When The Sun Rises | ✔

19 | Did You Miss Me

     Chapter 19 | Did You Miss Me

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        Ms. Miranda and I look at Daria whose small frame is buried beneath a pair of sweatpants and one of Donovan's old t-shirts. The hem stops just above her knees. Her hair is pulled back into a puff, her edges wild and fisting into themselves.

        Large eyes switch between us waiting for an answer, but they settle on me. I turn to Ms. Miranda for a hint at what to do, but she's still looking at Daria. I take a slow breath in.

        "Um, yeah. Ms. Corrine took me over the weekend. Sheila wanted me to come see her," I say.

        "My mother took you? Why would she – Does this mean you gonna live with her now? I thought you liked it here. Why can't she just visit you or something?" she rambles, voice rising an octave.

        My brows dip. It doesn't make sense for her to be this mad over a visit. I know she doesn't hate having me down the hall, offering a sanctuary from her crazy ass family, but I never expected this kind of reaction.

        "No, I'm not gonna go live with her, Daria. It was just a visit. I promise you, staying with her is the last thing I'm tryna do."

        I try to sound reassuring, but if her crumbling grip on the pop tart is any indication, my words don't mean a thing to her right now.

        "But we were gonna..." Her voice ebbs away and she frowns. The kind of frown that only shows up when you're fighting tears; her mouth puckers and her eyes pinch.

        "It's always just a visit," she mumbles to herself before stomping up the stairs. The thump of her soles on the wooden panels is followed by a slam. Seconds later, she opens the door just to shout, "And just so you know if you move out, I'm unfollowing you on Instagram."

        And another slam.

        With narrowed eyes, I shift my focus back to Ms. Miranda who upturns her palms and shrugs, but her pursed lips say she isn't as lost as she's pretending to be.

        "What you think that was about?" I ask.

        "I think she just likes having you here, mi amor. People love you, you're just gonna have to accept it," she jokes lightheartedly.

        Picking up on the slight strain in her voice, I don't press the issue any further. But, I can't ignore the feeling that I'm being kept in the shadows of a situation I clearly play a part in.

        My phone buzzes on the table with a call from an unknown number. I let it ring a few times before picking it up. My track record with new numbers ain't exactly the best.

        "Hello?"

        Instead of a normal greeting, there's scattered voices and the thumping bass of some pop song. Listening closer, I hear the muffled shrill of two high pitched voices giggling over the music, two male voices shushing them.

        "Ayo, I'm on the phone. Can y'all be quiet for a second, please?" The voice prompts gently before shifting to a lower octave. "Josh, keep them quiet until I'm off the phone, bro. Won't be long."

        I recognize the voice immediately. The music in the background gets quieter.

        "Guess who."

        "How'd you get my number, Vino?" I ask.

        "Don't worry about all that. Just know I have my ways, Tequila," he teases. "It's good to hear your voice though, it's been like two days. Did you miss me?"