Free Reveal (Cryptid Tales) by Brina Courtney Page A

to dream of the tall, dark and handsome boy, Hugh, my Hugh.
     
    I see the sun and hear a voice as I groggily open my eyes. “Shay, Shaaaaay. Shay!”
     
    I rub the sleepiness out of my eyes. “Huh?”
     
    “ Yo, get the hell up. Mom is gonna beat your ass.” Chad is looking down at me. He’s already dressed in his usual sports t-shirt and jeans, looks like the Yankees today.
     
    I sit up, “What about Mom?”
     
    “ She’s been trying to wake you up for almost an hour. There’s some college guy downstairs. He says he knows you.”
     
    “ WHAT?!?” I shoot out of bed and run past him out of my door and down the hall. I screech to a halt at the top of the stairs as I see him sitting at the breakfast bar with my mom discussing her latest lecture. I sprint back to my bedroom to see Chad sitting on my exposed bed; my purple bedspread is lying on the floor.
     
    “ How long has he been here?”
     
    “ I dunno, half hour I guess.”
     
    “ Oh geez, you have got to get out! I have to change!” I push his laughing self out the door and fling open my dresser to look for a clean pairs of jeans and a low cut top. A girl’s gotta give it her best shot, right? I change quickly and head to the bathroom to throw on some make up and brush my teeth. I check my hair, as always it’s hanging perfectly straight. I pull a brush through it as fast as I can and grab a pair of metallic flats on my way out of my bedroom. I stumble to put them on as I go down the stairs and miss the last step successfully falling on my butt, right in front of Hugh. Oh my God, how absolutely embarrassing . I shut my eyes and hope that I’ll wake up in my bed and this morning never happened, but then I hear the laughing. I look up and see Hugh’s hand extended to help me up. I take a deep breath, “thanks.”
     
    “ No problem. Graceful fall by the way, you didn’t hurt yourself did you?” He smiles at me and I roll my eyes at him.
     
    “ No I’m good, thanks.” As I tear my eyes away from his chiseled tan face, I can see my mom standing behind him beaming. She’s giving me those knowing eyes, like she likes this boy, and I’m lucky she hasn’t killed me yet. Mom’s super into karma so she probably thinks me falling on my ass in front of Hugh is because she tried to wake me up and I wouldn’t move. Nice one universe.
     
    I stand up slowly noticing my butt hurts and I still have a shoe in my hand. I remove my hand from Hugh’s and I slip the flat on my foot while leaning on the railing. “So I see you’ve been talking to my mom.”
     
    Mom chimes in, “Well since you didn’t get up the ten times I called you, I figured you just wanted us to hang out. Hugh is in my freshman Psych class. We were just discussing the Order of the Solar Temple and the impacts that mass suicides have on our society.” Mom had that gleam in her eye, the one that says she could talk about the crazies all day.
     
    “ Well that’s super interesting, but Hugh and I really should get going.”
     
    Mom raises an eyebrow, “And where is it exactly that you’re going?”
     
    “ I, uh, well…” I stammer. To be honest, I have absolutely no idea where we’re going. I don’t even know how Hugh knew where I lived.
     
    Luckily for me Hugh saves the day, yet again. “We’re going out to lunch at the coffee shop on campus. I thought it would be good to sit outside since it’s actually kinda warm out today.”
     
    “ Yep, the coffee shop.” I add though I’m disappointed, at least we have a destination.
     
    Mom sighs, “Well have fun. Do you have any homework Shay?”
     
    “ Nah Mom, I finished it yesterday at work.”
     
    I hear a noise upstairs, “But I know that Chad does!” I hear a lot more shuffling in the upstairs hallway and laugh to myself, serves him right for listening in.
     
    “ Ah, well yes then. Have fun you two! It appears I have some parenting to do.” She grabs her coffee mug and makes her way up the stairs. As Hugh