The taxi pulled up to the O'connell house around 5pm. billie, exhausted and nearly delirious from the stress of finals, paid the driver, grabbed her bags and dragged them up to the front door. Part of her just wanted to leave them on the porch. The thought of lugging them upstairs to her room was too difficult for her to wrap her head around.
She paused for a minute to prepare for the bombardment of questions from her mom. That's when she heard the front door slam at the house next to hers. She looked over and saw a girl about her age carrying a workout bag and a soccer ball and tossing them into a car. She was in baggy sweats and a hoodie with the hood pulled up over her head. billie didn't have the best view of her, but couldn't pull her eyes away. As if sensing she was being watched, the girl looked up at billie. She gave her a quick nod before getting into her car and driving off.
billie nodded back, but it was way too late before she even registered the girl had acknowledged her. She smiled at her own foolishness and opened the front door.
"Mom?" She swung the front door open and immediately felt at home with the smell of pancakes hitting her nose.
"billie?" Abby O'connell appeared from the kitchen holding a spatula. "You're home!"
She wrapped her daughter in a hug and helped bring her bags inside the house.
"Breakfast for dinner?" billie asked excitedly.
"You're favorite," confirmed Abby, as she headed back into the kitchen to flip the last pancake. "I know you're probably tired. So we'll have a quick dinner and I'll only grill you for a few minutes before you can get settled in. We do have all summer to catch up, after all. When I'm not at the hospital, that is."
billie nodded and went through her bags trying to find her phone.
"Have you talked to Raven yet? I know she was looking forward to seeing you." Abby was just finishing adding the syrup to the pancakes.
"Not yet. I'll text her tomorrow. When Octavia gets back, we'll probably all go out. Tonight, I just need sleep."
billie sat down as Abby placed the pancakes on the table. She immediately shoved as much as she could into her mouth. She had forgotten to eat this morning and was just now reminded of how much she loved her mom's pancakes.
"So, anything new and exciting going on around here," asked billie, with her mouth full.
"Simply stunning, billie." Her mom had to laugh at how ill-mannered her child was being.
"What?" billie shoved even more in her mouth. "I wath juth athking a questhion."
Abby laughed. "No, not much since Christmas. We got new neighbors, though. I've said hi a few times. They seem nice, but they kind of keep to themselves for the most part and they don't seem to be home too often. I think they have a daughter around your age. Or someone visiting. I only just saw her last week."
"Yeah, I think I saw her when I got here." billie wiped her mouth with the back of her hand and got up. "Thanks for dinner, mom. I'm in desperate need of a forty-hour nap." She gave her mom a kiss on the cheek. "Good night."
Abby sighed and muttered to herself. "No, that's fine. I'll clean up. And don't worry about that napkin next to your plate. Yeah, just use the back of your hand like a barbarian."
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A slamming door jolted billie awake. She looked at her phone: 6am. Who the hell would dare wake her up at 6am? She got out of bed and walked to her window. She craned her neck and spotted the same girl from yesterday stretching on her porch. billie watched as she moved from one side to the other, loosening the muscles in her legs. After a few minutes, she took off running down the street in her baggy sweats and light gray hoodie. billie inhaled deeply, annoyed by the girl who woke her up, yet simultaneously curious about her.
