Löded summer

Mrs. Heffley

Y/N goes upstairs soon after her mother, the previous conversation they had still on her mind.

No matter, she had a babysitting job to get to soon, which was much better than sitting in the house all day, as kids typically liked her.

She hadn't completely unpacked her suitcases yet, but they lay open before her.

What was she going to wear? Something casual: a black romper, a hot pink fleece sweater, and a pair of white Converse.

Her hair was set loose, and she opted out of doing makeup, as she thought no one important would see her. Nonetheless, Y/N made up for it with small gold hoops and bangles.

"I'm ready!" she called to her mother as she descended the staircase. Ten minutes went by before the two left the house in silence and made their way down the driveway to her mother's car.

In comparison to her father's old pickup truck, it was like night and day.

Y/N didn't know much about cars, but she could recognize a Tesla when she saw one: matte black in color with tinted windows and a white interior.

Of course, she chose to drive a Tesla in a Subaru Forester town.

"Buckle your seat belt," was all that was said to Y/N before they backed out of the driveway.

The car ran smoothly down the street, and Y/N could finally get a good look at the neighborhood.

The houses were pretty uniform with very little distinction, in contrast to the townhouses she was used to.

They pulled up in front of just another two-story house. The lawn was slightly overgrown, but other than that, it was presentable.

Two vehicles sat parked in the driveway: a rather large white van and some type of Honda.

Y/N's mother turned off the engine, got out of the car first, and Y/N followed afterward. In no time, they were on the patio.

Before anyone could ring the doorbell, it was swung open by an exasperated-looking woman.

"Y/M/N!" Mrs. Heffley exclaimed, an expression of relief washing over her as she quickly embraced her visitors.

"This must be my saving grace!" Mrs. Heffley joked, but the bags beneath her eyes told nothing but the truth. "Come. Come in," she beckoned.

Y/N passed her mother and went inside, offering nothing but a tight-lipped smile.

"I'll be back to pick you up at eight," her mother said before taking her leave. The door snapped shut behind them.

Y/N was led to the living room where three brown-haired boys sat; only one was little. The other two were middle-school and high-school age.

"These are my sons, Rodrick, Greg, and Manny," she gestured to them. Her youngest waved before attention was brought back to Mrs. Heffley.

"Lunch is at eleven. I left a list of options and exact recipes along with instructions for each of them," Mrs. Heffley picked Manny up off the couch and handed him off to Y/N.

"Dinner's in the crockpot. No ice cream until he eats all his greens," her eldest son interjected, his arms crossed and head set back.

"Rodrick, I can speak for myself," she cut her eyes at him.

"Sir, yes, sir," he fixed his posture, a grin playing on his lips.

Mrs. Heffley rolled her eyes. "Anyways," she proceeded, "Bedtime's at seven, board games are in the basement, and absolutely no screen time."

Y/N nodded idly, bouncing Manny on her hip. "Anything else?"

Mrs. Heffley thought for a moment just before coming to a decision. "No, I think that's it."

Greg cleared his throat and looked to his brother malevolently. "What about band practice?"

A look of remembrance came to her. "Oh, and Rodrick does not leave this house."

Greg crossed his arms, satisfied with himself, and his older brother's eyes widened in absolute loathing.

The silence was interrupted by an alarm emanating from Mrs. Heffley's phone, labeled 'leave house.' She turned it off and refocused on the task at hand, appearing even more relieved.

"Well, I've got to get going," Mrs. Heffley said as she walked out of the living room toward the front door, with Y/N following behind. She kissed Manny on the temple and retrieved two crumpled twenties from her purse. "Now, I'm giving this to you in confidence that we have an understanding."

Y/N nodded earnestly. "Don't worry, Manny is safe with me."

"All right, just please ensure my house isn't in shambles when I return!" Mrs. Heffley said as she hurried out of the house.