Under My Skin
Author's Note: Okay, so that was the longest wait EVER. I am extremely sorry for the delay, but I ran into a writer's block while I had exams, and then there was summer and I was out and about, as well as work... Anywho, enough excuse-making, here's Chapter 9! Comments and reviews are greatly appreciated!
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"Be who you are and say how you feel, because those who mind don't matter, and those who matter don't mind."
- Dr. Seuss
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I opened my eyes, then blinked, once… twice…. Three times. Yeah, the walls were the same colour and just at the top of my vision I could see the edge of my map. I let out a slow, steady breath of air. Yes. I was home. I turned over and glanced at my bedside clock, which read 10:26. I sat up and yawned, feeling very satisfied and regenerated from all the traveling and emotions I had been through the last couple of days. I ran my fingers through my hair before making my way downstairs; gloves pulled haphazardly on my hands, and entered the kitchen while my mother and Logan were having a calm conversation.
"… And that's when Ah heard the screamin'. Ah ran up the stairs, fast as Ah could—" As I stepped into the kitchen, their eyes turned on me and I saw my mother's lips spread out into a huge grin. "Mornin', sweetheart!" She jumped up and came towards me and I couldn't help but smile back. As she neared, she carefully placed her hands on my covered shoulders and planted a big, if not slightly hesitant kiss on my head. I was surprised – happy, but definitely surprised – at her audacity to go anywhere near my exposed skin, and gave her a proud smile as she stepped back. "There's breakfast on the stove an' some fresh orange juice in the fridge. Ah gotta go finish up hangin' some laundry, so Ah'll let you two have some peace." She winked and left hurriedly, grabbing the laundry basket filled with wet clothing in one hand and left out the back door into the backyard.
I stood there for a second, watching her set the basket down near the tree where our clothesline had been strung ever since I could remember, and watched her begin to hang the clothing up in the bright mid-morning sun. After a moment or two I turned towards the stove and grabbed a plate from the cupboard. There were some scrambled eggs leftover in a frying pan with a piece of toast and three pieces of bacon beside it. I took what was left and then joined Logan at the kitchen table.
I had a feeling he had been watching me while I got my breakfast together (just that feeling of someone's eyes on you, y'know?) but when I went to sit down he was staring at the newspaper with a blasé expression on his face. I plunked myself down and pulled the comics out from beneath the newspaper Logan was reading and he looked up, raising his eyebrow jokingly. I smiled and began to fork my scrambled eggs into my mouth. I stood up after finishing my eggs and poured myself a glass of orange juice, then made my way back to the table.
"How'dya sleep?" I asked, taking a sip from my cup. He shrugged.
"Fine." We sat in silence for a while as I finished my breakfast.
"Marie…" He said softly, but just loud enough for me to hear him.
"Yeah?" I said, glancing up from my plate.
"Uh… well," He scratched the nape of his neck, almost nervously. "Last night…" I froze, fork halfway to my mouth my heart picking up speed. Was he going to chastise me? Laugh? Tease? I tried to control the blush spreading over my cheeks as he continued. "When I opened your door, I… you know I didn't see… anything, right?"
My blush disappeared and I let the breath I didn't know I had been holding out through my nose. I cleared my throat and tried to hide my smile. He was hunched over the table, eyes glued to the same newspaper page it had been for the past ten minutes or so. It wasn't very Logan-like at all.
"It's fine." I said, getting up to put my dishes into the dishwasher. "I know you didn't mean to." I said with a smirk in my voice. I closed the machine door and wiped my hands on my pajama pants, turning around just as my mother came back into the kitchen. Good timing on Logan's part.
"So sweetheart," She said as she placed the empty basket on the kitchen table. "Some… friends ah comin' ovah tonight, and—"
"Wait, what?" I interrupted, looking up from the dishwasher.
My mother smiled wrung her hands together nervously. "Yeah, a-and some family too."
