Page 118 of Run Away Home: Tempered

“Yeah. It’s okay. They both died a long time ago. Dead.” He takes another sip. We’re both quiet for a while. Finally, he breaks the silence. “You have a TV?”

“Of course I do.”

“Let’s watch something.”

“Like what?”

“I don’t care.”

“Okay.”

We walk into the living room and take a seat on the couch together. He’s so close to me. I like it.

“This might be weird, but...can I lay on your chest?” I’m so lonely. I don’t know this guy, but I need this.

“Not weird at all. Sure, you can.”

He puts his arm around me, and I lay my head on his chest.

“You smell nice,” I say.

“Thanks. I bathe regularly.”

“You’re such a smartass.”

“I’ve heard that before.”

I put something on Netflix, anything at all. I just click whatever comes up first. I’m too tired to think about it, and I’m so comfortable. I close my eyes.

Chapter Twenty

Peter

AT ELEVEN O’CLOCK,I show up at home. Hayley’s peeking through the blinds as I get out of the car. I laugh to myself and head to the door. She opens it before I can even touch the knob.

“Really? It’s noon!”

I look at my phone. “It’s eleven twenty-four.”

“Close enough. You can’t be spending all night and morning out of the apartment with some bitch!”

“Wrong. I can do whatever I want.” I walk past her and up the stairs.

“If you can tell me what to do, I can tell you what to do,” she yells and follows me.

“Whoa. That’s totally different. I told you I don’t want your dirty, idiot boyfriend in my apartment around Danny. That makes sense. That’s logical. You can’t tell me where I can and can’t go. Understand?”

“Don’t talk to me like that!” She pushes my chest.

It takes me a while to process what just happened. I stare at her, perplexed. “Did you just push me? Don’t touch me. I would never touch you.”

Danny walks out of his room with a bowl of cereal in hand, chewing. I look away from her.

“Hey, good morning,” I say.

“Where were you all night, Peter?”

“I...I stayed at a friend’s house. Weren’t you sleeping, anyway?”

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