Monsters And Us

Chapter 12: Peyton

We got to the house and I was on the verge of collapse right there in the driveway and told Oliver I needed to get my phone out of the car and I got in the passengers seat and found my phone but pretend to continue searching for it till my breathing got under control and I was less exhausted before grabbing my phone and walking back to him. We walked towards the front door when it opens and I see the same dark brown curly haired boy from my birthday party coming out of the house.

"Annabel you probably don't remember him but this is my older brother Jeremiah." Oliver said to me,

"Hi" Jeremiah said,

"Hi, I think you were at my birthday party, right?"

He nodded and just walked past me and into the garage and the doors opened and see him drive off in a dark green Kia Soul or toaster car as my dad would call it. We walked into the house I saw was immediately the couch and dining room table across the hall, I was amazed at how it looked from when I was a kid, I heard banging from up above us like people were fighting or something and the sudden noise made me jump.

"What was that?" I asked,

"Oh that noise, usually my brothers fighting with each other, but anyway do you want a tour of our revised house?"

I nodded and we walked through the hallways and he showed me the living room, dining room, kitchen and he pointed to the door on the left of the fireplace and said that was his parent's room but he'd be glad to show me if they weren't in there which thankfully they weren't and he opened the door and I saw a large bed with a tall ceiling and a loft with the TV high up between the wood beams that connected from under the loft railing, we went up the ladder to the loft and it was mainly a couch and some exercise stuff, and we went back down the ladder and he showed me the master bath, with a big tub and that was all for the master room. We went past the living and dining room and he show me their rec room which was basically like a living room only with and air hockey table, I was amazed at how improved his new house was it used to be just the 3 kids bedrooms, the parents room, a garage, and an unfinished basement. We go up the stairs and to the right down the hallway and to a door and he opens it, revealing a bedroom with cream colored walls and sports posters everywhere, and I assumed it was his room, he sits on the bed looking at his phone his eyes going back and forth as if he were reading something. His room was pretty clean compared to my own brother's room with a giant cork board full of pictures, most were him and his family then the rest were him and his girlfriend, Peyton, he also had some football trophies and a football helmet on his desk and some baseball stuff.

"Check my closet, there could be some stuff from our childhood in there."

He said without looking up from his phone, I walked past his bed and open the doors to his closet and see it full of clothes, I walk inside and turn my phones flash light on and look, I see a large box on the floor and I open it and look through it, the first thing I see is a picture of us at the beach when we were children we were holding onto a giant seashell we found that day. I remember that was one of the best times in my childhood back when I didn't have a care in the world. I put the picture down next to me and see in the box more pictures and small to medium items, I picked up a stick with black and red string wrapped around it in almost a braided fashion with a small rock at the end with some purple in it. I was trying so hard to remember what it was from and I couldn't remember what it was from, I go to ask Oliver when the door shuts and I hear a feminine voice in front of the door and turn my light off and listen in.

"So where is she Oliver? Did you kiss her?"

"No Peyton I didn't, I'm your boyfriend remember I don't do that cheating crap"

"Don't lie Oliver, your all of a sudden 'hanging out' with an old friend, just tell me already. Are you cheating on me with her."

"No, I am not cheating on you, okay? I love you"

"W-wait what?"

"I love you Peyton, ok?"

"Aww you really love me"

"Yes babe"

Peyton grabbed Oliver and kissed him, and even though I could only see through the small slits in the door panel I could see both of them now making out on his bed and turned away and slid quietly till I hit the back of the closet. I could hear Peyton moaning and closed my ears and eyes hoping not to hear them soon have s*x.

"Peyton?"

"Yes?"

"My parent's will be home in a few seconds, can we continue later?"

"But I can make it quick babe, please?"

"I can't, plus I have stuff to do"

"Fine, I'll text you when I get home, I love you babe"

"Love you"

I opened my eyes again and lowered my hands in time to see them kiss goodbye, and I hear the bedroom door open and soon the closet door opens again. I get up and close the box before putting the stuff back and walk past him and grab my phone before texting my brother asking if he'll pick me up.

"Listen I'm sorry you had to hear that, I didn't think she'd do that, I do want you to meet her though but maybe when she's less crazy ya know."

