I smile at her as both women stare at me with anticipation. They remind me of two little girls, waiting for their friend to text their crush, and I can’t help the giggle that comes out of me. “Alright, alright,” I respond before bringing the fruit to my mouth. My teeth sink into the soft mound, flavorful juices instantly flooding my mouth. It takes everything in me not to moan with delight. Neither homelessness or a college diet granted me the taste of something so wonderful.
I cover my mouth before responding, “okay these are pretty good.”
Mom squeals as Abby claps with joy. I hurry and swallow my bite before joining in on their laughter. For the second time today, they have managed to quiet the voice, and I won’t take a second of it for granted.
Play All’s Well That Ends by Rainbow Kitten Surprise
With sun-kissed skin, the three of us finally make our way back to the trailer. The sweltering heat beats down on us, convincing us to head inside. With an hour left till five, mom begins setting up dinner. Saint and dad will be off any time now, and mom has always liked to have it ready before he steps through the door.“A full belly makes a happy man!” She usedto tell me.Although history has made her out to be a liar. This house could be spotless, dinner made, favorite TV show on, etc. But the moment alcohol hit dad’s lips, the monster would come out to play.
“Will you and Saint be joining us?” Mom calls out from her spot in front of the stove. Below her, frozen veggies begin to steam in the hot, oiled up, pan.
“Not tonight, Mrs. Harper,” Abby starts off, excitement leaking into her voice. “We’re getting together over at Luke’s tonight.”
Mom lets out a small chuckle before responding, “you better keep those boys on a tight leash, Abigail.”
I look between the two of them as Abby joins in with a small giggle. Abruptly, she turns towards me, practically bouncing off the carpet with joy. “Do you want to come?” She asks. Hope lights up her green eyes as she waits for me to respond.
I tilt my head to the side, trying to gauge mom’s reaction. She gives me a comforting smile with a small nod. Excitement begins to fill me now as well. A night with people my age, a night away fromhim.It sounds like a dream. “Are you sure?” I ask, trying to keep the hope out of my tone.
She reaches forward, snagging my hands in hers. “Of course! It’ll be so much fun. And another girl will help balance out the testosterone.”
I bite the inside of my cheek to stop myself from grinning like a clown in front of her, but there’s no stopping the butterflies of excitement from fluttering around in my stomach.
We sit down in the living room together as Abby spends the next twenty minutes filling me on who will be there. Most of the time it’s just Saint, Jackson, Luke, and her. Occasionally other friends of theirs will pop by, but more often than not it’s the trio and her as a tag-along. The way she speaks about them blooms envy in my chest. A beautiful found family, one where they canall lean on and trust each other. One where there has always been enough room at the table for everyone.
A knock at the door echoes through the room at the same time my mom calls me over to help her set the table. Abby and I leap from the couch, her heading towards the door while my feet carry me to the kitchen.
“So just two plates?” She asks me with an optimistic sparkle dancing in her eye. I give her a shy grin while I nod my head.
“I’ll still help you set up really quick, though.”
“No need, baby! You go get ready. Saint and your father tend to take their time unloading the tools, you have a bit.” She leans forward, snagging the plates out of my hand. I give her one last warm smile before rushing into my room to throw on some of the new clothes I had purchased from the market.
With haste, I yank on the new pair of jeans and squeeze myself into a black tank top. To finish off the look, I slide my arms through the burnt orange jacket. The moment I saw it, I knew I had to have it, although the price tag made me nauseous. The color perfectly matches those of marigolds.
I take one last glance in the mirror, shaking out my hands to calm my nerves before I head back to the front. I turn around the corner to see Abby and Saint standing in the doorway. Dad has already sat himself down at the table, digging into the baked potato mom had laid out for him.
“I invited Nova to come with us, do you have space in the back of the truck? Or do I need to clean it up really quick?” Abby asks Saint, squeezing onto his arm.
“Did you ask Luke?” Saint responds, his eyes focus on me with an almost viscous stare. A lump in my throat forms as his deepened voice coats me. I hadn’t spoken to him at all this morning, and hearing the man in front of me now is nothing like what it was talking to my childhood best friend. He really did grow up.We both did, I guess.
Abigail scrunches her brow in confusion while she stares up at him. “Luke isn’t going to care, why would-”.
Saint cuts her off before the rest of the sentence can make it past her teeth. "You'd need to ask Luke. But we don’t have time. Let’s go.” Although his eyes don’t leave mine, the movements of Abby’s body tells me she took his words personally. As if she was the one he was glaring down. But without argument, she turns to me, giving me a sad smile.
“Maybe next time?” She offers, although it only pushes the knife of embarrassment further into my chest.
“Yeah,” I start off, breaking my gaze away from the couple. “I need to finish unpacking anyways.”
Turning my back to them, I begin to head back down the darkened hall. The sun had begun to fall, stealing away the bright lights that had filled the home not too long ago.
“I’ll see you guys on Friday!” Abby hollers out before I hear the sound of the screen door shutting behind them.
The sound of my moms feet behind me quickly forces me to change direction, heading into the bathroom instead of my room. I shut the old wooden door behind me before she’s able to barge into the small space.
“You okay, hon?” She asks from the other side of the barrier.
“All good!” I do my best to keep the tears stinging my eyes out of my voice. “I’m going to just shower and I’ll be out.”
