21
"Annie." Serena called out from the bottom of the stairs.
"Coming." I shouted back, leaving my comfortable position on my bed.
I walked down the steps and found Serena leaning against the counter in the kitchen, seemingly reading something on her phone. I stopped in the doorway, fiddling my fingers as I waited for her to speak.
My anxiety had been getting worse as the week went on. The anticipation for Knox's race was beginning to consume me. Having convinced him to let me go was one thing but actually going was something else entirely.
We hadn't even been able to spend as much time together as he and Liam and Sean had all been going to practice and prepare after school each day.
Knowing the race would be tomorrow, the nerves were eating me up.
I knew how dangerous this race was going to be for me to attend but it had to be so much worse for the three of them - they would be the ones actually in the cars. I couldn't stand the thought of something happening to any one of them.
I gulped at the thought, shifting on my feet as I still stood waiting for Serena to say something.
"I need to talk to you about something." Serena broke the silence, still not glancing up from whatever she was now typing. Her voice was monotone - giving absolutely nothing away.
What was the likelihood she could hear my thoughts?
What if she had somehow found out what I was planning to do - planning to go see?
She surely wouldn't stand for it. She probably wouldn't let me see Knox ever again - he'd be considered too much of a bad influence.
Serena would lose her mind and I'd subsequently lose mine too.
I couldn't breathe. The panic that gripped my chest already had too tight a hold, I couldn't fight it back.
"My boss invited me to have dinner with her and her family tonight..."
And just like that, I could breathe again.
"I want to say that of course you are welcome to come along and I would obviously love to bring you with me.
I do just want you to know that they have a teenage son who will be there and I don't want to put you in a situation you're not comfortable with.
" Serena finished, finally looking up as sent me a warm smile.
My shoulders relaxed instantly. If this was all she wanted to talk about, I could deal with that.
It was so relieving, in fact, that it took me a second before I realized she was waiting for me to answer her unspoken question.
"Oh..." I paused, blinking a few times as I thought about my answer. "I have been making progress..." I paused again, frowning.
"Of course you have and I'm so proud of you. But there is still no pressure." Serena assured.
"I-I think I can do it. I'd like to do it.
" I wanted to be there to support Serena.
She had been working so hard to get promoted at work and being invited to have dinner with her boss and her boss's family was a big thing.
I definitely needed to be there to support her - to show up for her just as she has been showing up for me.
Serena beamed, bringing me into a big hug before pulling away again. "Thank you, Annie. Go started getting ready. We'll leave at 5." She gushed, ushering me away.
The side effects of my previously raging anxiety left me still slightly dazed as I went through the routine of getting ready for this dinner. I moved around with hardly any knowledge of what I was doing, letting my muscle memory control me as my mind wandered.
I thought of Serena's boss and if her son was in my grade, if he went to my school, if I would know him.
I shoved those last thoughts to the back of my mind as quickly as I could - that would be worst case scenario.
I also thought of Knox and the race, and whether or not he was going to be practicing tonight.
I thought about sending him a text but before I knew it, Serena was calling that it was time to go.
The drive to Serena's boss's house was long, taking us clear across town. Serena and I lived in a nice neighborhood with nice homes and nice people but that's all it really was - nice. Nice and very average.
This part of town was anything but average.
These were homes with long, twisty drive ways, gates that had special codes and iron tops, manicured lawns adorned with sparkling fountains.
I was only slightly comforted in knowing I had at least dressed up a little bit - even if I did still stick out like a sore thumb in my white ballet flats and pink-flowered mini dress.
We waited at their giant oak front door that could've easily spanned two floors for only a few seconds before it was pried open by the woman herself.
"Serena." She smiled warmly, opening the door further so that we could squeeze inside - not that it was much of a squeeze.
"Emily." Serena smiled back with equal vigor.
"You must be Annie." Emily smiled, shutting the door behind us.
