The Free (Unedited)

Being Mostly Mother

As soon as I got home from school, I wanted to pass out. Today was so tiring and I just wanted to lay down and not think of all the responsibilities I had to deal with this afternoon. Instead, I got up and started preparing to make dinner.

The good thing about an empty mansion is that you can hear everything. I heard the pan's clanking echo back to me as i started fixing some spaghetti. It wasn't quite time to make it, though, so I put all of the ingredients to the side neatly.

I heard the front door open softly, feet tapping on the marble floors. I went out to meet the light steps of my sister.

"Hey Laura," I said, looking over her pale complexion and sunken eyes.

Laura was the baby of our family, with hair down to her waist and eyes the color of melted honey. Her hair was the family hair, a soft red color that looked really nice and sturdy. She had the willowy limbs of our mother but the short frame like my dad's mother. She looked older than her 15 years, her eyes showing her struggles in life.

Her recent struggle was this guy named Toby.

I never liked the name, and I don't like the guy either. He was a sophomore at the high school, with all the typical playboy features. He had someone new on his arm every week and had a sex drive like a female dog in heat. If anyone were to have stds, it would be him. Yet Laura still wants to be with him. I could already tell it was taking it's toll though. In only 2 days, she looks more tired and hollow than she ever had.

"How are you today?" I asked her, scanning her all over, making sure she was ok.

"I'm ok." She gave me a weak smile, then turned to the stairs and slowly walked up them.

I sighed, looking at the clock. Almost time to make dinner.

At 6:00 sharp, the table was set. Mom was out and it was only me, Laura, and Logan, so I made spaghetti and brownies for dinner. At this point though, it might just be me and Laura. Logan was god knows where.

I had just given Laura a helping of spaghetti, though, when the front door opened and a very tall, very satisfied boy walked in the door.

To me, even though he is 2 years older than me, Logan is a little boy. I had thought that since I was 6, when he was only 8 and the first girl he laid eyes on was my mom's friend. It was no surprise that he lost his virginity at 12, with the same woman he laid eyes on when he was 8.

Yes, the popular, "sexy," womanizer wss my brother, and from the looks of it, he has just come home from an afternoon of getting blown.

And, of course, he just had to bring her home.

"Hi," came a shy voice from the opening of the kitchen.

Amber stood there in shock and embarrassment, obviously surprised I was the sister to Logan Durham.

"Hey Amber," I said, opening my hands and waving them at the table. "Come. Sit. Eat."

"We can't right now. Amber has an... appointment to get to," Logan said, smirking at me then Amber.

"Well you guys are going to need the energy," I replied swiftly, staring Logan down.

"I could eat right now," Amber said helpfully.

With that, Logan sat down and ate. I guess he'll do anything for a good bang.

It was a quiet dinner, but it always was. Sometimes, well usually, it would be just me and Laura sitting at this table eating a dinner that was set for 4 or even 5. I wish I minded more, but how could I when this had started happening the day I turned 10?

Right after they ate, Logan and Amber went upstairs to do their thing. That gave me the opportunity to talk to Laura about Toby.

"So..." I started, letting Laura finish for me.

"He's been looking at Ashley since we started dating," Laura confided, lowering her eyes to the table with tears pooling in her eyes.

"Can I ask a question?" I looked at her.

"Didn't you already?" She fired back, her eyes filled with only slight hollow happiness.

"Oh cheeky cheeky," I chided playfully, smiling back at her. Soon after, though, the smile left my features, melting into a mother like worry.

"Do what?" she asked, playing dumb, looking at me so innocently.

"Why are always dating the assholes? You are so much better than all of them."

"Why do you care?" she asked defensively.

"Because you've been hurting for a long long time and I'm tired of seeing you like this."

"Well, you're not my mom!" she all but shouted at me, storming off into her room.

I sighed and started cleaning, so tired of all of this pain that I see in this house, all of these problems unfixed.

A few hours later, I walked up to Laura's room with some hot chocolate in my hands and knocked on the door to her room. I heard a small sniffle, so I slowly opened the door.

"Drink?" I asked, slowly walking around the door and over to where Laura was sitting, her arms wrapped around her pillow, her cheeks stained with tears.

She quietly took the cup, her eyes downcast.

There we sat, in silence, my arm around her back and her making no move to push it away.

"I love you," she whispered.

"I love you too," I answered back.