Status: Complete.
Hurricane
Darling, What Did You Expect?
June 2005
The day spent at Pete’s was how it usually was. We’d talk about a few things before we ran out of things to talk about. Pointless things. We didn’t talk about what had happened earlier. Then Pete would sit at his desk and begin writing in his notebook, while I sat on his bed and watch him.
“Pete?” I asked tentatively, feeling bad for disturbing him while he was writing. He continued writing, and I thought he hadn’t heard me. But then he stopped suddenly and looked up at me.
“Yeah?” he said.
“My mom wants to have you over for dinner,” I said. Pete stared at me for a moment before nodding his head.
“Okay,” he said. “Is she still picking you up?”
“She thought it would be easier if you just drove me home tonight,” I said.
“Okay,” he said. “Yeah, that works.”
“Okay,” I said. Pete stared at me for a moment later before returning to his notebook.
I sighed quietly and laid back on Pete’s bed, staring up at the ceiling. As I listened to the scratch of Pete’s pen as he wrote, I felt my eyes start to droop. Like I did yesterday, I fell asleep.
----------------------------------
When I woke up, I noticed that I now had a blanket covering me. I didn’t remember moving under the covers, so I assumed that Pete had covered me up. I sat up, rubbing my eyes and my eyes landed on Pete who was digging through his closet. I felt my face grow warm as I realized that the only thing he was wearing was a towel that was wrapped around his waist. I must have made some noise because Pete turned his head in my direction and I noticed his eyes widen.
“Sorry,” he said. I looked away from him. “I didn’t think you’d wake up.”
“It’s okay,” I said. I looked down at my hands as I heard Pete go back to digging through is closet. After a moment he left the room. A few minutes later he returned, fully clothed now. Instead of his usual outfit of jeans and a t-shirt, he was now wearing a black button up shirt. He still had on his usual jeans and I assumed that this was his attempt at looking nice.
“What?” he asked, catching me staring. I shook my head.
“Nothing,” I said.
“I don’t like dressing up,” he said. “This is the nicest you’ll probably see me dressed.”
I smiled at him and he grinned back at me, showing off those white teeth.
“What time is it?” I asked.
“About 5,” Pete said. “Do you want to leave now?”
“Sure,” I said, climbing out of Pete’s bed. “My mom is probably home by now.”
He nodded his head and I followed him out of his room, running a hand through my hair. I let out a loud yawn as we made our way downstairs.
“Do you not sleep at home?” Pete asked suddenly.
“What?” I asked.
“Well, it’s just that you fell asleep here yesterday and today,” Pete said.
“Oh,” I said. “No, I sleep fine at my parent’s house. I just get tired later in the day, I guess.”
“Okay,” Pete said, closing the front door behind us as we stepped outside.
“Is your family ever home?” I asked as we headed for Pete’s SUV. Pete laughed.
“Yeah,” he said, chuckling as he climbed into his vehicle. “They just always seem to be busy. You’ll meet them soon.”
“Okay,” I said, closing the passenger side door.
----------------------------------
“It’s so nice to meet you, Pete,” my mother said, his larger hand squeezed between my mother’s smaller ones.
“It’s nice to meet you too, Mrs. Pierce,” he said.
“Oh please, call me Joy,” she said, letting go of his hand. Pete smiled back, and I tried hard not to laugh. Pete was doing well—but he looked kind of awkward with the formality. My mom looked at me and her smile seemed to grow. She glanced at Pete a moment before looking back at me. “Molly, honey, could you go check on dinner?”
I rolled my eyes but agreed anyways. After checking the dinner quickly and seeing that it was fine, I made my way back to where I had left my mom and Pete. I stopped before I could see them, hearing my mother’s voice.
“—seems so much happier,” my mother was saying. “Thank you so much for spending time with her.”
“It’s no problem,” Pete said. “She’s really great.”
“Have you guys—talked about what happened yet?” my mother asked.
“No,” Pete said.
