I arrived at home out of breath, panting and gasping, gulping down air like a fish out of water. Along the way home, I kept stumbling, tripping, and constantly looking over my shoulder. I couldn't shake the feeling that somebody was watching me.
All the outside lights were on, along with most of the lights inside, no doubt my mom was waiting for me. My house was big, bigger then we needed seeing as there were only two people living in the house now. The extra rooms are designated for the twins whenever they stay the night here, considering I had no other friends and all my other relatives lived out of state. I wonder if Mindy would one day be staying here just like the twins. Would she ever become a close friend of mine? I know we have the extra room if she does. I hope she can become one of my closest friends, I'm kind of looking forward to seeing her again tomorrow.
My house had a wide front porch with wooden rocking chairs and a table for relaxing. The color was a nice light brown cream color. We had several potted hanging plants hung up, and that's where the house key currently resided. I reached up and groped around in the soggy dirt for the key.
I'm sure my mother was worried sick by now, considering it had taken me awhile to run home with how clumsy I had run about. My fingers hit something cold, and I grabbed ahold of it, praying it was the house key and not some big bug. I shuddered just by the mental image of my hand opening up with a big bug staring up at me. Gah, I need to not think of that right now. I dropped my hand back down and slowly opened my hand up, relieved to see the key coldly pressed into my palm.
There was a rustling sound behind me and I whipped around, my eyes wide as saucers. I wildly looked around, trying to find the source of the noise. I took a deep breath and clutched at my chest, trying to convince myself it was just a raccoon or some other animal. I back up to the door, almost tripping again. I turned around in a flash and fumbled to put the key in the hole. It had never been this hard before and I was scared but getting more frustrated by the second! I finally managed to get the door open, and quickly stepped into the house, slamming the door shut behind me. The house was eerily quiet, and my nerves were already on edge. This was not good.
"Mom?" I called out softly. No response. Maybe she had gone out for a late night drink with her friends? She does that sometimes when she gets too stressed and I know I stressed her out a lot today. I tiptoed further into the house, peeking around the corner into the living room. I found my mom fast asleep on the couch, slightly shivering. Oh gosh, this woman. She's a full grown woman, but can't properly take care of herself. I love her, even though I'm half of the parent of this house. Sometimes she acts like a kid that I have to look after. I guess it's all part of our give and take roles as a two person family. I've grown up quick. The twins think that it isn't fair to me that I have to act like the parent. I would agree with them, but to me it feels like a necessity. It's not something that I can't do. I have to look out for my mom because there's nobody else who will.
I walk quietly to a dresser we have, and take out a soft blanket. I grab an extra pillow from a neighboring couch, and quietly walk back towards her. I hope she sleeps alright tonight, being on the couch and all. I know that can be uncomfortable. I slowly slip the soft white fuzzy blanket over her sleeping figure, and start to lift her head up slowly. She stirs and I freeze. I really don't want to wake her up. I know she hasn't gotten much sleep these past few days, just like me. My dad's death anniversary is coming up. I... I blame myself. I gulp heavily as I start to remember. I shake my head and remember that my mom needs me to take care of her right now. She's the priority, not my thoughts.
My mom stops moving and I lift her head up just a little bit further before placing the pillow underneath. I lower her head, and kiss her on the forehead. Her eyes flutter open and she softly smiles at me.
"Welcome home sweetheart". Her voice is a little groggy from sleep and I hold back a small laugh.
"Good night Mom, sweet dreams." I whisper quietly to her as her eyes start to shut again. I tiptoe out of the room and pick up the grocery bags I had discarded onto the floor by the front door. I cringe at how loud it crinkles. I pad down the hall and into the kitchen. I look at the oven clock and see that it's almost 10 pm. How on Earth did I stay out that late?! No wonder my mom was freaking out before!! I sigh, and start grabbing things out of bags and start putting them in the fridge or the cabinets. I wonder what she had to eat tonight, or if she even did. I contemplated if I should wake her up or not to see if she did but I noticed the dirty dishes when I turned around to go back to the living room.
