Love & Loss

four

Avery

ღ

After watching two episodes of Untamed my eyes were shutting down by the second, I shut down my laptop before placing it on my desktop.

Ping! Ping!

I picked up the phone staring at the unknown caller ID— Who could it be calling me at this hour? Nervously I accepted the call.

"Hello who am I speaking with?" I asked curiously.

"Hey sunflower," the voice said.

Desmond.

"Oh um hey, what do you want?" I asked.

Wait, how did he even get my number, and I didn't remember giving it to him?

"The assignment, you didn't sent the information," he replied.

I put my phone on speaker as I was too tired to hold it— much less to grab the earphone from the table. Shuffling of things could be heard on the other side of the speaker.

"Sunflower, why are you so quiet," he questioned.

"I'm tired, do you know what time it is now moron?" I asked rudely.

His deep voice echoed throughout my room as my face lit up from his laugh, "Jeez it's just after ten sleepyhead?"

"Wait, how'd you get my number, Desmond?" I hesitated. There was a short pause on the phone before he replied, "That's a secret sunflower."

What does he mean it's a secret? I don't recall giving out my number to anyone nor do I have any friends— or maybe he went...

"Sunflower, are you sleeping?"

Desmond snapped me out of my thoughts once more— this time I didn't reply to him, instead I stayed quiet for some reason.

"Good night Avery, sweet dreams," he whispered.

My heart skipped a beat from the kind gesture I waited until he hanged up to release the breath I've been holding.

I smiled for the first time... A real smile. It's been years since I heard someone told me sweet dreams— For the first in a long time, I fell into a peaceful slumber.

ღ

Beep! Beep! Beep! Beep! Beep! Is it morning already and I just went to bed? Note my sarcasm. I pressed the snooze button on my phone and got up.

Grumpily, I head into my small bathroom turn on the water, and took a cold shower. My eyes skipped to the bruise on my wrist, a small scab was on it now. I grabbed some ointment and rub some on it to speed up the healing process. After I was done, I proceeded to brush my teeth. Today's weather was expected to be windy....Yes, I check the weather in the mornings to be on the safe side.

Roaming through my closet, I picked out a purple long sleeve turtle neck blouse with a mid-thigh skirt and my white converse shoes.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

"Avery, if you're awake, hurry up and get downstairs for family breakfast, fat twerp," Summer yelled.

I scoffed, when since we have family breakfast? Unbelievable! Nevertheless, I dragged on my clothes and grabbed my bag alongside with a small umbrella.

Nervousness filled my body as soon as I stepped outside, usually, I'll just slip through the back door but today is much different. Standing at the top of the stairs —they were the perfect family. Don't get me wrong I don't hate them nor do I like them, it's somewhat in between.

"Hey Avery come on down," Mom said.

I gripped the handle of my bag, "Morning Mom and Dad."

I was good at hiding my feeling with a fake smile— it was a coping mechanism of mine to fit in per say.

"Mom I have school you know, what's with the big announcement?" Summer broke the silence.

Now all of a sudden Summer was interested in school and Winter on the other hand looked unbothered as if she rather be somewhere else than here.

"I'm sorry honey, your father and I will be going on a small vacation for two weeks, so we won't be here to monitor you three—However, look after each other and be nice," she emphasized.

Vacation.

For two weeks.

What could possibly go wrong.

Everyone turned to look at me waiting for my response— I simply nodded before they went back to their normal routine. I stood on the sidewalk waiting for the school bus to arrive.

Ping! Ping!

The stupid phone was in my bag bottom.

Unlocking my phone, it was a message from Desmond stating that he was going to pick me up for school in the next five minutes— I replied with a thumbs-up emoji unsure of what to say. Summer and Winter came out giggling as they both stared at me before entering their cars.

Our old neighbor, Linda muttered to herself, "Kids these days."

I chuckled at her comment whilst she went back to watering her lovely daffodils. Desmond pulled up a few minutes later in his car giving me a wide smile, "You didn't have to pick me up y'know, I always take the bus."

"Good morning to you too sunflower, this is your captain speaking, please enter the car," he said in a British accent.

I laughed at his words before following up on his antics.

I opened the car door and went inside, "You're a horrible captain, you could've opened the door for me."

His face began to turn red out of embarrassment before he laughed lightly and began our journey to school.