PART 3 STRUCK THE BELL

 PART 3 STRUCK THE BELL

"I know my age and I act like it". I do. I am a teenager. I'm in New York. I go to Lawford High School. I have a home to myself since my parents are currently out to London. I am disciplined and a good girl. Plus, i don't make much noise to wake the neighbours, the point to care about is just it that they don't hear me. That all sums up to one exciting conclusion- I am a free teenager.

-

I burnt my little finger a bit for baking the red velvet cookies. It doesn't hurt but stings, it will be okay. I just can't wait for the party tonight. It's just me and my only two friends on earth. We will be watching the SOUR documentary and singing some songs, and then the night is done.

 I told you. I am a good girl.

 

The bell rings and I know they are here.

But moon-stricken of me to see his face here at my doorstep.

 

I didn't realize obviously that I was looking at him for a bit too long in a shocked state before Adam snapped his ring finger.

"What? Are you surprised?" He is chuckling while his red hairs fall to his forehead and the man with brunette hairs before me looks kind of flushed.

Oh my god.

 

"Yeah" I say sliding a hand down my curls. "I mean you didn't mention about bringing a friend with you. Its fine by the way, I have already baked a lot more than estimated."

I shot a blunt look at him while his eyes search some embarrassment in me. And to be honest, I don't think I wanted to meet him today. It was going to be our trio. Guess I'll have to fit in because both my other friends can, while I don't know about him. I doubted if he was even social.

 

I call them in and they sit in the couch, and on their phones while I keep the cookies safe inside a box. Because I feel someone looking more at me than his phone. I stop and quickly look back to catch and I knew he was looking. He jumped a bit and back to his phone. I should really keep these cookies somewhere secret.

 

After a while, when I was almost done, Adam comes in the kitchen. He stands beside me straight in a way not to let any syllable between us to fumble in the air.

"I am sorry, I think I should have told you." He scrunched his nose and I wanted to break it right now.

"Yeah I think so too." I raise an eyebrow.

"I know you have trouble being in vicinity of someone you don't know but I couldn't help too. His parents are going out for tonight and he conveyed the same to me. Look, like seriously please don't laugh", I looked in his face hiding my lips signing an incoming wrongdoing.

He quickly starts throwing hands in the air signing to calm down, I think it's serious.

 

"Okay" I whisper and shut the box when the cookies are packed.

"Please just don't, he'll know. It is that he fears being alone."

I stop moving. It is not something to laugh about.

I look at Adam with concerned eyes he knows I want to know why. We've been friends for longer than I remember and reading eyes is what we do best.

"Well, i don't know the reason behind but it's a phobia for him I guess. So he'll stay with me, with you, like with us tonight."

"Sure, no problem." I walk away keeping the box inside the cupboard. I hate phobias though.

 

It's been 2 hours since the surrounding air seems to be breathing a new scent, I am not sure if I like it. We stayed at the couch, Adam on his phone, me reading a killer documentary and he is sleeping with his hand supporting his head leaning on the spongy arm of the couch. Darting my eyes away from my book, I take a look at his face. It definitely radiates a new shine I've never seen before, and it feels like he's dreaming something sore. His brows seem a little furrowed at the front. At all times I hate odd arrangements. I feel a little uncomfortable looking at his crumpled tendons, and my hands are twitching. I finally stand up and move my index and thumb fingers together round his brows to straighten the line

And he wakes up the exact moment.

 

I jump back a bit and step backward to look if he's fine. His eyes shot up at me immediately. He didn't flinch though at my touch but he woke up and that’s enough to tell me he's alert all the damn time.

 

"Sorry if that hurt but I just thought straightening the line could peace your dream. A nightmare?"

He is still looking at me with white expression as if I shouldn't have done whatever I did. I don't feel sorry or anything, those brows just did something to me I can't explain.

He soothes a bit after a while. Straightens his back and says with a breathing sigh as if he was working the whole time in his dream.

"No. It was just something I have never seen before."

"What was it?" I quickly said smiling wide since I love listening to other's dreams a lot. This is my favourite kind of time pass with people.

He eyes me like telling someone his dreams is the last thing he ever wants to do.

"It’s okay, it was nothing new just those big black monsters."

"What kind?" I said taking my seat back on the couch, facing him eagerly to tell more.

"They were just these like 12 feet tall and had big black coats draped all over their bodies, and were floating in the air." He says flying his hands in the air, into the scene. "The town where I was living in my dream had people telling me that these big creatures only come out at night and hunt people down who are out in the dark, so they stay inside after 7 in the afternoon."

He looked at me nodding.

"Impressive" I said smiling bright, "but why were you stressed?"

 

He flinched a little at my question. He looked away and swayed his eyes here and there, looking if he could lie but he can't, at least not to me.

"Ah, I just encountered one and kind of got scared of the dark."

He smiled a little at me and I understood and realized, and passed a peaceful one to him too.

"Ooo, okay" I went back to my book and he pulled out his phone.

 

We stayed like this for another half an hour until Lily, my other friend, finally knocked the door.

"Hi, I was afraid you wouldn't come." I enlarged my eyes to alarm a kind of danger and hugged her on the doorway. Lily and Adam had been friends before I joined them, but it feels like they argue a lot since Adam threw a cushion right when she stepped in.

 

"Adam that is so disgusting.”