I take another picture, but this one was from my nineteenth birthday. It’s a polaroid Amy took of me in the middle of eating my cake, my hand blocking most of the camera’s view. My parents weren’t here to celebrate this one either because there was a flood in Nicaragua while they were attempting to study jaguars and figure out how to help them from going extinct.
I let out a deep sigh as I put the pictures back where I got them from. I finish packing as I dread having yet another birthday without my parents. It wasn’t for another few weeks, but I knew something would come up like it always does, causing them to stay on their trip longer than anticipated.
Once everything I need is tucked in my suitcase, I call for an uber to take me to Amy’s house.
In ten minutes, I’m in the back of a small electric car, allowing my thoughts to drift to the mysterious Canon.
He’s not necessarily an asshole, but he’s not the nicest guy either. He’s confusing. I wish he was like Connor where he wore his obnoxiousness on his sleeves.
When I get to Amy’s house, she’s in the shower, so I walk down to one of the many guest rooms to start unpacking my suitcase. After I have all my clothes laid out neatly, I walk over to the dresser to figure out how I’m going to organize everything. When I turn to pick up more clothes, something in the doorframe causes me to scream, holding onto my chest.
Canon stands there with his shoulder leaning against the frame and his arms and ankles crossed.
“We have to stop meeting like this,” he chuckles as he straightens up.
“Are you trying to send me to the hospital?” I whisper shout, the small smile on his face causing my anger to dissipate by the second. “What are you doing here anyway? In the middle of the day on a Thursday. Don’t you have a job or something?”
“I can ask you the same thing,” he responds simply while simultaneously jerking his thumb to the room directly across the hall, “I’m staying across the hall.”
Dread fills my stomach, with a small mixture of fear. I didn’t sign up for this.
I gulp past the lump in my throat, “you’re staying…here?”
“Don’t sound too excited.”
Now is the time where I start planning Amy’s funeral. It makes so much sense why she’d want me to stay with her for a full summer now and leave it to Ame to leave out the fact her new, brooding brother is staying here too.
I just had to pick the room that was directly across the hall from him.
I realize I’m probably scowling at him and looking a little demented by the way his face screws up from what looks like uncomfortableness.
I should be the one uncomfortable since this is the second time he’s snuck up on me. It should be a crime at how stealthy he is.
Just as I’m about to respond, we both hear Amy humming as she gets ready in her room.
“Guess I’ll see you around,” Canon says before disappearing into the room across the hall and shutting the door behind him.
I walk over to the bed and plop down, trying to make sense of it all when Amy replaces the space Canon took up in the doorway.
I glare at her and cross my arms, surprised and not at the same time by how she manipulated me into staying here.
“What?” She asks as her dark wet hair flows down her back, her bare face making the young and innocent act she’s mastered over the years all the more convincing.
I just shake my head and go back to unpacking my suitcase.
Chapter 10
Demi
Dinner that night is…for lack of a better word…awkward.
Melinda is nursing her wine and has been staring at the same spot on the table since we sat down.
Canon is moving his food around his plate, the only noise coming from his side is the scrape of his fork on the plate.
Amy is nibbling on her dinner roll next to me, studying her freshly manicured nails.
Connor is having what looks like a heated discussion through text, not even acknowledging the fact he’s at a family dinner.