The Sleepover

Autumn’s mother bustled her way inside her daughter’s bedroom. “Hey, I brought you some hot cocoa.”

“Wow, thanks,” said Lacey, smiling and taking one of the steaming mugs from the tray.

“Hot cocoa?” said Autumn.

“Well...” said Autumn’s mother, a worried expression on her face. “I just figured it might warm you up. It’s dreadfully cold outside, and after everything Lacey's been through...”

“No, it’s great, Mrs. Richardson,” said Lacey, favoring her with a warm smile. “Thanks.”

“Marshmallows?” said Autumn, peering into her mug.

“All we had were the mini kind,” said Autumn’s mother, nervously wringing her hands.

“Yum!” said Lacey, her eyes going wide after she took a sip.

“Lacey, um, I just want you to know that you’re welcome to stay here as long as you like,” said Autumn’s mother.

“Yeah,” said Autumn, nodding. “I still can’t believe what your dad did.”

“Oh, and I wasn’t sure, um, what you brought with you,” said Autumn’s mother. “So I laid out a nightgown for you in the bathroom if you need it.”

“Thanks,” said Lacey.

“All right,” said Autumn’s mother, pausing for a moment. “I know tomorrow is Saturday, but do try and get some sleep. It’s important to get your rest... at times like these.”

“Thanks, Mom, we got it,” said Autumn, her tone dripping with hostility.

“Thanks again, Mrs. Richards,” said Lacey in a much kinder way. “Goodnight.”

“Okay. Goodnight, girls,” said Autumn’s mother before easing her way out of the room, closing the door behind her.

“Wow, this cocoa really is good,” said Lacey, taking another sip.

“Yeah, my mom orders it from some fancy shop online,” said Autumn. “But don’t even get me started on how many calories are probably in here.”

“Oh, come on,” said Lacey. “One mug of hot cocoa isn’t going to kill you.”

“Says you,” said Autumn with a little sigh as she squeezed her belly with one hand. “Look at that jelly roll, Lace.”

“Autumn, stop it,” said Lacey. “You’re not fat. End of story.”

“Pfft,” said Autumn, sticking out her lip.

“Jeez, is it just me or is it kind of chilly in here?” said Lacey, shivering.

“No, my dad set the thermostat so it automatically turns down the heat at night,” said Autumn. “He says you sleep better in a cold room.”

“Brrr,” said Lacey, rubbing her shoulders.

“I know, right?” said Autumn. “Sometimes, I wake up in the middle of the night and my feet are, like, two blocks of ice.”

“Well, I think I’m gonna go wash up and get ready for bed,” said Lacey. “It’s been a long night.”

“God, I’m really sorry that your dad did this to you, Lace,” said Autumn.

“It’s all right,” said Lacey, getting to her feet. “There were signs he was starting to lose it.”

“Still, though, burning down your house?” said Autumn. “That’s awful. What are you guys going to do?”

“Um, my mom said there’s insurance,” said Lacey. “But I think it’s gonna be a few weeks before all that gets settled. Anyway, can we talk about this some other time?”

“Sure, sure,” said Autumn, her chest aching for what her friend was going through.

After Lacey disappeared down the hallway in the direction of the bathroom, Autumn sipped on her hot cocoa and scrolled through her phone, checking to see if there was any news about the fire, but there was nothing on any of the local websites.

“Oh wow,” said Autumn after Lacey returned. “I think that nightgown belonged to my grandma.”

“It’s surprisingly comfortable,” said Lacey with a smile, doing a little spin. “You ready?”

“Heck yeah,” said Autumn, getting to her feet.

Together, the two girls got under the blankets, which were heavy and thick.

“Wow, I can really feel the blankets pressing down on me,” said Lacey.

“Yeah,” said Autumn, switching off the bedside lamp. “I read somewhere that sleeping under heavy blankets is, like, good for your mental health or something.”

“Really?” said Lacey, still shivering despite her entire body being covered except for her face.

