[Hidden with a Smile.]

❻

A skeleton hand.

That's the first thing I see as I opened my eyes, not even getting a chance to groggily blink.

First, I poked it.

Then, I screamed.

I jumped up from the unfamiliar bed I was on, looking around the room in shock. "Where the hell am I?" I whispered to myself, barely keeping myself up.

The door began shaking, the handle jiggling. Scared, I ducked behind the bed. I peaked up as the door opened, watching as Grayson stepped in. "Hello, Azalea? You okay, I heard screaming" He asked, looking around for me. I cautiously stood up, staring at him with surprise.

"P-Phillips?!" I exclaim.

"Weird, don't call me by my last name."

"What the, you're the one who picked me up?!"

"Nooo, the Easter bunny did, he just decided to drop you off at my house" Grayson said with obvious sarcasm.

I rubbed my head, trying to take in the situation. How am I supposed to handle this? I can't go home right now, my mother's there. I can't worry my friends. WHAT AM I GOING TO DO?! I sighed aloud, then sat back down on Grayson's bed. "...By the way, there's a skeleton hand in your bed" I informed him, looking over at the pillows. He walked over and picked it up, shaking it around.

"Ah, that's where it was, I was supposed to use it for a sculpture a week ago" he said normally, tossing it across the room and sitting down next to me.

"Do you not sleep in your own bed?" I asked.

"Let's just say I'm more nocturnal, and when I do sleep, I usually crash on the couch" he answered, leaning back.

"You're weird" I huffed.

"Hah, calling me weird? You're the one who I found almost dying in the rain. What was that about anyway?"

"...Just stuff."

"What type of stuff?"

"Stuff like problematic stuff."

"Well THAT'S specific," Grayson sighed, running a hand through his hazel colored hair, "fine, it's alright if you don't tell me. Do you want something to eat or whatever?"

"...Kinda" I whispered, feeling my hungry stomach.

"Okay, come this way" he ordered, standing up. I followed him out of his room and into what I'm supposing is his living room. It looked more like an art studio. Buckets of paint were next to a huge canvas, and scattered miscellaneous paintings were everywhere. There was an area set up with a stool and an empty canvas too, and home made recycled statues were spread out on a table. There was a shelf filled with paints, buckets of pencils, boxes of pastels, and many brushes, plus some other art items. Grayson walked through this area, heading straight to the kitchen. I followed his steps until he stopped, motioning for me to sit at an island that had stools near it in his kitchen, which I did.

Grayson began boiling water, taking out two packs of Maruchan ramen and placing them near the stove. I smiled, remembering the times my grandma would make me ramen and eggs. Grayson looked at me curiously, sitting down at the island table across from me. "What's with that goofy smile?" He asked, smirking. He seemed to do that same smirk a lot, where one of his eyes closed a bit, and only his top perfectly white teeth showed, I gotta admit it was pretty attractive.

"...Nothing, just memories" I whispered, chuckling.

He stayed quiet for a bit before sighing. "Y'know, for a girl like you, you're really mysterious."