I nodded, mustering up the best smile I could.
"Well, Tyler should be done getting the table all the set up. The casserole is almost done so - oh there he is. Tyler, show them to the dining room. Please take any seats you like." Emily smiled briefly once more before quickly making her way back to the kitchen.
My eyes shot to Tyler as he entered the doorway. He was very tall and broad but not nearly as built as to be expected for someone of his size. His stare was cold and I instantly found myself more interested in looking down at my feet.
He gestured at us to follow him into the dining room. It was no less extravagant inside the house than it was outside and the dining room was no exception, even if it was only set for four people.
Serena and I took our seats next to each other. I smoothed my dress as I sat, unable to help myself from fidgeting as Tyler took the seat across from me. He still had yet to say a word and it was beginning to unnerve me.
I nearly gasped as the pant of his knee brushed me under the table. I jerked my legs away, leaning as far back in my chair as I could. My eyes met his in complete shock, his eyes twinkling under the warm light of the chandelier.
Emily brought the casserole out a mere matter of moments later, although it did little to distract me. I could hardly stomach taking a few bites with the nausea that slowly stirred in me.
Emily and Serena quickly took up conversation, droning on about the firm and the many changes that are happening in the coming months. I was trying my best to listen actively, wanting to not come across as withdrawn as I felt, but it wasn't working.
Tyler's stare was burning into the side of my face.
His foot bumped into mine a second later, effectively making me spring out of my seat at the contact.
The loud screech of the dining chair moving had everyone's eyes falling on me. The quizzical glances and immediate silence indicating the death of a conversation was enough to send overwhelming waves of embarrassment through my system.
"Um-" I hesitated, clearing my throat as I wracked my brain for an excuse for my border-line rude behavior. "Sorry, I- Uh where is the bathroom?" I stammered out.
It was lame but it seemed to do that trick as understanding washed over Emily's features.
"Oh, it's just down the hall, dear. Tyler can show you." Emily waved her hand, gesturing at Tyler to stand up and lead the way.
This was the absolute last thing I wanted and if I knew it was going to lead to this, I would've tried to come up with some other excuse. Maybe I just thought I saw a mouse or I don't know, anything that meant I didn't have to be alone with this unnerving boy.
I didn't say that, though - couldn't say that. Instead, I nodded my head solemnly and followed him through the door and out of sight.
I wrung my hands together, trying my best to stop their shaking.
I stayed a few paces behind him, trying to keep as much of my sanity as I could.
I was grateful when he didn't speak a single word.
He simply walked a steady pace before pointing to the bathroom door once we got there.
I gave him an awkwardly forced half smile and shut the door, locking it the second it closed behind me.
I leaned my head against the wood for a brief moment, letting out a momentary sigh of relief.
I then turned around to the sink before splashing my face with water.
Looking at myself in the mirror, my skin was flushed and the panic was slowly beginning to fade into the background of my eyes.
It was the best I could do for the moment.
I stood there, trying my best to regulate my breathing for a few more moments before turning back towards the door.
I wholeheartedly expected Tyler to have left the second I had shut the door a few minutes prior, but I was sorely mistaken.
There he stood, proudly leaning against the opposite wall as I stood in the bathroom doorway.
All the work I had just done felt as it had been tossed out of the window. My pulse was back to beating furiously and my breathing once again turned shallow.
"I've seen you before." He said, calmly. His voice washed over me, making the hair on the back of my neck stand up.
I gulped but didn't say anything.
"You seem like a good girl, Annie." He said again, standing up straighter now as he focused his full attention onto me. "I won't lie, Knox doesn't seem like such a good influence for you."
I scratched my arms as I brought them around my middle in a self-hug. My mouth was dry, any words I had were lodged in the back of my throat and were not moving any time soon.
"If I were you, I'd stay away. I'd hate to see you become a casualty."
My stomach turned over, and my body swayed slightly before I turned and hunched over the toilet.