I opened my mouth to try and find the right words. "Ah… but, don't cha think… Mama…"
"Everythang's gonna be fahne, sweetheart, don't ch'you worry 'bout that." She picked up the laundry basket and smiled again at me. "Ah just invahted Gramma and Gramps, mah sis, the cousin's, David and his family, the Burkes…" She listed a few more names of close family friends while I stood there with my mouth slightly open. "They're all gonna be here at about 6:30, and we've got some cleanin' and cookin' ta do, so go have ya showah and then we'll start." She left the kitchen and disappeared upstairs.
I stood there, unable to move. Goin' back home to my mother was one thing, but… seeing my whole family and friends too? What if they weren't as understanding, or they were scared, or… David's face flashed through my mind and I mentally cringed. I couldn't face him, not after what I had done to him. Dear God, if tonight wasn't going to be the most uncomfortable night in my history of living, I wouldn't know what would be.
"Careful, yer gonna break that thing." Logan said jokingly, pulling the plate from between my clenched fingers.
I instantly let go and it fell to the ground with a shattering crash. The pieces skidded against the floor in every direction and I jumped from the loud noise, stepping back and landing on a shard of porcelain.
"Ow!" I cried out, taking another step back. But before I could place my foot down on even more sharp pieces of broken plate, Logan swung around and literally swept me off my feet. Surprised at the sudden movement and distracted by the pain at the bottom of my foot, I blinked a couple times to get rid of the tears in my eyes, and then glanced at Logan. His face was just a good couple inches from mine and when our eyes met there was a sharp intake of breath. I realized it was me who had breathed in quickly and I couldn't help but blush furiously at my godforsaken clumsiness. He dodged the small bits of porcelain and made it to the kitchen table in only two quick paces, and set me down on one of the chairs.
"Jesus Christ, you okay?" He said, grabbing my pant leg and pulling my leg up so that he could examine my foot. The cut was on the bottom part of my heel but because of my position, I couldn't tell if it was bad or not. "I swear to God, kid, you're the most clumsy person I know…" He muttered under his breath.
I tried to clear my head of all my raging thoughts and glanced down at my foot. Blood was covering my heel and dripping slowly onto the kitchen floor. "Y-yeah, fine…" I said breathlessly.
He stood up swiftly and grabbed a piece of paper towel from the counter, then dabbed at my food with it. I winced once but the pain had subsided to a dull throb.
"It's not that big, just deep…" Logan finally concluded, looking up at me. His amber gaze bore through me and after a moment I realized I was staring at him.
"Oh, um, just… uh, I'll just get a bandaid then." I began to stand up but his hands were on my shoulders, pushing me back down. Without speaking a word, he placed his bare hand on the top of my food. My mutation kicked in and I was flooded with Logan's thoughts and feelings and memories. The contact was only a couple of seconds but when he finally pulled away, we were both breathing heavily. I opened my eyes and I knew that the cut was gone; fully healed, thanks to Logan's healing ability. I then moved my gaze so that it was resting on him. He was sitting on the ground, legs splayed out in an exhausted manner, and one arm propping him up from behind while the other was clutching his forehead.
"For fuck's sake, Logan!" I screamed, tears stinging at my eyes, but this time, not from the cut. "What the hell was that?!" He took some deep breaths and finally unclenched his eyes to look up at me. Other than a little pale and sweaty, he looked fine.
"Just speedin' up the process, that's all." Logan sat up and wiped the remaining blood off of my foot. I pulled back sharply, and had the sudden urge to kick him.
"Speedin' up the process?! Jesus, Logan, you know I hate it when you do that!" I cried out.
Logan looked towards the doorway just as I heard my mother's footsteps rushing down the stairs. She came in hurriedly, worry obvious in her expression.
"What happened?" She asked. "Ah heard somethin' smash and then some yellin'…"
"Nothin', Ma… Ah just dropped a plate, Ah'm sorry…" I muttered, trying to conceal my anger. "Ah'll clean it up, everythang's fahne." I looked at her and nodded. She hesitated but nodded back and left quietly upstairs.
