The Story So Far

27. The Sneak Out

"Mom, I'm home!" I shouted, skipping inside the house and draping my coat onto the rack. I walked over to the kitchen, finding my mom doing an extremely extravagant dinner. "Well, mom, if you wanted to welcome me home, you could have just made me an alfredo," I smiled, leaning over the kitchen counter.

Mom laughed, tilting the caserole over a plate, "I'm going to have a guest tonight, honey."

I arched an eyebrow. My mom didn't really expect people often, when she was it wasn't this fancy. "Who is it, mom?"

She walked over to the dinner table, placing the plate on the middle which may have been the main dish, "No one of importance--hey, could you take Lincent out for dinner?"

"I just had my dinner," I muttered, furrowing my eyebrow at my mom's stubborness. Who could it have been that she couldn't even tell me? What's she hiding? It wasn't like her to behave like this. She was always composed and is always out like an open book. 

Mom placed the spatula down, looking over at me, "With whom?"

"With Travis," I replied, crossing my arm over my chest.

She returned her attention to the thing on the pot, smiling, "Travis? How are you both anyways?"

"We're fine, Mom." 

She looked over at me again, "Well isn't that nice? Could you still take Linc out, though?"

I sighed, "Who are you going to have dinner with?"

She stopped on her tracks, her eyes turning a glaze of navy, "Why do you want to know?"

"It's just the three of us here, Mom," I explained, skimming my hand up and down my arm, "I'm just concerened. Why is it so confidential?"

She slammed her hand on the counter, making me jump. She finally looked at me straight in the eye, her eyes were spiteful in a dark grey color, "I don't have to tell you everything, do I?"

I dug my nails on on my palm, I could have sworn it bled, "Linc and I are going out." I turned away, walking out of the kitchen and upstair to Linc's room. 

He was peacefully watching Spongebob, his long, curved lashes batting against his cheeks everytime he blinked. My brother was so important to me I can't even begin to explain it. He's so little, so fragile, I just can't afford to see him be as broken as me. 

Lincent looked up at me, as if feeling my presence. His lips spread into an easy smile, jumping out of his bed and running on his chubby legs to greet me. His small arms wrapped around my leg, buryong his face on my tummy, "Allie, you're home!"

I kneeled down to look at him face to face, his effect on me bringing a smile to my face, "Yeah! And I'm taking out for pizza!"

"Pizza!" he exclaimed, getting all giddy. 

I took him into my arms, carrying him infront of his closet and taking out clothes for him to wear, "We should get you dressed!"

He nodded vigorously, shimmying out of my grasp to get changed. In a few moments he was up and ready, taking me by the hand and dragging me down stairs and out the front door.

"Trav?" I said through the phone, holding Linc's hand. I ended up taking him to the boardwalk where all the great restaurants were. I didn't know what else to do about my mom, I was fuming. What she did bothered me. 

"Yeah?" I heard him say. 

Lincent ran down the dock, admiring the bright lights of the big city mirrored on the water's surface. It was beautiful, everything was alight, "Could you come down the boardwalk?"