Silver Hitter

17.𝑻𝒆𝒂𝒓𝒔.

Knock. Knock. Knock.

I look up from my laptop and frown, looking up at the front door from my place in the kitchen, having just unwrapped a lollipop. I swear my dentist wouldn't be happy with how much candy I've been indulging in but this is basically my version of getting drunk.

I've honestly lost count in the amount of cherry lollipops I've indulged in over the past couple of days but they're the thing that have managed to cheer me up the most without any effort but slowly dissolving by the flood of my saliva as it surrounds the sweet goodness by a warm blanket.

Alcohol just makes me sick when I have too much of it so I stick to candy, even if the result should be the same according to boring people, but really it makes the world a better place. "Who is it?" I call out and there's more knocking so I stand and go pull the door open, pausing at the sight of my oldest sister and her youngest child. She smiles.

Ah, people. Isolation is my way of coping most of the time and by the time I meet with people, I just feel like a timer is starting the countdown to actually facing my problems. Normally when alone, your problems just make themselves known but for me it's kind of the opposite. In a way, because I've been taught to talk to my sisters or mom about my problems, I can only hold it in for so long once I'm the presence of someone that'll listen.

"Hi Sugar." Rickson greets, walking in past me and her heels click against the authentic flooring in my home as she does so, holding her four year old son in her arms.

"Hi Bear." I cross my arms over my chest once I've closed to door then we go to the kitchen and I fetch a jar of strawberries I had in the fridge, offering them to Kane, her son, and he smiles and takes them from me.

"Thank you, Auntie." I nod, then look at my sister.

"You haven't come to three brunches since you returned, including the one from yesterday." Rickson points out, straight to the point and I shrug, not saying anything and she sighs. "If this is about that Prescott guy–"

"It isn't even about him anymore. It's about a lawyer calling me in to 'know more' about my 'biological mom'." My hand strays to my hair, which has been left in its natural form, curly and frizzy, pushing it away from my face while shrugging my shoulders as my throat tightens. There goes the last of avoiding everything as my voice croaks when I say, "I can't do it Rikki." My eyes water like they've started to do these past few days but this time what's being held back refuses to be kept at bay.

Russell Kilpatrick has been calling nonstop, trying to get me to come to the first reading of Connie Prescott's will and even if I'm related to her by blood, I've never given this woman any thought so why should I try to find out more about her now that she's gone? Now that she's dead.

She herself only thought to find out more about me when she was dying.

"It's okay, Sugar." She pulls me into her arms and I fall apart on her shoulder. I've been avoiding everyone and everything, locked away here in my house because ever since I saw Emerson, it hurt that I couldn't ignore it forever anymore but I tried anyways. Why do I owe this to Connie when her husband doesn't want anything to do with me anyways?

All of this is just going around in circles.

"Mom." Rickson breathes and I turn and see her walking over as well. Silently pulling me from Rikki, she wraps her arms around me and I melt into her, brushing my cheek over hair for comfort like I'd do when I was younger and she sways from side to side as my tears begin to slow.

"You got your cockiness from me Jamie." Mom says and I giggle at the randomness of it. "You always know you're right, just like I do as well. I love you enough and you love me enough not to let this be a problem. I'll help you with everything and I swear I don't mind."