Logan and I waited in silence, and after a minute or so of tension he finally turned around and began to pick up the pieces of broken dishware.
"Ah got it…" I muttered, standing up and hurriedly picking up shards as well.
"No, it's fine." His hand rested on my covered shoulder lightly and he looked me straight in the eye. His jaw was clenched but he spoke with patience. "I got it. Go… get ready."
I sighed, knowing that there was no way I could win this one, and left the kitchen. I headed upstairs and into my room where I pulled out a pair of jeans and a plain t-shirt, then headed to the bathroom. Before I started the water I heard Logan open and close the front door, and then start up his truck and pull off. Great. We were both in bad moods today. I sighed heavily and stepped into the shower, letting the warm water pound against my skin.
My skin. Goddamnit, I hated it. Everything about it. And Logan knew better than to do that. He knew I hated borrowing other people's powers. Especially when he did it, because he thought with his healing mutation he had a good excuse to help me. God, it got under my skin. I didn't want to hurt anyone. Ever. Logan, for some reason, rarely ever cared about his own well being whenever I was around, and while it felt good at times, it made me feel guilty as well. What if something happened to him while he was protecting me? What if he got hurt, or even worse, if I hurt him beyond repair? Sure, he had healing powers, but I didn't know the extent of my mutation, and I was sure as hell wasn't about to find out.
As I scrubbed shampoo into my hair, I slowly let down the careful barricade I had erected to keep Logan's fresh thoughts and memories from mentally pummeling me and warily sifted through them. They were quite recent, since the contact was only for a couple of seconds, but I was still getting snippets of his dreams. I tried not to concentrate too hard on any of his thoughts, since they were, well, his thoughts, and therefore should be private in any other person's case. I rinsed the shampoo from my hair and then followed with conditioner, then shut off the water and dried off.
When I went back downstairs, Logan was still obviously gone, and had left no note or anything whatsoever. I felt guilty, as always, and hoped he'd be back soon so I could apologize. I knew I had this thing for making mountains out of molehills and wished that it was some sort of trait that I'd grow out of, and quickly.
Sighing, I rested my hands on my hips and looked around. The kitchen definitely needed some cleaning up and a little dusting here and there in the living room. It wouldn't take that long, but I guessed my mother probably wanted me to help her cook – and I knew when my mother prepared for a party, she went all out – so I began cleaning quickly. Wiping down the counters, washing dishes, and then a quick sweep across the floor and under the table was all it took in the kitchen. I then moved onto the living room where I had to pull out the vacuum and duster, and worked on that for about an hour or so. My thoughts were able to drift due to the constant whirring drone of the vacuum, and I couldn't help but wonder what the guests would do.
Would they just not show up? Would they be scared? Happy? Angry? Would David be there? I stopped vacuuming for a moment, remembering his pale, discoloured face as he choked and grasped for air. I blinked hard and began sweeping the vacuum back and forth with more force than necessary, trying to work the burning image from my mind.
"Marie, sweetheart? You okay?" My mother's voice startled me from my daze and I looked up suddenly.
I paused my vacuuming and mustered the most natural smile I could. "Yeah, Mama. Ah'm fahne." I turned off the vacuum so that we didn't have to yell.
"Ahlright. Um, where'd ya friend Logan go?" She asked.
"Uh," I shrugged. "He just went out. He's... well, it ain't unusual for him to disappear for a whahle. He'll be back, though." The last part was mainly for me, trying to tell myself that he would come back. He had to. I decided to change the subject. "Ah'm ahlmost done in here. You need any help with anythang?"
"Well," She said, turning into the kitchen and glancing into the fridge. "I'll be cookin' all ahftahnoon, but Ah need to pick up some stuff at the grocery store first." She closed the door and glanced back at me. "Y'know, we could stop bah the mahll on ah way back. Don'cha want some new clothes, honey?"
