A Surreptitious Relationship

:A Surreptitious Relationship: Chapter Fifty

             Thursday morning I arose bright and early, forcing myself out of my bed. Today was the zoo trip. Groggily, I trudged my way to my door, ready to go take a shower. Before I could open it myself though, it suddenly burst open, nearly slamming me in my face. In my tired state, instead of having a startled reaction a normal person would, I just stared at it. It didn't register in my mind doors weren't supposed to open like that. Unless you had the force...

             Lance suddenly appeared in the doorway, his gaze on my bed. "Holl— huh? Holly's not here!"

             "What? She didn't say she was staying at Mr. Heywood's!"

             "Quick, get back in the car, we'll go there!"

             "She's not there," I interjected, covering a yawn.

             Lance's head snapped toward me. "Holly! There you are!"

             "Yep. Here I am."

             "Do you need to take a shower, or are you ready to go?"

             "I need to shower... Why are you here? And so early too?"

             A smirk spread across his lips. "Secret."

             "I take it Chris isn't driving us to the school then?"

             "Nope," Lance responded, putting his hands on my shoulders and steering me out of my room, toward the bathroom. "Now hurry and get ready."

             Frowning, I stumbled a bit from his pushing. It was too early in the morning to be forced to walk quickly. "Why hurry? We don't have to be at the school until eight... It's only six."

             "Just go!" Casey urged, opening the door for me. "I'm going to say hi to your mom."

             "Don't, she needs her sleep," I warned her, stopping at the threshold of the bathroom. "Just wait a little bit. She'll wake up at seven."

             Casey pouted. "Fine. I guess we can stay here until seven. We'll have breakfast, Lance."

             His eyes widened. "Good idea!"

             "Don't make a mess," I said, staring at Casey pointedly. "And don't burn the house down."

             She waved me off. "Just get ready. It's supposed to be kind of cold today, so make sure you wear a jacket or something."

             I nodded, slipping into the bathroom. It was nice not to have to shower quickly. The steaming water rid me of my weariness and by the time I was out, I was awake and alert. And pruned. Humming happily, I wrapped a towel around myself and hurried to my bedroom to pull on some warm clothes. After a few minutes of intense debate, I decided to wear a jean skirt with black leggings and a black v-neck sweatshirt. Warm enough to keep me content, but not enough to make me feel overheated.

             I emerged in the kitchen about twenty minutes later, my hair dry and straight, and my face done up my with my usual light makeup. Casey and Lance and my mom were at the table, chatting and eating. It gave me a sense of déjà vu.

             "Morning!" my mom greeted me cheerily. "You look cute today."

             "Thanks," I responded with a grin. "Why are you up so early?"            

             "So early? It's only twenty minutes earlier than usual. And I thought I heard my little Casey and Lance. They haven't been over in forever! I had to wake up early for them. Nowadays I see Chris more than them..."