Studio 22 | Mary-Kate Olsen

Chapter Twenty-Eight

October 5th 2022 - Brooklyn - Sage and Blue's Apartment

Summer had been and gone, autumn had set in, the leaves on the trees were turning pretty shades of browns and orange. The streets are littered with scarfs and chelsea boots, the air is once again cold and Iced coffees are turning to piping hot ones for the sake of keeping icy hands warm.

Along with the exit of summer Sage's weekly testing was no longer a thing and he wasn't going to AA. Not that he was an alcoholic anyway... Mamí and Papí have eased up on us. We both put on a show for them. They come over to 'see us' but really they're inspecting the house. We know when they're coming and we clean up and put everything in place to please them. We haven't got everything a typical apartment has, but the kitchen was always stocked even if neither of us ate here all that much. We had one small sofa in the lounge... We still used the beanbag chairs though. Sage had a bed frame, I was still sleeping on a mattress on the floor. But I had sorted my closest out and my clothes were actually put away. I still had books and boxes in the corner but it was enough for their approval.

Sage has gone back to the party life, meaning we had fallen back into our old routines. Monday nights I stay at MK's, we go to dinner after staying extra late at work and then she drives us to her apartment. It's our routine now and she doesn't even ask anymore, I also just assume she's going to welcome me into her place. It was easier than staying at work ridiculously late to avoid Sage's 'friends'. I spend my days walking on eggshells around Sage and his friends. I wasn't scared of them, I just didn't have the spare energy to deal with their shit.

On Wednesday nights I go out with my and Jazz's friends and stay at her place. I finish work on time on Wednesdays. Western, Jazz's now official boyfriend, picks me up on his way back from work and we head to her place to get ready for whatever that evening's activity is. Western is a pretty cool guy, he's so affectionate towards Jazz and she drinks it up. He works for a construction company in the city but he lives in Brooklyn not too far from me. Some days he drives me to the city so I don't have to do the long commute early in the mornings. Jazz is glad we get along so well and so am I. It makes being a third wheel so much more enjoyable.

My Friday nights are occupied by my parents' visits. Meaning I get up early on Friday mornings to make sure anything Sage broke that week I fixed. I cleaned the whole apartment before I even thought about work. I rotate the large rug in the lounge to hide the new stains, if I had time I'd attempt to scrub them out. At this point the rug is trashed and it needs tossing in the trash. Our parents expect us to make dinner for them... Sage normally just stands in the kitchen whilst I cook. He acts like he's helping but he typically just stands there stirring a pot or chopping vegetables we don't need. He's doing more harm than good in the kitchen at the moment. He used to be a great cook. Both our parents were good cooks and Sage picked up a few skills from them. I was delayed in my cooking development because Sage would just do it for the both of us. Perks of being a twin you only had to learn how to do half the things in the world. That is until your brother turns into a street rat and you have to take over everything and become his, sister, friend, doctor and mother.

My Saturday nights are typically consumed by work, whether it be extra work I've taken home to finish, trips to pick up fabrics, shoots or business meetings, meals or parties. I spend a lot of my time with a polite smile spread across my lips nodding along with important people. I didn't mind it was part of the job but I find myself flying through conversations on autopilot and am very glad Alice is next to me also listening so at least one of us knows what is going on.

I try to go to the gym, or on a run or down to the recreational ground to play football throughout the week. I needed a physical outlet and sports and training have always been just that for me. I had neglected it since getting a job and that's because I worked so many hours and my mind was often occupied by destructive thoughts that kept me from functioning. So I've started to set boundaries with work. Small boundaries but boundaries nevertheless. I don't work on Sundays, I don't work after 8, unless there's a huge project at work. I take time out for myself, this could be before or after work. And working out more had enhanced my mood, I knew it would, it always had. I just needed to accept that and use it to help cope.