His Sister

Silly Girl

I'm enjoying an incredibly deep, dreamless sleep when the repetitive sound of my ringtone drives me to sit up. I groan loudly as I roll over and snatch it off of the nightstand. As I bring the phone to my ear, I clear my throat and prop myself up on one elbow. I attempt to sound as not-tired as I possibly can to no avail.

"Hello?" I answer groggily.

Jay's voice sounds a bit uncertain, "Hey, Tara! Sorry if I woke you up."

"No, no, it's fine. I've been up for hours." I lie, yawning halfway through my sentence.

"Okay," He laughs, "So, since my parents gave Ellie the boot, they gave her a week to pack up and find some place to live. My grandma offered to help her out with paying for an apartment until she can get up on her feet. Our parents are still pissed, so they're kicking her out today—Officially, I guess—Anyway, she asked if we could help her move in. You know?"

I sit up and scratch my head, "Uh, sure. What time should I be there?"

"We can come pick you up, actually. We'll be there in... Probably ten minutes or so." He tells me.

"Oh, okay! Cool. I'll be outside." I reply as I hang up the phone.

I shoot out of bed like a loaded spring and begin throwing together an outfit. I jump into a pair of jeans as I haphazardly brush my teeth. I pick up a hoodie off of the ground and slip it over my head before wrestling my hair into a ponytail. With the little bit of time I have left, I'm even able to put on a light bit of makeup. I walk downstairs and write my parents a little note to tell them where I'll be. By the time that's done, I hurry out of the house and get outside just as Jay pulls up.

For some reason, I kept thinking about Ellie last week. I was secretly hoping I'd get a chance to see her again. I think I want to get to know her. I've developed this weird fascination with her. It could be partly because I've never known anything about her, but it could be mostly because she's insanely good looking. I've had to admit to myself that even in the brief moment that I first saw her, I was instantly intrigued. I never told Jay that. Of course, I probably never will.

I get into Jay's truck and see Ellie in the back seat. She offers me a small, awkward wave, "Hey."

"Hi," I reply, smiling nervously as I fasten my seatbelt.

She flashes me her smug grin and I can feel my insides melting. I quickly turn around and face the right way. Jay gives me a kiss on the cheek and a greeting before beginning the drive to Ellie's apartment complex. It turns out to be pretty busy. I don't think I've ever seen an apartment complex filled with so many people. As soon as we're parked, we start unloading the truck. We take quite a few trips, unloading things and moving them into the apartment. After about an hour and a half, we're nearly finished arranging everything. Jay volunteers to go pick up lunch, so Ellie and I stay and hold down the fort. She sets up her TV on a stand and turns it on, flicking through channels. I sit beside her on the couch and watch as she puts her feet up. For some reason, I'm instantly nervous. I usually never get this nervous around anyone. I fiddle with my hands in my lap and try to get comfortable.

"Thanks for helping us out," Ellie says, patting my leg a few times, "It means a lot."

I almost squeak out in surprise at her touch. I feel so strange. I've never felt so tense around another human being. I'm normally so laid back. This is driving me nuts. I chew the inside of my cheek and she takes a long, hard look at me.

"Jay says you're a chatterbox, you know. But, maybe he's just stupid." Ellie chuckles.

"Sorry," I say quietly, "It's just... I've never met you until just now, really. I don't know anything about you."