The Senior Project

Chapter Six | Impulse

CHAPTER SIX~
IMPULSE

Exhaustion was an understatement for my mood today. I was dead on my feet and I simply wanted to sleep my life away.

"Celia, wake up you have a visitor," My mother's unusually kind voice cut through my cloudy mind. "It's James."

I cracked open my sleep-crusted eyes. The sight of my mother discreetly giving me a sharp glare that foretold a talk in the near future greeted my tired eyes and I heaved a sigh. So the whole kindness thing was an act. My eyes swerved around her to see James standing there, shuffling his feet.

Great. What a way to start the day.

"Okay mom, I've can handle this," I said meaningfully.

"Are you sure honey?" she asked, still playing that perfect mother.

Since her back was to James, her facial expression said something entirely different. Her eyes narrowed in on me threateningly as her painted lips pursed thoughtfully. I knew she was annoyed because the other night, I had told her I'd finish this project quickly. She was probably still very mad because she always needed to know where I was. She hated not knowing. Unfortunately, with all of our random, spur of the moment decisions, that wasn't always possible.

My eyes flickered to one of the stickers on my wall. The one that said Patience in fancy script. I could sure as hell use some of that right about now.

"I've got this," I said to my mother, my teeth grinding together. She wasn't going to cause a scene when someone was here.

She nodded smoothly and spun on her heel to leave my room, offering a chirpy goodbye to James.

For a few long moments neither James nor I said a word. From downstairs, a loud bang signalled my mother's official leave. Still, we stared at each other tensely. I knew he could see through her acting, there were always a few people who did. It was unfortunate that James was one of these people. I watched James, awaiting the piteous or prying remarks I usually got. But he didn't comment upon it.

"So that's how you look in the morning! Lovely bed head!" he said teasingly. I relaxed a bit and offered a tentative smile.

Before I could register his actions, his camera was whipped out and he was taking a video. I did the only thing that could be done in my groggy state. I screeched like a banshee, tried to dive under my covers but got tangled up and fell to the ground with a thud, my mother's treatment temporarily gone from my mind.

"James..." I groaned weakly, raising one hand in the air and dropping it back down to the ground.

The only response I got was a round of laughter.

"And that, ladies and gents, is the ever graceful Celia Watson when she wakes up in the morning!" he said as he walked over and zoomed in on my tangled figure.

"Help me up you ass!" I hissed, swiping half-heartedly at the camera. If he kept filming me during impromptu moments, I would end up breaking his camera.

"Ah, ah, ah! No swearing on tape!" He reached out a hand nonetheless and pulled me to my feet, giving me a gentle push to my bathroom. "Come back out when you're ready to go," he said gently.

"Yes mother."

Within ten minutes, I was changed and ready to go. I walked back out, pulling on a thin sweater while grabbing my camera.

"Where to today Columbus?" I asked as I slipped on my shoes and guided him out the door.

"Today, we go to the park and we talk," James said firmly, as if he'd been planning to do so for a long time now.