I put another spoonful of cereal into my mouth as Gavin exits the bedroom. He’s wearing darker jeans with a faded t-shirt. Something about his mood has changed. He seems agitated. He opens the cabinets, fishing out a bowl and a box of cereal.

“You didn’t tell me about any siblings.”

“You didn’t ask.”

He’s right. I didn’t ask, but shouldn’t it have come up in conversation before?

“For your information, I have no siblings.”

He extracts milk from the fridge, pouring it into his bowl. What kind of psycho pours milk in before cereal?!

“If you’re going to poke and pry for information about my family, I have three sisters and a brother. The only one I’m in contact with is Sonny. Before you go and ask why, it isn’t something I want to talk about.”

With that, the conversation ends. Gavin takes his bowl of cereal over to the couch, flicking on the television. I take another bite of cereal. As I chew, my phone vibrates. I set the spoon in the bowl, flipping my phone over. It’s an unknown number.

U free 2nite

For what exactly?

A party. U in

I’m not really the partying type

Lie. I’m pregnant and don’t want to drink.

plz

Give me an hour or so to think about it, okay?

Hell yeah

I put my phone down. I can already feel the stupid smile on my face.

“If you don’t want people to think we are dating, don’t wear my clothes.”

I look over to Gavin. He’s on the couch staring straight at the television with a scowl on his face.

“What are you talking about?”

“You’re wearing my hoodie.”

I glance down and sure enough, it’s his. I could have sworn I grabbed mine. Guess that’s what happens when we both have gray hoodies. And I wouldn’t have been able to tell by the size difference either because my hoodie is big so it’s nice and comfy for lounging around.

“Okay, then I’ll go take it off.”

I put one foot on the ground and he grunts in response. I walk into the bedroom, removing his hoodie and grabbing my own. Once the proper hoodie is on, I fold Gavin’s. Then, I stroll back into the living space, extending the neatly folded hoodie. He snatches it out of my hand, not even looking at me.

“What crawled up your butt and died?”

“You.”

The harshness in his tone doesn’t even catch me off-guard. I expected this.

“Be that way.”

I return to the bedroom, closing the door and stripping down to my undergarments. I locate clean clothes, shoving my legs into the jeans. I throw on a tight black shirt and a tighter hoodie. Although it’s very comfy, I don’t like looking homeless when I go out in public.

As I walk through the living room, keys and phone in hand, Gavin keeps his eyes glued on the screen. His expression hasn’t changed. I grab my converse, sliding my feet in. I quickly tie both laces before I grab the door handle and let the chilly air in.

“Where are you going?”

“None of your damn business.”

I slam the door behind me to prove that I can be a stubborn brat, too.