"You slobber in your sleep."  I opened my eyes to Almond's smiling face.

"What? Hell no!" I screamed and rushed for the bathroom, almost tripping on the way. I looked into the dusty mirror and saw nothing. Wiping it a bit with my palm, I looked again. Nothing. Just the face of a tired girl looking back at me.

I marched back to the room and threw a pillow at him.

"Why did you scare me?"

"Drooling scares you?" He laughed, catching it and placing it back on the bed.

"No, idiot. Knowing someone watched me drooling scared me. It's embarrassing." I yawned. Somehow I still felt tired. "What time is it?"

"Lat time I checked, it was eight thirty." He picked up a plate I hadn't seen before. "I wanted you to have a nice sleep so I had breakfast before you. I can get you some if you're hungry though."

"Eight thirty?" I sat up and wiped my eyes.

"Didn't you hear anything I said?" He walked towards what I believed was the kitchen. How big was this place anyway?

"You should have woken me up." I shouted. "How am I going to explain my leaving the house to my stepmother? You know I can't just tell her I jumped through the window."

"You jump back in."

"Are you crazy?" I stood up and walked to the kitchen. "How do you expect me to jump all the way up there? And how... What are you doing?"

This kitchen was no kitchen at all. Okay maybe it looked like a kitchen but I couldn't find any stove or gas or cupboards. Just a very tall fridge and the right corner and a few plates and a microwave on the counter. There wasn't even a sink.

"Preparing breakfast." He turned to open the fridge. "Orange, apple or peach?"

"What?" I was still looking at the kitchen.

"Juice. Orange, apple or peach?"

"Orange. Where's the sink? At least this person should have a sink."

"I don't like doing the dishes so I didn't see any need for that."

"Wait a minute! I thought you said you didn't know who built it." I asked him quizzically.

"I don't. I just know my father had them build it for me." He brought out two glasses from the fridge.

"So the silent house is yours. Why so quiet though?"

"My aunt who just gave birth decided to come spend some time here. Everyone has to be quiet when the baby's asleep and she's sensitive to bright lights. She wakes up if you turn on the lights in the night."

"And the bike?"

"Her seven year old daughter."

"Oh. Wow."

"Are you going to eat now?" He placed the glasses in a tray and a plate of chocolate chipped cookies.

"Yeah." I stepped back so as to let him pass with the tray.

"So what are you going to tell them?"

"I honestly don't know." I looked out of the car window.

I didn't notice the drive was very long yesterday but I think we've been on the road for about twenty minutes now.

"I can go in with you. Talk to them."

"Are you crazy? I sneak out of the house at night and then return with a boy and they're just going to listen to you and say okay." I rolled my eyes at him. "It's better I go in alone."

"You're sure?"

"Yes. I'm sure."

"Alright then. I think we're here." He stopped the car and got out. Well, partly. I pulled him back in.

"What did I say about going alone?"

"Sorry". He raised his hands. "Call me when you've settled everything. On your own." He quoted with his fingers.

"Yeah." I got out of the car. "Bye."

"And where are you coming from?" My dad surprised me by standing on the front porch. 

"Um, a friend's place." I smiled. And went to hug him. "Welcome home dad."

He hugged me back. "Yes. Thank you. What friend?"

"A new friend of mine. We were reading together."

"I don't see you with any book."

I looked down at my hands. I wasn't even holding a bag. What kind of lie was that?

"Um, we read hers. She has a more comprehensive note so I decided it better to read hers."

"Okay." He turned to go inside. "Where did your sisters go?"

"I don't know. They left last night with their mother." I followed him inside, happy that he didn't ask how I left the house. Maybe he thought I left before Eunice and her girls left.

"Oh, and I got you something." He turned around and gave me a box. A little brown box. It looked eerily familiar but I managed to smile.

"Thanks dad." I hugged him.

"I hope you love Pandora."

"I'll love this one." I took the box and walked up to my room.

As I closed my door, I brought out my phone to call Almond. He answered on the second ring.

"Hello."

"My dad bought the lie and my stepmother isn't back yet so I'm safe."

"Safe?"

"Yeah. What's wrong with you? Are you mad I didn't take your jump in through the window idea?" I teased him, laughing.

"Barbara, what's wrong with you? What are you talking about?" Cameron asked. I could almost imagine him frowning. Wait a minute! Cameron?

"I'm so sorry. I thought I was talking to someone else." I covered my mouth in embarrassment.

"Let me guess." He said dryly. "Almond."

"Um" I didn't know what to say. If I said yes, he'd suspect something was going on between us. And if I said no, well,he won't still believe me. If I said I could explain, that would be so much worse.

"Yes. Him. You went to see him."

"Yes, I did." I sparked. He was really getting me angry. "I don't remember anytime when I had to report to you before going out. What's your issue with Almond anyway? Why are you so jealous?"

"Jealous?" He laughed. " Why would I be jealous?"

"Because you like me and you don't like it when I spend more time with him. That's why."

"Really?"

Really? That one word brought me back to my senses. What had I done? What if he really didn't like me? I'd look like a fool then. And he sounded like he didn't. Relax Barbara. Just tell him you didn't mean it. Yes, I could do just that.

"Look, Cameron, I"

"You know what's funny?"

Funny? He thought it was funny. What have I done?!!!

"Is that you're absolutely right. You know,"

"What! I'm right? Like you really like me?" I had to take my phone off my ears for a few seconds to regain my composure. "So you're serious." I said more like a statement than a question.

"Yes. It took me damn long to say it and took you even longer to notice. So what gave me away?"

"Almond." I could already see him frowning. "I went to his house yesterday and..." And what? How can I tell him what happened? It would only get him angry. "I just realized I liked him just as a friend." That wasn't really a lie.

"And me?" I don't know why I felt that he was smiling.

"More than a friend."

First I heard the door open with so much force then I began to hear the shouts.

"I'll talk to you later Cam."

"Sure,babe." He waited for me to hang up.

I threw my phone on the bed and it landed just beside my Pandora box and I rushed out of the room.

From the top of the stairs, I could already guess what was happening. Dad and Eunice shouting at each other. I walked down, making sure they noticed my presence.

"Well,well,well. Dear Barbara." Eunice said with an evil smile on her face.

"Eunice, not this way." Dad protested.

"What's going on here?" Hailey walked in with Laney behind her. They looked just as confused as I was.

"Nothing sweethearts. I just brought in a long awaited visitor."

Visitor, who?

It was just dad, Eunice, Hailey, Laney and me. Who was the visitor?

"Did I walk in on something?" She smiled as she came in, her probably six inch shoes glittering in the doorway. Were those real diamonds?

"You?" Dad exclaimed as though he'd seen a ghost.

"Colin." She gasped. Her face suddenly went pale.