LIVING THE DREAM ✅

Five: The argument, the phonecall and conflicting loyalties

Mitchell had just cut the vegetables to prepare vegetable rice when Hayley came in through the front door.

Mitchell waved her into the kitchen and gestured for her to sit on the kitchen island.
"How was your day?" she asked as she reached for a glass from the cupboard, ignoring the vegetables. "I made you beetroot juice, your favorite."

Hayley smiled as took the glass of juice and drank it all in one gulp. "Hmm, this is good. You are getting good at measuring the sugar."

Mitchell frowned. "It was just one time when I put excess sugar. And it wasn't too much. Your taste buds are just too sensitive."

"Exactly! Too much sugar is not good for your health. I keep telling you that!" Hayley rolled her eyes which narrowed so fast as soon as she averted her gaze. "Wait, are you just cutting vegetables now? At 6pm?"

"I'm making vegetable rice, your favorite," Mitchell looked away, hoping to avert the crisis.

"At 6pm? What have you been doing all day? You know that I can't have my supper later than 7:30pm, right?"

Of course Mitchell knew. After all, it was her that made supper every single day for the past fourteen years. "Vegetable rice doesn't even take thirty minutes to get ready!"

"I'm not eating half-cooked food!"

"It won't be half-cooked," Mitchell argued. "Rice doesn't have bones. It literally just takes a couple of minutes to cook."

"I also keep telling you to start cooking early such that the food gets enough time on fire," Hayley snapped back. "I'm a microbiologist. You should take me serious sometimes."

"And I have been cooking for you for fourteen years. You should take me serious all the time."

"It's not my fault that you got distracted watching those sappy romcoms of yours and forgot to start cooking early!"

"Or maybe, if you took a second to come and help me out in the kitchen," Mitchell paused, her chest rising and falling from the argument, "this supper would be ready in no time."

"Hell, no!" Hayley snatched her backpack from the kitchen and stormed out of the kitchen. "I don't spend a shitty at the lab and come home to help someone who spends the whole day glued to her laptop. People your age have jobs, maybe you should too."

"What did you just say?" Mitchell snapped her head towards Hayley. Their eyes met, both filled with rage for different reasons. "This lazy person that spends her day glued on the laptop pays your bills, buys groceries, drives you wherever you want to go and cooks for you every night. If I were you, I'd watch my tongue."

"Or what?" Hayley challenged. "You'll not cook for me again? Newsflash, Vine gives free food for all it's interns. William will be driving me to the lab tomorrow, so, you don't have to worry about using your gas anymore."

"And what will happen when you leave Vine?"

"Maybe I'll find a job, unlike some people," Hayley hissed and ran to her room, leaving a livid Mitchell.

She was so livid that in that moment, she poured all the chopped vegetables away, placed the saucepans back to where they were kept and left the kitchen - not before turning the lights off. She was used to Hayley's comments about her lifestyle. But every time she made Mitchell look like a loser who she could live without, it pained. It stang. It felt like she wasn't doing enough. Sure, she had sacrificed going to school - opting to be homeschooled at a young age in order to take care of young Hayley, sacrificed her college fund to make sure that Hayley went to a good science university and practically wrote all sexually shameful things to be able to keep a roof on their head. But Hayley sometimes didn't see that. And it stang. A lot.

She and Hayley lived in a nice apartment, though not so big and spacious, but for two people, it was enough. Two bedrooms - each with it's own bathroom and closet, a kitchen and a living room. Their bedrooms were opposite each other and in absence of noise, one could hear what the other was doing in their bedroom.
So, as Mitchell was heading towards her room, she heard sounds from Hayley's room.

"- I told you," she heard Hayley say to whoever she was talking to on phone. "It's fine, it's only for a year- of course I'll move out as soon as I graduate! For now? I'll survive-"

She didn't stick around to listen to the rest of the conversation and instead chose to open her laptop, play some sad music as she edited some book covers from clients. As usual, she was singing along, her head moving along with the beat.

Just like the previous night, the singing voice returned. Except that then, she wasn't surprised and neither was she opposed to seeing him. She stopped working, knelt on her bed and looked out of the window. This time, he wore a baggy sweater and sweatpants, his smile never wavering. She hadn't expected to see him soon, especially not after the fight with Claire.

"Hey," she whispered. It was a quiet night and she was sure that he could hear the whisper and if not, he could always read her lips.

Her guess was proved right when he grinned back. "Hey there. When did you leave?"

"At 6pm. Hannah is a good conversationalist, if that's a word."

"I knew you two would get along," his grin widened. "I'm sorry that you had to see that fight with me and Claire. I swear I thought everything was going great and the next minute, she was exploding. You never know what to expect from her."

"It's fine," Mitchell waved him off. "I'm sorry you got fired."

"I'm sure I'll find something. It's not great living at your big sister's house. She looks at you like a houseboy all the time!"

Mitchell's eyes widened. "Is that right?"

"Why? Is something the problem?"

"I don't know," she paused for a few seconds. "But I'm pretty sure that I heard my little sister telling someone else she can't wait to move out of here. Is it really so bad to live with your elder siblings?"

"No," Austin shook his head. "Of course not. Siblings are different and I'm sure that it'd be a good experience to live with you. It's just that my sister thinks that I'm a loser."

Mitchell laughed. "And so does mine!"

"You," he pointed at her, his eyebrows raised, "a loser? Your name and loser can't be used in the same sentence. You can write, you edit graphics, you take care of your sister - of course Hannah literally retold everything you told her to us - but my point is, you aren't a loser."

Mitchell's cheeks went red and she averted her eyes.
"I'm sure you aren't a loser either just because you got fired."

"Hmm," Austin said. "Are you free tomorrow?"

Her heartbeat picked up. "Why?"

"I'm going job hunting downtown. We can walk together and find some fun things to do as well. Sounds good?"

She wanted to say no, she really did. After all, her plan was to do everything right and make up with Hayley because their arguments never lasted an entire day. But on the other hand, Austin's offer seemed enticing enough. She'd never been to downtown. She knew nothing about that town except for the necessities - drug shops, grocery stores, Hayley's university and her internship place. She contemplated on her choices. She could stay home all day and make up with Hayley by making everything she loved or she could go out of the house with Austin and grab that life that Hayley always wanted her to have.

Fuck conflicting loyalties!

What do you think she's gonna choose? I'll be waiting.
Ps: Happy Valentine's day.  I hope that you and your partner have a good one. If you have no partner, it's okay. Show some love to yourself, your friends and family.

Have a good one. Vote and comment.