Chim - Mirrors

CHAPTER 10

Chapter Ten

A loud bang and the shout of a curse word wake me up. For a horrible second, I think I'm back at home and it's Robert. But when I sit up and look toward the source, I see Cheryl gripping her toe, her face contorted in pain.

"Are you okay?" I ask, alarmed. She sighs.

"Yeah, I stubbed my toe. Sorry I woke you up." I laugh and throw the covers off myself, rubbing my eyes from sleep.

"It's okay. Why are you all dressed up?" I ask, confused. She bites her lip and I realize where she's heading. I look at her in surprise.

"You're not going to Cindy without me." I say, scoffing in disbelief. She sighs.

"You're still hurt and-"

"No way. Give me two minutes to change!"

"You haven't even eaten breakfast-" I look around the room for my bags and she sighs, rolling her eyes in amusement.

"In the closet. All your clothes are on the left side." I frown and open the closet door. She has a walk in wardrobe, and my bags are nowhere in sight.

Because all my clothes are hung up, nice and neat and splayed out, not cramped and ruffled like they were in my closet back home.

I feel Cheryl creep up behind me and I turn to look at her.

"Thanks." I say, smiling. She nods once, a small smile on her face and I grab a random pair of jeans and a shirt, pulling them on quickly before she leaves without me.

I'm nervous. What if Robert decided not to go to work today? What if Cindy is even more hurt? What if she kicks us out the second she sees us? All these 'what if's'...

"You ready?" Cheryl calls.

"Yeah." I get out of the closet, quickly reaching into my bag and pulling out my suspension paper, then shutting the light off and taking a deep breath. This needs to be done...

The car ride there is mostly silent, but I can tell something is on Cheryl's mind. She keeps biting her lip anxiously. I'm hesitant too. 'Cause I'm positive that kiss from last night is on her mind just as much as it's on mine.

I'm still not sure how I feel about it. All I know is that I'm not uncomfortable or embarrassed by it. Part of me is actually glad it happened. And that makes me confused. Because I can't possibly be attracted to Cheryl...can I?

She was my best friend for years when we grew up in that Orphanage...and even though it's been twelve years and she should practically be a stranger to me, she isn't one. I feel like I know her, despite the fact that I don't.

It's all too confusing. Way too confusing. But all I know is that I care about her. She saved me from my hellhole. Took care of me. It's something I can never thank her enough for.

"Kimba?" I snap out of my thoughts and turn to look at her. She's staring at me anxiously, her face furrowed in a frown.

"Yeah?" We're stopped at a traffic light and she sighs.

"Are...are we okay?" She asks slowly. I look at her in confusion, and nod once.

"Yes. Why wouldn't we be?" She bows her head, her cheeks turning bright red.

"Because, you know...I kind of kissed you." She mumbles. I laugh despite myself and shake my head.

"I told you, it's fine. Really, it is." She takes a deep breath, a small smile of relief forming on her face and I smile back at her reassuringly.

"Okay, I just...wanted to make sure there was nothing awkward between us."

"Nothing awkward at all." I say, grinning. She chuckles and as soon as the light turns green, she takes off again. I can feel nerves creeping back in and I take a deep breath in, letting it out slowly.