Until we got the call.
44
Past Tense
8 Years Earlier
I wake up excited and motivated, for what’s happening at night, of course. Linda and Patrick, who have been gone for a year, are going to babysit, and it’s going to beawesome.The only downside is Jake. He’s so annoying. I don’t know how he can be so rude and arrogantandself-confident. He’s literally my height.
I roll my eyes and push these very negative thoughts out of my head. Isn’t that what I’ve been doing these past few months? Ignoring problems until they go away? I read that that is a typical behavior of my sun sign. Sometimes it sucks to be an Aquarius. Jake is a Leo. You can already see what I have to deal with. It feels like the world spins around him and that people existforhim. His eyes are quite something, but that’s not a very good thing when they’re the only thing in your favor.
I take breakfast and lunch, and in the afternoon, I decide to go check on my sister. Her bedroom door is halfway open, and she’s sitting in her bed holding a frame. I know exactly what frame she’s holding. A brown, wavy-haired woman holds a baby in her arms, smiling, like she’s never going to leave it. But she did. That baby, me, and dad.
My sister has struggled the most after my little incident. She’s five, so she doesn’t understand many things, but honestly, this one I don’t understand either. What I do understand is that she likes to waste her time suffering, thinking about a person whose thoughts are not worth giving any attention.
“Hey, Lindy.” I smile, and she looks up.
“Hi Maddie. Just looking at mom.” She shows me the frame, and I nod, slowly taking it away from her hands and laying it on her bedside table.
“Why?” I sweetly ask.
“Because I’m afraid I might forget her.” She frankly says. Not with sadness and not angry, just plain, simple emotionless.
I want to tell her that forgetting is good. That she doesn’t need to remember the woman who left us, but I can’t do that to her. I can’t ask her to defend herself the way I do. Because the way I do it is wrong. It works, but it’s so wrong.
“Did you shower, Maddie?” She asks, and I frown.
“Uh, I was about to.” I pout and cross my arms, making my little sister laugh.
“Thank god.”
I reach for a pillow and smack it in her face. She laughs even harder.I love to hear her laugh.I hug her, and she hugs me back, sending me to take a bath right after.
I put on my playlist, andShe’s Not Afraid by One Directionplays through the bathroom. I sing happily. Or as happy as I can. Fake it till you make it, right?
I’m doing just fine,singing in the shower, when the bathroom lightsgo out.
“WEST!” I shout, enraged.
I hate him. I bet he’s laughing.That jerk.
I basically take the shower with the lights off, and when I put a towel around me, I quickly go outside the bathroom to turn on the lights. I get dressed in some denim pants and a sweatshirt and go downstairs. Unfortunately, I trip on the last step and fall on my face. A laugh is heard. I look up, and Jake is on the door frame, arms crossed, looking down at me, like he always does.
“Missed me?” He questions, withtoomuch amusement in his voice.
“You wish.” I say threatening.
Patrick comes rushing in and gets me on my feet. My eyes widen, and I hug him.
“I missed you so much.” I whisper.
“I missed you, too, Mads.” He kisses my cheek and takes me to the kitchen, scolding Jake on the way, for my benefit.
“Why did you just stand there?” He sighs, rubbing his eyes beneath the glasses.
“Why would I help her?” Jake asks with an astonished face, like helping me would be the end of the world.
Linda appears and smacks him on the back of his head. Jake rubs the spot angrily and goes to the living room.