"Yeah, I have to go soon if that's ok?"

"Oh, yeah I guess that's fine, you sure you don't wanna stay for dinner?"

"I don't know it'd just be a little weird wouldn't it?"

"I mean only if we let it get weird, but it's ok if you wanna leave."

"I'll stay but it's just I don't want to be a burden to you and your family"

"Annabel your basically family, ok? Your never a burden."

He gave me a reassuring smile and he grabbed his football and throws it to me gently and I catch it and throw it back at him, almost hitting his face. He laughed and set it down and he looked at me and smile before sitting back down on the bed and sat in a somewhat awkward silence for a few seconds before the door slammed somewhere in the house, and yelling is heard. Oliver stands up and opens the door and looks out to see who it was leaving me sitting on his bed also wondering who it is.

"So when the hell is she supposed to get home Caleb? It's supposed to be a surprise for mom and dad for their anniversary."

"I don't know she said she'll be here soon like 4-5, calm down?"

Oliver closed the door as he stepped back inside and the door squeaked loudly as he closed it shut and soon I heard two sets of footsteps coming towards the room. The door swung open and there stood two guys, one had tanner skin while the other had paler skin, the tanner guy had thick black curly shoulder length hair and thick eyebrows and light brown eyes he wore a loose t-shirt and cargo shorts and blue sneaker while the other had bleach blonde hair, dark eyebrows and Grey eyes and wore a white sweater and jeans with red sneakers.

"Hey Olive" The tan boy said,

"Stop calling me that, Caleb!" Oliver yelled at him,

Caleb laughed and punched his arm in a joking kind of way before noticing me standing there next to him, they all almost towered over me even though I was only 5'6, he smiled at me and introduced himself as he was Oliver's younger brother who just turned 17 and then introduced Fenton who was 18 to turn 19 next year and was adopted into the family when he was a baby and grew up at the same time with Jeremiah, Fenton smiled at me shyly but quickly turned his attention to Caleb and Oliver.

"Who will be here soon?" Oliver asked them both.

"Krystelle." Fenton said quietly.

"Wait, really? For how long?"

"Well for mom and dad's anniversary of course maybe Halloween if her she's able to with college and all"

"Annabel you remember our sister Krystelle right? She used to 'babysit' us when our parents went out, well after high school she decided to go to college in Wisconsin for zoology and she's coming here tonight for our parent's anniversary." Oliver said to me.

They continue talking about what they had planned for the anniversary, which was gonna be on the 8th of September well their official dinner was going to be on the 8th, I sat back down on the bed as they continued talking when they all stopped talking and opened the door and listened closely and I listened and heard the door open, and stand up to see Caleb jump over the railing and jump down, then Fenton but Oliver stayed by the railing looking down and I walked over to Oliver and cautiously go over to the railing and held on for dear life and tried hard to ignore my thoughts that I'd fall off the railing and looked down to see a tallish tan woman with half her head shaved and long light brownish to dark brown hair over the boys having Caleb in a headlock and Fenton's head tightly around her thighs, they were in this position for a minute before Caleb spun around and had her pinned to the floor.

"Got you." Caleb said with a grin on his face,

We came down the stairs and see the woman begin laughing as she calls defeat and she lets Fenton go and they all stand up and dust themselves off, the woman sees us and smiles and hugs Oliver and turns her attention to me before grabbing me and giving me a hug as well.

"Hi, I'm Krystelle you probably don't remember me I'm Oliver's older sister."

"Hi I'm Annabel"

"Hi, I heard you were back in town I just had to see it for myself though, how long are you staying in Port Angeles if you don't mind me asking?"

"Hopefully forever."

Krystelle grabbed a box of stuff and began going upstairs with it while Fenton and Caleb followed behind asking her a ton of questions about Wisconsin and left me and Oliver down in the living room and soon it was just the two of us standing in awkward silence. I checked the time and it was 12:30 in the afternoon yet it still felt like it was morning, Oliver noticed and smiled up at me as I looked up from my phone, which I quickly put back into my pocket out of respect. He looked at me before grabbing my hand gently and dragging me to another part of his house, which was on the other side of the house and a small room sort of like a recording studio for an independent artist. It had a small couch enough for 2-3 at most, carpeted floor which was a light bluish color almost like sea foam, the whole theme for the room seemed to be a beach theme which almost gave a nostalgic feeling to me.

