ALEX
“That looks hard,” Millie stated, climbing onto the chair beside me.
I sighed. “It is hard. It’s biology.”
“What’s biology?”
“Really hard science.”
The girl’s face scrunched in disgust. “Ew.”
Ew was right. Nodding, I focused my attention on my work once again.
Millie had been with me since the morning. Now it was five p.m., and after helping her with her own homework, I finally had the time to sit down and do my own. But judging by the raspberries my niece continuously blew, she was bored. One could only play the same games so many times before they grew tired of them, which meant I was her next source of entertainment.
“Maybe I can help,” she suggested cheerily.
I did not respond, hoping that she would take my silence as an answer and let me focus. How naïve of me. Instead, the girl picked up my pencil and began scribbling numbers in my notebook, which had all my formulas.
I snatched the pencil from her. “Millie, what the f…. heck? You know better than that.”
Millie, as unbothered as ever, shrugged. “I was trying to help.”
My lips parted, unable to fathom how calm and uncaring she was. Eight years old was too old to behave like that and not know it was wrong—she did it on purpose.
But I did not have the time to discipline her, so I settled on shooting her a stern glare before going back to my assignment. When she remained quiet beside me, I assumed I was in the clear. That was until she took it upon herself to answer one of my assignment questions. She hit the ‘submit’ button on my laptop, and the button flashed red.
Theregofive points.
“Stop!” I shouted slightly louder than intended. “Are you trying to be difficult?”
Millie jumped at my voice rising, but her face showed no signs of remorse. That should have ticked me off, but instead it created an uneasy feeling in my stomach. It made me feel sorry for her. Before speaking again, I shut my eyes and took several deep breaths, trying to calm both my nerves and the uneasiness in my chest.
“I’m sorry.” I shut my laptop. With a sympathetic smile, I reached a hand out to her. “I didn’t mean to yell.”
She took my hand but rolled her eyes at me.Rolledthem.This was my sign never to have kids. Maybe it was time for some fresh air. Mostly for me, not her.
I squeezed her hand in mine. “What do you say we go for a walk and hang out somewhere that isn’t this tiny apartment? Clear our heads?”
Millie rolled her lips as she thought about it. She eventually smiled—a half smile, but a smile nonetheless. “I guess.”
I had Mills pick up her school items and stuff them into her bag while I did the same. She already knew the drill; we would walk around campus for a bit and then settle down in a quiet area outside to finish our work.
My sister worked two jobs and could not afford to spend her money on childcare, so I didn’t mind stepping up, especially since my parents weren’t kind enough to do so. I helped her with homework, fed her, and put her to bed, all on top of doing the things that I had to do for myself, and I’d be lying if I didn’t say I was tired of it. I was, but it was better than watching Anna and Millie struggle.
We strolled around campus for a while, the peaceful atmosphere easing some of the stress in my muscles. As we walked and I searched for a secluded area for us to settle down, I realized we were passing the old outdoor basketball courts. The concrete courts were in a less-populated area of campus, and only a few students used them since the new, shiny ones were built.
Two people were shooting around on separate courts, and as we got closer, I recognized the tall, lean-muscled build of the guy on the court closest to me. I nudged Millie to sit on the nearby bench while my feet stalked closer to the fence of the court, as if at the center was a magnet and it was dragging me toward it.
River gnawed on his bottom lip as he bent his legs and sprang upward, letting the ball fly through the net seamlessly. I thought back to the times when I’d watch him practice, back when he couldn’t get the ball through the net with just a flick of the wrist. He had come so far.
I looped my fingers into the fence and shouted, “Slam dunk!”
River had just caught the bouncing ball when he froze at the sound of my voice. His head snapped my way, and it took a second of squinting before his lips curled into a grin.
“That was corny,” he couldn’t help but chuckle as he yelled.
I scoffed, feigning offense. “Was that not a slam dunk?”
