When you hide I cover it up [gth]

- Lost Kitten // Metric
 
Grace Milton; October 27
 
“Where have you been recently huh?” Aria asked me as I walked into the house having been out with Thomas for the morning.
 
“I’m sorry what?” I asked slowly blinking at her cluelessly.
 
“We haven’t seen you around here in ages.” Cloe pipped up arriving from somewhere.
 
“I’ve been here.” I looked at them weirdly because I had been here. I mean ok maybe I’d spent more time in my room with Gabriel but I’d still been here in the house.
 
“Not as much as usual.” Aria narrowed her eyes at me, “So what is it? Did you join a cult? Find a new sorority?”
 
“I bet she got a boyfriend. A secret boyfriend.” Cloe added her two cents. The thought of Gabriel as my boyfriend was funny and unfortunately I couldn’t withhold my giggles. Which Aria and Cloe jumped on.
 
“So it is a boyfriend huh?” Aria kinda lunged towards me but I sidestepped her grip
 
“No.”
 
“Our little Grace has a boyfriend?” Shay appeared from nowhere and seriously where were all these girls coming from. Honestly?
 
“I don’t have a boyfriend.” I sighed not really caring if they believed me just wanting to get out of here and go upstairs and sleep.
 
“Then where have you been?” Aria questioned again.
 
“The library and in my room. Working on an assignment.”
 
“Without a pen in your hair!” Cloe gasped dramatically like it was the most scandalous thing she’d ever heard.
 
“Trying this whole not leaving things to the last minute thing.” I shrugged. Lie.
 
“Fine, don’t tell us, see if we care.” Aria sniffed, “Because we don’t.”
 
“Great, thanks sweetie.” I grinned, leaning forward to peck her cheek before rushing up the stairs to my room, “I was lying,” He voice floated after me, “I want to know. I will find out.”
 
I turned on the stop stair and shot her a cheeky grin, “I look forward to it Nancy Drew.” I winked before disappearing into my bedroom.
 
To no great surprise I found Gabriel lazing on my bed grinning lazily as I entered.
 
“One of these days you are going to get caught by one of the other girls.” I warned him with a sigh dropping my bag onto my desk and kicking my shoes of, laughing slightly when one went sailing by Gabriel’s head and landed on the pillow next to him with a thump.
 
“They’ll just think I’m your secret boyfriend or something.” He shrugged, picking up the shoe and throwing it back in my general direction. Surprising myself I caught it, hand eye coordination appearing for the first time in my life.
 
“I hate you and I don’t know why I keep you.” I muttered dropping heavily into the desk chair backwars, super tired because I was exhausted.
 
“It’s because I’m more fun than a puppy.”
 
“A puppy is less maintenance though.” I muttered picking up a pen off my desk and spinning it in my fingers.
 
“A puppy doesn’t buy you stuff.”
 
“I swear to god I’ll stop accepting your offers to pay if you keep bringing it up like this.” I sighed, leaning my back against the desk.
 
“You’re to cheap babe.” He winked and was a smug bastard. Kinda like Joe, except cuter and more charming.
 
I didn’t have a chance to reply though because my phone was now ringing. I had to fumble around in my handbag looking for it, I was surprised it actually was still ringing by the time I found it and flipped it open.
 
“Joe, hi.” I said brightly look pointedly at Gabriel, “I haven’t heard from you in a while.” Which was actually as much my fault as his this time, or Gabriel’s fault really.
 
“Sorry, I’ve been busy again.” He sounded apologetic actually and kinda stressed.
 
“This isn’t good enough mister.” I teased him gently, “You’re getting into a habit of this and I will not accept it. Do you know it’s been more than 5 weeks since I’ve seen you.” I babbled just so that he might talk just to shut me up.
 
“I’ll try and get down there next weekend then.” He sighed. He sounded exhausted. I bet he looked exhausted as well. I frowned slightly at Gabriel just to show my disapproval.
 
“Alright, what do you want to ask me.” I asked bluntly, knowing my brother to well. The fact I also had an inkling of what he wanted to ask me probably helped also.
 
“Have you seen Gabriel?” He asked in one long rush.
 
“Yea. He’s sitting right next to me.” I answered causing Gabriel to panic and make frantic hand gestures. Of course Joe
 
“No I’m serious Grace. I haven’t seen him or heard from him except for one text in more than 3 weeks.” Joe’s voice cracked which made my heart crack.
 
“I’m sorry Joe I really am but why would you think I’d seen him?” I asked getting up and moving across the room, “Do you really think he was have driven to Brown because,” I paused as I dropped onto the bed next to Gabriel, “Actually what exactly did you do to drive him away?”
 
“Nothing.” He was way to indignant to be telling the truth.
 
“The truth Joe.” I said in my best scolding tone.
 
“Okay we may have gotten into a little argument over something but nothing big so I don’t actually know where he’s gone.” He sounded genuinely confused. Poor baby. “You haven’t heard from him at all?”
 
“No. You know we’re really not that close,” I tried to sound as apologetic as possible when I was lying through my teeth, “Maybe something came up. Are you sure he’s run or whatever you think it is?”
 
“He hasn’t called or anything so yeah I’m sure he’s avoiding me,” I could practically see him running his hand over his brow in frustration, “He sent me a text to tell me he was fine and needed space or something.”
 
“Well just give him space. Keep calling,” I looked Gabriel in the eye trying to get my point across, “Maybe he’s in a hotel or something but I’m sure he’ll call you soon.”
 
“He seemed pretty mad.” Joe said uncertainly, sceptically even.
 
“Well fine maybe he won’t call you and has run away to get married to a 89 year old woman in Ohio. I don’t actually know Joe.” I sighed, glaring at Gabriel as he hid his giggles in his palm, body shaking, “Do you want me to try and make you feel better or do you want more worse case scenarios.”
 
“Okay, okay you made your point.” He laughed. It was a weak laugh but a laugh none the less, “But I’m actually on a break that’s about to end so I’ll talk to you later okay?”
 
“It better be before I see you next Mr.” I tried to sound as threatening as possible. It didn’t really work.
 
“Alright and if you hear-“ he started to say before I cut him off.
 
“If I hear from Gabriel I will let you know straight away.” I glared at Gabriel, poking him in the side.
 
“This is why you’re my favourite.” Guilt. I was defiantly starting to feel the guilt at lying to Joe, “Love you.”
 
“Love you too.” I said uncomfortably. “Bye.”
 
“Bye.” He barely managed to get out before I hung up.
 
“I hate you I hope you know.” I told Gabriel.
 
“So you keep saying.” He laughed, lifting an arm so I could lean into his side.
 
“I hate lying to Joe.” I admitted quietly, shifting to get comfortable, “I hate it so much.”
 
“I know babe.” He dropped a kiss onto the top of my head, “I know. And I appreciate you doing this for me very much.”
 
“It’s only because I know you really need it. Joe wouldn’t have called trying to find you if he didn’t feel guilty and you were pretty cut up the day you showed up.” I explained, trying to rationalise it to myself and to him.
 
“Yeah.”
 
“Gonna tell me yet?” I asked not really expecting him to.
 
“Soon.” He promised. Empty promise I bet.
 
“He’s coming here next weekend.” I told him, warning before I forgot and all that, “What are you going to do?” I asked
 
“Stay up here. Avoid him.” He sighed.
 
‘You’ll have to face him sooner or later. And tell me also.” I also sighed ready to drop this topic completely.
 
“Eventually.” He agreed. Saying no more.
 
“If I have to keep lying to my brother then you have to keep buying my food.” I poked his stomach, lightening the mood with extreme skill “And next time I may even demand new clothes as well.”