The Cliffs

twenty two

Thanksgiving was the following morning. I laid in bed, staring at the ceiling as Mason slept soundly. I couldn't stop thinking about what I witnessed last night. Was it safe to assume that Scarlett was the culprit last night? I swore I saw her go to her room, but it's just as easy to sneak out. I peeled myself away from the bed carefully, creeping down the hallway and approaching Scarlett's room. I hesitated for a moment. This was insane. It wasn't my business. I stopped for a second, staring at her door.

I turned around slowly, scurrying downstairs and out to the front. I crept over to the bushes where I saw the two figures last night, looking around. There, laying behind the third bush, was a large Ziploc bag. I pulled my sleeve over my hand, and I pulled the Ziploc up. I looked at it, my heart sinking. The bag was filled with tiny other bags, which were clearly filled with certain drugs. I heard movement, and I jumped back.

"What are you doing, girl?" A rough voice called behind me, and I twirled around immediately.

My eyes were met with Mason's father's gaze, and I swallowed.

"Your bushes are really healthy, and I was trying to see what the roots looked like. Mine aren't the same." I weakly lied.

Their bushes looked healthy? I wanted to see the roots? Are you serious, Adeline? What the hell are you talking about? His eyes blinked at me blankly. However, he didn't have time to question me further because he was called back by his wife.

"Richard, help me with the turkey!"

Richard grunted and turned around. I let out a breath, staring up at the window above the bushes. Was Mason's room above the bushes? My eyes trailed up to the second floor, wondering if Mason's window was the one overlooking this bush. Did he simply drop the bag when he needed to? I swallowed at the thought, rubbing my neck and backing up. I headed inside, my eyes meeting Scarlett's. She stared at me with no indication of what occurred last night. I didn't know what I expected. I mean, obviously she wouldn't just confess her whereabouts to the world. She was helping her mother with some dishes, so I took that as an opportunity to escape upstairs. I saw that the door to Mason's room was still closed, so I walked past, heading back to Scarlett's room.

This was a bad idea. This was such a bad idea. What the hell was I even looking for? I opened her room door slowly, tiptoeing in. She had a typical girl's room, with pictures hanging on one wall, a dresser across her bed. Her walls were painted a lavender color. I stared at the room, realizing that this was a terribly bad idea. I began to back out slowly, and I felt my back come in contact with something hard.

"What are you doing?" Mason asked gruffly, and I jumped back in surprise.

"Nothing." I quickly responded, twisting my fingers.

Mason noticed my skittish behavior, and his eyes roamed the room, as if looking for the same thing I was looking for.

"I just wanted to see what her room looked like." I lied, looking at him hesitantly.

"And you had to be sneaking around for that?" He questioned.

My face flushed, and I ran a hand through my hair.

"No, I just didn't want to set her off by asking." I continued.

I don't know why I was lying about this. I could just tell him, but I didn't want to accuse Scarlett of something I wasn't even sure about. Mason reluctantly accepted that that was all he was getting out of me. He tipped my chin up, meeting my lips.

I wrapped my arms around him, standing on my tippy toes so I could reach him better. He leaned down, deepening the kiss. I could feel my heart hammer against his chest, and comfortable warmth settled in my stomach. I pulled away briefly, brushing my nose against his.