“Oh,” my mother said. It was quiet for a moment and I was about to go join them when my mother started to speak again. “I was so scared when they called me and told me what had happened. It was her landlord who found her. Apparently she owed him some money for rent—he was going to get it. I’m still so worried about her. I mean she’s so much better—but still. Before she started spending time with you she had a bit of break down, her father left some medication out and she found it. She didn’t take any, but still. I was so scared that she was going to attempt it again.”
It was silent again and I quickly made my way to them before my mom could say any more. My mother turned to look at me, and smiled.
“Is everything okay?” she asked, meaning the food.
“Yeah,” I said, forcing a smile. I didn’t look at Pete. I felt ashamed that he knew about what happened that day I had called him.
“Good,” she said. “Now why don’t you show Pete around the house while I go finish dinner. And your father should be home soon.”
“Okay,” I said. My mother smiled again and left for the kitchen. Pete was silent as I gave him a quick tour of the house. I ended at my room, just like Pete had when he had shown me around his house. He looked around the sparse room before looking at me. And then he was starting to shut the door. I quickly went over and stopped him.
“What?” he asked me, looking at me again.
“I’m not allowed to close my door,” I said, looking down.
“Even if someone else is in here?” Pete asked. It was silent for a moment and I removed my hand from the door.
“I don’t know,” I said, before mumbling, “I haven’t had someone else in here since I’ve been here.”
A moment later, I heard the click of the door shutting and I looked up to see Pete watching me carefully.
“You heard what your mom said, didn’t you?” he asked. I looked away again and nodded my head. “Are you okay?”
“I’m fine,” I said.
“Then what is it?” he asked. I sighed.
“It’s just that—I’ve never heard my mom talk about it before,” I said. I looked at Pete and I could see that he understood something.
“It’s surprising,” he said quietly. “When you find out that people actually do care about you.”
I looked down.
“Yeah,” I said quietly. It was silent again. A moment later, I heard my mom faintly yelling that dinner was done. Pete re-opened my bedroom door and followed me out. As I went through the door, Pete placed a hand on my shoulder in a comforting way. It was nice having someone who understood.
The day spent at Pete’s was how it usually was. We’d talk about a few things before we ran out of things to talk about. Pointless things. We didn’t talk about what had happened earlier. Then Pete would sit at his desk and begin writing in his notebook, while I sat on his bed and watch him.
“Pete?” I asked tentatively, feeling bad for disturbing him while he was writing. He continued writing, and I thought he hadn’t heard me. But then he stopped suddenly and looked up at me.
“Yeah?” he said.
“My mom wants to have you over for dinner,” I said. Pete stared at me for a moment before nodding his head.
“Okay,” he said. “Is she still picking you up?”
“She thought it would be easier if you just drove me home tonight,” I said.
“Okay,” he said. “Yeah, that works.”
“Okay,” I said. Pete stared at me for a moment later before returning to his notebook.
I sighed quietly and laid back on Pete’s bed, staring up at the ceiling. As I listened to the scratch of Pete’s pen as he wrote, I felt my eyes start to droop. Like I did yesterday, I fell asleep.
----------------------------------
When I woke up, I noticed that I now had a blanket covering me. I didn’t remember moving under the covers, so I assumed that Pete had covered me up. I sat up, rubbing my eyes and my eyes landed on Pete who was digging through his closet. I felt my face grow warm as I realized that the only thing he was wearing was a towel that was wrapped around his waist. I must have made some noise because Pete turned his head in my direction and I noticed his eyes widen.
“Sorry,” he said. I looked away from him. “I didn’t think you’d wake up.”
“It’s okay,” I said. I looked down at my hands as I heard Pete go back to digging through is closet. After a moment he left the room. A few minutes later he returned, fully clothed now. Instead of his usual outfit of jeans and a t-shirt, he was now wearing a black button up shirt. He still had on his usual jeans and I assumed that this was his attempt at looking nice.
“What?” he asked, catching me staring. I shook my head.
“Nothing,” I said.
“I don’t like dressing up,” he said. “This is the nicest you’ll probably see me dressed.”
