Owen
I watch, as if in a trance while Evangeline slides the bread into the toaster and turns to face me. My hands brush against the pages of the study material from today's session on the table. For an eighth grader, her handwriting is surprisingly messy at times. But it's cute.
"How are Orabella and Penny?" She asks, handing me a cup of apple juice. Lucas knows I'm addicted to the stuff, so there is always a carton for me in the fridge. I smile and accept it.
"They're doing okay. Ora went for a checkup just yesterday."
"That's good. Are you excited to become an uncle?"
"Yeah, sure. I'll feel so old, though."
Evangeline laughs. "If you feel old, imagine how Orabella and Penny feel."
I grin in return. "She's like a mother figure to me. Add the decade age difference, and boom. I haven't heard from Aunt Mariam for awhile now. Is she well?"
She nods. "Yeah, she's away with my dad overseas."
"I see." Curiosity nags at me. Lucas, his brothers, Evangeline and I hang out all together occasionally, but I realised that I don't actually know all that much about their stepsister.
"What about your mom?" I blurt.
I cringe inwardly. Where did that come from?
"I'm sorry," I say quickly. "It was rude of me to ask like that."
Evangeline inclines her head, grey gaze flicking over me. She may be young, yet her eyes speak of wisdom beyond her years.
"Well, my mom's been in jail since I was born. I've never met her." Her face twists with an underlying emotion. Resentment?
"And my dad, growing up, he wasn't the best, but probably not the worst out there, either." Her laugh sounds forced, unlike the cheerful, tinkling sound from earlier. What's she hinting at?
"My dad up and left when my mom got pregnant. My mom's gone now. Overdose when I was nine." At the mere mention, bitterness rises in me.
"I'm sorry," she says. Her eyes lower, as do mine. Neither of us wants the other's pity.
Just then the toaster dings, startling us both out of our trances. She laughs nervously and grabs a jar of Nutella from the cupboard. No, not 'grabs'. More like, jumps for.
I sip my juice and watch in silence as she unscrews the lid and sticks her butter knife in the contents of the jar.
"Hey, guys."
Lucas enters the kitchen. I grin and we fist bump. Lucas snickers. "No snailing me today?"
He turns his smile to his stepsister. "Hey, Princess!" She gives him a bright smile in return as he peeps over her shoulder to see what she's doing.
"You're having that again?"
"Yeah, why?"
The corner of Luke' mouth curls up. "Oh, nothing. I just hope you won't eat the chocolate straight from the jar."
"Hey, don't start on that again!" She smacks his shoulder. "What's with your prejudice against people who eat Nutella?"
I can't help but snicker. "Oh, that because he's a germophobe."
Luke wrinkles his nose as we watch Evangeline slap an obscene amount of Nutella on the bread and spread it with the knife.
"You a sugar addict or what?"
She chuckles and bites into her snack. "I do love my sugar."
Lucas picks up the jar and peers inside. "Ew. Bacteria cultivator."
Evangeline rolls her eyes, then sets the toast down on her plate, now littered with chocolate covered crumbs.
"Hey, Owen. The twin's birthday is in a week, and we're throwing hem a surprise party."
"Can you help us distract them while we setup that day? Or, you could assist with the setup itself." Lucas adds.
"Huh." I eye them curiously. Something is brewing. "Sure, what day?"
"Friday."
I run through my schedule for the week. "Sure."
"Yay!" Evangeline claps her hands excitedly. "Now all we have to do is get Daniel in too."
The name sounds familiar. "Daniel?"
She looks me. "Yep. Daniel Miller."
Ah, shit.
