Little Daisy

Graduation

"Hey Rae." Carden says, setting his books down on the table.

"Yes brat." She says, not looking up from the mountain of paperwork that she's looking through.

"What are you doing?" He asks, picking one paper up and looking at it. Rae snatches it back.

"This is me trying to gain a scholarship." She mutters.

"Can I help?" Carden asks.

"You could make me a sandwich and tell me why you're being so sweet to me." She requests.

"Because I counted today."

"Counted what?" Rae asks, looking up.

"Days left of school." He says.

"Yeah? How many?" She asks, setting her pencil down and taking the sandwich from him.

"School days or normal days?"

"Both. School days first, then days total."

"27 school days, 36 days total." He says, sitting down.

"Your sandwich is delicious. Who taught you to cook?" She asks and he raises an eyebrow.

"This isn't cooking Rae. It's a sandwich. That means you have less than 40 days to tell Tim that we're moving to Duluth pretty much the second you walk off that stage." He points out and she rubs your temples.

"Why is everyone so concerned about Tim and I's relationship?" She mutters and Carden scrapes his chair on the kitchen floor.

"Because when we leave, you're not just losing a boyfriend. I'm losing my big brother." He reminds her, getting up and walking to his room. Rae flings her pencil at the closing door.

"Babe." Tim says, startling her. He's standing in the doorway, looking at her strangely.

"Hi, sorry, where have you been?" She asks hurriedly, trying to gather the papers in a nice pile.

"Have you eaten tonight?" He demands and she looks around, noticing the dark sky and time.

"Uh, Carden... He made me a sandwich at like... 5:30." She says and he shakes his head.

"Rae that's not a real meal." He reminds her gently, picking up one of the pieces of paper.

"I'm not hungry." She insists.

"You haven't been eating." He says, pulling the fridge open.

"Why are you watching out for me? This is reversed. Don't flip the world around on me." She protests.

"Well you don't eat when I'm not here to remind you. You gotta cut that out when you go... Go to wherever it is that you're going." He says, gesturing with his hands fruitlessly.

"Duluth." She says quietly.

"What?" He asks, looking at her.

"Duluth." She repeats, keeping eye contact with him. "I am going to the University of Minnesota in Duluth and I will be a Bulldog. Carden is going to start high school at Duluth East and he is going to be a Greyhound."

"I didn't... I didn't know that you had this so planned out." Tim says, fridge still wide open. She nudges it shut with her toe. "Did you even consider San Antonio State, like at all?" He asks, a wounded note in his voice and she finally looks away, unable to handle it.

"I did. You know I did, I got scholarships. I got accepted. I want to go Tim. But do you want to be strapped with the burden that is Carden and I?" She asks and he shakes his head, running a hand through his hair.