The next day, Saturday, I woke up to a dimly lit sky, rain pouring, pelting the window. I had almost forgotten what it was like to be woken up at eight in the morning by heavy rain. I pushed off the covers and walked over to the window, and against my better judgment, opened it, sticking my head out to feel the water hit my face.
After a few moments, I sighed, shutting the window and grabbing my stuff from my bag to go take a shower. I towel dried and dressed in a white t-shirt with long blue sleeves and grey sweatpants before leaving the bathroom, wrapping the towel around my long black hair.
I left the bathroom and heard dishes clanging together downstairs in the kitchen. I smelled something hot and cinnamon-y.
I followed the heavenly scent down to where I saw Renee and Mrs. King cutting up apples into skinny slices.
“Hey,” I said cheerily. I really missed this place, and I hadn’t thought about that enough last night.
Last night. For the first time that morning, the memories that I’d been suppressing came flooding back. Oh yeah.
“Stephie, how’d you sleep,” Renee’s mom asked pleasantly.
“Given the circumstances, surprisingly well, actually.”
“That’s good to hear. We’re making German apple pancakes,” she replied.
“Awesome,” I said smiling. Those had always been my favorite for breakfast. The best part about moving in with them for a few months before Renee and I went to Oregon was that every Saturday they cook a delicious breakfast.
“So, how long are you guys staying,” she asked. “I asked Renee, but she didn’t know.”
I frowned. I’d forgotten that we’d have to leave. “I’m not sure. Probably today or tomorrow. But we’ll be sure to come back when the semester’s over,” I assured her.
School would be over for a few months in a few weeks, around Christmas time.
“You’ll be here for the holidays this year, right?”
“Of course, Mom,” Renee said smiling. Last year I hadn’t gone back when Renee did, and I’d spent the New Year by myself in an empty dorm room.
“Alright then. Matt is still asleep. He got in late, so Roger still hasn’t spoken to him. You might want to warn him about that, by the way.”
I laughed. “Will do.”
“Breakfast will be ready in twenty minutes. Why don’t you go wake him up?”
“Alright.” I left the room, walking over to the couch where he lay under a pile of blankets and pillows. I took a step away and then lunged forward, jumping on top of him, my feet nearly impaling his stomach.
“Wake up, wake up,” I sang the old Hillary Duff song that no one ever remembers.
“Ah!” he groaned, rolling off the couch, doubling over in pain. “For future reference, Steph, I don’t like being woken up by near death pain in my abdomen.
I laughed. “Then you shouldn’t have slept in.”
He looked up and stuck his tongue out at me. He stood up and then got serious. “So by the way, how are you? I never saw you last night. Did anything happen?”
I bit my lip. To tell or not to tell, that is the question. “No. I went to the cemetery and found the grave, and then ran back here.”
He sighed in relief. “Good.”
“Now go shower, you stink!”
I spent the next fifteen minutes walking around the house, knocking on doors, waking the kids up for breakfast. “You snooze you lose,” I yelled. “And there might be bacon!”
YOU ARE READING
The Mate Deal
Teen FictionMatthew Parker is a soon-to-be alpha, meant to become the leader of the pack on his twentieth birthday. Little does he know he can't ascend to power until he's found his mate. Stephanie Haynes is a college student, recently disowned by her parents...
