Little White Lies

Chapter 4

I wake up a few hours later, a little disoriented. The movie has ended and the only thing on the TV is the little DVD logo bouncing around the screen. The girls are asleep on the floor, but I don't see Grant and Joey. I'm curled up on the couch with my head on Andy's shoulder, who is asleep beside me. I sit there trying not to move for a minute, taking in the situation. Man, he smells good. As quietly as I can I stand up from the couch and walk over to the window.

The night is just as clear and cloudless as it had been hours ago when Andy and I were sprawled out in the yard talking truths. So, I walk to my room and grab my iPhone off my nightstand before sliding my window open. As I started climbing out of the window I could feel a brisk fall breeze so I double back and grab my dark green sweatshirt from my bed. I pull it over my head as I make my way back to the window and out onto the roof.

I've spent enough time on this roof to be really comfortable walking around up here. I walk carefully across the short space between my bedroom window and the den window and settle down. This exact spot is one of my favorite places in the entire world. Some of my very best ideas and most moving realizations have come to me laying here on this section of roof between these two windows.

I pull out my phone and check the time, 3:06am, then flip to my "Midnight Inspiration" playlist, which is made up of all instrumental versions of popular songs. It just seems like an instrumental kind of night. I have things I want to really think about and if I listen something else, the words will get in the way of my thought process. I lay there listening to instrumentals of Ed Sheeran, Jack Johnson, and Jason Mraz (among others), I stare up at the stars as I allow my mind to wander of the entire night.

When we came back upstairs Andy headed straight for my DVD collection, he scanned the shelves for a few minutes before decisively grabbing a case. He took the movie out and popped it into the player.

Jacey swiveled around just as Andy sat back down next to me on the couch, "What movie did you pick Andy?" I couldn't help but notice the way she said his name, all drawn out so it sounded more like Annnnnnnnnndddddyyyyy. I also noticed how hard she batted her eyelashes at him, I struggled to stop myself from laughing.

"Just a movie Sawyer and I were talking about outside," he replied, completely oblivious of her attempts to flirt with him.

I had to cover my laugh with a cough when she responded, "Well, I'm sure whatever YOU picked will be awesome."

As Jacey turned back to the TV, Andy pointed at me and simply mouthed "Fail". Clearly my attempt to hide my laugh was weak.

The movie Andy picked was no Audrey Hepburn classic, it was one of my favorite movies, "To Kill a Mockingbird". The kids almost immediately started grumbling about us picking an old movie, but they got over their annoyance pretty quickly when we pointed out they would have to read the book next year. After a while Andy had slipped outside to call parents and arrange for everyone to just stay the night since Emily and Jacey had a riding lesson in the morning.

At least one part of the night had been enjoyable. I can't really get a good feel for Mark Coleman. When it's just him and Mom he seems nice enough but he comes off as awkward, and even a little rude at times, when the rest of us are around. Honestly, if Mom hadn't told me he has two daughters I would probably just think that he's uncomfortable around kids. But he has two daughters, Jordan and Lindsay. Jordan is a year or two older than me and Lindsay is around the twin's age, maybe a little older.

I guess I should just stay the course with that whole "give him a chance" crap, at least until I have actual evidence to back up that squirmy, uncomfortable feeling he gives me. The twins will fall in line with however I treat the guy. Being the bigger person can get old though when it comes to these losers my mom dates.