Between the Bars

Chapter 4 -continued-

       I lay on my bed and think about Kora and mom and everyone else. I know how much Kora wanted to see dad, and I know it was wrong for me to tell her to die.. Even if she was being a bitch. I heard tapping on my window. "Suzzie! It's cold, open the window!" Garroth was pleading outside my bedroom. "Garroth.. Hey. " I said this unenthusiastic-ally, but didn't mean to. "Baby, are you okay? What's wrong?" He seductively said this. Garroth was nineteen, so mom didn't approve of him. Mom didn't  want me with anyone, really. That's why he sneaks in. He was rubbing the small of my back as I explained what was happening. "Bummer. Anything I can do to help?" 

    Garroth was what most people would call a "fuckboi," but to me, he seemed amazing. He understood me when nobody else did. I locked my door so nobody would bother us. "That's the thing. I don't think anyone besides myself can get me out of this one, but thanks, babe." 

   "Oh. Alright. Where's Kora at? I mean, is she okay?" He always seemed so interested in Kora, So his curiosity didn't surprise me. "I don't know. I don't care. Why are you so interested in her, anyways?" I asked as politely as I could, I didn't want him to think I didn't trust him, because frankly, I did. 

   "Awe babe, don't be jealous, you're the only girl I care about. Besides my mom." He laughed and kissed my forehead. "Hey, can I take a shower? Anne was hogging it when I got home, so I didn't have time to do anything." He jokingly said this. "Yeah, okay. Wait, stay here I need to see if my mom's home. "Alright, take your time." 

    I looked throughout the house for mom. She always worked late, usually went to work at ten PM and came back around nine AM. I decided it'd be much smarter if I just checked if her car was in the drive-way. Her car was still there, so I padded back to my room to give Garroth the bad news. 

   "She's still home. It's only nine-thirty, fifteen minutes and you should be good." I informed him like a spy. I started laughing as he shook his head disapprovingly. "Fifteen minutes, huh?" He tickled my side and I swatted his hand away playfully. I sat in his arms on my bed and we listened to music for most of the time. When ten minutes passed, I checked outside in the drive-way. 

   She still wasn't gone. "Mom? Are you still here? You'll be late for work!" Mom worked the graveyard shift as a receptionist at a children's hospital, it was about ten minutes away. "Yeah, honey. I'm fine on time, don't worry. There's a detour that actually gets me there five minutes early!" She laughed. I love my mom's laugh. I don't here it too often anymore, but when I do I seek such comfort in it. 

   "Okay, sounds good." She was in the living room looking in the mirror and straitening her blazer. I went back to my bedroom to find Garroth missing. "Garroth? Are you hiding? Where'd you go?" The bedroom window was just like it was when he came in, so he didn't leave. 

    I walked to the bathroom and knocked on the door. The door fell open as I knocked, and nobody was inside. I was walking back to my room when I heard giggling from Kora's room. "Kora? Are you in there? Why are you laughing?" I asked her, and then heard a bunch of rummaging. "Um, coming, one minute!" She swung the door open and was unusually sweaty. "Why are you sweaty? Why were you laughing?" I laughed while saying this, but I don't know why. "I was working out! Yeah, woo! Sweaty!" I was kind of skeptical, why was she acting like this? I walked inside of her room, but she tried to stop me. 

    "Kora, God. I know you're mad at me, but can't I at least come in your room?" I was extremely confused, but at the same time I knew she mad at me. I sighed as I walked in and said, "Kora, can i talk to you? I know you're probably really mad an-" She cut me off. "No, No, not mad. You seemed mad, are you mad? What's wrong?" 

She was acting unusually clumsy and nervous. "Why are you acting so weird? Are you hiding something? Did you re-book that flight?" I asked her this, and she was starting to turn red. I heard a faint sneeze from her closet. "Is Ben in your closet? You don't have to hide Ben, unless you're cheating, because you know Jazz and Ben are my OTP." I joked with her. 

    "Hey Ben, nice to hear from you again." I sarcastically said. There was  no response. "Okay.. Well have a nice night, guys." I was a little weird-ed out, but I didn't really take any notice. I stopped for a minute to text Garroth and ask where he was as I stood in the door frame of Kora's door. I heard his text tone from Kora's bedroom. My heart started to beat fast and my palms were sweaty. 

    I pounded on the door of Kora's bedroom, mom had already left by now, so there was no reason to be quiet. "Kora open the door, please!" I started to cry, but didn't show it. I'm not a baby, I can handle this like an adult. "Kora please, I'm really confused! Why do I hear Garroth's text tone in your room?" I asked her this quickly. "I don't know, I guess we have the same one." She replied so nonchalantly, I almost believed her. "Fine, I'm going to text you." Just as I did, the same text tone I heard went off again.

    "Sorry about that, Kora.. It's just Garroth left and I thou...Never mind" I sulked back to my bedroom. I strummed on my guitar for a bit until I tried to go to sleep. Today was the worst Friday in a while. I can't believe Kora tried to leave without telling us. I usually love Fridays, but today was just... trash. 

   "Well, goodnight moon." I giggled remembering the book I loved when I was little. I was looking outside in my front yard, when I saw a guy leave our front door. At first, I thought it was Ben, but I saw the douchey hat and realized how horrible today really was. I turned over, as tears stung my eyes and dropped from my chin. "Why does this have to happen to me? What'd I do?" I asked myself. I drifted away to sleep, I knew things were going to be different tomorrow.