Neighbors

S I X T E E N

BECKETT

"What do you mean you're staying for a few weeks?" Piper looked desperately between her mother and her aunt.

"We decided to sell the house but we haven't found a new home yet so we're staying here until we can find one that perfectly suits us," her uncle explained.

Piper slumped down in a chair and ran her fingers through her, something she always did when she was stressed. "Why couldn't you guys just stay with Grandma or something?" 

"Your mother had mentioned how great your school was and we wanted Lynn to attend."

"She's going to school with me!?" Piper panicked. Her aunt and mom nodded. I noticed Piper's face turn pale and her breathing became quick and shallow. Suddenly, she stood up and rushed upstairs, slamming the door. I excused myself after telling her relatives that it was lovely to meet them and ran up to Piper's room. The door was closed and I knocked lightly. I could hear her muffling profanities on the other side of the door followed by a thud. Worriedly, I swung the door opened, not even waiting for her to invite me in. Piper was sitting on the floor beside her bed, knees tucked into her chest as she shook uncontrollably. Next to her was a few books and a picture frame that had fallen off of her shelf. I closed the door behind me and went and sat on the floor beside her.

"It's okay," I grabbed her hand in mine. "Do you wanna talk about it?" Her lip trembled and her eyes were bloodshot. She simply shook her head and I didn't push her to tell me. I hugged her and the two of us sat there.

"How about we get out of here for a little while?" I suggested after about half an hour or so of silence. She looked up at me and wiped her eyes.

"Where are we gonna go?" she spoke up for the first time since I came in. Her voice was hoarse and scratchy from her sobs.

I shrugged my shoulders, "anywhere." I stood up and pulled her up along with me. I intertwined our fingers and led us downstairs.

When we walked past the kitchen, Piper's mom and other relatives were staring questioningly at the two of us but we ignored their judgmental glances. I tugged her out the front door and we walked away from her house. The two of us walked without a particular destination in mind. We didn't even speak, we just listened to the sounds of traffic and nature that surrounded us. Soon we arrived at the park where we got ice cream with Sadie a few weeks ago. We sat down on the same bench as last time and just looked out at the playground.

"I'm sorry for what happened back at my house," Piper cleared her throat.

I shook my head, "don't apologize. I don't mind. Plus I wanted to get away from your cousin as soon as I could."

"You and me both." I could tell that the presence of Lynn made her anxious and uncomfortable. I couldn't blame her though. Arrogance and spitefulness radiated off of her. "Out of all of the relatives in the area for them to stay with, they had to stay at our house," she groaned, throwing her head back in frustration. "Why couldn't they just stay at a hotel or something, for God's sake." She buried her face in her hands and let out a low shriek.

"Hey, don't worry about them right now," I pulled her hands away from her face and gazed into her eyes.

She took a deep breath and closed her eyes for a minute. "I know, I'm sorry," she began but I cut her off before she could finish her apology.