What Are The Chances?

Chapter 3: Pheonix

The water almost began to fill my lungs as my head grew lightheaded until I looked up from the bottom of the pool to see someone swimming down toward me. They grabbed my shoulders effortlessly and swam me back to the top. I could feel they're muscles carrying me. The cold fall air finally returned back to my lungs as I was desperate for breath, breathing so hard I thought my head would explode.

I looked beside me to see Ellis. He helped me back up onto the concrete, and then got out himself, jeans soaking wet. I just laid there like a dead fish for a second, trying to gain back consciousness. I could hear the muffled shouting and yelling from the crowd.

I took my shirt off, got up, and left. I didn't go through the house, but Instead I opened the gate and walked out to the front yard. And there he was, just sitting there smoking a cigarette with his shirt next to him. His long hair that's now curly, stuck to his face. We both made eye contact, but I didn't stop walking. "Hey!" I heard him shout, but I kept walking, and now I was on the road.

I heard him running up toward me.

"You're not gonna thank me for saving your life?" he said. I'm looking down at my feet, but the streetlights were so bright it could blind me. "No one would've jumped in that pool to get you, I'm telling you this now." He's still following me, down the empty road. "Fuck off," I whispered.

Why was he being nice to me? Was it because no one was around? Trust me, I would rather drown than have had him save me. "Let me give you a ride." After he said that, I stopped walking and turned around. He stops walking too. "You're not driving me home, are you crazy?"

I tried not to stare at his abs, but they're glowing. Or maybe it's just the light. He ran his fingers through his damp hair. "I may not like you, but I'm not heartless."

I scoffed, turned around and continued walking. He called me a twink. If he's so homophobic, why does he want anything to do with me?" "Phoenix," he said.

"I don't need you're fucking pity. You're prince charming is probably wondering where you are." I knew I shouldn't have come to this damn party. What the hell was I thinking?"

I walked up the stairs to the apartment, hearing my muffled yelling coming through the door. I opened it to see my mom, sitting at the dining table with a ton of bills in front of her, and the phone in her hand. "I can't afford this right now! Just give me a couple days and I'll get your money!" She didn't even hear me come in.

Her hair is in a messy bun and she's wearing a white sweater with fresh tears in her eyes. When she looked up and saw me standing there, she wiped them and told me to go play with Minnie May. I wanted to cry in her arms and tell her what had happened, but I needed to be strong. For her.

Minnie May was on her bed with her knees tucked in, crying when I walked in. I immediately sat on her bed as she crawled into my arms. "Mommy is making me move in with Papa and Nana," She whispered so lightly under he sniffs, I almost didn't hear her. I didn't know what to think at that moment besides how we're really struggling and somehow I feel like it's my fault. Maybe my job wasn't enough and now I don't know what's going to happen to us. "She says she can't take care of me anymore," said Minnie May before she bursts into tears again. I held her tighter and cried with her.

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When I was 10 years old, my dad committed suicide. I remember everything from that day. I remember how my mom was at work and how that morning when my dad woke me up earlier than usual, he gave me a million kisses like he knew it was his last and told me that he has a big breakfast waiting for me in the kitchen. 

He made me owl pancakes with blueberries and a big cup of strawberry milk. My favorite. I remember him making my mother a big breakfast too. Her belly was bigger than a basketball. So big it could pop at any second. But that didn't stop him.

I was pulled from school a few hours later during reading time. My teacher got a call and looked up at me with a sorrowful face, the phone against her ear.

That night was haunting. My mom and I stayed at my Papa and Nana's house. Her eyes were red and she couldn't get a word out without crying. I didn't know what was wrong because they hadn't told me yet. And when they did, I wasn't sad. I was angry. "Why did he do that?" I asked my Grandma when she gave me strawberry milk.

 I drank it, but it didn't taste the same. "Dylan," Grandpa said as he sat down with me, in front of the fireplace. "People go through things we don't know about. Things just become too much for someone to handle."

I didn't know what he meant by that, but that night when I saw my mother crying with bills stacked up on the table, I understood every word.

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I woke up early the next morning next to Minnie May. I was curled up in her tiny bed, under her strawberry shortcake blankets. She was laying so close to me, so It took me a while to get out without waking her up. The sun was barely up yet, so it was still dark in the house. I checked my phone that was charging by the wall and I got a random notification on Instagram. My eyebrows furrowed because for one: I never post on there, and two: I never get any notifications. I click on it and it takes me to a text from a girl. Her username was "snowflakefairy_"

"Hi, this is Penelope from art class. We never talked, but I've seen you around school and I think you're really cool and super talented. I was wondering if you want to hangout sometime?"

My face brightened up as I texted her back. "Hey. Of course! Maybe we can meet at the arcade or go out for lunch?" I sent it, put my phone down, and walked into the kitchen to make breakfast. I decided to make Minnie my all time favorite, owl pancakes with blueberries and a big cup of strawberry milk. One for her, one for me. My mom hardly eats breakfast. Sometimes she'll just make her a protein shake, but not today. I used the last of the eggs to make her some, along with toast.

There's a lot of stains on our counters because they're really cheap. One time I spilled kool aid and now there's a big red stain by the coffeemaker. We have a dishwasher, but it stopped working a while ago and why pay to get it fixed when we could just wash by hand?

By the time I was done with breakfast, Minnie May came out of her room in her fairy pjs and her favorite stuffed toy, Berry the bunny. "I'm hungry," she whined as she rubbed her eye. I brought her plate to the coffee table in the living room, right in front of her small purple chair. "Lucky for you, I made breakfast."

 A smile grew on her face as she ran to her chair. I turned on Disney Junior for her, went to my mother's room, and closed the door so she wouldn't hear. She was still asleep, but when I turned on her lamp, she opened her eyes. "Good morning," I said, holding her plate. "Sorry for waking up so early, but I need to talk to you about last night."

She sat up. "Phoenix, let's talk about it later. Not right now." I frowned. "But mother. Minnie May can't just move in with Papa and Nana. She needs to live with her brother." I gave her the plate. "You saw the paper's neonato'. I can't take care of her. "I can work more shifts okay? I can quit ballet and-" She cut me off. "Ballet is your dream. You love dancing. You're not going to quit because of me." She took a bite out of her eggs. "Well if Minnie May is moving in with them, then I'm moving in with them too."

She shakes her head immediately. "I can't lose both of you Phoenix. You need to stay here and help me." I tried to hide what I was feeling at that moment. I fought the urge to say, "But it's not my problem, you're the parent," but she's trying the best she can. So instead I sighed and said, "Just think about it Madre."