Status: In progress :)
Haunt Me
8
The doorbell rang.
Just ten minutes earlier Peyton had put her letter on the porch. She scolded herself for not waiting that little stretch of extra time.
She swung the door open enthusiastically and ran right into the street, again, hoping to catch him this time. Nothing. No one was on the street, not even her neighbor's car, which was always parked in front of Peyton's yard.
Peyton sulked back to her front porch to pick up her new letter,but there was none. Her letter was missing, though, and there was a daffodil laying on her "welcome" mat in its stead. She smiled a little,picking up the flower and sniffed it, but was immediately frustrated with herself. Pull yourself together. She knew, though, that after the funeral, it would all become more real for her.
"Are you going to let Angela and I read this one?" Darien was sitting in the brown, leather love seat, flipping through T.V. channels.
"There wasn't a letter," He looked at her skeptically. "Really." Peyton didn't think she had any reason to be on the defensive, but she was, and the fact that Darien was acting like he knew everything was making her very angry.
"You're disappointed that he didn't write to you." He glared at her, pressing the "select" button on the remote. The theme to CSI: Miami started playing.
"Excuse me?"
"You heard me." He stated, flatly, not even looking at her. Just because he was right, didn't mean she wanted to hear it.
"You know what Darien, what goes on in my mind is none of your business! You're my brother, not my therapist. So just back off." Darien just stared at her, his mouth agape. "And so what if I'm a little disappointed? There's a lot of people in our situation that wish this would happen to them. He apologized for what he did. That means something, Darien. He can't be a cold-blooded killer if he apologized!
Darien pondered this, pausing the show he was too distracted to watch. "How do you know that this writer is even a man?"
This struck oddly with Peyton. Of course it was a man. Sure he was quirky and had great hand writing, and rambled a lot, but she would know if the writer was a girl. Wouldn't she? There was just something abut it- she knew the writer was a man. "I just do." Peyton snapped.
"Just don't get too attatched." He warned.
Peyton knew that Darien was just trying to be brotherly, but she'd been too stressed out lately to be friendly. "You're crazy, and I can take care of myself." She forced a smile for him, "Don't worry so much."
Angela walked in the front door, a big smile on her face. "You should really keep this locked, you know." She looked between the two siblings and the paused television. "We talking about our flowery foe?" She said it like it was amusing- like a high school grudge match. "Did he leave another letter?"
**
Peyton and Angela went to Olive Garden for wine and bread sticks,and talked about SLK. "I don't want to tell you what to do," Angela said, smiling across the table, "I just want you to be careful."
Peyton lowered her eyes to the bread stick she'd been picking into smaller,and smaller pieces. "I- uh- kind of wrote back to him."
"Him?"
"SLK!" Peyton's eyebrow twitched in annoyance, taking a small bite of her bread.
"He's a boy now?" Angela smiled mischievously. "Are you getting attatched?"
"He's obviously a boy!" Peyton had to lower her voice because her anger was getting the best of her. "And I know that face, Angie. How could you think that I'm developing a crush on the man who killed my mother?"
That got her to be quiet.
For the next hour and twenty-three minutes the two ate in silence.
"I'm sorry I snapped at you back there..." They were driving back to Peyton's house, but stopped at a red light. "I'm just still really sensitive about all of this."
"I know you are." She said, voice sympathetic. "And it was out of place for me to say something like that. I'm the one who should be apologizing. I was just trying to lighten the moood with something a little more normal."
"Things will be more normal after my mom's funeral, hopefully."
**
When Peyton got to her front door, there was an envelope on her "welcome" mat.
Just ten minutes earlier Peyton had put her letter on the porch. She scolded herself for not waiting that little stretch of extra time.
She swung the door open enthusiastically and ran right into the street, again, hoping to catch him this time. Nothing. No one was on the street, not even her neighbor's car, which was always parked in front of Peyton's yard.
Peyton sulked back to her front porch to pick up her new letter,but there was none. Her letter was missing, though, and there was a daffodil laying on her "welcome" mat in its stead. She smiled a little,picking up the flower and sniffed it, but was immediately frustrated with herself. Pull yourself together. She knew, though, that after the funeral, it would all become more real for her.
"Are you going to let Angela and I read this one?" Darien was sitting in the brown, leather love seat, flipping through T.V. channels.
"There wasn't a letter," He looked at her skeptically. "Really." Peyton didn't think she had any reason to be on the defensive, but she was, and the fact that Darien was acting like he knew everything was making her very angry.
"You're disappointed that he didn't write to you." He glared at her, pressing the "select" button on the remote. The theme to CSI: Miami started playing.
"Excuse me?"
"You heard me." He stated, flatly, not even looking at her. Just because he was right, didn't mean she wanted to hear it.
"You know what Darien, what goes on in my mind is none of your business! You're my brother, not my therapist. So just back off." Darien just stared at her, his mouth agape. "And so what if I'm a little disappointed? There's a lot of people in our situation that wish this would happen to them. He apologized for what he did. That means something, Darien. He can't be a cold-blooded killer if he apologized!
Darien pondered this, pausing the show he was too distracted to watch. "How do you know that this writer is even a man?"
This struck oddly with Peyton. Of course it was a man. Sure he was quirky and had great hand writing, and rambled a lot, but she would know if the writer was a girl. Wouldn't she? There was just something abut it- she knew the writer was a man. "I just do." Peyton snapped.
"Just don't get too attatched." He warned.
Peyton knew that Darien was just trying to be brotherly, but she'd been too stressed out lately to be friendly. "You're crazy, and I can take care of myself." She forced a smile for him, "Don't worry so much."
Angela walked in the front door, a big smile on her face. "You should really keep this locked, you know." She looked between the two siblings and the paused television. "We talking about our flowery foe?" She said it like it was amusing- like a high school grudge match. "Did he leave another letter?"
**
Peyton and Angela went to Olive Garden for wine and bread sticks,and talked about SLK. "I don't want to tell you what to do," Angela said, smiling across the table, "I just want you to be careful."
Peyton lowered her eyes to the bread stick she'd been picking into smaller,and smaller pieces. "I- uh- kind of wrote back to him."
"Him?"
"SLK!" Peyton's eyebrow twitched in annoyance, taking a small bite of her bread.
"He's a boy now?" Angela smiled mischievously. "Are you getting attatched?"
"He's obviously a boy!" Peyton had to lower her voice because her anger was getting the best of her. "And I know that face, Angie. How could you think that I'm developing a crush on the man who killed my mother?"
That got her to be quiet.
For the next hour and twenty-three minutes the two ate in silence.
"I'm sorry I snapped at you back there..." They were driving back to Peyton's house, but stopped at a red light. "I'm just still really sensitive about all of this."
"I know you are." She said, voice sympathetic. "And it was out of place for me to say something like that. I'm the one who should be apologizing. I was just trying to lighten the moood with something a little more normal."
"Things will be more normal after my mom's funeral, hopefully."
**
When Peyton got to her front door, there was an envelope on her "welcome" mat.
♠ ♠ ♠
It's not my favorite chapter, but I've got such bad writers block with this story. Sorry guys! Leave comments, please!