Stereotypical

XIII | She, Who Couldn't Enjoy Life

Mood:

"Ships in the Night"

-Mat Kearney

(Probably doesn't relate to the chapter at all, but I was listening to it while I wrote this so...yiss)

A hand latched onto the back of my shirt and yanked me to safety. I landed hard on my butt and dropped the jacket, watching the car zip past. Parker towered over me, looking like the epitome of pissed off. "You almost got yourself killed!"

"But I didn't," I said shakily, pushing off to my feet. My heart hammered in my chest, my vision pulsating. I was growing lightheaded.

"You are crazy," Emily placed her hand on my back. "What were you thinking?"

Parker sighed. "She probably wasn't thinking."

"My," I muttered sarcastically. I felt around my pocket for my phone and realized that it was gone. 
"Where's my—" Seconds after that, I remembered that it was at home. I didn't even bring it. But still, I kept the act going. "Did you guys see my phone fall?"

They cast worried glances at one another. "No."

"Oh dammit!" I cried out. "I'll check the theater and meet you—"

"No way," Parker interjected. "We'll go together."

I shook my head. "You guys go on ahead; I'll meet you in like, fifteen minutes maybe." Lies. 

Emily nodded, pushing Parker towards the street. "If you're not back in fifteen minutes, I'm buying roses for your funeral."

I snorted. I wasn't going to be back ever. "Okay. Bye." I turned on the ball of my foot and sprinted towards the mall building. When I got inside, I lingered at the window for a bit to make sure that they made it across the street and into Liliana's. I sighed dramatically, making my way to the side entrance.

Parker was such an idiot.

And three hours later, he finally called.

"Where are you?" he demanded over the phone.

"Uh..." I looked around my bedroom. "I'm at home. Watching Spongebob. Eating cereal."

The silence on his side was almost scary. Then, he shouted, "We've been looking for three hours you piece of crap!"

I jumped, accidentally dropping the phone into my lap. When I put it back to my ringing ear, he was still shouting. "—and we almost called the police!"

"Sorry..." I mumbled. "But you needed to spend time with her."

"I was."

I rolled my eyes to the ceiling. "Alone, you doof." He couldn't be this clueless. Parker could not be this clueless. "The point of a date is to get to know your partner alone, dumbness."

He was quiet for a moment. "So...you didn't lose your phone?"

"No!"

"And the car thing?"

I smacked my lips. "No, that one was an accident. I was actually about to die."

"You say that so casually," he said dully. "Oh don't mind me—just gonna commit suicide here in front of everyone!"

Ugh, suicide. I closed my eyes, my stomach doing a flip. "You have fun, okay?" Emily was probably waiting to hear that I was not, in fact, in the back of someone's van. They could have the rest of the evening to themselves.