It’s not, though.
“Hey, Mom,” I say, after I pick up.
“Hi, sweetie. Just my midday check-in. You doing okay? Have you eaten lunch yet?”
“I have,” I say, staring down at the almost-empty bowl of Swedish Fish next to me on the bed. “And I’m fine.”
“Okay, good. Maybe you want to get out of the house today. It’s beautiful out. Sunny but not too hot. And Dad’s at his conference, and I won’t be home from work till six. So maybe go hang out somewhere with Bodhi.”
“Maybe.” For the first time in a while, I’m not just saying that because I know it’s what she wants to hear. Doing nothing might be getting old. “Mom?”
“Yeah?”
“You know last month, when you and Dad were arguing? And he said that you’re, like, enjoying that I’m still living at home, still a teenager. Is that... true?”
There’s a silence for at least five seconds. It feels really long.
“Carter, I don’t...” Mom sighs. “I don’t want this for you. Or for us. At all. But... I guess I also don’t want to spend all my time wanting things to be different than they are. If that makes sense. This has been my reality—ourreality—for a while now. And,though there’s a lot about it that feels awful and unfair, there’s also... some perks. You know?”
“Yeah,” I say. “I get that.”
“One of the reasons I called, actually,” Mom says, “is because I bumped into Shawn this morning when I was getting coffee.”
“Shawn?”
“The guy who runs Scoops ’n’ Sprinkles.”
Bodhi’s been working there this summer, and he’s been telling me at least once a day for the past week that some people are about to leave for college and they would totally hire me again.
“He wasn’t sure if Bodhi had passed along his message.”
“Oh, yes. Many times.”
“You should think about taking the job. Could be fun.”
“Maybe, yeah.”
“And Maggie’s definitely not there this summer. I’m sure Bodhi told you that, but I asked anyway.”
“Oh. I... Yeah. Thanks, Mom.”
“Of course. Okay, I’ve gotta go. Love you. Step outside the house!”
“I will. Love you.”
As soon as the call ends, I go to FaceTime and scroll down to Bodhi’s name. I tap it before I have time to overthink.
“Hey, hey, my dude!” Bodhi says, picking up instantly. He’s got on his usual backward cap along with a gaming headset. “Did you mean to call me or is this a butt dial?”
“Dude. I meant to.” It’s embarrassing that I’ve become such a recluse my closest friend can’t imagine me intentionally calling him.
“Whoa! That’s great!”
“Yeah. Look, I... I’m sorry I, like, fell off the face of the earth the past two months.”
“Hey, that’s okay,” Bodhi says. “I know this Maggie stuff has been hard. I’m sorry I kept bugging you to do stuff even though you obviously didn’t want to do stuff.”
“No, I’m glad you did.”