Knowing that she had ate, I now wondered what I would eat. Shrugging, I grabbed a granola bar and an apple. Not much of a dinner but it's pretty late. I wandered up to my room and stripped of my shirt and pants. I walked into the attached bathroom and stripped the rest, remembering the feeling of being followed. If there was someone and they were looking through my room, I didn't want to get changed in front of them. I slapped my forehead. I'd just stripped off my clothes in front of them!! Well, in all actuality, I didn't 100% know if someone was following me.
I stood there for another minute, battling myself in my mind. Who even does that? No wonder I never get asked out and nobody likes me, I probably look weird with the faces I randomly make and how I look when spacing out talking to myself. I sighed and got in the shower. Maybe a hot shower would get everything off my mind, because it sure is crowded up there. Maybe I can actually get some sleep. But I know that isn't likely to happen. I rarely get a full night's sleep because my brain just doesn't know how to shut off. I take my time washing the grime from the alley off and massaging my scalp with my fingers. It was a good half hour before I stepped out again, pink all over with how hard I had scrubbed my skin with the loofah. I had a whole new skin, reminding me of how snakes shed their skin. I am so so strange, and for another uncountable amount of times, I smack myself in the forehead.
I wrap the short fluffy baby blue towel around my body, and step out of the bathroom. I rummage around in my drawers for a new pair of underwear and a set of pajamas. My pajamas always consist of loose short cotton shorts, and a tank top or an over sized shirt. I like to be comfortable while sleeping. Fun fact about myself: I don't wear long pants to bed because I don't like it when the pant legs get tangled with the sheets. When that used to happen, I would wake up and then have trouble falling back asleep, resulting in a shorter amount of sleep. I looked at myself in the mirror, tucking my towel into itself so it would stay up and reached over to my vanity and grabbed my brush. It was then while I was fighting with that tangles did I notice a note tapped to my window on the outside. I gasped and whirled around, yanking some of my hair out in the process.
"Owww!!" I gently take the brush out of my hair and on unsteady legs, make my way to my window. I open it up, shivering as the cold wind blasts my almost naked body, and rip the note from my window with shaky hands. I shut my window and locked it firmly, making a mental note to do that with every single window and door tonight because I wasn't taking any chances. I would have to go shopping for curtains tomorrow after school, seeing as I don't happen to have any. I never thought this sort of thing would happen to me. I mean, who would? I back up and I flump back onto the bed, my back hunched over the note. I look at it, my heart seeming to lose control of how fast it's supposed to be beating.
"I would recommend you get some shades, but I like how you look without clothes on too much ;) ~H.S." I stare at the note, rereading it a thousand times over. The handwriting is rough, but I don't mind it. I'm staring at the initials trying to figure out if I know anybody with those initials. Nothing is coming to mind. Maybe Hunter? Because his name starts with H, but I can't remember for the life of me what his last name was. You'd think I would remember after being traumatized by that man, but so much happened tonight that I can barely make sense of it. Gah, this is going to drive me crazy!! How could I possibly have been so forgetful?! I'm biting my bottom lip and rubbing my forehead when a thump comes from my window and my body jumps in fright, causing me to tumble off the bed. I rub my hip after landing on it. Ow. I look up to see another post-it note stuck onto my window with tape. Does this person just carry tape around with them or what?? I stare at the note for a second before springing up and throwing open my window.
"Who's there?!" I knew shouting would probably wake some people up, but I didn't care anymore. Somebody did follow me home!!
I squint out and see a hooded muscular figure jogging away. I couldn't possibly figure out who it was from so far away. I sigh before I tear the note off. I shut the window and relock it before going back to my bed and taking up the same position. I realized that I was still in my towel and I was starting to get cold. I sighed, the note can wait a minute or two. I finish brushing my hair, my curiosity making me brush it quick. I dropped my towel, confident that whoever it was had left. My back was to the window anyway. I threw my towel onto the bathroom floor and hurriedly put my clothes on. I nearly sprinted to my bed, my curiosity couldn't take the wait anymore. Breathless, I read the note.
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Sorry not sorry for the cliffhanger haha, but what would your reaction be if a note suddenly appeared with a thump on your window and you were just followed home??