Losing Oliver

Chapter 13

I walked down the stairs of Declan's house and heard a sizzling noise coming from the kitchen. His mom must have just gotten up. My throat went dry. Well, this was quite a predicament I was in.
I stood hidden behind wall that shielded the stairs. The back door wasn't too far from the last stair, so it couldn't be that hard to get out of here unnoticed. Quickly scurrying down the stairs, I made minimal noise, until the last step.

A very audible squeak sounded through the living room, and I heard a pan being set down.

"Oh, Honey! You're up?" I heard a female voice call, melodic to the ear. After being met with silence, she tried again. "Declan?"

I heard her getting closer, so I knew I might as well give myself up. "Hello," I smiled bashfully, tucking a hair behind my ear. I hoped I didn't look as bad as I felt.

"Oh!" The woman standing before me looked shocked and a smidge embarrassed. Her unruly black hair was identical to Declan's, falling down to her waist. While most of her features resembled Declan's, her eyes were blue and far more cheerful. They carried little crows feet, yet she looked relatively young for having an eighteen year-old son. "I'm sorry.. I thought you were my son."

"Oh, I'm a.. friend," I settled on, though I wasn't positive what to call Declan. I think friend was the most suitable answer. Psychiatrist would be another good one, considering how many times I have seemed to end up telling him my problems. "I'm Lucy Grey."

"Ah!" The startled woman beamed. For a moment, she seemed stunned, unable to figure out what to say. Her recovery was graceful, nonetheless. "I'm Lydia, Declan's mother. Do you.. Do you want breakfast?"

"You don't have to, really." I brushed it off, feeling a bit intrusive.

"I insist, darling. I know your parents, wonderful people."

I appreciated the sentiment, especially since my father didn't receive compliments that often. My mother, on the other-hand, got that quite frequently. Most people knew each other--as well as each other's secret--in this small town. If someone new moved into town, everyone would "know" their names, history, deep dark secrets, and gender by the color of their car.

"Thank you. I'll tell them you said so," I smiled at her as she led me to the kitchen.

The kitchen was a cute, country-style with white cupboards and floral accents. Light streamed through the window's pink flowery curtains above the sink. The smell of peppery eggs and sizzling bacon wafted through the air. I instantly took in a deep breath to absorb the delightful smell. "Smells delicious."

"It's really nothing," she brushed off.

"I wish my mom could cook like this," I told her, now envious of Declan.

Sliding a plate of food in front of me, she chuckled. "I'm sure Laura's cooking is better than mine."

Well, for most of my life, she's either been on a trip or too busy to cook for me. There were occasions before my parents' divorce where she would cook, but that seemed so long ago now. They had joint-custody of me, but I was pretty much only with my dad. I didn't want to unload that all on Declan's mom, so I just took a bite out of the perfect egg before me.

"How has your father been?" She bit into a piece of bacon and stole a glance at me. "I haven't seen Ricky in a long time."

It seemed weird to hear my dad referred to as Ricky. It has always been Patrick or Rick, if any nickname. Never Ricky. "He's been.. Good. Work as usual."

"That doesn't surprise me. He's always been dedicated to whatever he's done."

Yeah, including alcohol. My snide remark rang in my head, but I never dared to say it aloud.

I heard the stampeding of a teenage boy down the stairs after she spoke and let out a chuckle.

"Hey Mom." Declan walks through the door, kissing his mother on the cheek before taking notice of me. "Oh. Hey.." He stopped dead in his tracks, eyes flickering from me to his mom.

"It's okay, Momma's Boy. Your mom and I were just having a conversation." I smiled playfully at him and leaned forward on my seat. He simply met my gaze with a warning look.

Ha, even bad boys loved their mommies. It was actually really cute.

I pushed away my now empty plate. I had pretty much inhaled that whole meal.

"I have to rush, Mom. Thank you for breakfast though." He grabbed a couple pieces of bacon, much to Mrs. Pierce's protests. He was out of the room before she could even say a word.

"Thank you for breakfast, Mrs. Pierce. Sorry if I was unexpected." I apologized before getting up from my chair and stepping toward the exit.

She seemed a little taken aback when I said Mrs. Pierce, but she didn't say anything about it. "Oh, it's quite alright. After all, Declan didn't take his breakfast, so it would've went to waste if you weren't here. I"ll see you soon, darling."

~

Instead of going home, I actually headed to school with Declan. Sitting in the passenger seat, his eyes were dead on the road, but mine were on him. I wondered what he thought about last night. Was he embarrassed as I was? I don't think that's possible. It was better to stay away from that subject, I decided.

"Your mother is lovely," I said to him.

"Yeah, she's pretty great." A small smile tugged on his serious lips. He really did think so.

A question was weighing on me, and my curiosity got the best of me. "What happened to your father?"

That was obviously the wrong question to ask. His hand gripped the steering wheel tighter, and his shoulders stiffened. He looked at me with his stern eyes, "I'd rather not talk about him, Lucy."

Okay, that subject was also a no-go.

The rest of the ride was filled with silence. I knew I had said all the wrong things to him recently, just when we began making progress. That seemed to be the thing I was best at: wrecking things when they were just getting good.

~

It's been awhile, Guys! I want to say Merry Christmas (or Happy Holidays, if you prefer that). I love all of you reading, and I hope you enjoyed this recent installment. Let me know if there's anything I should work on or something I need to answer in the story.

Lots of Love!

xoxoxox,Rachel