The Laws of Emotion

Chapter Twenty Six

I didn't know who was at the door. They kept knocking, and I almost yelled at Beckett to get the door. My footsteps halted at that thought. He hadn't come home yet from the hospital, and it had almost been a week since his accident. At least he woke up yesterday.

The door swung open just as I reached out to grab the knob. My hand hovered in midair, and my eyes widened when I saw Layla, Kiley, and Sophia standing at the other end of the door. Kiley had something in her hands that glinted in the soft sunlight.

"What are you guys doing here?" I asked them with a slight frown.

Sophia pushed around me and said, "We're here to check on you. You haven't been the same since prom night."

"And how did you guys open the locked door?"

Kiley lifted the things in her hands. "I picked the lock."

"Do I even want to ask how you know how to do that?"

"Nope."

I opened the door wider and let her and Layla in. Turning around, I sighed when I saw Sophia lounging on my couch. Somehow, she had a bag of chips sitting on her lap, and her hand dipped in and grabbed a chip. She popped it into her mouth before saying, "So, what's up with you?"

"Did you really have to speak with your mouth full of food?" I asked, sounding just like my mom. I ignored that thought and sat down next to her. Kiley and Layla sat next to me, and all of them stared at me. "I'm sorry that I haven't been around much. I only go to school and then I go to the hospital right after."

"Hospital?" Sophia asked with a frown.

"My brother got hit by a car on prom night. He finally just woke up from his injuries. It was pretty bad."

Sophia stared at me, shock evident on her face. Her eyes were wide, and her mouth hung open. I reached out and closed it for her. Layla and Kiley looked sympathetic for me, especially Layla. I immediately felt bad about worrying about my brother when her sister had been in the hospital for at least a month. 

"Is he okay?" Sophia asked softly.

"Um, right now, yes. He had to stay under twenty-four hour supervision after his surgery, but he's doing better now. He is very sore, though. And very thankful that he's alive."

"Who performed his surgery?" Kiley asked.

"My mom."

It got quiet after that, so I busied myself with tidying our coffee table. We didn't really have much on the table, but I didn't want to focus on their identical looks of sympathy. My hands pushed the coasters to the side until Sophia said, "Have you had anything to eat this whole time?"

"How'd you know?"

"I know you." She stood up suddenly. "What do you have in your kitchen?"

"I don't know, food?"

She gave me a look and pulled me into the kitchen. Kiley and Layla followed behind us, and they entered the kitchen just as Sophia pushed me into a seat at the island. I frowned when she threw open the refrigerator. 

"What are you doing?" I asked.

"We're going to cook you a meal. Your parents are going to be home soon, right?"

I glanced at the clock on my phone and nodded. "Yeah."

Her and Layla and Kiley chatted to each other about what they wanted cook for me. I tuned them out and watched them instead. I didn't know how Sophia got the two of them to come with her here. She didn't know them well enough to convince them to come to my house. Unless she was really worried about me and approached them after I left school. 

Sophia slammed a pan onto my stove, and I said, "Really, Soph? Be more careful."

She rolled her eyes at me before focusing back on the food. She gave orders to Layla and Kiley, and they got to work, too. I rested my head on my hands. Exhaustion set over me, but I forced to keep my eyes open. I didn't want to fall asleep while they cooked me dinner. I didn't want to fall asleep because Beckett always entered my dreams.

"Cat, are you listening to us?" Kiley asked.

"What?" I stared at them for a second. "No. I'm sorry."

"You're fine," Layla said sweetly. "We were just asking you about Harvey."

"What about him?"

"Did you tell him how you felt?" Sophia asked.

I nodded. Sophia looked surprised about that. "Yes. But we haven't really spoken since he dropped me off at the hospital the other day."

"Does he feel the same way about you?" Sophia asked with a glance at me.

"Yes."

"But you two aren't together."

"No."

"Why not?" Kiley asked. "You two are literally perfect for each other."

I shrugged. I did think we had chemistry. But were we really perfect for each other? He hadn't spoken to me in a few days, and I hadn't spoken to him either. I shouldn't have been terrified to tell him how I felt. But it felt right to kiss him, to have him hold me. 

The front door opened. I could hear Mom and Dad's voice, so I said, "I'm in the kitchen!"

Mom peeked into the kitchen and asked, "What are you three girls doing?"

"We're making you guys dinner," Layla said with a nod. "Cat told us what had happened, and we thought we'd do this for you all."

Mom's lips pressed into a line. Her face flushed red, and she pressed her hand to her chest. Dad appeared behind her shoulder with a confused look on his face. His arm wrapped around Mom's waist, pulling her to him. She whispered to him, and his eyes watered after hearing what she said.

"Thank you," Mom said, her voice thick. "Thank you girls so much."

"Anything for you," Sophia said, turning away from the stove. "You guys are like my second family. Sometimes you guys are my first family because I want to get away from all my siblings."

I gave her a smile. I loved these three girls like my sisters. I didn't deserve them, but I was glad they were my friends. They made my life so much better.