Game Over: Life's Over

Right To Dessert

I felt a bit out of it after waking up from my nap. I'd slept so peacefully and even managed to wake up on my own. Usually, Theo or Eric would have to wake me up when dinner was ready. Maybe they were letting me get some sleep.

I rubbed my eyes as I made my way down the steps. I barely remembered to open the baby gate when I got to the bottom of the steps. I was just stepping through when someone knocked on the front door.

Confused, I walked to the door. Even on my tiptoes, I couldn't see through the peephole. I sighed. "Who is it?"

"Hi, sweetie."

My eyes widened and I unlocked the door. I opened it to see Mom standing on the porch. She had her purse with her along with a gift bag in her hand. She was still dressed in her work clothes.

"I thought you weren't supposed to answer the door."

I hugged her tight. It had only been a few days since I last saw her but I knew that was rare. I usually didn't see her for weeks at a time. "I saw it was you and couldn't wait. I'm sorry. I'm just so happy to see you."

She patted my back. "I guess I can let it slide this time. I'm happy to see you, too. Can we go inside? It's hot out here and I'm in my work clothes."

I let go of her and walked back inside. "Are you staying for the weekend?"

She pursed her lips. "I'm afraid not. I have to leave tonight."

I frowned. There was always a condition when it came to time with Mom. "I hate that you can't stay longer."

"I know, sweetie. But you just saw me last weekend."

"You know it's never long enough."

Eric walked out of the kitchen. "Hi, Lydia. It's good to see you again."

Mom smiled. "Yes, you also. Where can I put my gift?"

I looked down at the bag Mom was holding and raised my eyebrows. "You brought a gift? For who?"

Mom laughed. "For you, silly."

"But why?"

"Because you graduated and we're happy for you."

I looked between Mom and Eric. Something was going on and I didn't like being left out of the loop.

Mom patted my shoulder. "It's a good gift, sweetheart. Don't worry."

I opened my mouth to speak but a knock sounded at the door that took my attention away.

Eric walked over and opened the door. Soleil peeked around Eric and smiled at me. She wedged her way inside and walked over to me with a wrapped box. She was wearing a pink dress with white tennis shoes. Her hair was pulled back into a braid that trailed down her back

She pushed the box into my hands. "Happy graduation."

I took the present from her and handed it to Eric, who was passing us at that time. "Uh, thanks."

She looked at Mom and I saw her face flush just a little. "Hi. I'm Soleil. Are you Jake's mom?"

Mom smiled. "Yes. My name's Lydia. It's nice to finally meet you."

"Does Jake ever talk about me?"

My face flushed and I grabbed Soleil's hand, pulling her toward the couch.

Soleil laughed. "What? I'm not allowed to talk to your mom?"

"Not if you're gonna ask questions."

She rolled her eyes. "I was just curious. You'd do the same if the situation was reversed."

I shook my head. "I don't think so."

She sat down on the couch and glanced around the living room. "This place is nice. Are you allowed to play here or is it just a 'look but don't touch' kind of place?"

I sat down beside her. "I don't really play much. I just watch TV most of the time."

"Doesn't that get boring?"

"Sometimes. You should come over sometime. There's a backyard we can play in."

"I love being outside, especially when the weather is nice. It's better than just watching TV."

I nodded. I liked getting out and being active but I didn't have much of an opportunity to do that since I didn't have sports to keep me busy. I knew the park was an option but I was still getting used to being around other people when I was so different.

"So which dad was that that answered the door?"

I made a face at her. "Eric's not my dad."

She rolled her eyes. "You know what I mean."

"I just... I don't feel like I'm close enough with them like that."

"I get it. It was hard for me at first. I was glad to get away from my parents but Carrie was a stranger. That was scary in itself."

"How long did it take you to get used to?"

She shrugged. "Maybe a couple of weeks? Months? I can't really remember. One day I just... I was comfortable with her. She's so chill that she doesn't scare me or anything."

Theo and Eric were like that. They weren't very strict and really didn't set any rules for me to follow. They enforced rules from Dr. Simmons that I didn't like but I knew it wasn't because they didn't like me. They just had to because it was their job as my caregivers.

"Sometimes, I wish Carrie had a boyfriend or something. Carrie keeps to herself a lot so it'd be nice to have someone to do stuff with."

"Have you asked her to play with you?"

"I've tried but she's just not interested. Maybe once I start regressing more, she'll pay more attention to me."

"Theo will give you plenty of attention if you come over. I think he wants me to need him so he can spend time with me."

She laughed.

A knock sounded at the door once more and I glanced at it.

"That's probably Will. He told me he was coming, too."

"Why?"

"Your caregivers didn't tell you?"

I shook my head. I didn't know what was going on.

"It's a graduation party for you."

"How come Carrie didn't stay?"

"She wanted me to have some time for myself. I don't get that much anymore."

I nodded. I knew what she meant. I'd felt that way ever since I moved in with Theo and Eric. I was never going to get to have a normal life and do normal things. That was made clear to me when I first got diagnosed.

Eric walked to the door and opened it. He greeted Will and Emily, who I was surprised to see.

"Where's Jake?" Will asked.

Eric nodded his head in our direction. "They're in the living room. I can take your present and put it with the others."

Will handed off a bag and then joined us in the living room. He glanced at my new couch before he plopped down on it. His hair was down, which surprised me, but it looked good on him. It fit him. He had a binky attached to his shirt.

"I hope there's cake."

"Theo was baking cookies earlier."

Will grinned. "Sweet. Let's get this thing started so we can jump right to dessert."

Soleil turned to me and rolled her eyes.

I had a feeling that the party wouldn't be too bad with the two of them there.