Rose Bridges

Three

Romero

I smack my lips when I see a spot of oil that jumped from the frying pan and onto my notebook.

I lean against the counter of the dim yellow kitchen as I finish up the math homework due tomorrow.

Homework has been keeping me busy since the moment I got home from school, so I didn't have time to go the store to get anything decent for dinner.

Instead, I'm making four grilled cheeses in the two frying pans next to me. Mariana's milk heats up as I shake it in one of my hands.

Avó sits on the sunken-in couch in the living room, Mariana complaining for food as she sits on her lap. Her little hands reach for the graying curly hair around our grandmother's crown.

My phone buzzes, making me glance up from my work.

I stiffen when I see the text notification.

Unknown Number
Just kys alr fr instead of taking up room and stealing spots that people who can afford here deserve.

My jaw hardens and I reach over to shut the phone off.

I've been getting texts from random numbers since I transferred to this goddamn school.

People just think they're being funny. Haha laugh at the kid here on a scholarship.

Yeah yeah fuck off with daddy's money.

Once the grilled cheeses are done, I place them onto plates and then onto the square dining room table in the kitchen.

"A comida tá pronta," I say only half paying attention as I take a seat with my math notebook still in hand, scarfing down the entire sandwich before I finish another problem.

Avó walks over tiredly, wordlessly placing Mariana in my arms.

Karine passes me as she walks down the steps from upstairs and I walk to the living room.

I plop down on the couch and Mariana starts to dramatically cry, but then stops once I let her get a hold of the bottle.

I balance the math notebook on my thigh as she sits on the other.

"Tia Vitoria is coming home in a few, she said there's a lot of traffic," Karine yells from the kitchen.

"Okay," I respond, still not fully paying attention since I'm trying to finish this fucking math work.

"Depois de comer, vou ir pro trabalhar na loja," she yells, sounding as if her mouth is half full with grilled cheese.

This'll make sneaking out a lot easier.

Avó and Tia Vitoria will be asleep, Mariana should be too once she enters the milk coma, and Karine will be gone.

Karine walks into the living room as she ties on the supermarket smock.

"And put on some clothes," she scrunches up her face. "You're scaring the ghosts."

Without looking up from the homework I flip her off with the hand supporting Mariana in the crook of my arm.

Her head falls back, letting out her weird witch laugh as she walks past, also making sure to reach out quickly and pinch my nipple.

I jump slightly which causes the milk bottle to knock out of Mariana's grasp. Her immediate complain crying filling the air.

I swing my head to my sister as she practically runs out the front door. "Love you!" she yells.

"Yeah I know," I yell back to piss her off before helping guide the bottle back to Mariana and continuing the last math problem.