Sienna got in her car and began to drive. She didn't care where she was going as long as she was getting out of her house. As she drove by the leafless trees, and solemn winter landscaping of her neighborhood she couldn't help but feel like the environment was a reflection of how she was feeling.
She turned into Gainswood, a street she was all too familiar with and parked her car in front of Andrew's parents house. She sat in her car contemplating whether she should walk up to the stately front door. A disinflated reindeer and Santa Claus laid on the grass, while holiday icicle lights hung off the roof of the house, waiting for the evening to come. The garage door was open and Andrews' car was parked in the driveway. It seemed like everybody was home. Could Sienna confront Andrew at his own house?
She ran her fingers through her hair and took a look at herself in the rearview mirror. She approached the door and rang the doorbell. Standing in the brick paved entrance she felt her chest tighten. What if Paige was right? What if Andrew was cheating on her?
Andrew's mom offered Sienna a warm greeting and motioned for her to go in. Sienna followed her inside the house. The house had always been cold. It felt barely lived in, everything was always in its place. If it wasn't because she had been there numerous times she would have thought it was a model home. As Sienna exchanged pleasantries with Andrew's mother in the foyer she looked at her phone out of habit, hoping that maybe Paige would text her and tell her she was lying. That Andrew wasn't a cheater. She was terrified of the confrontation that was about to occur. If she confronted him and she was right, then she'd be hit with some of the worst news of her life. If she confronted him and was wrong, then she'd look like an idiot.
"Hey, Sienna, what are you doing here?" A fresh faced Andrew came hopping down the stairs. He wrapped his arms around Sienna and gave her a kiss on the lips. "How are you?" He asked.
Sienna and Andrew sat in the living room while Andrew's mom took off to the kitchen. Now, in the silence of the house it was time for Sienna to speak. She studied Andrew's face, it didn't look any different from the last time she had seen him. He was in a casual outfit, black jeans, a black t-shirt with his favorite dark slate colored bomber jacket.
"I'm good, I thought you were going to work" Sienna said subtly tugging on Andrew's jacket.
"Ugh yeah I go in at four thirty but I have to stop by the store to get a new phone. I dropped mine this morning and it just died on me." Andrew replied, pulling his broken phone out of his pocket.
"Oh I thought you'd be changed and ready to go by now if you've gotta stop by the store and everything" Sienna said looking at the time on her phone. "It's already three thirty. Aren't you going to be late?" She asked.
"No, it's fine. You know how I drive. I'll make it to the store and to work super fast. What's up babe? I didn't expect you to come over." He replied, quickly changing the subject.
Sienna wasn't dumb and caught on to the quick subject change and decided to just ask what she went there to ask.
"I spoke to Paige, she says she overheard a phone conversation you were having with another girl. She also said you had somehow tried to intimidate her." Sienna looked at Andrew's face, searching for a hint, some sort of reaction that would answer her question before the words came out of his mouth.
Andrew's face turned pale before it suddenly turned red. He let out a chuckle and his face went from blank to incredulous. "Wait, wait, wait. You're telling me that your roommate is now going around making stuff up about me? Sienna, don't you see that girl is nuts? Did you forget how much you hated her when you met her? Do you think someone with that track history is trustworthy?" Andrew looked pissed, he balled up his fists which made Sienna extremely uncomfortable. She had never seen him get this angry.
"You didn't really answer my question, Andrew." Sienna replied, unable to decide what she was feeling inside. It was like there was a numbness feeding on her.
"Fuck no. Why would I cheat? Who would I even cheat with? That girl's fucking nuts, dude. I can't believe you'd even come to my house and ask me if I'm cheating on you. We've been together for how long and you're taking her word over mine? That's messed up!" He responded, moving forward on the couch, his head on his hands, he tapped his foot and looked up at Sienna with watery eyes.
"No, Andrew. I just, I don't know what to believe anymore. We just got engaged, I don't know why I'd assume you'd cheat on me, if you were cheating you wouldn't ask to marry me." Sienna replied, feeling like an idiot just like she predicted she probably would. She sat next to Andrew and put her hand on his lap.
"It's alright. Some people can't stand seeing others happy. Don't let her take our moment, baby" He responded, pulling Sienna in for a hug. "I gotta run. Work, you know? Don't wanna be late." Andrew said standing up. He gave Sienna a quick kiss. "You can stick around if you want, hang out with my mom." He said, running upstairs to change.
"No, it's fine. I think I'm going to head out." Sienna replied, making her way toward the front door. "Say bye to your mom for me, tell her I'll come see her again before I leave for school."
Sienna made her way toward her car. Now, she was more confused than ever and she couldn't shake the feeling that something was off. Something was off about Andrew, about his demeanor, the way he was speaking to her. Had just a few months away in school really made such a difference in the guy she thought she knew?
Sienna had to talk to Paige again. She had to get all this sorted out.
As soon as she got back in her car she looked down at her phone. She hadn't heard from Paige since earlier in the day and she just needed to hear the sound of her voice. It seemed to be the only thing that soothed her these days. She found her number in her contacts and made the call.