precarious ; jonathan byers [2]

chapter five- rough all over

Casey

The next morning, I was hovered over the stovetop, making a few servings of scrambled eggs for mom and me before she had to go to her shift at the hospital. Humming along to the guitar riffs quietly coming through the radio speakers, I began adding the salt and pepper when mom walked down the stairs, already dressed in her wrinkled scrubs that probably haven't been washed in eons.

"Scrambled eggs for breakfast again?" She snarked, playfully. "Aren't you ever gonna learn how to make real food?"

"Maybe when you start buying some real food," I shot back, turning around to send her a smile. "Seriously, when was the last time you made a trip to the store?"

Mom snorted, taking the car keys off of the counter to stuff them into her purse. "You got me there, smartass," She teased. "I'm surprised you haven't left by now. Don't you and Jonathan always go to McDonald's before school?"

I coughed, nervously, "Umm, he had to take Will to an early appointment before picking me up this morning," I lied. "Also, Nancy and I have to stay up late studying for a huge anatomy test tomorrow. Would it be cool if I just stayed the night there?"

"Yeah, that's perfectly fine with me," She told me, walking over to the refrigerator to grab the orange juice carton out. "That actually makes me feel a bit better since I wouldn't have been home until after midnight, anyway."

I let out a quiet sigh of relief, turning my attention back to the food. I don't even take anatomy. I literally suck at lying and I honestly hate lying to my own mother, but I will never, ever involve her in these situations. 

The less she knows, the better. 

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After breakfast with my mother and packing a quick overnight bag, I hugged my mom goodbye and practically darted out the front door to Jonathan's idling car along the curb. 

"Everything okay?" Was the first thing he asked as I hopped into the front seat, tossing my bag to the back. 

"Yeah, she didn't suspect anything," I replied, closing the door and scooting over to the middle seat. "I hate lying to her like that, though." 

"Hey," Jonathan said softly to grab my attention, resting his arm on the top of the seat behind me. "I know it sucks, trust me. But she never knew about what all happened last year and in order to keep her safe, we need to keep it that way." 

"I know," I said, turning to face him, forcing a believable smile to come across my features...even if I knew he was smart enough to not fall for it. 

"Everything will be okay, baby," He told me, pulling my body closer to press a light kiss on my cheek. "I love you."

"I love you, too."

After the twenty-minute drive to Nancy's and stopping along the way for three gas station coffees, we pulled up in front of the Wheeler's house to find Nancy already waiting on the front steps. She stood up once Jonathan parked along the curb and quickly headed over to us, swiftly adjusting the strap of her duffel bag on her shoulder.