"No, it’s okay," I murmured. "But can you do something for me, Javi?"
"Anything."
It sounded stupid, needy, and ridiculous to ask, but I was desperate. "Just stay on the phone with me."
Javi did just that. I went with him as he brushed his teeth, changed the sheets on his bed, and got a before-bed snack, even though he had just brushed his teeth for the night. I was on the phone with him when he got snug in his bed and fell asleep, and we let the call stay on even though neither of us were speaking. The fact that we were both present was what mattered.
We slept on the phone together and when I woke up he was still there. The entirety of the morning was spent talking just like we would if I had spent the night at his house. We talked until he had to go, something about helping his mom fix something he never got around to. She woke him up from his slumber early this morning to do it, which Javi was not happy about.
I let him go do that. Unfortunately, his mom waking him up woke me up too, so now my eyes were wide open. I hadn't eaten much yesterday so it was safe to say that I was starving. I went to the kitchen to see if there was anything edible for breakfast.
To my surprise there was a container of muffins on the countertop. They looked fresh, moist, and seemed to be either chocolate chip or raisin. Freshly baked goods were not something that appeared in my house often, so it was a delight to see.
I knew for a fact that it wasn't my aunt who left them there. She would never leave anything in our reach, especially not something as tasty as muffins. She was stingy and greedy.
Then I noticed a sticky note next to the box. Written on the note was 'Take one' with a smiley face next to it. If it wasn't me who bought them and I knew it wasn't my aunt, then that only left my siblings. Maybe the baking with Javier inspired one of them to take up the hobby themselves.
I assumed it was Emerson because she was the only one disciplined enough to make such pretty muffins. If it was herthen I wouldn’t get berated for taking one because she had been on a nice streak lately. As nice as Emerson could be, anyway. I opened the container and took one.
The muffin was a bit drier than I anticipated, but it was tasty. I would have eaten another, but I did not want to test my luck. I looked around the empty kitchen, feeling oddly lonely at the quietness.
It was ridiculous. When the twins would insult and pick on me, I wanted nothing more than for it to stop. One would think that the one time of year where they actively tried to keep their distance from me that I would love it. Instead, I was feeling lonesome without their assholery.
I went on a walk to try and occupy myself. As nice as holiday breaks were, they were also very boring. There's only so much free time you can have before you start to go crazy and start to realize that your life is actually pretty damn boring.
I found a tiny turtle outside, and it made me realize that I had never seen a turtle in person before. It was moving incredibly slow, as turtles do. It seemed like it was going toward the drain, so I helped it out and made it go in the other direction. I was a Good Samaritan.
Anyway, I was back to my home in less than twenty minutes. It took that short time for my entire family to show up. I had no clue if they went somewhere together or if they just so happened to come back from different places at the exact same time.
"You ate my muffin,” was the greeting I got from mylovelybrother when I walked through the door.
"Boo hoo, it was one muffin," Emerson said, exhausted. Easton must have been complaining about it before I came in.
"Don't make it seem like I'm overreacting." He huffed as he slammed the container shut. "If they were just some random muffins then it would be whatever, but they weren't random muffins."
Emerson's eyes darted to me and then back to her twin. "Uh, what was so special about them?"
Aunt Macy hadn’t been tuned into the conversation before, but she was definitely listening now. She glared at him. “What did you put in those muffins?”
Easton’s lips pressed together. “How do you feel, Eli?”
I stood idly before them. “Uh, fine?”
“You sure?” he asked as he moved closer to me. “You don’t feel tingly? Lighter? Chill?”
“Why would you have your pot muffins on my countertop?” Macy yelled.
“I was coming back to move them, sorry I didn’t think this thief would eat one.”
I gulped. I had done a lot of shit in my life, but weed was never one of them. I hated the smell of it and hated how my brother always had it in his system, so it deterred me from ever trying it myself.
“I’m gonna be high?” I whispered.
“You shouldn’t be too bad off,” he said calmly. There was a hint of worry behind his eyes, maybe even guilt too. He quickly blinked it away the moment I caught wind.
Emerson pinched the bridge of her nose. “Easton, you’re so stupid sometimes.”
“Again, he ate one without permission!” my brother shouted.
