4 a.m. // Jeggy

Chapter 10

unknown number: hey, what's the english hw for tonight?

I looked down at the text, feeling my phone ding. We were currently eating dinner together, all seated around the table.

"Peggy, do you have your phone with you?" My dad asked. Oops. We have a strict 'no phones' rule for dinner, and we aren't even supposed to bring them to the table.

"Umm, I don't know what you're talking about." I said quickly, shoving a spring roll in my mouth. He gave me a look as if to say, I know you're lying.

But surprisingly, he let it go and we continued to eat in peace, occasionally talking here and there.

After dinner, I dashed upstairs to my room to look at the text again. I had muted my phone after the first came through, and was surprised to see two more waiting on the screen along with the original. My dad had also left for a meeting and a weekend business trip, so I didn't have to worry about him anymore with phones and texting and all.

unknown number: i hope you wrote it down, because i didn't.

unknown number: but you already knew that, the not writing down should come as no surprise to you

I smiled to myself before quickly typing a response and adding the number to my phone.

Peggy: the homework is to read pages 23-54 and complete page 3 in the packet. You really should work on your homework memorization skills, Laurens.

Laurens: ah yes, the classic page and packet torture method, which all english teachers seem to use.

Peggy: oh, come on. It can't be that bad. It's only 31 pages!

Laurens: Yeah, 31 pages of the most boring and pointless book of all time. The Old Man and The Sea, just the name is boring!

I laughed a little at his response. Honestly, he was right but I wasn't about to let him know that.

Peggy: yeah, yeah. Get on with it though, or you'll be an old man yourself before you finish all the homework for tonight. Have you done any of it yet?

Laurens: No. I had some family things to take care of.

Even through the text messages, I could feel his change in attitude. His joking demeanor seemed to disappear, replaced by stark capitalization and punctuation. What could've been so bad with his family that made him feel like this?

Peggy: oh, ok. Well, I'll leave you to it. Good luck haha!

I clicked send before turning my phone off, figuring no response would come anyways. I left my phone on my nightstand before going downstairs and watching a movie with Angie and Eliza for a while.

Angelica wandered off just before the credits rolled, andEliza nudged me when the movie was ending, snapping me out of my thoughts. I wasn't really paying attention to the movie all that much.

"Is everything good?" She asked. I nodded.

"Yeah, just thinking.." I trailed off. She smirked knowingly and nudged me again.

"About Joooooohn?" She said, drawing his name out. I felt a blush rise to my cheeks and she laughed at me.

"Eliza!" I whined. She stopped laughing but a playful smile remained on her lips.

"Oh, Margarita." She said, throwing her arm around my shoulder, laughing again.

"That is not my name. And what's up with you? You're way happier than usual and more... I don't even know..." I said. She shrugged, still keeping her arm around my shoulder.

"I dunno. Life is just good, I guess." She giggled, leaning near me as she laughed. I caught the smell of something weird on her breath. Oh my god, this is Angelica's fault. She totally did this.

"Eliza, did Angie make you a drink?!" I exclaimed. Dad had left a while ago for some late meeting so I didn't have to worry about him. Eliza shrugged again and continued to giggle.

"Angelica!" I shouted, hopping off the couch. Angie doesn't drink a lot, but when she does, she likes to rope Eliza into as well. At least it's a Friday... but still. It's weird seeing Eliza drunk, and so suddenly too.

"What!" She yelled back from somewhere across the house. I followed where her voice came from after hearing her shriek a few times before I found her, laying in the floor in the middle of a hallway.

"What are you doing?" I asked. She didn't reply, so I walked down the hallway to make sure she wasn't asleep or anything.

That's when I noticed three things: the bruises on her neck and face, the shattered window a few feet away, and the note sitting next to her, with my name written on it in dark ink.

a/n: Eliza and Angie got drunk!! And Angie's passed out on the floor, covered in bruises with a note. Hmm....
Anyways, I hope you all enjoyed and the sisters drinking will be explained within the next chapter or so. Thanks for reading!!