I smiled a genuine smile this time and nodded my head. "Ah'd love that Mama."
When we got into the car and made our way to the local grocery store, I had to say, it was a bit awkward at first. It was one of the first times that my mom and I had spent together, alone. But she as soon as she opened up with a question about school, more so to do with friends and my studies, I felt any trace of awkwardness disappear and we were like we had never ben separated.
It felt good to be with my mother, doing normal, human things. We picked out the ingredients we needed, talked about what we should cook, and recalled old family stories and memories. It felt good.
After we picked up all the groceries, we stopped at the mall and began to look for some new clothes for me. I liked shopping but had never been a huge shopper; I wasn't one of those girls who could literally spend a whole day shopping (like Jubilee). An hour or two was just enough for me. I liked this time I spent with my mother, getting closer with her and rekindling our bond. At around 2:30 we decided to call it quits and headed home.
The rest of the afternoon was spent cooking and setting the house up. Tables and chairs were brought outside and of course plates, utensils and napkins had to be put out as well. It took a while but it felt good. It was just about 6:15 or so when my mother told me to go get ready. I slipped on a white hippie-like skirt as well as some nude leggings for protection, and a long sleeved but airy green shirt. I brushed my hair and dabbed a bit of makeup on, since my collection from years ago sat in my bathroom drawer, unused. When I came back downstairs at 6:40, some family members had already arrived.
I could year them in the kitchen, and by the sound of their voices, I could tell it was my grandparents and my Aunt Karen. When I listened harder I could hear the sounds of my cousins and uncle outside in the backyard. I took a deep breath as I felt my heart beat begin to escalate. Suddenly, I wasn't sure anymore. Suddenly, I didn't want to be here. I began to hyperventilate and didn't even notice my grandmother come around the corner.
"It's in mah purse, Ah'll just--" She turned her head and our eyes locked. I held my breath as her eyes drifted over my body, examining and scrutinizing every single nook and cranny of me. When her eyes met mine again, a large grin lit up her face, her eyes dark blue eyes crinkling. "Marie... mah darlin'!" She cried out and rushed towards me. As ecstatic as I was, I took a quick step back and held up a hand to warn her.
"Be careful, Gramma. Ah... Ah can't make skin contact with ya." My voiced wobbled and my heart continued to race.
She hesitated but didn't ask any questions. Instead, she opened her arms and let me walk into them. I did so carefully, making sure that my hair covered the side of my face as I lay it on her chest. After a minute or two we pulled away and I saw tears sparkling in her eyes. She took a deep breath and dabbed the corners of her eyes, then cautiously brushed my white locks from my face, eyeing them for a moment before looking back at me.
"Mah mah, you have grown! Look at'cha! Oh, Marie!" She continued to grin like a madwoman until my grandfather, mother, and aunt heard us and filed into the hallway. We both turned to face them and I couldn't help but smile at them. My mother looked proud, my Grampa as happy as my Gramma, and my Aunt Karen... my heart's beat stumbled as our eyes met, the cold glare I was receiving almost freezing my blood. I swallowed, my mouth dry all of a sudden.
"Marie, pumpkin! Darling, we've missed you!" My Grampa shouted, rushing forward just like my grandmother. As we carefully embraced, the smell of pipe tobacco washed over me and his comforting non-Mississippi drawl made me feel perfectly at home. He pulled me back sharply, holding onto my shoulders. "Lemme get a good look at'cha! Jeez, you're practically a fine lady now, aren't ya?" He guffawed and I chuckled giddily. As he stepped back, their eyes dutifully were drawn to Karen. There was a moment of silence between the five of us before she forced a sickly smile and nodded in my direction.
"Marie." She said. There was no warm emotion to it at all, but I could detect hints of disgust and fear. Another beat passed where no one spoke, but finally it was broken by the back door opening and the sound of young children echoing down the hall.
