Into Your Arms

Chapter 15

"Colty, why you sad?" Raine bangs her feet on the wooden cabinet, sucking on her Popsicle.

"I'm not," I grumble, tightening the screw on the faucet.

"You look sad," she tilts her head to the side looking at me. "You have your sad face."

"My sad face?" I glance up at her and she nods. "I don't have a sad face."

"Yeah huh," she bites down on her Popsicle, red painting her lips.

"I'm not sad Raine," I come out from under the sink, wiping my hands on a towel. "Or mad, or happy or anything; I'm just…annoyed."

"What dat?"

"Nothing Princess," I shake my head knowing she wouldn't understand. Honestly I don't understand but for some reason I just feel annoyed. "Come," I lift her up, taking the towel to wipe off her sticky hands. "I have some homework I need to finish and you can watch some TV or color something."

"I color," she nods. "I make picture."

"Ok," I walk over to the closet pulling out her coloring book and some crayons. "Don't get it on the carpet, got it?" I walk down the few steps to our living room and ease her down in front of the coffee table.

"No mess," she agrees and I put a towel under her just in case her Popsicle drips.

"Alright good," I sit down on the couch, pulling out my homework.

"You look cute," Molly comments as she sits on my bed. I told Max I would go out tonight but the closer it comes to leaving the more I get this feeling in my stomach. It's almost like someone has twisted my stomach and tied it into about a million knots and not in a cute butterfly way.

"Thanks," I examine myself in my long mirror. My hair is down, my jeans are my favorite and pretty tight, I have on just a plain black shirt the cuts down a little low but not too bad being as I don't have much to expose and my make is done. I keep telling myself tonight will be fun, when I was younger my mom said the things we dread the most always end up the best but I'm not sure.

"You ok?" Molly questions and I nod. "Ten…" she frowns and I glance in the mirror at her. "If you aren't ok with this Max thing…"

"What? No!" I tell her quickly that being the furthest from what I'm thinking. "Molly you two are fine, I'm happy for you both I swear," I move over to her sitting on my bed playing with my stuffed dog Max got me when I was little. "I just… I don't know Lee," I shrug. "I'm worried it will be filled with awkward silences and weird glances or something. I hate that, I don't know how to handle that."

"Oh Ten don't worry about that," she waves her hand, her blonde hair flipping to the side. "Lee can talk to a stop sign," she tells me and I laugh a little. He does seem like that. "Plus we will be there and if it gets awkward just talk to me or something."

"Ok," I agree.

"Tenley!" I hear my brother yell from downstairs. "Lee's here, we're leaving!"

"Ok!" I call back standing up. "So I look alright?" I do a little spin and Molly laughs.

"Oh gorgeous," she hops up with a smile. "Now come on," she grabs my hand. "I'm hungry and our boys are waiting," she skips towards the stairs pulling me and I try not to frown.