My Girl

I kicked off the sheets that were tangled around my feet and stood up from my bed, walking down the hallway and into the bathroom.

The way I looked-puffy lips from kissing last night, red eyes from crying-would usually make me feel like a complete wreck. But when Nick walked in behind me moments later, a smile widely across my lips as he kissed me on the top of my head, I didn’t know if I could feel more beautiful.

A small crash came from what sounded like the kitchen, causing both of us to stop moving.

“What was that?” I whispered, poking my head around the doorframe of the bathroom. The lights downstairs were on, but I had left them on last night after we had fallen asleep.

“Let’s go see.” Nick’s hand wrapped around mine and he pulled me out of the bathroom, cautiously walking down each step. I glanced around the bottom floor, looking for any sign of someone breaking in.

The curtains were pulled away from the window. Had I left them open last night? Someone cleared their throat in the kitchen, but Nick continued to walk down the stairs.

“Who’s here?” I asked cautiously. The floorboards of the kitchen squeaked as someone walked through the doorway and toward where Nick and I had stopped walking. “Parker?”

“Hey, I thought I would come over here to see how you were doing…but I guess someone already did that.” Parker glanced coldly at Nick, who ignored his rude look and continued to look down at me.

“That was nice of you, still.” I mumbled, leaning my weight onto one leg and looking around Parker, where Steph and Arielle were standing.

“Guys, this is Nick.” Parker moved out of the way when he realized I was talking to them. Nick waved silently at Arielle and Steph, who both smiled shyly back.

“Did the hospital happen to call?” I walked into the kitchen and up to the answering machine, but there was no new messages.

“No.” Parker still answered, the five of us standing awkwardly around the kitchen. I looked up and saw four pairs of eyes looking at me.

“Right.” I ran one of my hands through my messy hair and glanced around the room. “What should we do today?”

“I was thinking a movie or something.” I answered, since everyone had stayed silent. Nick silently agreed, wrapping his arm around my waist.

“Arielle and I can’t stay that long, our dad has this business thing we have to go to.” Parker answered, leaning up against the counter.

I glanced at Steph, who was sheepishly looking down at the newspaper I had suspected Parker had brought it. I hadn’t ever talked to just her, always just through Arielle. I didn’t even know that much about her, just the things that Parker had told me yesterday.

“Your still welcome to come, Steph.” Nick almost read my thoughts, causing Steph to jump at the mentioning of her name.

“What? Oh, no. I don’t want to intrude or anything.” She said, her cheeks flushing bright red. Nick smirked at her and whipped his phone out of his back pocket.

“How about I call Joe?” He asked me, but Steph quickly asked, “Who’s Joe?”

“Nick’s brother.” I answered, shrugging my shoulders. “Only if Steph wants to go.”

Although Parker and Arielle had skipped out of the plans theirs, along with mine and Nicks, eyes were all watching Steph.

Her eyes seemed to look over Nick, an embarrassed smile coming over her face.

“I-I guess.” She glanced at me quickly, but when she noticed I saw her, she looked back down at the newspaper.

“Alright.” Nick dialed a phone number and turned to walk out of the room. “Be right back.”

“We should get going, too.” Parker said to Arielle, letting his hands dangle at his sides as he looked at me. “Will you call when you know what’s up?”

I smiled weakly and nodded my head, feeling Parker’s arms wrap delicately around my waist.

“Yeah.” I said into his chest, smelling the perfume linger on my nose as he pulled away. “Thank you.”

“No problem.” He nodded toward Steph, who smiled slightly back and took a seat at the counter next to the table she had been standing at. Parker, who had now exited the room and was pushing Arielle out in front of him, said a quiet goodbye to Nick who was standing out the doorway.

“Steph.” Nick said louder, sounded agitated. “Stephanie? Steph, Joe.” He sighed loudly. I glanced at Steph and smiled at her.

“Joe is really cool.” I told her, leaning up against the counter across from her. She pushed the paper away and glanced up at me.

“Do you think he’s going to find me…random?” I tilted my head slightly, as if to tell her to explain. “He doesn’t even understand my name, how are we supposed to spend an entire two hours with each other?”

“You’ll be fine.” I assured her, standing up straight. “Plus, during movies everyone is quiet, so you don’t even have to talk.”

Steph smiled and nodded, leaning her elbow onto the table and resting her head in her palm.

The smile grew and she looked at me. “Is he cute?”

I burst into laughter, so did she, as Nick walked into the room a few seconds after she asked the question.

“Joe is in.” Nick glanced at the two of us questionably. “He will be here at one.”

I glanced at Steph. “Then I guess your question will be answered at one.”

“What?” Nick furrowed his eyebrows and glanced at me, but I just smiled and patted his chest.

“Nothing at all.”