I smiled at him and he grinned back at me, showing off those white teeth.
“What time is it?” I asked.
“About 5,” Pete said. “Do you want to leave now?”
“Sure,” I said, climbing out of Pete’s bed. “My mom is probably home by now.”
He nodded his head and I followed him out of his room, running a hand through my hair. I let out a loud yawn as we made our way downstairs.
“Do you not sleep at home?” Pete asked suddenly.
“What?” I asked.
“Well, it’s just that you fell asleep here yesterday and today,” Pete said.
“Oh,” I said. “No, I sleep fine at my parent’s house. I just get tired later in the day, I guess.”
“Okay,” Pete said, closing the front door behind us as we stepped outside.
“Is your family ever home?” I asked as we headed for Pete’s SUV. Pete laughed.
“Yeah,” he said, chuckling as he climbed into his vehicle. “They just always seem to be busy. You’ll meet them soon.”
“Okay,” I said, closing the passenger side door.
----------------------------------
“It’s so nice to meet you, Pete,” my mother said, his larger hand squeezed between my mother’s smaller ones.
“It’s nice to meet you too, Mrs. Pierce,” he said.
“Oh please, call me Joy,” she said, letting go of his hand. Pete smiled back, and I tried hard not to laugh. Pete was doing well—but he looked kind of awkward with the formality. My mom looked at me and her smile seemed to grow. She glanced at Pete a moment before looking back at me. “Molly, honey, could you go check on dinner?”
I rolled my eyes but agreed anyways. After checking the dinner quickly and seeing that it was fine, I made my way back to where I had left my mom and Pete. I stopped before I could see them, hearing my mother’s voice.
“—seems so much happier,” my mother was saying. “Thank you so much for spending time with her.”
“It’s no problem,” Pete said. “She’s really great.”
“Have you guys—talked about what happened yet?” my mother asked.
“No,” Pete said.
“Oh,” my mother said. It was quiet for a moment and I was about to go join them when my mother started to speak again. “I was so scared when they called me and told me what had happened. It was her landlord who found her. Apparently she owed him some money for rent—he was going to get it. I’m still so worried about her. I mean she’s so much better—but still. Before she started spending time with you she had a bit of break down, her father left some medication out and she found it. She didn’t take any, but still. I was so scared that she was going to attempt it again.”
It was silent again and I quickly made my way to them before my mom could say any more. My mother turned to look at me, and smiled.
“Is everything okay?” she asked, meaning the food.
“Yeah,” I said, forcing a smile. I didn’t look at Pete. I felt ashamed that he knew about what happened that day I had called him.
“Good,” she said. “Now why don’t you show Pete around the house while I go finish dinner. And your father should be home soon.”
“Okay,” I said. My mother smiled again and left for the kitchen. Pete was silent as I gave him a quick tour of the house. I ended at my room, just like Pete had when he had shown me around his house. He looked around the sparse room before looking at me. And then he was starting to shut the door. I quickly went over and stopped him.
“What?” he asked me, looking at me again.
“I’m not allowed to close my door,” I said, looking down.
“Even if someone else is in here?” Pete asked. It was silent for a moment and I removed my hand from the door.
“I don’t know,” I said, before mumbling, “I haven’t had someone else in here since I’ve been here.”
A moment later, I heard the click of the door shutting and I looked up to see Pete watching me carefully.
“You heard what your mom said, didn’t you?” he asked. I looked away again and nodded my head. “Are you okay?”
“I’m fine,” I said.
“Then what is it?” he asked. I sighed.
“It’s just that—I’ve never heard my mom talk about it before,” I said. I looked at Pete and I could see that he understood something.
“It’s surprising,” he said quietly. “When you find out that people actually do care about you.”
I looked down.
“Yeah,” I said quietly. It was silent again. A moment later, I heard my mom faintly yelling that dinner was done. Pete re-opened my bedroom door and followed me out. As I went through the door, Pete placed a hand on my shoulder in a comforting way. It was nice having someone who understood.
♠ ♠ ♠
Comments are appreciated :]~Sally