“Yeah, some kind of psychological effect or something,” said Autumn. “Wow, I’m sorry about what happened, Lace, but I’m really glad to have you here.”

“I’m glad to be here, too,” said Lacey, wondering how long it was going to take before the blankets did their thing and warmed her up.

“You said your mom was staying with your aunt?” said Autumn.

“Yeah,” said Lacey. “She’s elderly and lives in this tiny apartment. I’m pretty sure my mom is going to have to sleep on the couch.”

“Aww, poor thing,” said Autumn. “Hey, come closer, will ya? I’m freezing.”

“Me too,” said Lacey, happily snuggling up closer to her friend.

Both girls were still quite cold, but entangled in one another’s arms, they were marginally warmer.

“Gosh, it’s gonna be so fun having you here,” said Autumn. “Tomorrow night is movie night, and we always make popcorn. Gosh, it’s so yummy, with real butter and everything. Hey, with you here, that means an extra vote on what we watch.”

“Oh, yeah?” said Lacey, spluttering a bit when a strand of Autumn’s hair landed in her mouth.

“Yeah, my stupid brother always wants to watch action movies,” said Autumn. “But if we pool our votes together, we can watch something cool like a rom-com.”

“Yeah, that sounds neat,” said Lacey.

“Listen, if I can get up early enough tomorrow,” said Autumn. “I was thinking about heading down to the rec center.”

“The rec center?” asked Lacey. “Why?”

“Um, because the basketball team is doing their practices there in the winter,” said Autumn.

“Anyone in particular you’re interested in seeing?” asked Lacey with a giggle.

“No,” said Autumn. “Okay, yeah. But I heard from Melanie who heard from Yolanda that sometimes they do shirts versus skins. And you can sit there and watch them from the stands and everything.”

“Huh?” said Lacey.

“It’s where half the guys take off their shirts when they’re playing,” said Autumn.

“Oh, nice,” said Lacey, a big smile on her face.

“What do you think about Billy Lawson?” said Autumn.

“He’s on the basketball team, right?” said Lacey.

“Yeah. He’s got green eyes and wavy hair,” said Autumn with a longing sigh. “I think I would just about die if I got to see him play without his shirt on.”

“Ahh, so you do have the hots for him!” said Lacey with a grin.

“Maybe. Yeah,” said Autumn. “What about you? Are there any boys you like from the basketball team?”

“Nah, I’m more about the swim team,” said Lacey. “I went to a swim meet a couple of months ago when we were visiting my cousin in Florida. Now that was exciting, let me tell ya.”

“Oh, yeah?” said Autumn.

“Think about it,” said Lacey, squirming around a bit with excitement. “Long, lean physiques. And all of them wearing nothing but those skimpy swim trunks they use for racing.”

“Nice,” said Autumn, grinning. “Yeah, I could go for a swimmer boy.”

“I was practically twitching after that swim meet,” said Lacey.

“Hey, let’s compare our top three,” said Autumn. “The top three cutest guys in school.”

“Um, okay,” said Lacey.

“I’ll go first. Kyle Wagner, Billy Lawson, and Trent McGivens,” said Autumn.

“Wow, Kyle is your number one? Interesting,” said Lacey.

“Who’s your top three?” said Autumn.

“Hmm,” said Autumn. “I’m gonna put Trent as number one. After that, Harold Smith and then Zander Loomis.”

“Wow, so we both like Trent then, huh?” said Autumn with a giggle. “Hey, scoot closer, will you? My feet are still freezing.”

“So are mine,” said Lacey, the two girls shifting around until their legs were more closely entangled.

“What about Mr. Harris?” said Autumn.

“Mr. Harris, the English teacher?” said Lacey. “What about him?”

“Do you think he’s handsome?” asked Autumn.

“Handsome? My god, Autumn, he’s, like, 30 years old,” said Lacey.

“And so what? I think he’s very good-looking,” said Autumn. “Sometimes, when he looks right at me in class, I squirt in my pants a little.”