Life Isn't All That Bad

I swear I jumped five feet in the air when that deep voice started yelling. I rubbed at my eyes, trying to comprehend what was going on. A warm arm was wrapped around me, and it took me a minute to realize that it was Garrett. I had slept with Garrett Nickelsen, in the most literal sense.

He let out a yawn, looking up at the guy who'd spoken. "What the hell, Trey? I was sleeping!" He said groggily, running a hand through his messy hair.

"Yeah, I was too. Until I heard your stupid movie. I came down here to tell you to turn it off, and I find some chick in bed with you!" This Trey guy said. "I mean, who watches movies this loud in the middle of the night?"

"Shit!" I exclaimed suddenly. They both looked at me strangely. "I never told my mom where I was going. Shit, shit, shit. She's going to kill me! What time is it?"

Trey must have noticed the desperate tone in my voice, for he pulled his phone out to check. "Um, it's almost 3:30..."

3:30. It was 3:30 in the morning, and my mom had no idea where I was. I was so dead. I dug through my pockets, pulling out my cell phone. Seven missed calls. I had seven missed calls from my mom.

"I am so fucking screwed!" I yelped, practically flying off the bed. I slid my feet back into my boots, quickly lacing them up.

"I'll um, walk you home if you want..." Garrett offered from his spot on the bed. He was no longer lying down, but was now sitting up and watching me intently.

I hesitated. Did I really want to run across the street, at 3:30 in the morning, all by myself? No. But there was always the chance that my mom was waiting for me. Did I want to risk her seeing Garrett walk me home? "No, just... no, I'm fine," I declared, pushing past Trey to get to the stairs.

"I'm sorry, Beau... I didn’t mean to fall asleep. It just..." he was back to the Garrett I'd first met. He was awkward and didn’t know what to say. He wasn’t confident like he had been earlier.

"It's fine, Garrett. I'll just... I'll talk to you later," I mumbled, before jogging up the stairs.

"So, who was she?" Trey asked, the tone of his voice hinting that he thought this was so much more than it really was. I never heard Garrett's response, for I was already out the front door and running home.

My heels obviously weren’t made for running, and I stumbled several times before finally reaching the safety of my front porch. I quietly opened the door, slipping in the house without a sound. Even shutting the door, I stayed completely silent, praying to God that my mom was asleep. My prayers weren’t answered.

It was such a cliché moment. As soon as I turned the lock on the front door, and started walking towards the stairs, the light clicked on. My mom sat on the couch, staring up at me with a look of disappointment.

"Beau Neil, do you have any idea what time it is?" My mother scowled.

"Mom, I'm so sorry. I-"

"3:30 in the morning. It's after 3:30 in the morning, and you're just getting home?" she snapped. I just stared down at my feet in shame. "Do you have any idea how worried I was? You weren’t answering my calls, and I have no idea where you were."

"Mom, I-"

"And then, I look outside to see the car. But you still weren’t home. What the hell have you been up to, young lady?"

I sighed, hoping she'd finally let me speak. "Mom, look, I'm really sorry. I wasn’t having any fun at the party, and so Garrett helped me get home. But then we went to his house, and watched a couple movies, and we ended up falling asleep, and I am so, so sorry I didn’t call. I didn't hear my phone ringing. I promise, it won't happen ever again!"

My mom stared at me skeptically, trying to decide if this was a decent excuse. I pouted my lower lip out a little bit, and my mom let out a heavy sigh. "You're lucky I like that Nickelsen boy, or you wouldn't be leaving this house for a long time," she grumbled. "But don’t even scare me like that again, understand?"

"I won't! Sorry," I said, offering her an innocent grin. I started up the stairs, trying not to trip in my heels. "Night mom!" I could hear her let out a heavy sigh as I headed into my bedroom. The pajamas I'd worn last night were still lying on the floor, and I quickly picked them up, changing into them. I threw my hair, which was now getting oily and frizzy, into a messy bun on the top of my head as I headed to my bathroom. I brushed my teeth and washed my face before heading back to my room, collapsing onto my bed.

Despite my 'nap' at Garrett's house, I was wiped. Within seconds of turning my light off, I was out cold.

When I woke up, my mom wasted no time in getting me to help around the house. I'd barely taken the first bite out of my Pop-Tart when she announced that we were going to spend the entire day unpacking. It didn’t exactly sound like fun, but I figured I owed my mom after scaring her last night.

I'd never realized how much stuff the two of us had until I had to unpack it all. It was nearing two in the afternoon before I finally took a break. My bedroom was actually starting to look like a room, rather than a warehouse. My clothes had been neatly arranged in my closet, and my bookcase was slowly being organized. Outside my door, empty boxes were piled, but at least they were out of my room.

I flopped down on my bed, pulling out my cell phone. I quickly dialed the familiar number, twirling a loose strand of hair as the phone rang.

"Hello?" Danny's voice was muffled, and I instantly knew that he was eating.

"That's a classy way to answer the phone," I remarked, rolling over onto my back.

I heard him make a gulping noise as he swallowed his food. "Yeah, well, whatever. You've done it too."

"True, true. So how's New York?"

Danny let out an annoyed sigh. "You've been gone for almost a week, Bo-peep. I don’t have a zombie slaying partner anymore. To say the least, New York blows without you."

"I'm sorry, bro," I said, playing with the strings of my bracelet.

I could hear him chewing loudly, making me roll my eyes. Boys will be boys. "I know it's not your fault. So, how's Arizona?"

I chewed on my lip, thinking. "It's alright," I said finally. I simply couldn’t decide if Arizona was good or bad yet. My night at the party hadn’t been the best, and I was learning just how easily I got embarrassed. But now I was living a few streets away from my best friend, rather than a few states. Not to mention there was Garrett... "Oh yeah, I slept with a guy last night."

Danny began coughing violently, as he choked on whatever food he was eating. "You what?" He screeched into the phone.

I couldn’t help but laugh at his outburst. "Oh calm down. I didn’t sleep with him like that, you perverted little child."

"Well I'm sorry, but when you tell me that you slept with some guy the second night you're in Tempe, I'm going to flip out," Danny snapped at me. But through his sarcasm, I could tell he was a bit relieved.

I just rolled my eyes, knowing he couldn’t see me. "No, but really, I slept with a guy. As in, slept. He lives across the street from me, and he's friends with Liz's boyfriend, and he helped me get home from the party last night, and we ended up watching movies at his house, and I fell asleep on a bed with him," I explained.

"And you couldn’t have just said that to begin with?" He snapped. "I thought my little girl was growing up into a whore!"

"Your little girl? Bitch, please. I'm older than you."

"But I'm taller than you," he remarked.

Downstairs, I heard my mom calling for me to get off my lazy butt and help her downstairs. Time to get back to unpacking. "Danny, as much as I'd love to have you insult my shortness, I have to get back to unpacking. I'll talk to you later, okay?"

He chewed loudly. "Of course. I'll text you or something," he said, voice muffled by food. "Oh, and Beau?"

"Hmm?"

"Whatever happens between you and this boy... Just be careful," and with that, he hung up the phone, the dial tone filling my stunned silence.