really sorry i didn't update. i kind of lost track of time... hope you like this chapter. thanks for reviewing last time.

Chapter 7

Silence. It's one the most disturbing things, but yet one of the greatest. I lay on my bed, painting a thin coat of pink polish on my fingernails. I felt overjoyed. Maybe it was some sort of weird high from the nail polish or some other peculiar smell pouring in from my open window, but whatever the reason, I was happy.

Maybe the quiet was getting to me. I looked around. Nothing but my piles of junk scattered across the great abyss that is my room. I really needed to tidy up. I had gotten so lazy lately.

I finished applying the pig-colored, poison liquid to my pinky and closed the bottle. I smiled. It was now time to attack the spinning vortex of clothes, shoes, papers and whatever else that was occupying the space that my yellow beanbag should be taking up, without getting sucked inside in the process.

I blew on my nails and tapped my foot. I couldn't start until they were dry. But I was pumped. If I had to wait any longer, I wouldn't feel like cleaning anymore. I continued to drum the floor with my foot, before hopping up and darting down the hall to my mom's room. I stepped inside, taking in the familiar smell of potpourri, vanilla candles and cherry-flavored Lifesavers. Some things never change.

I stepped onto the avocado-colored carpet and walked over to her dresser. After opening several drawers, trying not to smear my fingers, I found my mother's battery-powered nail dryer. I grinned and grabbed the contraption, before flopping down on her bed and pressing my hand into the tiny, round opening.

After about two or three minutes, my nails were dry and I gently threw the thing on my mom's pillow. I sat cross-legged on the bed, staring down at the green bedspread that matched the avocado carpet. I slid off and walked out the door. All that avocado stuff was making me want guacamole.

I stared down the steps on my way past them as I headed back to my room. The house was so quiet and empty. I loved it that way but yet it left me with a sense of fear and loneliness. I never could make up my mind, about anything. But there were many pros of staying home alone. I could sing at the top of my lungs and no one could hear me. I could burst out into random dance moves and no one would be there to see my shame. I chuckled and stepped into my room.

I stood in the middle of my room, looking around. I cracked my knuckles.

"Let's do this thing." I said to myself.

I waded through the area of junk near my closet and began to sort through it. I picked up some dirty t-shirts and threw them across the room into my hamper. I sat down and began crawling through the giant pile. I dug down deeper until I was almost completely covered by the giant heap. I lied back and closed my eyes. I took a deep breath, and instantly regretted it after taking in the smell of, well, dirtiness. I continued to lie there, but took slow, small breaths. I felt calm and serene.

I almost drifted off to sleep, but I felt someone grab my legs that were sticking out of the pile. I jumped and threw the random items off me, coming face to face with Oliver.

I sighed and put my hand to my chest, trying to get my heart rate to go back to normal. It always jumped when I got scared and it wasn't always easy to calm down again.

"Hey." He said, grinning like no tomorrow.

"Don't scare me like that."

"What are you doing?" He asked, ignoring my comment.

"I'm cleaning my room." I said yawning.

"Looks to me like you're drowning in it." He said chuckling.

I tried not to laugh but, sure enough, I couldn't hold it in. He smiled happily. He seemed to enjoy being able to make me laugh. Now that I think about it, he always did. At least he was peppier than he had been this morning.

I smiled again and hugged my knees. I looked at him. Sure enough, his hair was in his eyes again.

"We lost our paper clips back at the park." I said, not noticing until that moment.

"Oh yeah." He replied. He grabbed his bangs in his right hand and began looking around my room. He spotted a clothespin clipped to an old bag of potato chips. He snickered. He grabbed the potato chip bag and ripped the clothespin off it. He stuck it in his hair and grinned.

"Nice." I said sarcastically. He looked like such a dork, but a very cute dork. My stomach lurched and I shook the thought from my head.

He began devouring the potato chips.

"Those were mine…" I whined.

"'Were', being the key word here." He replied, smirking.

I rolled my eyes. He always did that, whether it was my gum, my quarter, or even my darn chips.

"Give me one." I said, grabbing the bag. I chewed quickly as I looked around my room. "Why do you always appear out of nowhere?" I asked, staring out in space.

"I don't know. I like the element of surprise." He moved his eyebrows up and down and popped another chip in his mouth.

"Oliver, nothing personal, but get out of here." I said chuckling.

"Who, me?" He asked, pretending to look shocked. His mouth was stuffed with chips. "I want to help you clean your room."

"Fine…whatever." I lied back onto the junk pile and stared up at the ceiling. "There are one hundred and thirty tiles in my ceiling…" I mumbled to myself.

"Huh?"

"Nothing…" I mumbled again.

I took a deep breath and smiled, talking in the smell of dirty laundry, potato chips, and Oliver's recently shampooed hair.

i thought that was ok. i know this thing is just dragged on and on but i like it like that. let me know what you think. review please.

-Andrea-