Project Fat Suit

Forty-One: Avalanche

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Chapter Forty-One: Avalanche

“Will you stay with me?” I asked Uranus as he parked in front of my house. I was scared to be alone at the mercy of my terrifying thoughts. Kurt’s car wasn’t here, so he’s probably at a friend’s and my dad wasn’t getting home from work for another hour or so.

Uranus glanced at Sam, who had fallen asleep on the way back.

“He can sleep in my room,” I offered quickly, dreading the possible oncoming solitude.

Uranus agreed hesitantly. So while he was carefully getting his snoring brother out of the car, I was bounding up the steps of the porch so I could open the door for Uranus.

I was in the middle of unlocking my door when I noticed an envelope that had been placed in the middle of our ‘welcome’ mat. Bending down to pick up the envelope, I recognized Liam’s slightly sloppy handwriting from all the notes he had written me for prom.

Written in his scrawl was ‘For Rena’. My stomach lurched at the thought of Liam. Why did he write me a letter? He obviously didn’t want to tell me anything. And who put it here if he was in Miami? 

“He’s heavy,” I heard Uranus complain from behind me.

I shoved the envelope into my hoodie jacket and opened the door for him.

“Second door on your right,” I told him as he made his way up the stairs with his brother in his arms.

“Thanks,” he muttered as he headed for my room.

I leaned against the doorway as Uranus placed Sam in my unmade bed and tucked him in. My heart would have swelled at the adorable sight if it weren’t already occupied by sinking feeling that came from the expected grief of reading the letter.

“Okay, spill,” Uranus ordered me once he was sure Sam was comfortable and he had walked out of my room.

“I don’t have any beverages on me that I could spill,” I joked, attempting to avoid this conversation. “Do you want some water?” I asked, starting to make my way downstairs.

“You know what I mean,” he replied, not amused by my clever diversionary tactics.

“Do you want water or not?”

“Stop trying to avoid the subject, Rena.”

“I invited you here so you could keep me from my problems, not make me talk about them,” I snapped at him while pouring myself a glass of water.

I felt Uranus’s gaze on me as I drank from the cup. “Fine, I’ll have some water,” he said calmly, abandoning his nosiness for a moment.

I sighed and ran a hand through my hair. I was being a jerk. I was lucky enough he actually stayed and that he cared about my well being, but apparently, I appreciate nothing when I’m stressed out.

“I’m sorry,” I apologized as I got out another glass for Uranus. “I just don’t want to talk about it,” I explained, filling up the glass with water.

“I just don’t like seeing you this way,” Uranus said, giving me a concerned look as I handed him the glass of water.

 I forced a smile on my face. “Trust me. I’m pretty sure all I need is to be distracted.” To emphasize my point, mostly for myself, I took off my hoodie with the letter still in my pocket and placed it the counter. I needed a bit of time to prepare myself for the turmoil of confusion that letter was going to bring me.