Invisible

Invisible Chapter 9

Chapter 9

Golden Waterfalls

(Olivia)

“I’m starting to regret telling Dad about the creepy guy in the car,” Evie moans as she folds a pair of jeans. “It’s like being in prison, only worse.”

Rolling my eyes, I toss a pair of balled up socks at her. “And you would know what prison is like how?”

“I watch TV.”

The socks come flying back at my head. It’s not too hard to bat down her weak throw. “You’re not even supposed to be dating Aaron, and you still get to see him at school all day. What exactly are you missing out on?”

“Hello…” Evie says, “getting a ride home from Aaron. It’s like the only time we actually get to be alone. Now I have to ride home with you every day. This sucks.”

“Being kidnapped or dead sucks even more.”

Evie sticks her tongue out at me and sloppily folds another pair of jeans.

It’s only been three days since the weird guy in the car parked his suspicious self in front of our house. Nobody has seen him since, but I’m still on edge. Evie acts like it’s been years since she’s seen Aaron. It’s not like he’s that amazing of a catch anyway. He has a super annoying laugh and the only thing he seems capable of having a conversation about is video games. Personally, I think Dad did Evie a favor.

Myself, I’m feeling rather grateful for the lack of freedom. It gave me a good reason to get out of going to the movies with Hayden when he asked yesterday. I was a little offended that he laughed when I told him I was grounded—which is basically true. He didn’t believe it for a second and I was forced to explain that some creepy guy had been hanging around the neighborhood and my dad was being overly cautious for the foreseeable future.

That he believed.

He also promised to check back with me next week and see if the ban on outings had been lifted.

I don’t know why his invitation to see a movie with him causes me so much turmoil. He’s a nice guy, pretty hot, and seems genuinely interested in me. So why not go out with him?

Why not?

Because every time I think of going out with Hayden, my conversation with Dad that night creeps back into my head and starts taking me down strange paths. It’s really starting to get on my nerves. Eyeing Evie, I wonder if her talent for chatter can talk me out of my funk.

“Dad asked me about college a while ago…about what Mason plans to do after graduation, too,” I say.

Evie glances over at me with a crooked eyebrow. My tone has definitely alerted her that I don’t want to talk about majors. “Mason? What does he want to do?”

“Come to college with me,” I mumble as I straighten the collar of the shirt I just hung up.

Going from bent over the dryer to standing hipshot with her eyebrow climbing even higher, Evie watches me. “What do you mean with you? Like go to the same college, or live with you? ‘Cause that’s not gonna be the easiest thing to explain to a roommate.”

“That’s what Dad said…among other things.”

The clothes are abandoned as Evie jumps up to sit on the dryer. His eyes are fastened on me. “So he does want to live with you?”

“Well, where else is he supposed to live?” I snap, suddenly defensive. I ditch the waiting clothes as well and lean against the washer.

Evie laughs, one of those high, quick laughs that is clearly meant to mock. “And you thought Dad was going to go for that?”