Faking it.

CHAPTER 8

Inside, I am greeted by a whole lot of shopping bags and cartons from earlier today. It doesn't surprise me. I wasn't really thinking that Joey would leave today already.

I put my keys back into the little bowl on the vanity next to the door where they belong and walk upstairs. I make a quick stop to greet Joey but when I open the door to his room, I see something I didn't expect at all.

Pillows and blankets on the floor, a tray of snacks and drinks in front of them and a grinning Joey standing in the middle of it all.

"You having a date or something?" I ask him with one eyebrow raised.

"No. This is for us. To have one last movie night before tomorrow." He says gesturing to the running tv on his wall.

"I'll go get changed first and bring up a few more snacks to eat because let's be honest. You could eat all of the by yourself." I tease him.

"You're right." He admits and I walk out and to Abby and I's room down the hallway.

I sit down next to Joey and he starts the movie. "Fast and Furious" lights up the dark room and I take the bag of chips from the tray in front of us.

I notice that it's unusually quiet for a Saturday night and turn to Joey, "Where's the other part of the family?"

"Mom and Dad went to some kind of business event and Abby went to a frat party." He explains and I nod and focus back on the movie.

***

Sunday morning rolls in and I wake up from a snoring Joey next to me. We are both laying on the floor with our blankets and I hear a clicking sound which makes me shift my attention to the door.

Mom is standing there with her camera, smiling at Joey and me. I try to sit up straight but wince when I feel a sting in my back and that caused mom to snap out of it and look at me fully.

"What were you doing?" I ask her in a sleepy voice.

She just shrugs and smiles but then the front door rings. "Get Joey up and downstairs in 10 minutes. The moving truck is here." She orders and shuts the door again.

10 minutes?! Joey takes at least an hour to wake up. How the hell am I supposed to ge-

Water.

I quickly stand up ignoring my back pain and run to his bathroom to take a glass of water and splash it into his face. Immediately he's awake and glares at me.

"Mom told me to." I say and run out of his room again.

I hear him groaning and smile. I should have done that more often while he still lived here.

Joey and I are greeted with a nice breakfast when we get downstairs. Pancakes, bacon and eggs. I'm definitely gonna need all of this for today.

Dad comes strolling through the front door and pats Joey on the shoulder. "Finally gonna move out huh? Not gonna lie, you sometimes are a pain in my butt." Dad jokes and completely ignores my presence.

Typical.

Mom explains the plan for today, "First we're going to get Joey's stuff in the truck that your Dad and I will be driving and everything else that doesn't fit in there will be put in your car, Joey. Hailey you are going to just put everything you bought in your new room. Dad and I already took apart your bed, so you just need to move the plates around. If you won't be able to put some things together then just wait until we get home and Dad will do it for you. OK?" She finishes off her rant and we both nod.

I hug Joey goodbye and he gives me the spare key and tells me that I could always come crashing in his apartment when things here are horrible or when I miss him.

They leave and I know that Mom and Dad are probably going to stay there in a hotel over night because it's a two-hour drive away with no traffic.

I get everything out of my old room now and into my new one. Except for my closet.

It's not even noon when I decide to call Milli and Simon over to help me. 

At some point Abby barges into the kitchen where I'm waiting for my friends and tells me that she is going to drive to Joey's apartment too, but she will be back because she's got classes tomorrow. I just nod, not caring at all.

Finally, Milli and Simon arrive at my house an hour later and they bought chinese food with them.

I love them.

The three of us skipped dance practise today to finish my room and in order to have a sleepover.