Deception

twenty*

// gone. the saddest word in the language. in any language //

It's been a week since my encounter with Marcus at the horse ranch and I still bug Brian about it. I've been saying it so much that he even promised to buy me ice cream just to get me to shut up about it.

Speaking of which, it's also been a week since I got back home to Kris in the living room with her arms crossed. I still remember our conversation and it still confuses me how I managed to fool her. I guess it may be because what I told her was not a complete lie.

"Where did you go? Don't lie to me because we all know you're a terrible liar Cassidy." I try to search my mind for an excuse, any excuse but before I even had a solid idea, words start to spill out.

"I just needed a distraction." Kris gives me a confused look and with a sigh, I continue. "Thoughts about Georgia were coming back and I felt suffocated in my room so I wanted to go out but I knew if I told you you'll want to follow me and I wanted to be alone." I say it all in one breath, realizing that it is somewhat the truth. I hate to say this but Brian is a distraction for me.

After what I said, Kris just pulled me into her chest and I knew that she believed me. 

I look at the time and stand up to stretch before changing into more presentable clothes. Our fridge is out of food so I volunteered to go grocery shopping yesterday when Kris brought it up. I don't have much to do at home anyways.

I grab my favorite coat and head down. Kris is already out since she's meeting Tom's parents for dinner. She told me yesterday and since then she's been a nervous wreck. It's fun to see my sister pull out multiple outfits and throwing them aside for various reasons.

I guess one would say things have been going really well lately.

I put my purse into my sling bag as I walk out the house. I fix the beanie on my head as I make my way to the shop. I didn't want to bother with my hair today so I put on the beanie lying on my desk just before I left my room.

The walk to the shop is relatively quiet with the occasional smile and nod to the people I see. Although not all of them returned the gesture, I guess I'll take what I can get. A gush of warm air touches my face as I walk into the store and I take out my phone. I had written down a grocery list last night before I went to bed a bit earlier than usual.

I get a shopping cart and an hour later, I have all the things needed in multiple plastic bags. I didn't buy much so I decide to walk home instead of taking the bus. The bus station would have been crowded at this time anyways so I'll just save myself the trouble.

The journey home takes five minutes longer than usual since I have things weighing me. I reach home at about twenty minutes to nine so when I see Tom's car outside our house, I can't help but feel surprised. They're back earlier than I expected. I open the door and I can immediately tell that Kris is back since her shoes are neatly placed by the door and Tom's are in the same manner.

I place all the groceries into the fridge and pantry before going upstairs. I can see the light from Kris' room through the cracks of the doors so I just go into my room without another thought, closing the door behind me.

I can feel my phone vibrate in my pocket so I take it out and realize that Brian has sent me a text.

Brian: Hey, can we meet up tomorrow? We can meet at the park at one.

His text has a weirdly formal tone to it but I ignore it. I quickly reply with a 'sure' before changing into more comfortable clothes. Normally, I would sleep at a later hour since it is Sunday tomorrow but a wave of tiredness hits me and I find myself sleeping soundly by ten.