Right in Front of You

Chapter Four

Waiting for Aurora and Avery was absolute torture. I finished my reading assignment in about half an hour, then went to ballet for another hour, but I still had nothing but time. I decided to pass the excess time like I always did. Admiring the all wonderful Jacob.

I swung back and forth on the porch swing, running a brush through my thick hair and letting my legs glide back and forth. As usual, Jacob was swimming lap after lap under the scorching Georgia summer sun. 'I wonder what his bedroom looks like' I thought to myself. 'I bet it's filled with trophies from swimming and ribbons from soccer and his hoodies. Oh, what I wouldn't give to wear one of his hoodies.'

Jacob squirmed out of his pool and threw a towel over his strong shoulders before grabbing his ringing phone. I could almost hear the entire conversation.

"Hello? Um, yeah. Why does she always do this?! I, uh, yeah...I'll be right there. I'm so sorry. Thanks." He dropped his phone onto his deck angrily and stormed inside, leaving the cell phone unattended by his pool.

A small smile spread across my face. Would taking his phone be crossing the line? Wait a minute, what was I thinking? I couldn't just take his phone...but Aurora and Avery would be pretty impressed.

My mind went back and forth between believing this was the best idea ever and the idea that would send me to my imminent social death.

I looked around my yard quickly then made a dash for Jacob's deck. I didn't even slow down when I reached it. I simply grabbed the phone and darted back to my hammock. As soon as I was comfortable in the hammock, I heard Jacob's back door swinging open again.

'What if he sees me and knows that I took it? He'll kill me!' I thought desperately.

Before my mind could argue any longer, I bolted to the back door of my house and slammed it behind me. Once I was inside, I collapsed to the floor, gripping the small smart phone in my hands. I was holding Jacob Halsey's phone.

My legs carried me to my room miraculously, and I lept onto my comfy bed. Was this really happening? I had known Aurora and Avery for all of two hours, and I was already acting as reckless as they seemed. I peered out of my bedroom window, and to my surprise, Avery was sitting on his roof. THE ROOF?!

I unlatched the lock on my window and pushed the screen forward slowly. Then I lifted my head out of the window, feeling the summer breeze running through my now messy hair.

"Avery?" I called loudly. The distance between the two of us wasn't much, but it was definitely enough to make me have to yell.

"Hey there, stranger!" He replied gleefully. He seemed to me holding something in his arms. It looked almost like a journal.

"What are you doing up there? How did you even get up there? Please don't fall before we start the list!" I found myself genuinely laughing for the first time in months. He shrugged lightly.

"I used a ladder. See, it's right over-" He looked at an empty area of the roof. "Well, this isn't good."

My eyes followed the roof all the way to the ground where a ladder was lying, lifeless, like a fallen soldier.

"Um, Avery. Your ladder fell over." I giggled.

"Thank you, Captain Obvious. Come save me!" He laughed carelessly. I wondered how he wasn't freaking out, but I wasn't surprised at all. Him and his sister both seemed so...carefree.

"I'm coming, I'm coming." I called in mock annoyance, shutting my window.

Once I arrived to the side of the Flynn house, I realized what an awful mistake I had made.