Between Us

chapter twenty four

24

  A few days have passed since I was able to finally see Liam, and I'd be lying if I said I wasn't dying to see him again.

  I groan and roll over in my bed as I contemplate what to do. I feel like I have to see him. It's like I'm addicted to him, which is totally unhealthy but I can't help it. I could always go to the hospital to visit, but then I'd have to share him with his mom...

  Suddenly, Reed bursts into my room and jumps on my bed, landing on my legs. I shriek and kick at him, seeing as though he scared the crap out of me. "Reed!"

  He laughs and hugs me tightly. "Hi Taryn!"

  I sigh and roll my eyes. "I could have been naked, you know," I tell him.

  "But you're not, and that makes me lucky!" he sings, rolling off of me. "Now get up, because I've tasked myself with the mission to get you out of the house."

  "And what makes you think I want to get out of the house?" I muse, slowly rolling out of my comfortable bed. I stretch, hearing several joints pop, before searching for something clean to wear. Maybe one day I'll get the urge to organize and clean my room.

  "I have a plan."

  "What kind of plan?" I ask, picking up a pair of black jeans and a pair of leggings. "Should I dress cute or like a hobo?"

  "Definitely cute because I have a plan to get you some time to see Liam. You know, unless you don't want to get out of the house," he says with a shrug. "Your choice."

  I raise an eyebrow. "You would sneak me around to see Liam?"

  "I'm feeling nice," he says vaguely.

I eye him suspiciously as I grab a cropped grey hoodie from a hanger in my closet. "What aren't you telling me?"

"Nothing, sis," he tells me. "We're leaving in ten minutes. I'll tell you the plan in the car!"

Reed leaves my room quickly, shutting the door behind him. I shake my head at his weird behavior and dress myself quickly, wearing the cropped hoodie, jeans, and a pair of my usual converse. After brushing my hair and applying a coat of mascara, I run down the stairs and meet Reed in the living room. I've already had my morning coffee, the only reason I was back in bed being my own pure laziness.

  "Mom, Dad, we're going out! Don't wait up!" Reed shouts, grabbing the keys to our car.

  Dad steps around the corner, but won't look at me. We haven't spoken since I told him that I knew everything. "Okay," he mumbles, going to the couch to watch some sports game. Mom follows behind him, raising an eyebrow.

  "It's your first Monday off of school and you two want to go out?" she says. "I would've thought the both of wanted to catch up on sleep."

  I shrug. "We just wanted to hang out," I tell her.

  "What are you going to do?" Mom questions, almost like she's interrogating us.

  Reed doesn't miss a beat. "Maybe roller skating at the rink across town. A lot of people from school are going today. Or we might just get ice cream and hang out somewhere," he says casually.