Happier With You.

Chapter 4

"Did you clean your room?"

"Did you do your homework?"

"Did you do your chores?"

"Did you let the dog out?"

I shook my head no to all the questions.

Mom gave me a stern look. "So why in the world would I let you go to a party?"

"Mom, it's not a party... Well, it's just a celebration for my friends birthday." I complained.

She was already late for work and rushing to leave. "Why? What's the point, and who's going to drive you?"

My car was still in the shop.

"Sage will, please, Mom," I begged.

She bit her lip. "Okay, fine, only this once. But get as many chores done as you can before you go, and do the rest when you come back."

She turned around as she opened the door. "Oh, and also let your father know."

"Stepfather," I corrected in my head.

"Okay, Mom! Love you, bye!"

"Bye!" I quickly closed the door and ran upstairs, forgetting to lock it.

I jumped on my bed, grabbed the phone, and immediately called Sage. We talked on the phone the whole time we both got ready.

"Okay, I'll see you in 5," Sage said as she hung up.

There was a knock on my door as soon as the phone line cut off.

"Come in," I said as I applied lip gloss.

It was my stepdad. "Hey, did your mother leave?"

I turned my head. "Yes? You could have just checked," I glanced at him.

"You going out?" he asked.

"Yeah, I'm going to a friend's birthday celebration."

"Okay, have fun. And fix that attitude of yours," he said as he walked out of my room into the hallway.

I walked downstairs, put food in Bubbles bowl before I left, and filled his water bowl, but he wasn't there.

"Bubbles, come here, boy!" I called out as I patted my hands against my legs.

I saw Sage's car pull up in the driveway.

"Come on, we're gonna be late!" Sage yelled from the car.

I walked outside, still looking for Bubbles.

"Maybe Iris took him out back," I said to myself as I ran to Sage's car.

"You lost something?" Sage asked as I got into the passenger seat and buckled my seatbelt.

"No, I was just feeding Bubbles," I replied.

Sage started to drive out of the driveway.

-

"I'm telling you, if I didn't hurt my ankle, I would have rocked that dance," Sage said as we waited for the red light to turn green.

"Lies. You barely know how to dance," I laughed.

"Oh well, at least we had fun."

"Some of us," I said, glaring at Sage's ankle. We both laughed as Sage turned into the neighborhood; it was already dark.

"Hopefully, my mom doesn't kill me for being two hours late," Sage remarked, focusing on the road.

"Oh girl, she's gonna kill you for sure," I sighed, dreading the impending confrontation.