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11
Ryker
The next Saturday, I knocked on Shannon’s bedroom door to wake her.
“Are you decent in there?” I asked.
“Come in,” she mumbled.
I pushed open the door. Shannon was sprawled across her bed, face down with her legs tangled in her blankets.
“Good morning, sleepyhead,” I said. “I brought you coffee.”
She didn’t move. Her messy blonde hair had tumbled across her face.
“You know, you have a little river of drool puddling on your pillow.”
Shannon bolted up in bed, her hair sticking out in ten different directions. “What?” She wiped at the corner of her mouth. “That’s really gross. I can’t believe you just saw that.”
“That’s nothing. I’ve seen much worse from you. Remember? We’ve been friends for a really long time.”
“That’s really embarrassing.” Shannon wiped at her crazy hair, not that it did much good. “Where’s this coffee you were talking about?” She squinted straight ahead.
“Did I keep you up too late last night?” I asked, putting the cup into her hand.
She took a sip and moaned. “That’s really good. Where did you get this?”
“Starbucks.”
“I thought we couldn’t afford coffee from there,” she said, waking up a little bit more, staring at the cup like she had to see it to believe it. We usually just got coffee from a fast food place or the gas station.
“Um.”
“Oh, yeah. You’re rich now. That’s a thing.” She took another sip of coffee and sighed. “I really love you right now.” Her mouth formed an O shape like she’d just realized what she’d said. “I mean, you know, like a friendship kind of love, and stuff.”
“Hey,” I said. “I get it. We’re just taking this one day at a time. Now, drink up. You’re going to need the energy. We’re going on an adventure today,” I said with a grin.
“What kind of an adventure?” Shannon asked, sipping the cup.
“The kind where you wear hiking gear with a swimsuit underneath.”
Her eyes finally opened to a normal width. “Are we going to the falls?”
“You guessed it.”
“We haven’t been there in forever!”
“Not since last year. And it’s supposed to be eighty-five degrees today.” The falls were a favorite hangout spot for the kids of Sweet Mountain High.
“Well, thanks for the help getting up this morning. Even if it does still feel like the middle of the night.”
“Um, Shannon, it’s ten o’clock in the morning.”
“It is?”
I walked over to her blackout curtains. Shannon loved to sleep in the darkest environment possible. I pulled the drapes apart, allowing golden sunlight to stream into the room. Shannon squinted against the brightness.
I chuckled at her reaction. “You really are so adorable first thing in the morning.”