Hiding From the Dead

Chapter IV

Hiding From the Dead: Chapter IV

Gloria appeared after a while with a bright wrinkly smile on her face.

"I fixed my grandson's old room. It has a small bed, but I brought some extra pillows, and it has lots of toys for him to play with." She gestured with her head towards Jayden and sat on a rocking chair.

"Thanks a lot Gloria." We stood up so we could make ourselves comfortable. I felt a little bit weird being in a stranger's house. For all we knew, she could be a murderer.

I laid Jayden on the full-size bed and he let go as soon as his head touched the pillow. Liam took two pillows from the feet of the bed and threw them on top of the rug on the floor.

"You and Jayden take the bed tonight, I'll sleep on the floor."

"You don't have to sit on the floor now. You can sit on the bed." I chuckled and he smiled, sitting next to me. We both looked at Jayden. He was awake, but his mind was somewhere else. "Jayden, baby, are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm just thinking about mommy." I felt a knot forming on my throat. I don't know if it was rage or what was it. I didn't say anything. I just looked down. I felt Liam's hand on my shoulder, so I looked at him.

"You never talked about your mom. Where is she?" He was right. From the few times we talked in class, I'd ask him about his family and I'd talk about my dad, but I never ever mentioned my mom.

"I don't know where she is. I wasn't home when everything happened. When I got home to look for Jayden, he told me she told him to hide and just left. I felt so mad she just left him. But she's a drunk ass. Probably why I am who I am." I looked down again, this time wanting to cry at my confession. Well, I feel stupid. I just told a cute guy I'm a drunk ass.

"What do you mean? You are not a drunk ass. I've never seen you drunk."

"Yeah, that's because you don't go out with me to bars every night. I never drank anything at home, though. I didn't want Jayden to see me like her, but that doesn't mean I'm not a drunk ass. But I promise I will never touch another drink again. For my brother." I looked at Liam again.

"Well, that's good. But the fact that you drink doesn't mean you are like you mom. It means you are a teenager that wants to have fun."

"I'm a teenager that wanted her mom to stop screaming at her little brother and wasn't brave enough to stand up to her." I sighed. Liam hugged me tight, which made me feel weird at first, but then I hugged him back. He smells like cologne. How can he still smell like cologne? Okay... stop it. You are being weird.

"Don't say that. You are really brave. Braver than me, and trust me, I'm really brave." He said and I looked at him, raising my eyebrows. He chuckled "I'm kidding." I chuckled too. "No, but I'm serious. You are braver than anyone I know."

I scoffed, but he looked at me in the eyes. "You kept it together in moments of crisis. You heard the explosion and when everyone in the city was panicking you only though: I have to get my brother, and you did, and you got him out of the city. And now he's here and he's safe, all because you were brave in moments were other people would have sat down and cried." I think Liam just got a little bit cuter than before.

"Trust me, I wanted to sit down and cry." I sighed, looking down, but he grabbed my chin, making me look at his big beautiful blue eyes.

"But you didn't." He had a wide smile across his face and I couldn't help but to smile back. We both stayed in silence, but not an awkward silence. It was a good silence, just looking at each other's eyes. His eyes were so blue, like the sky. It made me want to fly up high and never ever land. His smile wouldn't disappear from his face and I couldn't hide mine either, even if I tried. He started leaning in, and it was as if his blue eyes had me on a trance.