August Slipped Away | Ongoing

Chapter Two

Of course I didn't call him. What did you think? Me? Awkward August? Have the guts? To call James Cotwell? Anyways I'll just text him to bring me special English Heinz sauce for the barbeque. I wish I'd have taken the chance to talk to him in high school. He always said that I was like  big sister to him and he loved me because I was there for him. I'm just a couple months older than him and I wished he didn't love me like that. It's suffocating.

Anyways I hate James Cotwell. He can be a dick sometimes. But he's found his girl now. Guess who? Betty Pierson. MY Betty Pierson. The awkward blonde with the scrappy hair who I took under my wing to help her shine. And she goes after my James Cotwell. Sounds a bit like Mean Girls doesn't it.

It's not been hard to keep up with town and high school news, I've stayed here for the past year and now there's only a little bit of time before James and Betty graduate and I start my college years for real. Of course James is madly in love. He won't leave her. 

I don't think I should talk about a boy. My plate is overflowing, and I'm trying to sort it out but it keeps piling on again, like Jenga. I don't know how dad's gonna handle that I'm not going to Lanwood Community College, which is just a couple minutes away. New York seems so far away... But dad and the boys need me. 

The door bangs downstairs and I jump out of my seat. Who's home at this time?

"Hey Augshee where're your keys?"

I bound downstairs ready to-

"What the hell Les."

My brother looks like a grape prune. He's Thanos. I'm Harry Styles. 

His eyes are swelling shut, and it looks like this has been there for hours. 

"OH MY GOD Les-"

"Can you shut up and get me some ice, I'm heading off,"

"No tell me what happened first."

"I provoked some kids and got suspended yada yada.."

"WHAT THE FUCK Leslie Hill get on that goddamn chair and tell me what happened!"

"It's chill I wa-"

"Getting suspended is NOT OK. Showing up to the house like this and expecting me to give you my keys is NOT OK-"

"God when did you become mom."

He shut up after that. My mind did a cartwheel and I got ready with a hundred different clapbacks but I shut my mouth. I got him ice and enquired him about what happened. Leslie was trying to be himself but some kids didn't like it. Teacher thought he started the fight. This time, I'm calling James for real.