Why Do You Care About Me? - A Reese Wilkerson Fanfiction

6

After going to Zoe's house and playing truth or dare for an hour and a half, Zoe said me and Emma could go home. We lived the opposite direction from each other, so I walked all the way home by myself.

My younger siblings were watching TV hen I got home. Mom was working till 12 today. She had to work way longer hours ever since dad left.

Now we had to stay by ourselves. We all insisted we were too old for a babysitter, mom gave in since she wouldn't have had enough money, and Caleb was almost an adult anyway. She made us swear that we wouldn't do anything bad because we had absolutely no money to spare. We usually did stupid things because we were bored, but now that wasn't an option, so we all just spent all day watching TV to make sure we wouldn't do anything.

"Where's Caleb?" I asked as I wandered past them.

"Room." Richard replied, not taking his eyes off the screen.

I went straight to the bathroom, showered and washed my hair. It seemed the right thing to do after such a sweaty day. I put on a fresh baggy white shirt and black sweatpants. I instinctively searched the pockets of the bootcut jeans I had just taken off and took out the ten dollars and few coins I hadn't spent. My money was NOT going through the washing machine again. Without thinking I shoved it into my joggy pocket and threw my dirty clothes in the laundry basket.

I sat down on my bed, refreshed. I glanced at my alarm clock. 6:57. I usually spent my afternoons alone, playing darts, listening to music, playing guitar and piano, crocheting, reading, painting and occasionally watching something. I'd always enjoyed my own presence, but not anymore. Maybe it was because I felt too guilty sitting inside when the whether was so nice.

The things that Zoe and Emma had been saying couldn't help but circle around my head.

Were they even real friends at this point? I'm always there for them, but the second I need something, they don't give a shit?

I couldn't stand being alone a second longer. I decided to see what Caleb was doing. I creeped down the hallway to the room he shared with my two brothers. I cracked the door open. He was laying on his bed, staring at the ceiling.

"Can I come in?"

"Mhm."He muttered.

"You okay?" I asked slipping in and closing the door behind me. I sat down on Finns' bed. He leaned on the back of his elbows and looked at me.

"Yeah." He looked at me quizzically for a moment then added: "Everything's just so depressing these days."

"Kinda. We should do something fun for once." I said as I watched my swinging feet.

"Don't you think mom has enough on her head already?" He sat up. It seemed like all this time he'd just been waiting to explode on someone, and I'd already started regretting that I even came in. " We'd just fuck up and make everything harder for her than it already is." He snapped, then shot up from his bed. "I have to go to work now anyway." He grabbed his Circus Burger uniform and stormed out, even though his shift didn't start for another 30 minutes, making sure to slam the door.

Fucking great.

I finally left the room after a few minutes, and went into the family room.

"Don't you have anything better to do with your lives?" I snapped at my three siblings who were still sitting on the couch.

"Mom's not here. We can do what we want." Kaiya said.

"Whatever." I snarled and left the house through the double doors in the family room into the garden. It was lit with a few shafts of the evening setting sun, otherwise, it was shady. I sat down on one of the swings dad had made. I felt lost. Alone. I just wished for someone to have fun with. Make memories with.