Game Over: Life's Over

Right Out The Door

We pulled up to Soleil's house and I wasn't sure what to expect. Her house was a small brick house sandwiched in between other brick houses. The area was nice though it wasn't as nice as the area around Eric and Theo's house.

There was a chain link fence blocking off the front yard. A gate opened up to the driveway where I assumed Carrie's car was parked. It sat in front of a garage and I wondered why she didn't just park in there.

Theo pulled up along the street and turned off the car. "Are you ready to head in?"

I was nervous about seeing Soleil. I didn't know what to expect and that's what scared me the most.

I pulled my binky from my mouth. "Are you gonna stay?"

Theo turned in his seat to look at me. "Do you want me to?"

I nodded. I felt like such a baby needing him to stay with me. When I lived with Mom, I never wanted her around my friends. She wasn't because of her work schedule but I was always glad to have time away from her. That certainly wasn't the case anymore.

"Don't be afraid to ask. I don't mind hanging around. I'm eager to meet Carrie and get to know her a little better."

I unbuckled myself and grabbed my Switch.

Theo gave me a reassuring smile before he got out of the car and walked around to my side. He opened the door and stepped back so I could get out. He grabbed the diaper bag before shutting the door.

"Do you have to take that in?" I asked with a whine to my voice.

"Yes. What if you need changed?"

I groaned. "We can't just pretend I don't have to, can we?"

Theo laughed. "It doesn't work that way, Jake."

"I don't want Soleil to know."

"Soleil's not going to judge you. She's too nice to do that."

"That doesn't mean anything. It's embarrassing no matter who mentions it."

"Jake, you need to get past this. It's only a big deal if you make it a big deal."

"That's easy for you to say. You're not the one going through all of this."

"No, but I'm here to help you get through it. I won't sit by and let you wallow in self-pity. You have a lot of life left to live and I don't want to see you spending that time being miserable." He patted my back. "Cheer up. We're here to see Soleil."

I stuck my binky back in my mouth and followed him to the gate. He shut it behind me before we walked up to the front door. I let him knock on the door.

It only took Carrie a minute before she was answering the door. She had on a pair of jeans and a plain T-shirt. She smiled at us as she stepped back to let us in.

"Come on in. It's good to see you two."

Theo returned the smile and walked in first. "It's good to see you again. How have you been?"

"Not too bad. I've been enjoying the nice weather."

"Yeah, you have to. It won't be long before it gets cold again."

"I'm already dreading it."

I awkwardly stood in the entryway. They didn't have a big entryway. It led right into the living room. The living room was carpeted with a tan carpet. There was a sectional that faced a fireplace. The TV sat above the fireplace. I noticed there weren't any toys for Soleil to play with. Maybe Carrie didn't want Soleil to play in the living room. The kitchen was straight through, similar to how Theo and Eric's was, but it looked small. Carrie didn't seem like someone who wanted a lot of frills or an updated home, unlike Eric and Theo.

To my right was a hallway that I assumed led to the bedrooms.

"Jake, Soleil is in her room. Do you want to go see her?" Carrie asked. I hadn't talked to Carrie much and only saw her when she brought Soleil to the park or playgroup. I didn't know much about her at all. But the way she spoke to me made me feel like I was a kid and I wasn't sure if she talked like that to Soleil, too, or if it was just how she was talking to me. I tried my best not to take it personally but it left a pit in my stomach.

I nodded.

Carrie started down the hallway and I noticed there were pictures of Soleil on the walls. She hadn't been taking care of Soleil for very long but it was nice to see they were attached to each other. Nothing worse than living with someone you didn't like or get along with.

Carrie stopped in front of the first door on the right. "This is Soleil's room. I converted the guest room into a playroom for her and that's the next door on this side. There's a doorway that connects the two rooms so you can play in whichever room. If you need anything, just let me know."

I nodded.

Carrie knocked on the door before she stuck her head in. "Hey, sweetie. Jake's here."

I couldn't hear what Soleil said but it must have been good enough for Carrie. She stepped back and let me go inside.

I looked back and Carrie was already walking away, leaving me alone with Soleil.

I didn't want to make Soleil wait any longer so I stepped inside her room and shut the door behind me. The blinds were up about halfway, letting in light from outside. There was a dome light that lit stars and planets on the ceiling, which was pretty cool. I was sure it would be a nice nightlight.

Soleil's room was bigger than I expected. It was about the size of my room but that didn't even include the playroom. Her bed was pushed up against the wall across from the door and along the wall where the playroom door was. A dresser sat on the foot end of her bed, facing away from the bed. There was a hair brush, a hand mirror, and some hair clips on the top of the dresser. There was another dresser to the right of the door as I entered and a chair sitting against the far right wall underneath a window. There were lots of pictures on the walls. Some were hand-drawn and some were framed pictures. It was a cozy bedroom.

Soleil was sitting on her bed with a blanket laid over her legs. She was sitting back against the wall. She was wearing a unicorn onesie that seemed very on par for her. It looked a little big on her but maybe she wanted it to be bigger. She didn't look much different than the last time I saw her. I wasn't sure why she was so afraid of being around anyone like she had for the last few weeks.

I walked over and sat down beside her on her bed. She had a fuzzy blanket spread out for us to sit on. The one lying on her legs was fuzzy, too. "Hey."

Soleil didn't say anything. She turned toward me and put her arms around my neck. She hid her face in my shoulder and my body tensed up at our close proximity.

I didn't hate that she was hugging me. I really liked it. I just wished it was under better circumstances.

I hugged her back and while I wanted to do it because I really wanted to hug her, I did it because I knew she needed it. She needed me to be there for her as a friend, not as someone who had a crush on her.

After a few minutes, Soleil let go of me and sat up straighter. She brushed her hair out of her face, tucking it behind the hood of the outfit she had on. In doing so, I was given a look at her face.

Soleil had pimples on her face that I never noticed before. They might not have been noticeable had I not been sitting so close to her. Her lips were parted enough that I could see she was missing a tooth. It was one of the front ones. I barely got a glimpse so I couldn't tell which one it really was.

Overall she looked younger.

That was when it hit me. That was why she had been so distant.

"Can we play?" She asked in a small voice. It was higher pitched than I was used to but I figured we hadn't seen each other in a while so it may have just sounded different because I hadn't heard it in a while.

I nodded and unzipped the Switch from the case I had it in to bring it from home. "I've been practicing in hopes that I could beat you."

She smiled and rested her head on my shoulder. Any fear or doubt I had that Soleil liked me went right out the door.