Nice towels... I thought as I got ready to shower. It was weird, being in someone else's house, living in someone else's house, especially when their mom doesn't even know. I guess it's better than going back to the foster family. No, it is better.
I tip toed out of the bathroom into the upstairs hallway. Even though Mrs. Marin wasn't home, I felt like I needed to be quiet, secretive. I was going to go to Hannah's room to ask about the towels when I heard a noise from the stairs. Being the brave, heroic dude I am, I decided to go check it out, protect the lady.
It turns out the noise was the lady. I turned the corner to find Hannah sitting in the middle of the stairs holding her cell phone. That's a strange place to sit, I thought.
"Question," I said.
"What's up?" She answered quietly and turned herself slightly away from me. I'm not sure why I noticed such a small thing, but it made me feel like I interrupted something.
"Uh, the towels in the bathroom, are they like the fancy 'people are coming over' towels?" I asked.
"Oh, uh, no," she said, shaking her head, still not facing me, "you can use them." She sounded upset.
"I don't have to, I can... shake off and air dry," I said. I was trying to make her laugh, maybe smile, because, man, this was awkward.
"Please don't," Oh, no. She's actually upset. I walked down the few stairs between us.
"What's goin' on?" I asked, moving down the last step and sitting down beside her. "You want me to leave?" I looked at her, her makeup looked funny, leaky, I guess. Oh... She was crying. She shook her head.
"It's not about you..." she said quietly, her face still turned just ever so slightly away from me. "Aria's really... really mad at me." I assumed she was talking about the short, dark haired girl. I haven't been in Rosewood long enough to put names and faces together very well, except Hannah's. Something about her was just... worth remembering. I waited for her to go on. "You know that thing I told you not to leak?" She looked embarrassed, ashamed even. She kept her eyes down and picked at her nail polish.
"She found out anyway?" I asked. She shook her head again, not to disagree with me, but like she was angry at herself.
"She's never going to speak to me again." She took a quick breath and wiped her tears off one cheek. I wish I could've done it for her, just so I could feel her skin. It looked so smooth, so beautiful. I'm not sure where that thought had come from, but all the sudden she looked so pretty, tears and all. "You don't have to sit here and listen to this. Just go... take your shower." I didn't want to leave her side, but I didn't know what else to do, so I stood up. I started to make my way up the stairs, but turned around to look at her one more time. She looked so sad. I couldn't just let her sit there. I turned around and sat back down again.
"It can wait." I said, referring to the shower. I just sat there beside her. I didn't comfort her. I didn't hold her, or hold her hand, or say it would be okay, because honestly, how would I know? I barely knew this girl, Hannah. I just sat there for about fifteen minutes until she got up and went to her room. I heard her bedroom door click shut, and stood up. Mrs. Marin would be home sometime, and I needed that shower.