When The Sun Sets

7

It's now Friday night and it's time for Lydia to go to sleep, but she can't. She's not as exhausted as she was the nights before. Instead of dreading the day she welcomes it, maybe not her stepdad, but she knows it's going to be over in a few months. She just needs to stay out of his way. Anyway, Lydia now is awake and doesn't know what to do, she hasn't been in this situation before, so she thinks. She thinks about Tristin and how he is changing her life for the better. She thinks of how he met and how hard it was to sleep and the book. As soon as she has that thought she gets out of bed and makes her way to her bookshelf and pulls out the book she was reading. She goes to sit in her bed and starts reading while melody curls up in her lap. Lydia finally gets to know if her ship can possibly float.

"I love you Ryder." Steph said

"I love you too." Ryder replied.

Lydia puts her book down and smiles. Her ship sailed. She Melody curls up in her arms and she lays down imagining how the rest of their love story would go.

*scratch scratch*

Lydia opens her eyes and sits up with one arm on the bed balancing her weight. She waits a few minutes to make sure it wasn't anything. She doesn't hear anything so she goes back down and goes back to picturing their kids.

*scratch scratch*

She slowly sits up and takes the cover off of her trying to be as quiet as she can. She grabs the baseball bat from under her bed and softly makes her way over to the door that leads into the backroom. She takes a breath and quickly opens the door with the bat in both hands ready to swing until a familiar face appears. Lydia puts the bat down and leans against the door post while putting a hand to her chest.

Tristin is frightened of what a big explosion can come out of a little Lydia. He knows he isn't supposed to come back, but he didn't have anywhere to go. Jayden and Chad were hanging out with some of their other friends while Brett had a family night. He never knows with Lydia so he stays quiet until she makes a move, he doesn't want to jack up.

He's watching Lydia leaning on the post, when she starts to open her eyes. "I thought you were a murderer." She says in a calm voice after being clearly frightened. It's not like it's the first time.

Tristin tries to ease the tension by making a joke. "Isn't that what you thought last time." It's as if a switch went off on Lydia and her face goes to stern, eyebrows narrowed and mouth set in a straight line.

"What are you doing here?"

"Well you see... Some bad things were going on again and I needed to leave."

"I told you that you can't come here anymore. Why didn't you go to your friend's house?" She says with visible anger coming off of her. Not angry with the fact that he's here but he was told not to and agreed to her. Her foot taps the ground in a thinking motion. "What were their names... Brad, Jordan, and Trent. Why couldn't you go over there?" She says with an eyebrow raised and an expectant look on her face.

She meant Chad, Jayden, and Brett. "They're busy." Tristin sighs. "Look I don't have anywhere else to go and I'm not a stranger anymore, am I?"

A horrible thought goes through Lydia's head. Is he just friends with me so he has somewhere to go? Is getting to know me an excuse for a reason to come here? And the last thought hurt the worst. Is he using me? All the thoughts made it seem real or at least the emotions she felt were real. So she says what's on her mind. "Are you becoming my friend so you have a place to stay?" She doesn't let the hurt of her words show on her face or through or words.

Or so she thought. Tristin sees right through the tough guy act. He saw how the thought of somebody close betraying her hurt. Even if it wasn't him but somebody close, like Josh. The thought hurt him for her thinking that, but he has to remember she doesn't let people in very often and it may seem like he's using her. He just thought she was the perfect place to go. "You think I would use you? Because I wouldn't." He says with just a tad bit of disbelief flowing through his words so she would know its true.