Bad Reputation

Chapter 12

I throw open the door and rush inside. Aunt Sarah is sitting at the kitchen table, sipping on a cup of coffee and working on her computer. Piles of papers are scattered across the table. She looks exhausted and worn out and seems to be still in the clothes she wore to work this morning. She must've decided to come home early and work from here.

"Hi, Aunt Sarah," I say with a strained smile. I walk over to her and give her a hug. "How was your day at work?"

"Long," she replies and hugs me back. "Long and boring. But I'm glad it's over."

"That's good," I reply with a smile. "You deserve a break."

"Oh, I don't know about that," she says. "This is the life I chose, Avery. I'm fine with it."

"I hope so," I say and look down at the papers spread across the table. "So, what's going on?"

"Hmm?" she says distractedly and pauses. "Oh, right. Just some old paperwork." She holds up a document to show me. "It's nothing important. I just wanted to finish it before the weekend." She turns back to her computer. "Why don't you go relax? I'll call you when dinner is ready."

"Oh, about that," I say and shift my weight to my right feet, nervously scratching my head. "I'm kind of going out tonight with some friends."

"Oh?" she says nonchalantly. "Who are they?"

"Uh..." I hesitate. "Some friends from school."

Her eyes widen momentarily before she smiles warmly. "I see. Is Julie going to be there as well? I don't want you going out with people I don't know."

"Yes," I tell her with a laugh. "She's the one who planned this. We were just planning on going to the mall and hang out there. Nothing special."

"I see," she says again and looks back to her computer. "Then I suppose it's fine. When do you leave?"

"Um...," I say and look at my watch. "Probably in two hours or less. Oh, and I might sleep over at Julie's if it's late."

"Alright," she says and glances at me. "Well, go get yourself ready then."

I grin at her and give her another quick hug before heading upstairs to my room. Once inside, I slip off my shoes and lay down on my bed. I stare up at the ceiling and let my mind wander. I can't believe I actually agreed to hang out with Julie and the very person I can't even stand. Still, I feel strangely optimistic about tonight. Maybe it'll end up being a good idea after all.

I grab my phone from the nightstand and check to make sure that I'm still up to date with the latest news from school. There's only one message from Julie in my inbox. It reads: "Be ready in an hour."

As usual, I have absolutely no clue what to wear. I rummage through my closet and drawers for a while, trying to decide what to wear. Julie's words keep replaying in my mind. What did she mean by 'wear something nice'? I wonder as I continue rummaging through my closet.

I hate dresses. They're so uncomfortable. And heels! Ugh. How am I supposed to wear those? I can barely walk in them. But I guess I could try. All I really need is something comfortable and casual.

I throw a few items on top of the bed and step back to take a look at them. I've got jeans, a t-shirt, a pair of sneakers, a hooded sweatshirt; almost everything I already own. But Julie said to wear something nice. She didn't specify what exactly, but I assume that means that she wants me to dress nicer than normal.

I sigh and start digging through my dresser drawer again.

My cellphone rings and I quickly pick it up and check the caller ID. It's Julie.