The Choices We Make

Chapter 6- Everything Is Fine

The smell of grease and syrup floods my senses as I enter the kitchen. Dad's adding the finishing touches to his triple threat breakfast special—chocolate chip pancakes, bacon and breakfast burritos.

I take a seat at the table, eyeing the mountain of food on the ceramic platters. There is no way I'll be able to eat more than an eighth of that. Not with my stomach already filled to the brim with nerves.

Mom strolls in with a sleep deprived Jasmay on her back. Her eyes are closed, head lolling to the side as mom sets her on the ground. I chuckle as she staggers into the table before making it safely to her chair.

"Stayed up late last night?" I ask her.

Jasmay nods, her eyes fluttering close once more. "Mr. Pickalo had to solve the mystery of the severed head. There was no time for sleep."

"Jasmay, you've got to stop dismembering your stuffies," mom shakes her head. "There aren't enough hours in the day for me to stitch them back together."

No scolding. No lecture on why she shouldn't be up past 8. Just a PSA about mom being too tired to let Jasmay do as she pleases. Not that Jasmay hears any of it anyway. Her head's currently resting peacefully atop her small stack of pancakes, syrup no doubt smearing her cheek. Perks of being the youngest, I suppose.

"I think I made a new friend at work," mom announces as she cuts into her pancakes.

"That's great, honey," Dad says, kissing mom on the forehead before he sets the last of the bacon on the table.

Mom shrugs, dabbing a tissue to her mouth. "Yeah, she just moved here from California. Thought she might appreciate a friendly face in the workplace."

"Uh huh," dad smirks. "And not because you need a friendly face yourself?"

"I have friends," mom argues.

"Gail and Esther don't count," dad replies.

Gail and Esther are mom's coworkers. I met them once when dad and I dropped off lunch for mom at the health center. They seemed nice enough, but from what little I hear of mom's daily rants to dad, they never do their jobs and mom's the one who has to pick up the slack.

Mom lets out a tired sigh. "You're right, they're terrible. I've been drowning myself in work for so long that I forgot what it feels like to have a real friend. I miss it."

My stomach clenches as I force myself to eat the small portion of food on my plate. I miss it too.

It's only been two days since I last spoke to Isla and Matt; over a week since I distanced myself from them. So why does it feel like we've been apart for centuries? I guess when you've spent every waking moment with someone, a few days without them can feel unbearable. I wonder if the radio silence is slowly eating away at them too.

"Mom," Kailan yells from the top of the stairs. "Have you seen my blue shirt? It's the one with the robots on it."

"Honey, you outgrew that shirt ages ago. I gave it away."

"What?" Kailan barrels his way down the stairs. "Then what am I supposed to wear to my first day of robotics club?"

"Robotics club?" I snicker.

"Carys," mom warns.

Kailan huffs. His signature wet and soggy hair splashing drops of water onto his pale, lean torso. "I'll have you know that chicks dig a man with a robot."

"Do they now?" Dad raises an eyebrow. "Is it the buff mechanical arms or the sexy monotone 'bleep blop bloop' that turns them on?"

I laugh, reaching across the table to give dad a high-five. "Better be careful, Kai. You just might get upstaged by a robot."