Books, Boys, and Basketball: Junior Year

SLUT

Drew gets to my house shortly after the police do, and I wait outside with him while the police do a thorough check of the house. They call Grams, who has to cut her night short to come back home, and I go over everything that happened with the officers.

They can't find any sign of forced entry, and the switch for the power appears to have been tripped. I tell them about the flashlight and the person I saw in my closet, but they make it clear to Grams they think it's more of a teenage paranoid overreaction rather than an actual break-in.

I know what I saw...

But no one is taking me seriously. Grams included. She believes it's a clever ploy on my behalf to make a case for why Drew should be allowed to spend the night when she isn't around.

The officer calls it in as a false alarm and Grams apologizes repeatedly to the officers. They make light of the situation, telling her they understand because they too have teenagers. Meanwhile, whoever is after me is still out there. No one is looking for him.

"You okay?" Drew asks, rubbing my shoulders.

"No," I shake my head. "Someone was in the house. I saw him, but Grams and the police aren't taking me seriously and I'm afraid."

"I believe you," he tells me.

Looking him in the eyes, I wonder if he really believes me or if he's just saying that for my sake. No one else seems to.

Reluctantly, Grams agrees to let Drew spend the night so she can leave again, but she calls me every hour on the hour until she gets to her destination. She makes me Facetime with her so she can see we aren't up to no good. Even though we are. We just make out in between her calls.

"Nicole has it out for you," Patrice warns while we hang out in the parking lot before school the next day.

"Maybe I need to bust her in her face again and remind her who she's messing with," I scoff.

Patrice, Em, and Chloe all laugh at my clever quip. I'm in mid-laugh when Drew comes up behind me, only I gasp, startled, and he backs away holding his hands up.

"It's just me, Sid."

I take several minutes to get my heart rate down to a natural rhythm before I can even speak. I'm jumpier than usual, and my friends are all staring at me like I'm crazy. "Paranoid much?" Em chuckles.

"Someone broke into Grams' house and I think they were after me."

"What?" Em erases the smile on her face. "Did you call the police?"

"Yeah, but they didn't find anything. We think being alone in that house has her imagination running wild," Drew teases. And for the first time, I realize he doesn't believe me either.

"Is Grams' house that big?" Em asks.

"You've never been to your grandmother's house?" Patrice frowns.

"No. We're not allowed to talk to my grandmother. There's some bad blood between her and my dad."

"Yeah, well, she lives two blocks away from Quincy and there's nothing but million-dollar houses over that way," Drew chimes in.

"Is that her range rover you're driving?" Em asks.

"No. It's mine. She gave it to me."

Em's mouth drops over. "So not only did you make out like a bandit and get to live in a big ass house with Grams, but you get a range rover too? Maybe I should get kicked out of the house too."