AS A FIRST IMPRESSION.

I walked slowly downstairs feeling unmotivated about the day. We were supposed to go visit that old lady we'd met at the store. Kate said it'd be today because she apparently had a tight schedule next week.

I didn't even realize she'd started working again. I've been a little off, not myself lately. Long showers, crying in the shower, lack of sleep. I even have dark circles around my eyes.

Kate gasped when she saw me, "Avery, look at you." She held my shoulders. "Mh!" I moaned and waved her hands away. "Avery, what's going on with you?" she asked folding her arms.

"You know, if you don't tell me. I'm not gonna know." She said. "It's better if you don't." I replied and went to the kitchen. She followed me. "Avery." She sighed, "I have you to thank for getting better."

"After Levi left and with everything goin' on here I fell apart. My purpose to live was the two of you and then one of you goes and I fall apart disregarding the other." She told me.

"Don't say that mom. I understood what you were going through. You never disregarded me." I told her. "I'm sorry I wasn't there for you when you needed me." She said.

"But you were." I sighed and I pulled her into a hug. "I've just had episodes of the night of the accident so I haven't been myself." I told her as I broke off the hug.

"Aw! I've been too busy with the group and work here at home that I wasn't paying attention to you." She said. "Okay! We're not going anywhere today to do anything. It's just me and you." She told me.

"No, Mrs. Kirby really needs people to give her company and we promised mom." I told her. "Besides, since we're doing this together then it is basically spending time together." I said.

"Alright!" She agreed and I hugged her once more. "Help me get the grapes in the car. The white ones. She loves those." She said.

I helped her load the car with the food stuff we were going to take to Mrs. Kirby. "Now, hurry up and change and meet here in five." She said.

"Change to what?" I asked, and then she chuckled. "You're serious?" she raised her eyebrow and scanned me from head to toe. I stared down at myself not knowing what she was looking at.

"Avery, dear you're not going to Donna's wearing pyjamas." She said. "I'm wearing sweatpants and a sweat shirt." I said confused. "Exactly." She said. "And look at your hair."

"Mom." I sighed then I took a scrunchy outta my pocket and tied my hair into a ponytail. "There. Fixed." I smiled, she held her waist and sighed. "Take it or leave it." I smiled.

We arrived at Mrs. Kirby's house. It was a nice simple two storey house just like ours but she had grown flowers from the driveway and all the way to the porch.

I helped mom take out the stuff from the car. She went inside first to get Mrs. Kirby. I watched her knock then Mrs. Kirby opened the door and she looked happy to see Kate.

She saw me too by the car and I waved and smiled at her. Then she went back inside and Kate came back, "What's up?" I asked. "Oh, she made tea so she invited me to go drink with her." She said.

"Great! So let's hurry up and get these things in then." I said. "Oh, I'm going in now. You wait here and Donna's boy will come help you." She told me.

I stared at her with confusion. "What?" I asked, "Be good. Hurry up and come inside." She said while going inside. I sighed. "I want tea too you know. Donna's boy, my foot. He should come and get this stuff on his own." I mumbled to myself while facing down.

"Are you talking to yourself?" I heard a voice ask. I looked up and saw a guy, a really odd guy. From what he was wearing he looked like a stay-home dad. I chuckled.

"Something funny to you?" he asked, I just stared at him. He wore these kaki cargo shorts with a white vest and on top of it, a t-shirt. It was unbuttoned that's how I knew what he was wearing underneath.

"I'm sorry, I couldn't hold it." I said, "Hold what?" he asked. "You just look really funny for a teenager." I said. "What are you talking about?" he asked "And who are you?"

This guy is just killing me right now. His accent is also funny. "Milo!" I heard someone call, "Milo, I don't think you need to come back again later." Another guy came out. I paused.

This one was different. He was like six feet tall, averagely built, brown messy hair and ocean blue eyes. He was shirtless with a pair of shorts. "Who's this?" he asked.

