On Chestnut Hill Road sits a house that stands alone from the others yet doesn’t really stand out at all. Between two attractive houses is a home that seemingly plopped down from the sky like a Hershey Kiss. It doesn’t seem to belong but it adds a sense of comfort to the otherwise uniform neighborhood.
Every other house on the road is painted an elegant white but this house was a soft yellow. With a yard full of childish clutter, the lack of landscaping, and the patches of dying grass; you could tell that this home housed a family, not just someone who needed a bed at night.
After you get past the creaky front door, the walls come alive with numerous photographs from birthdays and vacations. The air takes on a permanent cooking scent and with one foot in the door you can already smell whatever’s in the oven.
“Don’t mind the house,” I explained to Sam and Sarah, my two English partners, a bit embarrassed as we navigated through the front hallway. This is no typical house like theirs; we even have clutter because we don’t hire a cleaner. Shocking, hm?
I grimaced as we tiptoed over a pair of Mason’s socks on the staircase and a half eaten cookie Eevie must have put down and forgotten.
“Riss, make sure you put everyone’s laundry in their rooms!”
I winced as my mom’s call echoed up the staircase and quickly kicked the laundry basket into the bathroom. Using my feet to clear more of the warpath away, I froze as my dad’s ‘lucky T-shirt’ faced me in all it’s faded tie-dye and ripped glory.
Oh. My. God.
“Riss?”
Sam’s voice pulled be back from my initial shock and I kicked the shirt as far down the hallway as I could towards my brother’s room; let him deal with it.
Mental note: clear out hallway before friends arrive. Of course, this only applies if they ever come back.
Thankfully both visibly relaxed as we entered my room which wasn’t as chaotic. Taking a deep breath of vanilla scented air, my eyes flickered over to the pool of candle wax left over on my dresser while I waited for their words.
Sarah’s eyes devoured the room, scanning every corner and wall, while Sam looked around casually.
“I love the color,” Sarah commented, taking in the dark blue littered with little splashes of white. “And you can see your backyard through the window,” she added, peering out as if it had an amazing view.
I shrugged; there wasn’t much out there besides the porch, the barbecue grill, and some actual green grass. Nothing like her backyard full of plants, mulch, and a garden.
Sam plopped down into my beanbag chair pointing out, “This room is strangely clam compared to the rest of the house.”
I grinned. “You have no idea.”
Before we knew it, the three of us were thrown into yet another awkward silence and I fidgeted, my eyes darting around nervously to see if anything embarrassing had been left out in my room, like a bad grade, or a hideous sweater. Luckily, nothing.
Despite the short feeling of relief, I was still a bit nervous. The two of them didn’t meet my gaze, uncomfortable as well, but I had no doubt that they were relieved we weren’t doing the project in my living room or kitchen.
Speaking of kitchen, my stomach growled and was slowly echoed by another growl from one of them. Taking another deep breath, a new scent had invaded my room, seeping through the closed door with ease.
“Riss! Bring your friends down! Eevie and I made food!”
Hearing my mom’s call the second time brought a wave of relief that I was definitely thankful for.
Sarah looked at me a bit hesitant and I knew she was wondering what the food was.
“Don’t worry,” I assured them, “it’s a comfort food. A little weird, but still good.”
Sarah nodded, “Kind of like the rest of your house.”
![[info]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif){kind=small}
awake
rushed
crazy
impressed
contemplative