If You Make a Deal With a Shadow...

Chapter 2

"I'm tired of the usual, tired of the same. I know I cannot love you, at least not in that way. Cause baby I'm too used to you, too used to your face, too used to your ways, too used to the games that you play."

- Different by Ann Marie

**********

Ring!

Ring!

Ring!

Aubrey groaned before facing the other direction. Her phone continued to ring so she huffed loudly. Whoever was calling her was obviously persistent to wake her up out of her sleep. She blindly grabbed her phone from the nightstand.

"Hello?" she snapped groggily.

"Yes... Miss Wilson?" a mans voice creeped through the phone.

"This is she," she said in a more perky voice, now alert.

"This is Mr. Garrett, Junior's principal."

"Oh, hi!" she sat up in her bed. I pray Junior didn't do anything. He's usually such a great kid.

"Uh... Do you know what time it is?" he asked.

"Yea, it's..." she brought the phone back from her ear and her eyes bugged out of her head. "Shoot!" she whispered harshly. She slept way past two o'clock. It was now four o'clock in the afternoon.

"But, no worries... His father is here to pick him up this time..." he informed.

"What!" she practically yelled.

"This was the fifth time you've been late. We can't accept th—"

"I'm on my way!" she said before hanging up the phone quickly. She hopped out of the bed and threw on her black Champion tennis shoes. She was breathing heavily by the time she reached Austin's door. She banged on his door for at least five minutes before she decided to call his cell phone. He answered on the third ring.

"Yasssss?" he screamed in her ear. She heard shouting and music in the background. He must be at a party.

"Where are you?" she asked, already suspicious.

"Whaaaat?" he slurred. Great. Those suspicions were confirmed. He's drunk... at four in the afternoon.

"Where. Are. You?" she asked more slowly.

"Don't get an attitude with me, honey boo boo!" he groaned before belching.

Aubrey snapped her head back at the noise and scrunched up her nose. "Eww!" she shrieked.

He giggled before screeching. "I'm at this party in... Hey!" he screamed before sighing heavily. "I'm in Pittsburgh."

"Oh, Jesus..." she huffed. "Never mind then. Bye," she said quickly.

"Peace and hair grease!" he yelled before whooping and quickly hanging up.

She rubbed her temples and exhaled loudly. She knew then she'd just have to take the bus to Justin's house. She really wasn't mentally prepared to deal
with him today, especially after what happened at the diner. He had better not give her a hard time because she was not in the mood. She had too much on her mind.

-

Aubrey got off on the the last stop of the bus route so that she could walk the rest of the way. The bus didn't go as far as Justin's house so she'd always walk the rest of the way. While she was walking she looked and noticed a dark cloud was coming so she knew she'd have to hurry. It was going to rain soon and she didn't have time for Justin's childishness.