•|Chapter Nine|•

September 9, 2017

I woke with a jolt,the sun blinding me as I reached for my phone checking the time. I payed back down sighing, trying to calm myself from the almost heart attack I gave myself. I still had thirty minutes until I had to get ready to leave.

I stared up the the ceiling, lost in my thoughts. Lost in my thoughts of my dad, Brandon, and Spencer. Thoughts of the accident and what my life would be like if Spencer was still here, if I didn't call him that night.

I got out of my bed and put on an old pair of sweatpants and a sweatshirt, just throwing my long albrurn hair in a messy bun.

I grabbed my phone and bag and knocked on Keivin's door before entering. Noticing he was still asleep I looked around but didn't see the keys to the car. Sighing I began to shake him.

Upon seeing that it was me who woke him he groggily groaned "what?" before he began to sit up.

"Where are the keys? Do you need a ride?"

"In my bag pocket, and I guess you could drop me off at Chris's."

I nodded my head, and headed over to his backpack and reached in the pocket, exept my hand came around something foil like and not metal. Slowly I took my hand out only to drop it right back in when I noticed it not only was a gronola bar wrapper, but a condom still in the package as well.

I reached into the other pocket, glad to find the keys in that one. When I turned back around I guess my face must've shown how uncomfortable I was because he muttered "shit" under his breath.

"It's not what you think-"

"I don't want to know. Just be ready in three minutes to go." I walked out of his room shaking my head heading into the kitchen. I went to grab a banana, but the event that just took place had me cringing. I decided on toast with peanut butter spread.

Keivin came into the kitchen with a sheepish look on his face blushing. When he saw me he rubbed the back of his neck.

"It's not-"

"I don't want to know any details. I just want to know if you are in a relationship and didn't tell me." I stared into his brown eyes as he somewhat tensed. "Keivin, answer the question," I had a warning tone in my voice.

He sighed, raking his hand through his hair. "I was at Chris's spending the night last weekend and one thing led to another and..."

"Keivin, why didn't you tell me you were gay? You know I'd love you still-" he cut me off, his eyes wide.

"Oh, no. Nonono. I'm not gay autumn. I um, their was a party and Chris told me I might get lucky and I did just," he looked down at his hands.

"Just what?"

"I just, I think I'm Bi. I just I really like this girl, but I messed it up because I may have hit on her friend infront of her, but then she also saw me kiss another guy at the party and has been keeping her distance and just I don't know what to do and-" he rambled on.

"Okay, we'll talk later okay? Just, keep the keys on your dresser or on your nightstand, and find a better hiding place. Because if mom found them you'd be dead."

" Yeah. Spence really got a talking to, but then again it was used and in the bathroom garbage can..."

"Yeah," I faintly smiled remembering how embarrassed Spencer had been and how much trouble he had been in. "Come on, let's go." Keivin nodded as he followed me.

Once we were in the car I turned on a CD Brandon and I had made filled with our favorite songs. Far Away by Nickelback filled the car, causing the tension to leave my shoulders.

Once outside Chris's house Keivin turned to me.

"Please don't tell anyone I might be Bi. I just I'm not sure, I'm still figuring it out and I don't know how dad would take it." He looked so panicked and scared. I smiled at him and nodded my head.

"I promise I won't. As long as you don't get someone pregnant or get a STD I'll stay quiet."

He gave me a tight smile before he got out and walked to Chris's house.

~

The house was huge and twenty minutes out of town. It even had private gates that were thankfully opened as I pulled in. It would've been awkward if I'd have to buzz on the intercom or message Brooke. Slowly I got out of the car and made my way to the giant oak front doors. I waited a few moments after I knocked to ring the doorbell.

The white bricks glistened in the morning sun, it was almost blinding. I don't know how someone could keep their house so clean on the outside. The plant in the corner on the porch reminded me of something you'd store a spare key in, especially with the three big rocks that were inside of it.

Brooke answered the door with a smile, her blonde hair also up in a messy bun. She let me in and led me up a giant staircase, down a hallway, and into a room that looked more like a tiny apartment just without a kitchen.

Everything in this house was white, exept Brooke had random spashes of color most being different shades of pink.

"I'll go get my computer real quick, feel free to sit wherever," she quickly said before rushing out of the room

Not knowing what to do I stood awkwardly in the middle of the room before I slowly made my way to the tiny living room and sat on the white plush couch with pink throw pillows. I awkwardly got out the packet and sat their waiting for Brooke to return.

When she came back in she smiled a huge smile and say down next to me.

"So what color do you want the slides to be? I was thinking that we could have a picture of us on the first slide with our names and basic information, and after that we could go everyother slide and everyother will be a different color because we have different favorite colors?" She all but rambled, a glint in her hazel eyes.

I shrugged my shoulders, "Sure."

"Okay, but that brings up the question of what do you want me to share with the class? We will be sharing your first and last name, birthday, favorite colors, your family, but what else should I include about you?"

I couldn't help but feel like this was a trap. That any minute now her claws would come out and I would regret not meeting her in a more public setting.

"Well, I'd like to not go too deep on my family?" I told her but it sounded more like a question. She just nodded her head. "Ummm, we could share my hobbies or things I like?"

"Okay, I'll want my basic hobbies and stuff I like shared too."

We worked for hours on the slide show and we're almost done when a door downstairs slammed and Brooke became tense next to me on the couch in the actual living room of the mansion. We had been getting along so well I was waiting for her fake face to disappear and her true colors to shine through.

"Brooke!" A man's voice yelled out. It sounded like he wasn't happy. Not like he was sad or angry, but like he was disappointed.

She regained her composure and called out to him. "I'm in the living room Jared," but she had no need to because he was standing in the doorway already. He was the guy from Frezno'z from a few weeks ago.

His eyes landed on me and he smiled. "Hello, I'm Jared. You were Ava?" He held out his hand.

I shook my head, "No I'm Autumn." I shook his hand looking into his eyes. He seemed surprised that I actually looked into them before he regained his composure back.

"I'm sorry but I need to speak to Brooke real quick. Well be right back." He hauled her up by her arm and dragged her out of the room.

I awkwardly sat there waiting for her to return so we could finish up this project. We had three more slides left, and we both had to do the paragraphs still, but it looked like we would be done soon. Looking at the time I see it's one thirty-one and decide to scroll through Instagram.

It was two fifteen when Brooke entered the room again. Her eyes were bloodshot. I gave her a questioning look, but she just smiled a mega watt smile and continued on the slides. We finished around five and agreed to message each other a brief outline of what we put into our paragraphs before I left heading home.