The Things That Make Us

Chapter 7

Hannah

Seb mostly ignores me over the next few days.  I know he's busy with his girlfriend and his teenage life. He doesn't invite me to go anywhere with him and his friends again, which I appreciate. I'm sure he knew just how weird that was for me. I don't need to be assumed as his "friend" just because I ended up living in his pool house, out of the blue.

  But then something changes somewhere along the line, because it seems like he is suddenly actively trying to make conversation with me, rather than ignore my presence. He's not the most chatty person, but neither am I. I don't know if it's his mom's influence or not, but either way, I sort of like that he is trying.

  "So... how's the pool house?" Seb asks, coming into the living room later that week, where I'm picking a new book to read.

  It's Thursday and the weekend  and week were pretty quiet for me. I've done a bit of swimming and a lot of reading. Erin told me that I'm welcome to any of her books, and she has quite a collection on the bookcase in here. I've been thinking a lot about getting a job and keeping busy, but I don't really know where to get started with that.

  "It's fine. Good, actually. Better than anywhere else I've lived," I tell him, looking over at him.

  Seb sits on the couch and reaches for the TV remote. "That's sad. It's just a tiny pool house."

  "Yeah, well, my mom preferred alcohol and going out with her friends to living in a nice place."

  Seb doesn't know what to say to this. We are very different and it's obvious. So very obvious. We grew up in different situations, with very different parents. My mom just barely kept us alive, for years. Seb's parents have high paying jobs and a huge beach house and I know he's never worried about eating or when his next meal would be. I won't tell him that. Erin doesn't even know how bad it's actually been.

 "So, know anywhere I could get a job?" I decide to change the subject, as I pull a book off the shelf and turn back towards Seb.

 "Why would you want to do that?" he asks, then laughs.

"To make money?"

 "Oh. You're not going to college?" He looks genuinely curious, but his expression changes when he sees the look on my face.

  "Do you really think that was a smart question?" I ask him, rolling my eyes.

   "Sorry. I mean... you haven't really talked much about yourself." He pauses before going on. "This is my last summer to fuck around and party and stuff.  End of august, I'm off to London for school."

 "England?" For some reason, this really surprises me.

  He just nods, like it's no big deal.   

  "That's so awesome. You must be excited," I go on. If I was going to college in London in a few months, I'd be so excited.

 "My program is very competitive and it'll be a lot of work," he says, and adds a shrug.  "Therefore, this is my party summer."

   "I guess this my 'work my ass off and try to be able to take care of myself' summer," I tell him, trying to seem serious, too.

 Seb now rolls his eyes and then lets out a laugh. "You've got my mom on your side. You'll be fine."

  And I believe him, which is pretty crazy.

  My phone is buzzing on the table beside the bed, in the pool house, later that evening.