good girl • (lrh)

3

A•V•A

Today is Saturday, meaning I'm allowed to hang out with Elsa today. Mother doesn't like Elsa very much anymore, but Elsa is pretty much the only friend I have so she allows me to hang out with her on the weekends.

"Hey mom, I'm going to walk to Elsa's house now!" I shout, entering the kitchen. I grab an apple from the bowl on the counter, holding it while I wait for Moms response.  "Alright dear, please be home before dark. I'm having some guests over for dinner." She replies.

We hardly ever have guests over, so that's a bit of a shock. I wonder who it could be. I wonder if she met someone? It would be nice to see her happy again. I shake the thought from my head before speaking, "Okay mom, I love you."

I give my mother a kiss on the cheek before making my way to the door. I toss my phone and house keys into my back before I exit the house finally.

Finwlly, beginning my journey, my legs carry me down the drive away. I take a moment to look around notice Luke is on his porch, smoking a cigarette just like earlier. I decide to give him a wave. He reciprocates the gesture, a smile covering his pink lips.

I feel a smile creeping on my own lips as I reach the end of my driveway. I start walking, making my way to the crosswalk safely. As I continue my walk, I swear I hear footsteps following behind my own. I turn my head cautiously and a gasp leaves my lips.

"Hello, doll. Where are you headed?" Luke says, now walking beside me.

"Just to my friends house." I reply softly, tugging on my sweater sleeve. It's a bit odd that he's walking with me, isn't it? What would my mother think if she saw me walking with a man like Luke? Someone covered in tattoos and even a piercing.

I find myself glancing in the direction of my home, checking to see if my mother could somehow see me from this distance. "I really should be going, Elsa is waiting for me." I breathe out and Luke gives me a nod.

"You know," he starts, "I can always give you a ride." Luke finishes and flashes me a smile. I give him a smile in return and find myself mesmerized by many of his facial features. I avert my eyes quickly though, not wanting to be caught staring too long.

"I guess I'll leave you to your walk, let me know if you need anything." He says before turning around and making his way back home.

After a few minutes, I find myself at Elsa door and I knock, waiting for an answer. After a few moments of standing and waiting, I find myself picking at my finger nails, a nasty habit I picked up. Finally, I hear a commotion behind the door.

"Come in!" I hear a shout for the inside of the house and I hesitantly open the door, not wanting to intrude, though I was invited in. I spot Elsa's mother immediately after opening the door and give her a warm smile.

"Hey Mrs. Smith!" I greet Elsa's mother, as I always do when I come over. She gives me a soft hug and I accept the action. It's kind and I appreciate it.  "Oh please dear, call me Susan." She says, just like everytime. I always find myself using professional titles, my mother always taught me it was polite to address people in that way.

"Ava! There you are. It took you long enough." Elsa teases, making her way into the living room. I wave her off and laugh.  "Sorry, I got held up."a blush creeps onto my cheeks, and I find myself remembering my interaction with Luke just moments before I arrived.

"C'mon, let's go to my room." Elsa says, dragging me down the hall.

We enter her room and I admire her decor. The walls are covering in all kinds of posters and even some of her art work. Elsa is a lovely artist and I've always been jealous of her. My jealously doesn't stem from hate though, I just don't have many talents myself, though I wish I did. I sit on her bed and she joins me.

"Do you think you could help me with the homework? I didn't really understand it." Elsa groans and I laugh.

"It was so easy!" I tease, grabbing the paper from her, "But yes, I can help you." I've always been the smarter one, and I don't said that in a malicious way. I like to think I dedicate myself to my  school work, where as Elsa likes to slack off.

"Maybe it was easy for you, but I'm not that smart." Elsa snickers and I roll my eyes. "You're smart!" I insist, "You just need to apply yourself more." I say, my tone coming out in a polite way—I hope.

I grab a pencil from my bag and quickly begin writing down the answer I got on my paper, making sure to change a few. It doesn't take me five minutes to complete it.  "Here, it's finished." I shove the paper at her and she lets out a laugh. "You're a life saver!" She shouts, embracing me in a hug.

"I know." I giggle and fall back onto her bed, "What would you do without me?" I tease.

The pair of us chat for a while about nonesense things. I always enjoy our time together, I feel like I can let loose a little and be myself.

"So what now?" I question, looking up at the tapestry hung from her ceiling. I wish my mother would allow me to decorate my room like this, but she finds it tacky and useless.

"I'm actually going out in a few hours." Elsa says and I glance over at her, noticing a look of mischief in her eyes.

"What are you planning?" I ask cautiously. I don't like some of the people Elsa hangs out with, but I've never been the controlling type. I can understand she's got other friends, I just wish they weren't such bad influences. "Do you really what to know?" She raises an eyebrow. I didn't really want to know to be honest, so I didn't push the matter further. There's a silence for a few seconds before I finally say something.

"Just be safe okay?" My eyes scan her face, searching for reassurance. She gives me a smile, patting my shoulder. "I always am!"