Sometimes You Need To Let Down Your Hair

Chapter 4

       I went up to my room and glanced out of my window. My thoughts turned to Lucas, and I laughed. With a smile I twirled in a circle, and ended up falling onto my bed. He was a boy. He was a very cute boy. He was also a very cute boy that was my neighbor and was probably my age. I felt my cheeks redden, and I excitedly thought about when I'd see him tomorrow. 

       I didn't understand why I was so excited about seeing Lucas again. Maybe it was because mother didn't know that I had made a friend. With that thought my happiness faded. Was this wrong? 

       I shouldn't be sneaking around behind my mother's back. Was I sinning? Was it bad? Mother has always said that I was a good obedient child, but my judgement has lapsed. I hugged my arms to my cheat and thought about all of the friends I've had. 

       I was never allowed to hang out with them more then a few times. Then they had asked my mother and I about why we moved so much. Then we simply left town. Mother said it was her job that always had forced us to move, but I was starting to suspect that wasn't the case.

       I sat up in my bed and mulled over the explanation. I didn't know why that would be the case though. Shaking the thought out of my head I reasoned that it was merely a coincidence. To distract myself I read the old book I had found. It was full of fairy tales, and I almost felt silly for reading them. They were kind of dark though. 

       I turned to a page with the words "The Goose Girl" carefully printed across the top. A picture of a slender girl in a large dress accompanied the story. The drawing was pretty good, but I wanted to make it better. I quickly read the story then grabbed my drawing supplies and sketchbook. I jumped on my bed, and got everything ready.

       After flipping through everything I'd drawn I came to  blank page. Before drawing, I looked with dismay at the amount of blank pages I had left. I needed another sketchbook. After that realization I spent the next hour carefully drawing and coloring a picture of the girl in the story. Half of her looked like a maid, and the other half looked like she was a princess. It was strange, but in a good way. 

       When I was finished with my drawing, I ran over to my desk and searched for my watch. I found it in my messy jewelry box, and clasped it around my wrist. It was already six o'clock. I hadn't realized that time had passed so quickly! I left my drawing supplies lying on my bed and I ran downstairs. Once downstairs, I ran to the kitchen and saw the lemonade pitcher still sitting out. 

       I face-palmed myself and washed it out, then I started making a quick and easy spaghetti dinner.  I didn't know how late mother would be, but I didn't take any chances. When everything was on, or in the oven I quickly set up the dining room table. After hastily setting out everything I ran back into the kitchen to watch the food. Thankfully, it was finished by the time mother walked through the door. 

       She dramatically introduced her presence by yelling "I'm home," in a singsong voice. I waved a greeting from the kitchen, and she went to sit at the table in the dining room. I brought out the food so we could both get what we wanted. Then I poured us both a glass of soda. My mother smiled patiently as I set everything up. When I sat down the smile slid off of her face. "Why is there a third place set at the table," she asked. 

       I looked at where she gestured and didn't let the horror show on my face. There was another plate, a glass, and some silverware set out. I must have absentmindedly set up another place at the table when I was thinking about Lucas. To cover my mistake I smiled and said smoothly,"I thought you might bring someone home from work, so I sat out an extra place." She glanced at me suspiciously, but I held my innocent smile in place. 

       She raised her hand to her chin and tapped it a few times like she was thinking. "Are you sure you haven't just been thinking about someone you met today?" She looked at me suspiciously, and my heart sped up. I shook my head no to answer, because I knew my voice would sound too shaky. She laughed, and said "I'm just messing with you." I laughed along with her. "So what did you do today?"

       "I mowed the yard, and swept off the porch. Then I read my book and made dinner" I said carefully. 

       "Good. Did the neighbors bother you?"

       "No." This time I was being truthful. Lucas hadn't bothered me at all. 

       "Do you know what you want to plant in the yard?" I thought about it for a moment then told her what I wanted. "Alright, I'll pick that stuff up when we are done eating." Then she stopped talking, and we ate in silence.  At one point I made the wrong decision, and tried to make small talk. It only resulted in a one sided conversation from mother. I would occasionally nod or give one-worded answers as she talked about her day, and how great the town was. 

       When the meal was over I was almost too happy. I was tempted to run upstairs like a cheetah, leaving my mother behind at the door. However, I was not that fast, so I stayed downstairs. Mother gave me a hug and spared my ears from her "Don't let strangers in" speech that she always says before she leaves the house. Then she went out to go shop for my seeds, and who knows what else. Sometimes I wish she would take me with her, but tonight I'm just glad to get away.

       As soon as the door closed I quickly took care of the dirty dishes and cleared the table. Then I made sure that the front door was locked and ran upstairs to my room. At night the house was dark and eerily quiet. I ran up the stairs as fast as I could. Everything was silent except for the silent squeaks of protest from the old wooden floor, and the sound of my feet pounding against it. 

       As I went, I turned the lights off. I didn't like the dark, but mom said the lights shouldn't be kept on. When I got to my room I quickly cleared off my bed. I sat my drawing supplies on the floor beside me and jumped under the covers. Then I realized I needed to change into my night clothes and shower. 

       When I was finished I resumed my spot on the comfy bed. Thoughts about that stupid story Lucas told me snaked their way into my mind. My overactive imagination saw people instead of shadows, and eerie wailing instead of one of the neighbor's barking dog. I took a deep breathe, and decided to do something I hadn't done since I was little. 

        I pulled the covers up over my head and hugged my knees to my chest. After a few minutes of sitting there, I chided myself. "Your fifteen! Why are you scared of the dark?" Then I removed the blanket from the top of my head and tried to go to sleep. Just as I drifted off to sleep I heard something on the second floor. I briefly considered checking it out, but my sleepiness overtook my curiosity.