept on the same couch, cuddling like our lives depended on it, was weird. Then again, it was Romeo. Pretending everything was business as usual was his thing.

"I'm hungry." Kennedy said, rubbing her eye with one hand and holding a stuffed panda in the other.

Carter followed up with, "Where's mommy?"

And to top it all off, my mommy was calling.

I spent the next forty minutes making bowls of cereal and trying to convince my mom that she didn't have to come by to check on me. Romeo helped keep the kids entertained while I made sure everything was in order for when the Wrights returned.

The power was, thankfully, back on and I tossed the blankets we used in the washing machine and set it to quick wash. The blankets were washed, dried, and back in the linen closet by the time Mr. and Mrs. Wright walked through the front door.

They were immediately bombarded with love from their kids and too busy apologizing to me to even care that I had a friend over.

Their alarms didn't go off.

They couldn't find a gas station.

There were detours because of flooding.

When I received my payment for babysitting, I thought for sure it was a mistake. Mrs. Wright insisted it wasn't and thanked me a million times over.

"Ballin'," Romeo said when I told him I got triple the pay. We were in his dad's car, heading to my place. "You're buying me breakfast, right?"

"No. Every cent of that is going to my future car." And with that payment, I might be able to buy a car in time for summer.

"Have you even told your mom you can drive?" He asked, glancing over at me.

I sighed, falling back in my seat. "Why are trying to kill my mood?"

"I'm just asking."

I had to tell her at some point, though. A parent's signature was needed for me to get my license and, most likely, the car. "I'm going to act like Indy and pull up in my brand new car with no explanation."

Romeo shook his head. "You're nothing like Indy."

"I could be," I said, imagining myself walking into a room like I owned it. My sister did what she wanted and if anyone had a problem, she could get them to see things her way with a just a few words. She'd be the perfect back-up for when I came clean to my mom about my driving and wanting a car.