Reminisce With Me

Chapter 22: Sleep > Parties

A few days went by and I was gradually picking up on all my classes. I stayed back at the public library or Dantes to get my notes and assignments done. I had to admit, it was a great distraction from what my mind preferred to think about: Aiden.

The sound of a lawn mower outside my window woke me up. I kept my eyes closed, hitting the snooze button in my mind. I waited for the noise outside to stop, but the low buzzing continued. My eyebrows furrowed and I wondered who in God's name was mowing their lawn in the middle of the night. It was likely two in the morning...

My eyes widened and I sprung out of bed, reaching for the small clock on the nightstand. It was a quarter to eight and I was late for school. Carlos had warned me that I had to make up for missing weeks of school if I wanted to graduate and I assumed being on time was included in the requirement. I rushed to the bathroom, quickly brushing my teeth and throwing on a tank top and a cardigan before dashing down the stairs.

"Carlos?" I called out and realized the house was empty. "Amelia?"

The maid – yes, Carlos and Amelia had a maid – walked in from the kitchen, a wash cloth in her hands. "Buienos dias, señora. Puedo prepararte el desayuno?" she asked and I shook my head.

"No, no. Gracias, Laura," I said, grateful for being a school nerd who took Spanish class seriously throughout high school. "Donde esta Carlos? Amelia?"

"Ellos salieron," Laura said and I continued to stare at the wall clock, watching all the possible colleges I wouldn't get into.

I said goodbye to Laura and stood on the front porch, thinking of who I could call. Heather and Julian were likely already at school so they were out of the question. My eyes skimmed my phone contact list, hoping to land one someone who would be my savior.

I found a name and hesitated before calling. It rung a few times and as I was about to hang up, I heard his voice on the other line.

"Hey," Noel said and cleared my throat, hoping to sound poise. "I know I told you to call if you needed something, but I didn't think it would be this soon."

"I waited four days," I said, which made him laugh. "Noel, I have a huge favor to ask."

"Sure, what is it, kiddo?"

I cringed, forgetting our age difference. "Okay, I have two favors to ask. First, don't call me kiddo. It's weird. And second, I am super late for school and if I don't get to my first period on time, I may not graduate this year. Can you please drop me off?"

"Right now?" he asked and I could an ambulance in the background.

"Yes, please," I begged.

"I'm on the road anyway, so it shouldn't be a problem. I'll be there in five minutes."

"Thank you, thank you, thank you!"

"One more thing," he rushed, and I sensed mockery in his tone. "Make sure you bring your lunch, honey."

I rolled my eyes. "Right, I'm still in school and you're not. Very funny."

***

I sat in the passenger seat, balancing my feet on the dashboard. Noel kept glancing over, not impressed. "Aubrey, come on. Put your feet down," he said for the fifth time. I smirked at him, handing over a bag of skittles Laura had given me before I left.

He shook his head, stepping on the accelerator. "You are such a kid," he muttered and I shrugged. "You're going to clean the dashboard before you leave."

I laughed, which made Noel smile. "So Nolan Jacobs," I started, tilting my head so I could see him. "How old are you now anyway? Forty?"

Noel gave me a pointed look.