"I don't know but she keeps laughing at me." He replied and I glared at him. "Hey!" I yelled and they both looked startled. I moved closer to him and looked him straight in the eyes.

"It's not my fault you sound like a leprechaun." I whispered and backed away. "I suppose you must be Donna's boy." I said putting air quotes on the word boy. "And I suppose you must be a deranged junkie." He smirked.

My eyes widened, "What the.." I thought. "Thanks Milo. I think I can fix the sink don't worry about it." He told the man. Milo glared at me before leaving the premises.

The guy turned around to leave. "Hey wait, aren't you supposed to help me bring these inside?" I asked. "Aren't you supposed to know that insulting people makes a bad first impression?" He said.

"Touché." I thought. He went back inside, "But he did sound like a leprechaun. I was just being honest." I yelled at him. "Okay, I'm sorry!" I yelled, "I can go apologize to him too if you want."

I started exiting the driveway then he came back and I turned around. "Do you even know where he lives?" he asked, "No, but I was hoping to use the luck of the Irish." I said. Ah, that was a terrible joke. Probably made him madder.

He sighed and picked one of the baskets up. "Let's just hurry before your horrible sense of humour makes my ears bleed." He told me while walking inside.

I picked up a basket and ran after him. This guy gave me chills everywhere. He was starting to really intimidate me. It was my fault for seeing this side of him first. But he was just overreacting I was only kidding.

After we were done bringing the baskets inside he left me in the kitchen. "Wait!" I yelled and followed him, "Oh, dear why'd you leave her on her own?" Mrs. Kirby asked him. I stared at them as they talked.

"Mom, she's really weird. She's probably a junkie." He said and Kate almost chocked as she spilled the tea she was drinking. "Um, young man." She put the tea cup down.

"If you're gonna talk that way about my daughter at least lower your voice enough, hmm." She said. "And I assure you. My daughter is no junkie." She said, "Excuse me." She left.

"Um, it's my fault Mrs. Kirby. I made fun of Milo's accent and his clothes because I thought he was your teenage son. "I'm sorry if I offended you, Mrs. Kirby's son." I said.

"As soon as my mom come back I'm gonna tell her that I'll meet her at home." I said. "Wait!" He said then he sighed. "Look, I'm sorry too. For callin' you a junkie. I have weird mornings." He said.

"It's 12p.m." I said. "I also lose track of time sometimes." He said and I nodded. "Okay." I said. "Really nice to see you Mrs. Kirby but I'd still like to go home." I told her and she frowned.

I waited outside for mom so that I can tell her that I'd be leaving early. He comes out instead and I rolled my eyes. "What now?" I thought. "My mom asked me to take you home." He said.

"Could you at least get dressed?" I asked. "What do you mean? Aren't I?" he asked, "Uh, au contraire." I said looking at his shirtless upper body. "What? Don't you like the view." He smirked.

I rolled my eyes and got inside the car. He followed in after me. "To be honest, you didn't look like a junkie to me." He said, "Just drive." I said sternly.

I got startled from my thoughts when the car came to a halt. I sighed, finally. I got outta the car and began walking to the porch. I could hear voices like screams. I stopped and the screams got louder and louder then I could see a blaze right in front of me. I could feel the scorching heat. I saw my dad dead next to my mom who was staring at me.

"Help me, Avery. Help me." She said and stretched her hand out. "No, this isn't real." I whispered, "YOU LEFT ME TO DIE!" She screamed. "No. NO!!!" I screamed.

"Hey! Hey!" He shook me out of the episode I was having. I was kneeling on the ground and tears were still flowing down my cheeks. I looked at him and he looked scared but so was I.

"I didn't kill her. I didn't leave her to die." I started crying again, "Hey, shh. It's okay. I believe you okay. You didn't kill anyone." He hugged me. "Shh." He told me. I kept on shaking my head and repeating the words, "I didn't kill her." Over and over.