Letterman Jacket

37 / six days before

thank you so much for reading. your support is like tons of hugs for me every day.

*

The other side of my bed was empty and cold when I woke up. I reached for my phone on the bedside table and read Nico's text with bleary eyes. i'm sorry i had to leave early, babe. I have to shower and grab my stuff. bring a jacket, it's cold :)

I got up and headed to the bathroom, noticing that there was an ache in my bones from the running yesterday. I turned on the water and stripped off my clothes, singing under my breath while the water cleansed my skin.

After dressing in a mustard shirt tucked under belted skinny jeans and paired with black sneakers, I dried my hair and put on light makeup. Downstairs, there were omelets, baked cheddar eggs and potatoes, and a sausage casserole on the table with large servings—enough to feed more than the four people living in this house. I took a seat by my usual place and dug in. 

A few minutes later, my mother entered the kitchen with a familiar petite figure in tow. "Good morning, honey. Your dad's already in the office, but he told me to tell you to be safe and to make sure to text us updates once in a while."

My gaze met Anya's big, dark eyes. Her skin was still a pale, milky white, and she was small in her clothes, but she looked healthier. "Sure."

"Help yourself," Mom told her kindly, gesturing to the food on the table. She then turned to me. "She and her parents came here early because they have somewhere to go later at noon. I have to talk with her parents in the office."

I couldn't do anything but nod. Mom left the dining room, and Anya took the seat across from me. Meekly, she reached for the potatoes first.

I pushed the bowl closer to her. "Juice?"

She nodded.

I bit my lip and poured juice in her glass.

"Thank you," Anya muttered, head tilting to the side. The hollowness in her voice from before was gone. "You're Thea, right?"

"Yeah," I answered. "And you're Anya."

She smiled, and I could see the girl Faust was in love with. "Faust has told me a lot about you. You are as pretty as he described."

I didn't know what to say to that, so I gave her a hesitant smile back. "Thank you. You are, too."

"I hope you don't mind that I'm joining you for breakfast," Anya said, helping herself with an omelet. "My parents have to talk to your mother about things I shouldn't know about."

"Not at all. It's really nice meeting you."

And I meant it. She grinned. "Likewise, Thea."

We fell into easy conversation after that. As we were clearing our plates, my mother exited the office again to call her name. Anya set the dishes on the sink. "Um, I have to go. I'll see you next time?"

I nodded. The smile was still on my face. "Of course."

"Have fun on your trip," she said, waving. Then she disappeared into the living room.

As if on cue, my brother shouted my name upstairs.

I took the stairs two at a time and pushed past him, sneaking a look at the clock on my bedside table. I ran to the bathroom, not realizing that we were really cutting it close to half an hour before the call time. I brushed my teeth hurriedly.

Theo barged inside my room to grab my suitcase. "You took so long eating breakfast, what the hell were you eating? A whole cake?"

"I'll meet you in the car," I tried to say through a mouthful of toothpaste.