"Hey, Karen, is Marie downstairs y--" Uncle Benji walked in with Judith, the youngest of my cousins at two and a half years, clutched in his arms. Robert and Dominic, five and seven, rushed in passed his legs and towards me, squealing with delight. But before they could get within a couple feet radius, Karen's hands shot out and grabbed them both by their arms, stopping them in their tracks. My jaw dropped a bit as if to say something, but I clamped it shut quickly. I knew I would meet someone like this when I came back. It was inevitable.
"Be careful, Robert, Dominic..." She stole a glance at me before looking back down at them. "Cousin Marie is a little different than when we last saw her." I bit back a retort and instead crouched down and gave my cousins a big smile.
"Hey guys!" I extended my arms. "I'm the exact same as before, but you've just got to be extra careful, that's all." I took their hands in my gloved ones and continued. "You just can't touch my bare skin, that's all. Can you promise me you'll only hug parts that are covered?" I heard Karen suck in her breath but I ignored it. They grinned at me and nodded wildly. They both jumped at me but were careful enough to just wrap their tiny arms around my covered torso.
We made our way into the backyard where everything was set up, thanks to my mom. The tables were covered in food, there were seats and benches scattered around the yard, and where the clothesline hung there was a colourful banner with balloons tied onto it. Before we could even settle in outside, the other guests began to show up, some with gifts in their hands, others with wine or more food.
I couldn't honestly describe to anyone the amount of happiness I was experiencing that night. Most of my family and friends were getting used to the idea that I was a mutant, and although dangerous if not cautious, I was still the same Marie they knew two years ago. By eight o'clock, the party was bustling with people. I was discussing for the fifth or sixth time to some old school friends how I got the white streaks in my hair when my grandmother came up behind me and tapped my shoulder.
"Can Ah steal her for a moment or two?" She asked. My friends nodded and turned away, sipping at their drinks and nibbling at their meal, talking excitedly about how I had been up in the Liberty Statue that whole time on the news and they didn't even know. I smiled as Gramma pulled me away from the busyness and off to a darker part of the yard where the main part of my mother's garden grew.
"So, pumpkin, how is everything?" She asked, brushing hair from my face again. I smiled widely and nodded.
"Everything's goin' great, Gramma. Even better than I had hoped!"
"Good, good..." She paused and her hands twisted together nervously as if she had something to say. "Marie..." She looked up at me and the happy gleam in her eyes was gone; replaced with a mournful look.
"Yeah, Gramma? Somethin' wrong?"
"Sweetheart, Ah need ta tell ya somethin'. Ah just..." She sighed and looked towards the garden, then back at me. "Ah wished Ah had told you sooner. A lot sooner. If Ah had, none'a this mahght'a ever happened..." She muttered under her breath. I took her hand gently and gave it a squeeze.
"What is it, Gramma?" I asked quietly.
"Darlin'... Ah... Ah'm a... a, what do ya call it these days? A mutant. Ah'm a mutant too, pumpkin." She squeezed my hand back and once again tears glistened in her eyes. Taken aback, I was speechless and stood there, motionless while she let it sink in. "Ah know, Ah know, Ah should have toldya before alla this happened, and--"
"No, no, it's... it's okay." I whispered, cutting her off. Well, it certainly made sense. I mean, as far as I knew, my father and mother weren't mutants, and at school I had learned that the X-Factor had a tendency to skip generations... although the Professor told us that it was more dominant in the male gender. Shaking it off, I looked at her curiously. "What... what can you do, Gramma?"
She bent down slowly and stuck her whole hand into a soft patch of dirt. "You remember how spectacular mah garden's were, when you were youngah? And how Ah won a lot of gardenin' awards?" She closed her eyes and as I watched in amazement, a tiny green bud burst through the soil and continued to grow until a bright pink flower bloomed, right before my eyes. "You could say Ah might've cheated a little bit." She smiled sheepishly and stood back up, wiping the dirt off her hand.
