I'm Gonna Miss You

Chapter 13: Birds Of The Same Feather

The next morning I woke up a bit late, at around 11:45. Yesterday, after I finally found Tony and Kyan, he brought us out to dinner. After that, he took us to an arcade where we played all night, screaming until our lungs gave out. Even after that, the night wasn't over, Kyan decided that it would be great to take a long walk up the side of a hill. For them it was lovely, a great walk under the stars with the person you love, but for me it was just a boring walk that made my feet ache.

Somehow the day I planned turned from getting my ear pierced, to third wheeling a date I didn't expect. As if being the odd man out for half the day yesterday wasn't bad enough, this morning I woke up feeling just as tired as I did when I got home. I would've stayed in bed all day if it wasn't for the constant ringing of my cellphone.

I sat up, angrily glaring at the gadget on my desk. "Who the hell calls this early in the morning?" I groaned as I tossed aside the blanket and stood up as I marched to my phone. "Hello?" My voice was hoarse and full of rage.

"Lilah!" Kyan's scream made me pull away from the phone.

Out of all people Kyan should know that I wasn't a morning person. "Do you wanna tell me what this is about before I murder you?" My eyes remained closed as I teetered back and forth unable to sustain balance.

"Tony bought me a gift!" Somehow she took my grouchy tone as a way of inviting her to yell some more.

The last scream made my eyes widen in surprise. "What did he get you?" I tried my best to sound just as happy as she was so I wouldn't seem like a terrible friend.

"Guess!" Instead of replying a bitter response, I stayed quiet. "Never mind, I'll tell you! He got me a puppy!"

I rubbed my eyes as I walked towards my bedroom sink, listening to the yapping of a pup in the background. "I pity your parents. Now there are two loud, annoying things they can't get rid of."

"Ha ha." I put her on speaker phone as I rinsed my face with water. "Can you believe this? It's so cute! It's a Pomeranian crossed with a Husky! It's a tiny Husky!"

"What'd you name it?" I asked as I dabbed my face with a towel.

"Ruffles." I picked up the phone and took her off speaker. "Wanna come over later?"

I ran a hand through my bed head hair and yawned. "I'm not sure if I can."

"What? Why? Did something happen?" All the bubbliness in her voice had suddenly disappeared.

"You need to stop assuming the worst, Kee." I smiled as I walked back out of my room and sat down on the edge of my bed.

She chuckled on the other end. "Then what is it?"

"I haven't read the letter for today, so I don't know what I have to do yet." I stared at the box that contained all of Nelson's last letters to me.

"Oh..." She kept silent for a while. "By the way, thanks for putting up with me and Tony yesterday." I laughed remembering how ready I was to roll down the side of the hill. "That was really great of you. I owe you one."

"You bet you do." I stood up and peeked out the window, no sign of Dylan out there. "I have to go, I should probably say good morning to my grandparents."

"Don't you mean 'good afternoon'?"

"Bye Kyan."

I hung up the phone, not waiting for her to say goodbye back, and set my phone down on the table. Wearing gray sweatpants and a purple tank top, I trudged down the steps, yawning and stretching all the way. The kitchen smelled delightfully like Gran's classic beef stew. I remembered how much she loved cooking that whenever we'd visit. I also remembered that I threw a tantrum one time, having been so sick of it already. Just before I entered the kitchen I tied my hair up in a messy bun, the sun making it too hot for me to leave my hair down.