The One and Only [COMPLETED]

Chapter 4

By the time Saturday came around, Andrew had apologized to Aunt Karen about upsetting her. Of course, he didn’t say one word to us, but I could tell that he felt guilty about it, even with the hard look he tries to keep.

A few times, when John has said something really stupid, or tried to make someone laugh for once, I found Andrew smile a little. It was barely there, but when it happened, his mouth twitched up for two seconds before returning back to its hard state. When this happened, I couldn’t help but wonder if he was actually humane after all.

Aunt Karen has seemed to forgive him completely, and now he’s extra nice around her. Nice, in his case, is sitting quietly and occasionally smiling when needed. My parents, noticing his change, have come to like him a little. They still watch what they say around him, careful not to hit a nerve. Even John, who can’t stand him, has grown a soft spot for him. He’ll occasionally start a conversation with him if he’s in the mood for it. Other times, though, he’ll ignore him, knowing that Andrew most likely won’t talk back to him. I, unlike the rest of my idiotic family, can see right through Andrew’s devious plan to make everyone look at him as if he were a sweet little angel. He’s tried numerous times to get me on his side, but I never gave in, which led him to giving up.

One morning, after finishing a big breakfast of pancakes, bacon, eggs, and toast, I was summoned by Aunt Karen. “Hailey,” she said.

“Ma’am?” I finished scraping my plate off and placed it in the sink.

“Would you mind running out to the store and picking up another jug of orange juice for me? I’m afraid we’ve run low.”

“Of course I wouldn’t mind. I’ll go fetch my mom.” I started up the stairs, but stopped when my aunt spoke again.

“Actually, I was hoping Andrew would take you.”

I froze.

“I mean,” My aunt continued, “I’m sure your parents would like some time to themselves for once. So, would you mind?”

I glanced over at Andrew, who was staring back at me after looking up from his phone. His ear buds were still tucked into his ears, but I could tell he could hear. By the looks of it, he wasn’t too happy either. It looks like someone finally lost their fake façade.

“Um…” I hesitated, dumbfounded. “Sure, I guess, if, uh… if Andrew doesn’t mind.”

“He won’t mind at all,” Aunt Karen replied, smiling at Andrew. “Will you, Andrew?”

He stared at her, glaring, and shook his head slowly.

“Good,” she said. “I advise you leave now. You know how crowded the store can get around lunch time.”

Andrew huffed, rose from his seat, and was out of the door before I even got back down the stairs. I gave Aunt Karen a small smile before following Andrew outside.

The ride over to the grocery store was awkward and silent. Andrew had the radio blaring some sort of hard metal, not saying a word to me. I was doing my best not to cover my ears, trying to be polite, but the screaming was way too much.

Is this what he’s always listening to?

Sighing, I tried a few times to make conversation, just to see if he’d turn the music down a little, but he kept his eyes firmly on the road ahead of us, hands gripping the steering wheel tightly. His car was a small Kia, and it was hot and stuffy in there, especially with all of the body heat. More than once, I attempted to put my window down, to which he’d roll it back up from the driver’s panel. He was being so annoying that it was making me sick.