"That's... that's ahmazin', Gramma! Ah can't believe it..." I said, slightly flabbergasted.
"Ah know Ah should have told you a long time ahgo, but Ah never thought Ah'd have to, seein' as you weren't showin' any sahgns of mutations. When it popped up for the first time, you just ran off. Ah'm so sorry, Marie..." She explained, the sadness reappearing in her eyes.
"It's okay, Gramma. No one knew, it's not your fault." I gave her a crooked smile. "Does Mama know? Or Grampa?" I asked, suddenly curious.
"Your grandfathah knows, but your mama don't. Neithah does Karen. They nevah developed anything, so Ah just decided to keep that to mahself." She sighed again glancing across the party where her eyes landed on my aunt. "Ah know the way she feels about ya, Marie. The way she feels about all of us." She shrugged. "Who knows, maybe one'a her kids'll have powers too."
I bit my lip, following my grandmother's gaze towards Karen. As much as I loved her, I knew Karen looked at me different now. She probably thought of me as scum, a disease to my family's lineage. I didn't really care what she thought about me - I already had enough years to thicken up my skin to people like her - but the only thing that bothered me was if what my Gramma said was true. What if Judith, Dominic or Robert had a mutant gene? What would Karen do then? Shaking my head lightly, I gave my grandmother a soft nudge.
"How about we get back to the party? Ah think there're still some people who wanna barrage me with questions." I smiled and took her arm as she laughed, leading her back to the small crowd of family and friends. As I made my way to the refreshment table to get another can of Coke, I spotted a familiar figure, leaning against the side of my house near the kitchen doors, his arms crossed over his chest. The cigar that was clamped between his teeth gave off a soft glow that cast his face in a light orange that flickered every so often. I gave him a wary smile and began to approach him.
"... Marie?" A lighter voice sounded to my left, a painfully familiar sound that made me freeze. I turned slowly until I saw a boy my age, hands shoved awkwardly into his pockets, eyes looking up through his lashes. He swallowed and licked his lips. "Uh, hey, Marie."
"David." My mouth was instantly dried and I was glad for the soft drink clutched in my clammy hands. "David, hey."
There was silence as we both scrutinized each other, looking at each other's features, clothing, trying to figure out what was different. He took a wary step closer and I could see now in the dim outdoor lights that he looked slightly pale. I took a deep breath.
"How... are you?"
"I'm... fine." He swallowed again. "A-and you?"
I cleared my throat and nodded. "I'm good." More silence. It felt like it stretched on forever, but it was probably just a couple of seconds. Finally, I found the courage I needed to tell him what I had been dying to tell him for years. "David..." I whispered, looking down so that he wouldn't see the tears forming in my eyes. "I am... so unbelievably sorry. For everything." He didn't say anything so I glanced up at him, my hair falling in front of my face.
"It's okay." He said, almost a bit too stiffly. Like he had been practicing that line over and over. "I... I know you didn't... mean it. I know you couldn't control it."
"I still can't." I murmured, unsure if he could hear me or not. I sniffed and looked at him. He wasn't all that different; probably taller, a little bit more grown out. His hair was shorter than I remembered it, but other than that, he was the same David I knew. "How are you... now? Um, did... did anything... happen? After?"
He shrugged, seeming a tiny bit more comfortable. "I think you know that I was in a coma for three weeks." I nodded, wincing at the pained memories. "After I woke up... well, it was like nothing had happened. I was fine, Marie. I just... I was just scared, I guess. Of what happened." He paused and his eyes met mine. "I just wondered where you were. Your mum and dad told me you had run off and the authorities couldn't even locate you." He nudged the ground with the toe of his shoe, pushing a small pebble back and forth. "But when your mom called yesterday about having this party for your return, I was..." I braced myself for his answer, for the slap in the face I deserved. "I was happy." The wind was knocked out of me and I couldn't help but widen my eyes.
"You were... happy?" I repeated, dumbfounded.
