london girl • wilbur soot

01 - maggie69420

MAGGIE

i left late for nottingham. it was tommy's birthday tomorrow, and i would never miss spending his birthday with him.

it took me a little over two hours to make the drive from my apartment in london to my childhood home in nottingham, and when i pulled into the driveway, it was just past one in the morning, and the only light on in the house was the one in tommy's window.

i took my backpack off the passenger seat and slung it over my shoulder as i dug the house key out of my pocket. it's been six years since i'd moved out, but i still kept my old house key around just in case.

i quietly unlocked and opened the door, closing it behind me. my old bedroom was upstairs, right next door to tom's room.

as i make my way up the stairs, i feel the full force of how tired i am from the shift i worked before leaving london, so i decide to go to my room, fall asleep, and say hi in the morning.

*

i'm woken, not by an alarm or the sound of birds chirping, but by my bed shaking. i open my eyes in a panic to see tommy shaking my bed frame. "i'm disappointed. you got here last night and didn't want to say hi to your little brother?" he says in mock hurt.

i roll my eyes as i sit up and swipe the hair out of my face. "i got here at like one in the morning and i was tired," i say as i get out of bed. when i'm stood in front of tommy, i wrap my arms around him in a tight hug. "happy birthday, idiot."

"i don't know if i should be thankful or hurt," he says, grinning. "breakfast is ready, and mom and dad want to see you," he adds.

"okay let me get changed," i agree, pushing him out of my room. once i'm alone, i change into a pair of levi's shorts and a red and white striped crop top. i brush out my hair and weave it into a loose braid, and begin to make my way to the kitchen.

there are streamers and balloons in the corridors, and when i walk past the living room, there's a small stack of presents for tom.

when i walk into the kitchen, my mom immediately hugs me. "hey maggie. i've missed you, sweetie. how are you?" mom speaks quickly as she pulls away and looks at my face. she gasps when she spots my new nose ring.

"i've been good, mom. how are you guys?" i ask, walking over to my dad where he's sitting in his robe, drinking his coffee.

"we're good. just having to deal with tom," dad says, not taking his eyes off the game of sudoku he's playing on his phone.

"that's not nice, dad. especially on my birthday," tommy chides, taking a pancake off a plate set on the table and dropping it on his own plate.

"you deserve it, especially on your birthday," mom counters, pouting her spatula at him.

breakfast is filled with catching up. i tell my parents about my new job at the coffee shop, the traffic in london.

"so, mags, when are you planning on bringing someone home?" dad asks, his eyes still glued to sudoku.

he asks as i'm taking a drink of my coffee, causing me to choke and coffee to dribble down my face. "uh, i have brought people home before, dad."

he shrugs. "no one noteworthy, i guess."

i scoff, a laugh bubbling up in my chest. "okay then,"

after breakfast, dad takes over the dishes while my mom says she has one more thing to get before we celebrate tommy's birthday.

"hey, maggie, wanna play minecraft with me?" tommy asks. i roll my eyes. everytime i come to visit, tommy begs me to play minecraft with him. i've declined everytime recently, because i know on the internet, tommy had a lot people watching him, and i don't want to be associated with his youtube career.