Everybody Else Is Dead

Four

It was awkward to say the least.

June couldn't fathom how her mom thought this was a good idea. But then, June had always questioned her moms version of a good idea.

At the head of the table, her dad sat with his eyes glued to his plate like he was afraid the food might run away. That was all June needed to know that he had known what his wife would do but he'd gone along with it anyway. Love is blind.

Across from her mother, to her fathers left, sat Luke's mother. She kept talking to June's mother the way they always did at these dinner's; soft and bubbly. Always a new gossip for the two.

The woman was a literal ball of sparkling sunshine that a unicorn barfed into a bowl of rainbows. She existed for happiness. June found it funny because this woman was the complete opposite when it came to strangers.

Luke, who was seated across from her, was cold to everyone but her. At least that's what she told herself. It might have been a lie. It was a lie. June couldn't understand why, when he was seated in front of her, couldn't she hurt him like he'd hurt her?

Was she waiting for an explanation?

She was delusional. That's the only word that seemed to fit her. She wanted to explain all his actions and claim they made sense, but in reality, they didn't. And the fact that he was starting to feel like a stranger to her was terrifying on it's own.

"-ne." She was only aware of how distracted she'd been when her plate came into focus and less than half the food was eaten. June frowned. She wished she hadn't zoned out so she could finish up her chicken.

"June!" She startled, the thoughts of chicken leaving her mind. She mumbled out an embarrassed sorry as Luke's mother laughed lightly behind her hand. She wasn't mocking her, June knew that. Maybe that's why she felt her face heat up a little.

"You can take Luke to the backyard, dear." Her soft voice and tight smile when she mentioned her son's name made June pause for the tiniest bit. But she couldn't have known, could she?

June wasn't sure she wanted to talk to Luke yet. It had been a month  and she still didn't feel ready. But the way his mom looked at her made her throat close up, she couldn't say the words she wanted to say.

"Alright." June stood up and picked up her plate. She walked towards the kitchen without a glance at Luke. But she heard him when he stood and followed behind her. He didn't say a word.

June dumped the dirty dishes into the sink and opened the water so they could soak before the actual washing. She didn't hear his footsteps anymore. He wasn't in her field of vision either.

The boy stood a little ways away from her: at the opposite side of the counter, closer to the archway that lead to the dining room. Her eyes took him all in. The way his shoulders sagged, the bags under his eyes and how awkward he seemed. Like something was bothering him.

"What happened?" She asked as she stepped away from the sink. He moved forward when he felt she was far enough from the sink and dumped his plates in. Closing the tap, he turned towards her.

He didn't answer but the way his eyes moved from hers to the dining room where their parents were, she knew. She turned around, opening the door to the backyard. Her mind was muddled even as she heard his footsteps.

I'm not ready.

"So?" He seemed more confident now that they were outside. Now that they were alone. He looked like his old self, almost as if the whole thing was an act. Because it was. His eyes met hers, as striking as ever. Breath catching, she wasn't sure what to do. But her mind must have been in high alert because her feet moved her backwards, stumbling as she went.