He nodded. "Yeah. I wanted to see you again. To tell you that I was fine." He gave me the first smile I had seen since I last saw him. "I missed you."
"I... I missed you too, David. I was so worried... I'm so sorry." I stepped toward him and pursed my lips.
"It's okay. Now that I know what happened and why, I don't have to be scared. I can be happy that my friend is back home." He smiled again and I closed the distance between us. Carefully placing my hands around his waist where he could see what I was doing, I gave him a tight hug. He followed my gesture and wrapped his arms around me. I don't know how long we stood there for, but it felt really good. Finally, after who knows how long, I pulled away and looked up at him. Cautiously I placed my gloved fingers on his lips and lightly pressed mine to them. Pulling away again, I blushed and smiled, brushing my hair back.
"Thanks for coming, David. I didn't think you'd understand, y'know, what's up with my skin, but..."
"I'm glad I did. And hey," He smiled widely. "It's what's under the skin that counts, right?" I grinned back at him. He glanced behind me then back and sighed. "My mom's eyeing me. Listen, the party's sort of dwindling down, but do you wanna get together again tomorrow for coffee or something? I'd really enjoy catching up with you and stuff." David scratched the nape of his neck as his eyes twinkled.
"I'd enjoy it too. Call me whenever and I'll be ready." I took his hand and gave it a light squeeze before turning and making my way towards Logan. He looked liked he hadn't moved an inch, although the cigar was burnt down quite a bit. "Hey." I said, stopping a couple feet from him. I cracked open my drink and took a few of sips.
"Hey." He said back.
"Um..." I leaned up against the wall alongside him and looked up at his face. He was staring blankly out towards the yard. "I'm sorry for blowing up at you this morning. I know you were just helping."
He shrugged. "No big deal." It was quiet as we both surveyed the party. David was right; it was dwindling down. You could tell people were getting tired, ending their conversations and beginning to grab their belongings. "Who was that you were talkin' to?" Logan asked in his gravelly voice.
"David. My old boyfriend. The one that... he was the one I injured when my mutation first surfaced." I breathed out softly. Logan nodded. "Thanks for coming." I looked back up at him and he casually glanced at me through the corner of his eye.
"No problem."
"Marie! Marie, darlin', come say goodbye!" My mother cried out across the lawn.
"I'll see ya inside?" I asked Logan, pushing myself off the wall. He just nodded. I sighed as I walked away, hoping he wasn't still grumpy.
It seemed as if everyone decided to leave right after one another, so saying goodbye and having a couple last conversations proved to take quite a while. Once everyone had left and by the time my mother and I had moved most of the party stuff inside, it was just reaching 12:30. I yawned, surprised at how tired I was, and put the last of the leftovers in the fridge. My mother and Logan were both already upstairs, so, turning off all the lights, I headed to my room to get changed. After brushing my teeth, I went to the guest room and lightly rapped on the door.
"Yeah?" I heard Logan say on the other side. I opened it a bit and peeked in. He was in his jeans and just a wifebeater. My eyes couldn't help but stare at his biceps for a moment before stopping at his face.
"Can I talk to you quickly?" I asked. He nodded and I trotted in, closing the door behind me and then flopping onto his bed. I lay my head down on one of his pillows and shifted so that I was on my side. "Are you still mad at me from this morning?"
He glanced over his shoulder and quirked his eyebrow. "Sort of." He answered.
I sighed. "Logan, you don't have to be. You know how I overreact with everything. Especially my skin." I let my eyes drift close, feeling quite tired. "Please don't be grumpy." I yawned. "I... I don't like it when you're all holed up like this." I heard him sigh.
"But you're right, Marie. I... I have no right to do that. If it bothers you, I should be smart enough to keep my goddamn hands to myself." I heard him say. I tried to reply but my mouth didn't seem to be working that well, so I just let out a quiet groan. I thought he said something else, but I didn't hear it. I fell fast asleep.