Deviant

Chapter 21~Best Thing

Writer's block will be the death of me

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Since the embarrassment of the game, I couldn't bear facing anyone.

I had rode home with Zach that day, not wanting to face the "We told you this would happen" comments from my family. I ended up changing back into my school clothes and leaving the locker room before any of my team showed up. Alison saw me leave and at first I heard her footsteps working to catch up with me. At one point, I broke into a run and the footsteps ceased.

It was cowardly of me to walk out like that-I know-but this was something that emotions completely took control of.

Thankfully, Zach understood my frustration and said absolutely nothing. When we arrived at his house, he unlocked the door for me and disappeared to the other side of the yard.

I sauntered into the house with my bag slung over my shoulder. Zach's mom-still wearing her patterned nursing scrubs-was sprawled out on a leather couch nodding off. The bright glow of the huge flat screen accented her small features,  the exhaustion etched into her face.

Zach's two year old sister, Ava, was tirelessly patting on her mother's face. His brother, Marcos, was no where to be found.

Shrugging off my previous stresses, I dropped my bag by the staircase and walked into the family room.

Ava had plopped onto the floor, frowning deeply. Her pigtails swished as she crawled around, looking for something to do. In a sympathetic gesture, I grabbed a teddy bear off the floor and crouched next to her.

I smiled and put the bear in front her. "Hey there, little Avalon. Remember me?"

She stopped crawling and looked from the bear to me, her huge brown eyes lighting up as she began to recall who I was. Excitedly, she held the bear by its arm and hoisted herself up on her feet, quickly waddling to me.

"Nana!" She squealed, falling into my lap.

I laughed and hugged her, instantly feeling better. "I missed you too, Ava."

At her high pitched sound, Mrs. Carrillo shot awake. "Natalie, is that you honey?"

She rubbed her eyes and looked at me, taking in my appearance. She smiled behind squinted eyes, looking more tired than ever. "I thought it was you. I'm sorry- I didn't mean to leave her alone with you." She yawned and covered her mouth with her hand, continuing. "I'm just so tired, you know? All these overnight shifts have me worn. All I've been doing lately is work, work, and more work."

I laughed. "It's not a problem, really. She's perfectly fine-just ready for a nap. I know things get a little hectic in the position you're in. It's completely understandable, trust me." I paused to look down at Ava, who was looking off blankly- a sign that she was minutes away from sleeping. "Go ahead, Maria and get some sleep. I've got Ava under control."

Zach's mom looked very tempted by the offer but shook her head. "That wouldn't be right of me to just leave her with you like that."

"No, its fine. She's almost asleep. As soon as I know she won't wake up, I'll put her in her crib for you."

She smiled and brushed her hair to the side. "You're such a sweetheart." She said sweetly, getting up and stretching, yawning even longer this time. "Are you sure you don't need anything from me?"

I shook my head. "Not at all. Goodnight, Mrs. Carrillo."

"Whatever you say, my dear. Baby food is in the side shelf of the fridge in case she starts crying. Goodnight, Natalie." She said, grabbing her purse and heading upstairs.