Friends Don't

Chapter Fourteen

A/N: This chapter has a flashback scene that deals with abuse. I tried not to dive too much into it, but just enough to get the point across of Ellie and Jared's relationship. If you don't want to read it then just skip the part in italics. (It begins and ends with "~~~")

***

"Happy Thanksgiving," Lana's voice filled the room at max volume.

My eyes shot open and my heart was beating fast. "Lana. Don't ever do that again," I yelled in anger. "You scared the living shit out of me."

"Can you two stop yelling," Grayson mumbled.

"You two are, seriously, the cutest non-couple ever," she said.

Confusion set in as to what she meant by that; that is until I looked down.

Obviously the pillow didn't do it's job. Grayson was on his stomach laying at a slight angle, with his chest and head laying on the pillow and his arm wrapped around my waist.

Either I'm a heavy sleeper or he has the softest touch, because this has happened more than once, now, and I've never felt it.

I pulled the pillow out from under him, his head hitting the mattress, and lunged it at Lana, but she slipped out and shut the door before it could hit her.

"What was that for?" he asked.

I ignored him, instead grabbing his arm and tossing it off of me. "And you were worried about me being handsy."

He rolled onto his back. "Guess I'm just naturally drawn to you."

It was only six in the morning. I was hoping my phone was broken, because waking up this early on vacation is just uncalled for.

I slipped out of bed and grabbed some clothes before going into the bathroom. I put on a pair of black leggings and a maroon colored sweater because it is Fall, after all, and Thanksgiving.

When I stepped back out Grayson was already changed into a pair of dark denim jeans and a maroon t-shirt. My face fell. "We look like we planned on matching," I told him.

His grin spread wide. "Aren't we the cutest?" He wrapped his arm around my shoulders and lead me out of the room.

Once downstairs everyone was in the kitchen preparing the food.

"Oh, my, goodness," Lana began pausing between each word. "You two look so cute!"

Was it too much to hope for that no one would notice? Or at least not say anything.

"Aw, how cute," Stacie chimed in when she saw us. Well, at least she was in a chipper mood.

Grayson and I began helping prepare the food. I helped the girls with everything but the turkeys. Turkey duty was left to the guys, who after some time, seemed to figure out how to do it and finally get them in the oven.

"Why are we cooking two turkeys?" I asked the girls.

Lana shrugged, but Stacie seemed to know. "Oh, Tyler's parents and Grayson's parents are coming." She said it as if it was well-known news.

Just then the front door swung open and their parents stepped inside, everyone greeting each other.

"I feel like we just crashed Thanksgiving," I whispered to Lana.

"Me too," she said.

Apparently Tyler overheard us because he said, "You did not crash Thanksgiving. You two were invited because you're our friends."

Everyone hung around talking among each other while waiting for the food to be ready. Grayson and I were sitting on one couch while his parents sat across from us on another.