Crestfallen

30: Who's Your Favourite Hemsworth

Legit question, you better answer^^

It was time to go home. It was Friday, the day after my birthday, school was over, and it was time to go home. As I walked up the steps to my house, I reached under the lamp for the spare key and silently prayed my mother wasn't still here. Not that she could do anything, her presence was just unsettling. I unlocked the door and walked in, hoping to find my father sober though I was disappointed to find him passed out on the couch with a bottle of rum cradled against his chest.

I walked over to him tiredly and slapped his arm gently. He hardly stirred. I sat on the table and slapped him a little harder causing him to jolt awake. He looked around frantically before his eyes landed on me.

"Casey! I had this wonderful dream that your mom came back! Except it wasn't that wonderful because she was trying to take you from me..." he trailed off before slumping back into the couch. I was about to explain to him that it wasn't a dream but it seemed like too much effort for little to no reward. I left him in his drunken stupor on the couch and headed to my room just as my phone buzzed.

Unknown number: When do my lessons start?

Jeremy?

I responded with, how did you get my number?

He quickly replied back. Macy is quite a nice person. I wasn't sure after she threatened me to say thank you that one time, but she's pretty chill.

I frowned. First lesson is that you shouldn't have to be threatened to say thank you. He didn't reply after that and I smiled to myself a bit before dropping like a sack of bricks against my bed.

-------

As per usual, the weekend consisted of me nursing my father and trying to figure out how long we had before we ran out of savings. Spoiler: it was about a month. So either I get a part-time job and work full-time hours at the expense of my grades, or dad gets sober.

The first option seems more likely.

Unfortunately, the only time I can look for jobs is when I'm at school in the library since we couldn't afford a computer and mom took the only one we had in the divorce. My father was, unsurprisingly, laying on the couch with some random show playing on the TV, when my phone buzzed.

Jeremy: can you come over? I need someone to talk to.

I frowned at the message and looked over at my dad on the couch before replying. For how long?

He was quick to respond with: Not that long.

Taking one more moment to think it over, I decided to go. Grabbing my winter jacket, I gave my dad a kiss on the cheek before heading out the door. The walk was uneventful though thankfully it wasn't too cold, however, once I arrived at Jeremy's little shack, he seemed slightly surprised to see me.

I knocked on the door and he quickly opened it. "You actually came?" he asked with a loud laugh. I frowned.

"Was I not supposed to?" I questioned confusedly but that only resulted in another burst of laughter on Jeremy's part. Seriously? After having another mediocre weekend, I decided I was too tired for this and quickly turned on my heel to leave.

"Wait!" He called out, quickly grabbing my arm. I looked back at his hand, then at his face and he removed his hand carefully. "I'm sorry. I just didn't think you'd come over to talk."

"You said you needed someone to talk to. That's different than just 'talking'," I told him, preparing to walk back home and complain the whole way.

"Really? How?" he inquired with a curious tilt of his head. I turned my body to face him fully and examine his face to see if he was joking.

With skepticism, I decided to answer him. "Talking to someone is a two-way conversation. Needing someone to talk to is having them listen and provide advice when needed," I explained, shivering as a gust of wind blew past us.

"Oh," was all he said for a moment. "Well, since you're here you might as well come in."

"Gee, thanks," I muttered sarcastically before following him back into his shed. I took note of his lack of manners in regards to how he entered the house. "Lesson number two, be polite."

"What? I am polite!" he exclaimed as I shut the door behind me. He was already lounging on the lone chair in the shed.

"I'm sorry, who is closing the door right now? Who entered first?" I was so not in the mood for this.

"Are you alright? You seem a little snappier than normal. Actually, a lot snappier," he stated plainly and I made a face at him.

"How would you know what my 'normal' is?" I snapped. He responded with a look that told me I had proved his point. I sighed heavily. "I just haven't had a good weekend. Or a good week. Or a good year for that matter. I'm just a little tired, it'll be fine in the morning."

"Why?" he inquired as I stood by the door awkwardly.

'Why, what?" I asked him.

"Why will it be fine in the morning? Is it like, a bill you have to pay? Or a phone call you have to make?" he continued with that same curious head-tilt. I looked at him confusedly.

"Um... no, it's not that kind of problem..." I trailed off awkwardly. Didn't we come to talk about him?

"Then why will it be fine in the morning?"

"I guess it won't. I don't know. I'll just make it fine for the six hours I'm around other people."

"Why?"

"I don't know."

"Well, you should know."

"Well, fine! Why don't you tell everyone you live in a shack behind the school and that you use the school bathrooms on the regular! Huh? Would you want everyone to know that?"

"No."

"Exactly."

We stayed silent like that for a moment. "I'm sorry," he said. I shrugged in response.

"Lesson three, don't push it." He nodded silently.

"Do you want to talk about something else then?" I waited for a moment before nodding. "Alright, who's your favourite Hemsworth?"

"Why is that your first question?"

"Why not?"

"Because--" he cut me off.

"Lesson three, remember? Let it be."

"That's not how--" he cut me off again.

"Can you just answer the fucking question?"

*Author's Note*

Hi guys! I was offered a contract for this book but because of how distraught you guys were over the loss of The Hooded Figure, I chose the non-exclusive contract this time! I hope that makes you guys happy :) 

Lots of love, Nat