Checking Up On You

7 Nora

I want to kill myself.

It's my first night back home and we're having dinner as a family.

Dad sits at the head of the table and Mom and Callie sit across from me. I'm all by myself.

Jamie's spot was next to me. They removed the chair and I hate them for it.

I stare at the empty spot and can even see the scuff marks of where the chair used to be.

Someone taps my leg underneath the table and I whip my head up. All eyes on me.

"Sorry, what?" I quickly reach for my fork and start to push my food around my plate.

"I asked how school was going," my mom sighs, and looks back down at her food. I try not to make a face at her disappointment.

"It's fine." I'm not in the mood to talk today. Especially with my mother.

She definitely made me feel like a second thought when it comes to Callie. Callie is her pride and joy. It doesn't help that my sister is a kiss ass.

"It's fine?" my mom scoffs, "We helped you get into a good school and that's all you have to say about it?"

I glance between my mother and my father but he stays out of it. I don't blame him but I'd like some support every once in a while. "Excuse me?"

"It's just a little ungrateful." She says it so smoothly like she's the right one in this conversation.

"No, I worked for this scholarship. You helped Callie get into this school. She cheated her way in but I worked my ass off. I was third in my class when graduating high school. I didn't even see Callie on the list. So don't say I'm ungrateful. You didn't help me, I worked for where I'm at."

I stand up, pushing the chair back with my knees and walk out the front door.

I pace back and forth on the front porch and shake my hands, like my old therapist told me to work out my anxiety. I breathe in and out for ten seconds.

The door opens and Callie slips out.

"What do you want?" I snap.

She purses her lips and sits down on the steps.

"I've seen you around campus. You're with that girl, the one with blue hair?"

I sit down next to her. "Yeah, we share a dorm."

"Who was that guy you were with? Out by the coffee shop?"

I shrug, "Just some guy I met. His name is Owen."

"You two a thing?" She leans forward, trying to see around my hair covering my face.

I throw my head back, frustrated that Owen somehow makes it into my life when I least want him to.

"No, no we are not. We just run into each other a lot."

"Crap," she stares down at her shoes.

"What?"

She bites her lip and looks back at me. "I might have done something you're not going to like."

I scowl at her, "What did you do?"

"Well, you know how Mom mentioned that we're doing a family reunion next week?"

"Yeah..."

"Well I told her I had a date and she asked if you'll be bringing anyone and I told her that you might be bringing someone."

I jump. "Callie! What the hell? I don't have a date. Why would you say that?"

"Because you two looked close!" she hops up so we're at the same level.