I Know What You're Afraid Of

Chapter 9

The evening rolled around, and Ricky and Marianne had gone to inform everyone that they were going to have a fire in the backyard, so they could get to know each other. It was the perfect night for a fire. There was no wind and no rain, and it got dark fast.

Marianne was on her way to Sydney's room to tell her about the fire. She knocked lightly, just like she had done earlier, and waited for an answer. Sydney opened the door right away and this time she smiled when she saw her new friend. Marianne returned the smile and folded her hands in front of her. When she told Sydney about the fire, the red-headed girl seemed on nervous.

"I don't know if I should go. They probably don't want to talk to me, or even see me right now." Marianne felt horrible and made a mental note to confront the others about it later.

"Sydney you don't have to worry about them. Besides, I would really like you to be there. I don't think I can face Gina alone. I have a felling she could kill me if she glares at me for too long." Both girls laughed.

"Sydney nodded. "Fine. Just let me change. Wait for me?"

Marianne couldn't hide her happiness. "Sure! Yeah, of course."

When the door closed, Marianne walked down the hall to make one last stop. Her stomach filled with nerves, though she didn't know why. That seemed to be the case whenever she was near Miles. She was always confused. She convinced herself that she was just embarrassed about the dance, but she knew it had to be something more.

As she got closer to his door, she could hear him talking to himself. That is, until she was so close, she could make out the words he was saying. "I know.... I know, I'm sorry." Marianne knew it was wrong to eavesdrop, but she couldn't help it. Maybe he's on the phone? But as she finished that thought, she realized there was not one phone in the house. The talking continued. "I promised, I know, but something came up, okay? ..... I miss you too. You know I love you. You know that don't you?" I love you? Who is he talking to? His girlfriend? Marianne couldn't help but feel a pang of jealousy, and once again, she didn't know why. It's not like they were together.

Marianne knocked on the door, ending his conversation. The door flew open suddenly, causing her to jump back. "What?" He sounded almost annoyed, like she had been bugging him for hours. The scowl on his face made it clear he wasn't happy about the interruption. Miles waited impatiently for her to say something. He raised an eyebrow, silently telling her to talk.

Finally, she spoke up. "Uh-I – we were planning on having a ... fire. You know ... to ... get to know each other." She mentally cursed at herself for not being able to talk. "If you want to come. You don't have to. If you would rather stay here that's t-totally fine, I mean .... only if you want." She quickly added. By now, her face was as red as a tomato. Get it together woman! Marianne quickly turned away, so her hair fell over her face, hiding her blush. He must have caught it because smirked.

Miles shrugged. "Sure." He turned to grab a black hoodie that was sitting on his bed. This gave Marianne a chance to look for whoever he was talking to, but his room was empty. All she saw was that creepy doll sitting up straight by the bay window. Weird. She watched Miles as he stopped to turn and look at the doll, before turning back to Marianne. He raised an eyebrow just like he had a minute ago. "You going to move, or are you just going to stand here all night?" she quickly moved out of the way so he could get by. He walked past her and stopped by the stairs. "Are you coming?"

Marianne was surprised by the question. "Yeah I am. I told Sydney I'd wait out here for her. So, you go ahead." Miles nodded and continued down the stairs. Once he was out of sight, she let out a breath she hadn't realized she was holding. Sydney's door opened, causing brunette to jump. She quickly straightened herself and turned to face a pair of confused blue eyes. Marianne cleared her throat. "You uh- you ready?" She cringed at her stutter.