"This is a little room my dad and me built a few years back, I even decorated it to make me remember the good times, but it's forgetting one thing I'll be right back."

Oliver leaves me in the room alone and I began walking through looking at everything in there, two jars of multiple shaped sea shells on a medium-sized book shelf that stood in front of the couch and in the middle was emptiness. I looked around more and began hearing a sound almost like beach waves crashing into the sand as well as seagulls and furrowed my brow trying to see where the noise was coming from and notice two small speakers in the corners of the room near the couch and book shelf. Oliver comes back and has his hands behind his back and tells me to close my eyes which I do and hear him shuffling around and placing something down on wood and he tells me to open my eyes and I do and see the giant seashell from the childhood picture. It was so beautiful it almost made me swell up with tears, I ran my fingertips along the shell's hard yet smooth surface, I later looked it up and it was a queen conch shell.

"There, now this room is perfect."

He smiled at me and grabbed me and hugged me tightly his warmth radiating off him and onto me, he let go and held me there for a few minutes before placing his lips on mine for a second or two before letting go, he let go of me realizing what he had done and quickly apologized for kissing me so unexpectedly. He sat on the couch with his head in between his legs which were bouncing up and down nervously and I placed my hand on his shoulder, assuring him it was ok that he just got caught up in the moment.

"No, Annabel it's not ok, I kissed you when I have a girlfriend I shouldn't have done that, I'm sorry."

"It's ok, I mean it."

He sat there almost like he was contemplating telling his girlfriend about what happened and thinking about every scenario that would happen, including a few scenario's where she breaks up with him, the door opened and there she stood, Peyton. She looked me up and down and a smile crept upon her face like she knew Oliver would never cheat on her with me and she walked over to him and kiss him while looking at me almost like a slap in my face. They pulled apart and she put on the best fake smile I have ever seen and waited for Oliver to introduce us to each other.

"Peyton, this is my childhood friend, Annabel. Annabel, this is Peyton my girlfriend."

"Hi, you just moved here right? I think I've seen you at school, Port Angeles High right?" Peyton said to me.

"Yeah that's me."

"Cool, so yeah I'm just here to visit my sweet loving boyfriend and join him for dinner, right babe?"

She said this looking at Oliver and siting down next to him on the couch with her hand wrapped around his hand and tightening it to further claim Oliver, I stood by the bookshelf in an awkward way and didn't know whether I should sit down on the couch or just keep standing there. But I felt if I sat next to Oliver it might start something with Peyton so I stayed standing by the bookshelf with them sitting on the couch. I stood around just looking everywhere but at them when the door yet again opened and Krystelle's head popped out and she looked at me and saw the awkward situation and called me out there, Oliver turned towards her and I walked over to her and into the living room.

"Hey sorry you have to deal with that awkward stuff, if you want I can drive you home."

"Sure, I wouldn't want to impose on their time together."

"Well, I don't really know her but she seems the type to constantly need his attention, like one time we were on the phone and all I kept hearing from his side was her telling him to hang up the phone she wanted to talk to him."

"If you want me to take you home I can."

I nodded my head and followed Krystelle to her car, which was a bright red Jeep wrangler and got in the front passengers seat and we started driving away from the house and through the woods, the snow hitting the windshield and melting almost immediately. We just sat in the car as the music on the radio is playing softly to fill the silence in the car, I just kept my eyes on the surroundings next to us. The tall trees surrounding us becoming blurs of green and white, I completely shut myself off from everything and just became focus on the surroundings outside the window not paying attention to anyone and anything and it seemed as if everything was fast forwarding in time and I didn't even realize we were already back at my house till I felt a tap on my shoulder from Krystelle and turned to see we were in the driveway, just as I was about open the door Krystelle grabbed my arm and I looked at her.

"Look, I know things are awkward between you and him but just hang in there."

I smile at her and open the door and walk to the front door and go inside not looking back once as I hear the car drive away from the house.