I'm not sure how long I've been standing here with my hand hovering over the doorbell. Am I ready for this? What if he's still pissed at me? When I left, things weren't great between us. My father made sure of that.
I looked at the door again and decided that it's wasn't a good idea to see him just yet. I turned and was about to leave when the door was yanked open, and Mrs. Moore stood there smiling.
"I'm glad you could make it!" She said, reaching out and grabbing my hand, effectively stopping my retreat.
"Ummm, yeah, sure." I pulled my hand free and stuffed them in my pockets.
"Well, come on in! The boys are already in the dining room." she opened the door wider and gestured for me to step inside.
Butterflies exploded in my stomach as I took a deep breath and walked inside. Warm air and the delicious smell of homemade food hit me, and my stomach rumbled. How long has it been since I last had a homemade meal? Or a decent meal in general?
Father wasn't much of a cook, and whatever money we did have mainly went to take out.
I looked around and smiled a little. The house hasn't changed in all this time. It's a small two-story house. When you walk in, the stairs are off to the right, and a narrow hallway leads to the living room. the dining room is off to the left hidden by a wall. The kitchen is through a sliding door connected to the dining room.
I felt a hand on my shoulder. "Don't be afraid. Let's go eat."
I hadn't realized just how long I had been standing there looking around. My heartbeat accelerated as I followed her through the hallway and into the living room.
"Boys! Our guest is here!" Mrs. Moore called out as we entered the living room.
"Mom, who is our guest?" The voice that spoke was deep and rumbling. It sounded like him but much older. His voice sent a shiver through me. It would seem puberty has been kind to Malachi.
"Yeah, Mrs. M, we have been waiting forever; I'm hungry." This voice sounded a bit younger, not as deep as Malachi's.
"You boys need to learn patience." This voice belonged to Mr. Moore. I'd recognize his voice anywhere.
Loud laughing broke the air. It seems like there are more people here. We walked further into the room, and all of the noise stopped as I stood next to Mrs. Moore.
I looked up, and there at the table sat three boys. Two of them looked to be twins; they had light brown hair and similar builds. One was just slightly more muscular than the other, with matching green eyes. They are handsome. Strong jawlines and sharp cheekbones.
The one sitting next to the twins looked a bit younger. With baby blue eyes and light blonde hair. He was cute, like the boy next door cute.
Then there was Malachi. His black hair that was always short has grown out some and curls around his ears. His steel grey eyes stared at me with an unreadable look. His face has gotten more handsome. He looks like any bad boy from books I've read and I can see a tattoo peaking out from under his shirt near his neck.
The silence was deafening. It was only broken by the sound of Malachi's chair moving as he stood up.
"Sarah? Is that you?" Disbelief colored his words.
I stared at him and reached up and rubbed the back of my neck. "Yeah it's me, been awhile huh?"
He didn't saw anything else. He just stared at me. Then his beautiful face morphed into one of anger.
"What are you doing here? Why did you come back!?" His mother gasped next to me.
"Malachi Andrew Moore! Is that anyway to speak to your friend! Who you haven't seen in three years!" His mother was furious and confused.
Malachi scowled. "She is not my friend, why are you back?"
I looked away so he wouldn't see the hurt in my eyes. I should have known this was going to happen. I turned to his mother.
"I should go, I don't think it's a good idea for me to stay." I gave her a strained smile.
"What!? No then how will you eat? You have no one at home to take care of you!"
"What do you mean mom? Her father can take care of her." He said mockingly.
"No he can't! He's dead!" She shouted. I winced. Why did she have to say that out loud!!
"What? He died?" Malachi asked, as he turned to look at me.
"Ummm, yeah….he died two days ago." I said weakly. I couldn't bring myself to look at him. So I turned to his mother instead. "I should go, thank you anyway."
"But-"
"Honey, let her go." Mr. Moore interrupted. I looked over at him and his face was unreadable. Mrs. Moore frowned but said nothing else. I mustered up enough courage to look at Malachi one last time and his face was blank. I lowered my eyes and turned, leaving out the way I came.
I knew this was a bad idea, but I wanted to see him again. Even if he still hates me. My heart feels heavy. I didn't realize just how much I hurt him before I left. Tears gathered in my eyes.
Once I stepped outside, cold air blow across my face cooling the trail tears falling down my face. I was halfway across the street when I heard my name being called. I turned and saw Malachi standing on his porch.
"I'm sorry for your loss." Malachi's words hit me and it made me laugh.
He stared at me like I was crazy. I laughed until they turned into sobs. "I'm not, I'm glad he's dead. You have no idea what I've been through at his mercy Malachi."
His gaze became sad as he looked at me. What a sight I must look like to him. I turned and walked back to my house. The house that is full of good and bad memories. A house that feels empty. I opened the door and looked back at him one more time, but he had already gone back inside; closing the door, I leaned back against it and slid to the floor.
A feeling of deep loneliness and sadness threatened to drown me. Was this my life now? I have no family, no one to rely on, and an ex-best friend who hates me?
I slowly stood up and made my way to my room. I climbed the stairs, and with each step, my feelings slowly became numb until I couldn't feel anything else. Probably not a good thing but for now, I don't care.
Once I made it to my room, I shut the door and locked it before turning out the light and falling onto my bed. I kicked off my shoes and curled up into a ball; I stared into the dark until sleep took me.