The Impeccable Infinity

Chapter 7

Do you ever have that feeling of anxiety from all of your excitement being bottled up? It's like, I get so worked up and excited, and then realize how terrified I really am. I've been so giddy and jumpy for hours, and now that it's almost time to see Mute, I'm absolutely petrified, thinking about everything that can go wrong. It's almost like a curse that I'm so uptight and have the mindset of every situation going perfectly.

I sighed and rolled over to the side of my bed, taking a quick glance at the clock on my nightstand. 9:30. A half hour before I'm supposed to see Mute again. I let out another shaky sigh and covered my face with my pillow, breathing in the fresh cotton scent of the pillowcase.

I feel like all I want to do is run into his room, tell him how amazing he is even though I've only met him once, and then just spend every waking moment with to him. Possessive? I think so.

My body slides off the side of my bed and I prop myself up on the floor with my back against the metal bed frame. I'm so lazy and so anxious I don't know what to do with myself. I guess I should be getting ready though, I only have about a half hour. I usually wait until five minutes before an event and then panic, throwing basically every makeup product I own onto my face. I'm not going to do that this time though, that's a habit I need to break.

I reached underneath my bed and pulled out a box full of makeup. I probably should unpack all of this and set it up on a vanity where it can all be laid out in front of me, but I'm just so lazy. I've kept it all tucked away in a box under my bed for the past few days, and I've seen no problem with that method yet.

I put moisturizer on my face and used concealer, covering up all of my scars and marks. Then I grabbed a brush and swept powder across my whole face, completing my skin routine and hiding all of my blemishes. It's a fast method, but its been working pretty well for me and hides basically everything I need it to hide.

I quickly put on eyeliner and mascara and threw everything back into the box, shoving it under my bed. People don't wear a lot of makeup in the summer anyway.

I stood up, looking down at my outfit. I tried getting dressed earlier, but came to the conclusion that I have literally nothing to wear. Denim shorts hugged around my waist and thighs, and a plain black hoodie fell to my hips. I've diffidently looked better, but I also don't look like a total mess. I don't want Mute thinking I put a lot of effort into getting ready for him either, the power may go to his head and make him act cocky.

I smiled at the thought of his name. It's not even his real name, but it's enough to make me feel giddy when I hear it. It's like when two people have a song; when they hear it on the radio they immediately think of each other.

As I started to pull out my phone to make a list so I could remember everything I wanted to ask about him, Riley came in our room, closing the door behind her.

"Hey," I said, putting my phone down and sitting on my bed to talk to her. I still have some time to spare.

"Hey," she responded, shakiness in her voice.

"What's wrong?"

"It's nothing. I just have some dumb plans with my friends this weekend."

"What are you doing with them?"

"They invited me to the beach with some of their guy friends, but I don't know if I want to go."

"Why wouldn't you go? I love the beach! You'll probably have a lot of fun. There's the ocean, and the boardwalk and-"

"I just," Riley cuts me off.

"I don't look as good as my other friends. They all wear makeup, have expensive swimsuits, and everyone likes them," Riley said quickly, tears forming in her eyes.

"I think you look fine. I'm sure you'll have a good time. Just because you're not like your friends doesn't mean your not amazing."

"Yea, but it would just be nice if I could be a little more like them, You know?"

"Yea I guess. Would you feel better if I gave you a makeover before you went?" I asked, remembering all of the things I packed with me before I came to the foster home. I'll just let Riley borrow some things, they're not too much of a loss to me.

"You'd really do that?"

"Yea, sure! why not? We can go swimsuit shopping and I'll do your makeup for you."

"Thank you, Haley!' Riley screeched before jumping off her bed and running over to give me a hug.

I laughed and hugged her back. I'm glad I made her happy. It made no sense to me why a group of her friends would wear a ton of makeup to the beach if they're going in the ocean, but why not let her borrow some just to make her happy?

"No problem," I responded, turning my head around to look at the clock. It's now 9:57. I have three minutes before I see Mute. My stomach's starting to feel squeamish again from just the thought of standing in his room.

I let go of Riley's hug and stood up off my bed, grabbing my phone and placing it in my back pocket.

"Um, I need to get a shower, but we'll plan what we're going to do later, okay?" I asked, quickly making my way towards the door. It's a stupid lie, but it's one that I know she'll believe. I want to tell her all about Mute, like everything about him. His hair, his eyes, his height, just everything! But at the same time, I kind of like how Mute's a secret of mine.

Riley nodded and sat back down on her bed. She laid on her back and stared up at the ceiling for a moment before smiling to herself and covering her face with her hands.

I grinned and closed the door behind me, taking a few steps until I reached Mute's door right next to my room.

Okay Haley, you can do this. He's just another person. You're just going to talk to him, right? It's not like he's going to kidnap you and lock you in his room, holding you hostage... Oh my god.

I shook my head to get the vision off my mind. He wouldn't do that, he's only seventeen. Plus, wouldn't he have done that earlier when we were the only two in the house. That's, like, the perfect opportunity for a kidnapper to grab me. Why am I still thinking about this?

I ball up my fingers and make a fit, gently knocked on Mute's door, looking around to make sure nobody heard me. My legs shook slightly, and I used my hands to attempt steady them as I waited for him to open the door.

The sound of footsteps grew louder as I heard him moving closer, and a lock on the knob made a few noises, while the door knob itself moved left and right as he tried to undo the latch from inside.

I took a deep breath and patted down my hoodie so it didn't look as baggy, brushing my hair to the side, only for pieces of it to fall back onto my face. The door began to open and my shaking grew more violent as my palms began to sweat. Act natural.