Chapter 8

I rushed into the house after kicking the door close and went up the stairs, rushing to my bedroom and took a quick shower before putting on my pajamas and jumping on the bed. I pulled my laptop onto my lap and turned it on going to youtube to listen to music videos. I spent the next hours on the assignments the teacher gave us and some Biology research while listening to ‘We The Kings’.

I hummed in content as I took a break and stared out the window only to realize that it’s turned dark. How long have I been sitting here, doing school work?

I yawned in exhaustion and stretched out my limbs, twisting from side to side and sighed as I heard the satisfying cracks of my stiff back. I moved my laptop and the books onto the spot beside me as I piled them up and threw aside the sheets that covered my lower body and swung my foot to the edge of the bed.

I flexed my neck before trying to stand on my feet.

I must’ve sat for too long because the next thing I know, I lost my balance and ended up sitting on the bed again.

Bed, I know you love me but I need to cheat on you with food right now. I thought sullenly as I tried to stand up again and held onto the bed post for support. The stiffness soon went away as I flexed them repeatedly.

I tried standing up on my own and when I succeeded, I exited my room and made my way down the stairs and into the kitchen.

I was half way down the stairs and was treading my way down in a sluggish pace, trying not to put as much pressure since I don’t know when my legs would give up on me. I hate when this happens, I’ll sit for too long and won’t notice the time but when I do notice it, it’ll be too late and I’ll end up with half asleep legs. I huffed irritably as I glared down at my legs when I heard the door went off with a loud bang and a familiar voice echoed through the silent house.

“Honey, I’m home!” My mother hollered.

I didn’t respond for a while until I heard her shout, “I bought some pie and cookies!”

And that, ladies and gentlemen, is how you get your teenage child rushing down the stairs and welcome you happily; if ravaging the plastic bag you hold is anything welcoming. All leg issues will be long forgotten and their main goal would be to welcome the food home.

“Well hello to you too. Anyway, your dad would be home soon, you know the drill.”

My dad is rarely home, he goes to random business trips and is always busy but he makes up to it by movie night. “Okay.” Though my voice is muffled by all the pie and cookie I stuffed in my mouth, I know she heard me.

“Cassandra Rylie Johnson! What did I tell you about eating food bit by bit?!”

I looked at her, sheepish as she chided me off. I tried swallowing the food but found my throat too dry.

“Ha! Now you can’t swallow it! Serve you right!” My mom snickered.

Yea, mom. Feeling the love.

I rolled my eyes at my mother, drinking a bit of water to help swallow the food down. After drinking a final gulp, I stuck my tongue out to my mom and ran to my room to change.

“Real mature, Case. Real mature!” She yelled up to me.

In response, I cackled. Yes, I cackled. Problem?

Putting on an oversized tee with a Harry Potter’s quote on it and a pair of straight jeans, I checked myself on the mirror to at least make myself decent.

My dad, unlike my mom, never had a problem with my sense of fashion, heck, he turned all angry once when I was a kid for using extra short short pants. Never again. Even the thought of it made me shudder. What I was thinking as a kid will never fail to amaze me.

“Girls, you ready to go?” My dad’s voice echoed through the house. I applied a very small amount of perfume and deodorant before skipping down the stairs and hugged my dad. “Aw, I miss you, princess.” I snuggled further into my dad’s embrace, “I miss you too, daddy.” Yes, I’m a daddy’s little girl, suck it up.

We made our way to the car, buckling up and driving to the movies. On the way, ‘Eye of The Tiger’ came on and my dad and I sang along, going off key and all. My mom shook her head at our antics and we laughed at her for being uptight all the time.

I looked at my parents, I’m happy by just being here but even then, I knew we were missing something. My thoughts fled to all the times when there was someone to take mom’s side in these kind of things, when a certain boy would bicker with me in the back of the car, earning a stern glare from my mother for causing unnecessary loud noises from our yelling.

I knew that my family can never be complete without my brother. With that, my grin faded and I gazed out the window, watching as the trees whizz by.

I miss you, big bro.