The Future isn't Bright

Fifteen

I woke up the next morning still in the reading nook. My neck was bent awkwardly, yet I did not feel at all uncomfortable. I closed my eyes and tried to go back to sleep. Suddenly, I heard a really loud thunk. I sprung to my feet, knocking the book on the floor which I forgot was in my lap. The noise came from mine and Ethan's guest bedroom. I looked down at Oslo, who I just woke up. I realized that we had just slept within inches of each other. As he rubbed his eyes, I dashed to my room.  

I bounded through the door, only to see Ethan laying on the ground and rubbing his head. I raised an eyebrow at him.

"I... Fell off the bed..." he said painfully.  

"You moron," I mumbled as I sat down on the futon and crossed my legs, pushing my hair back.  

"Why weren't you in the room?" he asked, lifting his head up to look at me. I tried not to look suspicious when I said, "I was peeing."  

"There's a bathroom right there?" he pointed to the door right beside him. I bit my lip and forced myself to think of something fast.

"I, um, don't like that bathroom. It smells strange," I mentally slapped myself for being such a terrible liar, though Ethan rolled his eyes. He bought it. His blond hair, so much like my mother's, reflected the sunlight streaming through the window. I thought of Mother, Father, and what happened in Mascel. I had to remember not to treat staying at the Ripleys' house as a vacation. Just then, Oslo walked into the room, stifling a yawn.

"What happened over here? I heard a crash?" he said as he pushed back his messy bedhead.  

"This genius fell off of his bed." I gestured toward Ethan. He climbed back onto his bed and covered his face with a pillow. Oslo shook his head and left.

I collapsed down on the rock-hard futon and rubbed my neck, which was gaining soreness from my awkward sleeping position. I still couldn't quite make sense of what happened last night. I stood up and left the room to go to the library. My book was laying on the floor where I had dropped it. I picked it up and folded down the corner of the page I was reading.  

I tossed the book onto the futon from the hallway, right where I wanted it to land, and walked down the hallway to Chloe's door. I lifted my hand up and knocked on it lightly. I heard mumbling, so I opened it. Chloe laid across her bed, tangled in her bed sheets with her torso hanging off the side. I poked her leg, which was sticking out from under her sheets. She lifted her head up slightly and shot me a glare.

"What do you want?" she groaned.

"Some clothes?" I asked hopefully. I felt bad for waking her up.

"You know where they are..." she said with a muffled voice, "Next time, can you just take them without waking me up?"

"Chloe, it's like, ten o'clock," I said, confused.  

"Wake me up for lunch..." she mumbled. I raised an eyebrow but I headed to her closet anyway. I opened the door and still couldn't stop myself from smiling goofily. Her closet never got old. I slipped out of her closet and then her room, closing her door firmly behind me. I skipped down the hallway in a good mood. As I danced by the guest bedroom, I saw Ethan still sleeping on his bed. I guessed that Chloe wasn't the only one I was waking up for lunch. I went down the staircase two steps at a time, being careful not to miss any.  

Once I got to the ground floor, I slid on the hardwood into the kitchen in a pair of Chloe's socks. I swung open the doors to the kitchen and was struck by surprise when I heard "Heads up!"

I caught a banana I'm my hand just before it hit my face. I looked up at Oslo, who was currently eating one himself.  

"Organic," he told me before I could protest. I shrugged and placed it on the oak table as I braided my hair down my back to keep it out of my face. After secured it with a hair tie, I peeled open the banana and took a bite. Surprisingly, I didn't taste anything artificial. I looked up at Oslo and stopped chewing because he was looking at me. He looked away quickly and just then, Mr. Ripley walked through the back door with a phone by his ear. He closed the door with his free hand and sat down in the chair across from me.