Anchor (Book 1)

Chapter Six

JJ stopped once he reached the place below my bedroom window. He waved wildly and moved his hand up and down gesturing for me to put the window up. My mouth gaped open as I realized what he was insinuating. He was going to climb?!
No!! I mouthed and witnessed him chuckle.
A few moments later, my phone buzzed. It was a text from him:
How else am I gonna get in? It read.
This was true. It wasn't like he could come in through the front door right now. I looked back out at him. He shrugged and made the gesture with his hands again.
I sighed and pushed the window open and realized once more what a bad idea this was. It was broad daylight and JJ was attempting to climb up to my bedroom like a prince saving Rapunzel. When he finally reached the top, I moved out of the way so he could swing in. He hit the my bedroom floor with a thud and I cringed in fear that my mom and brother downstairs would hear and come rushing up here with a broom or something ready to whip the crap out of anybody they find in here.
Relax. Melissa instructed from wordlessly. They heard nothing at all.
"Hi!" He waved giddily.
"Hi, please sit down." I offered.
He started to take a seat, but my eyes grew wide as I realized he was about to sit right on top of Melissa.
"No." I frantically hollered. "Not there."
Melissa smiled and vanished. She appeared back in my head.
You are forgetting he doesn't see me, aren't you? By the way, he's cute.
"You wish I thought so." I hissed for her ears only.
I'll leave you two alone.
She collected herself into a chorus of a million voices and was gone. My eyes glanced back over to JJ, who appeared to be examining my room. His eyes were going everywhere around my room, until they landed on a picture that sat on my bedside table. He went over to it and picked it up.
"That's my dad and I a few years ago." I said, "He's not here right now. He's an actor, so he travels to many places trying to get booked. He hasn't starred in any big blockbuster yet, but he has done a few commercials. I think he's in Florida, auditioning for some dishwasher advertisements." I added.
"My dad's a dentist." JJ responded, "Sounds like your dad is much cooler."
"Sounds like it, huh? He's never here. Ever since... uh, it's very hard to maintain any sort of solid relationship with him because the only chance I get to talk to him is when he's at a payphone when he can reach one or if I'm lucky, he remembers to keep his phone charged."
"I don't want you to accuse me of being ignorant, but I just can't get past when you said ever since; ever since what?" JJ asked, readjusting himself in a chair he had been sitting in across from me.
"JJ, it's not really the best time to talk about it. I don't want to." I admitted.
My dad hasn't really been around much ever since Melissa died, but those were feelings I didn't want to rehash right now, not to him.
"What does your mom do? Where does she work?" I asked.
His face fell. "Um, she died a couple years ago." And then he answered, "But, she used to be an accountant."
"Oh, I'm so sorry, JJ."
"It's alright. Sometimes, the best of us have to go, even if the people they leave behind don't understand it. My dad got remarried though, to a nice woman named Stacy."
"Yeah, I guess so." I agreed. "Good for your dad though."

The afternoon sun came through the window and observed his face and that's when I saw it. The scar above his left eyebrow just as Dr. Busby said, seemed to carry its own spotlight. It was medium sized and looked just like any scar would look, but my eyes had gravitated towards it for a reason I didn't know.
"Is there something on my face?" He asked, "I had pizza for lunch but I'm pretty sure I wiped off all the mess." He joked.
"No. I uh-"
I coughed and covered my mouth, just so I'd have a chance to recover from my embarrassment enough to face him. When I turned back to him, the wind blew through and moved his shaggy blonde hair. It moved my hair too, right into my face. He moved closer and, with a hesitant fingers, helped me push my hair back out of the way. We locked eyes for a brief moment, his hand just resting on my face until I pulled my head away.
"Thanks." I shifted awkwardly.
He grinned, his impossibly white teeth catching the sun too "No prob."