Head above the water

6

(Meme= me when there's drama in my friend group)

"I'm home!" I yelled into my silent house.

I threw my keys on the coffee table and walked further into the house. Turning right through the doorway to the kitchen, I sat my books down on the light wooden table. There were four chairs sat around the table, but only two of them weren't covered in stagnant dust. There was half a pot full of room temperature coffee left from my mom earlier this morning, and crumbs from a quickly eaten biscuit near the sink, as if she had meant to eat over the drain so she could wash everything away without taking the time to actually clean.

I sighed and got a rag from the drawer, cleaning up her mess. I poured out the coffee and refilled the pot with water to use later. Propping my elbows on the counter top, I sighed and put my head in my hands.

She was a mess. I knew she was strong for me, and she went to work because she had to; she couldn't cope. The past three years I had needed my mother more than ever, but it felt like she was just a roommate at this point. A bad roommate at that. I pushed myself to stand straight and made my way out of the kitchen and down the hall to the small laundry room on the right. I was behind on clothes, and I really needed to wash the milk out of my shirt before it was completely ruined. I also wanted to get Jin's shirt washed so I could give it back to him soon. It felt weird keeping it in my possession.

I threw a load of clothes in the washer, being sure to include both shirts. Starting the load, I trudged up to my room and changed into one of my dad's old t-shirts that fell almost to my knees. Wearing this made me feel at home, even if I did look a little ridiculous. I slipped on a pair of fuzzy socks to pad my footsteps against the wooden floor and the uneasy quietness of the house.

It didn't used to be this quiet. We had a loud house full to the brim with laughter and music and all sorts of good things that made you want to never leave. The laughter escaped three years ago, and we hadn't found a way to lure it back.

We had a dog once. Her name was Gypsy, and she was my best friend and only confidant for a while. When I was too scared to talk to the people that could push their thoughts on me I talked to her, and she always listened. She died from old age a year ago, and I had to bury her myself because my mother was too busy with work. I cried for a month after, but I never got another dog to take her place.

Gypsy had been precious to me, just as the person who had given her to me was. Gypsy was my last link to my dad, but she was gone, and so was the laughter. I was alone most of the time, but that was okay because my mom had thrown herself into work. It was the only way she knew how to cope, and I couldn't begrudge her that.

Pausing in the hallway, I looked at the picture that hung at the top of the stairs. It was five year old me holding a young Gypsy so tightly the golden retriever looked like she might never escape my grasp. We both looked happy, and that made my smile sad. I would never get to be that way with her again.

Continuing down and back into the kitchen, I swung open the fridge to pilfer for something to eat. As I moved containers of leftovers I realized I really needed to go grocery shopping. Grabbing the last cheese stick, I wandered into the living room, which was just across the hall, to plop myself on the couch and watch tv to numb my mind and fill up the space that the laughter should have been there to fill.

I woke up to loud banging on my front door. It was unusual for anyone to knock at all, let alone someone so panicked sounding. I wrapped a blanket around my shoulders and hurried to pull the door open and greet whoever was there. I was greeted by a very scared looking tear streaked face. The girl couldn't have been more than thirteen, and she was shaking from fear and cold. Without hesitation I opened the door wider and invited her in.

"What's wrong, sweetie?" I asked her as I pulled the blanket off my shoulders and snugly wrapped it around her small frame.

"I live two houses down. There's a man. I don't know him. He came in through the window. He was in the living room. You're the first person that answered. I didn't know what to do, so I ran," she gasped out in a fit of tears.

"Where are your parents?" I asked her.

"My mom is on a business trip, and my dad is still at work. He won't be back until late tonight," the girl explained through her shaken tears.

"Okay, I'm going to use our home phone to call the police, and I'm going to give you my cell phone to call your dad and tell him what's happening. Do you know his number?" I gently questioned.

"He left his phone at home today. There's no way to reach him at work? What do I do? I don't know what to do!" She said, freaking out again.

"Shh, it's going to be okay," I tried to soothe her by pulling her into a hug, "Is there anyone else you can call?"

"My mom's friend isn't in town either, but I had to memorize her son's phone number for emergencies," she nodded.

"Good. You go call him, and I'll talk to the police for you, okay?" I handed her my unlocked phone.

The girl nodded and paced a few steps from me. I picked up our ancient phone and dialed 911. It didn't take long for us to hear sirens and see the flashing blue and red lights through the windows on the front of my house, and we both walked outside to see exactly what had been happening.

Officers entered the house that the girl had come from, and soon they were walking out with a middle aged man in handcuffs. He looked too clean cut to be a robber, but he had on a dark colored hoodie that was obviously meant to protect his identity. The girl whimpered and slunk closer to my side. An officer came over to get statements from each of us, and as he was talking to her a car screeched to a halt just down the road from the scene.

I shook my head as I recognized the boy that came running up the street. Apparently Taehyung was the son of the friend.

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Weird chapter, I know. There's not much of the boys in this at all, but a lot of the things that were clarified in this chapter will become important as the story progresses. I sincerely hope you guys like this update, and I look forward to any feedback you're willing to provide.

Love Ya Always,
-Haleigh