Torn Pages

Opulent

Opulent: Luxurious or Lavish

Keith pov

When I got back to the house; I was more than happy to be able to be in a structure with air conditioning.
The fucking school dosen't have it.
How to make all of the students suffer: Not having ac in a school in California.
I didn't call the house home.
That's because I've never considered any house I've ever lived in home.
I have no home.
I'm just floating around but I happen to be with the people that make this house feel like home.
I just want to live with Christine, Dane, And the kids forever.
I wish they would just adopt me. But maybe they don't want too...maybe they just want me gone?
Why can't I just get my mind out of the gutter?
Oh right! Because I have anxiety.

I practically burst through the front door and was greeted with the sensation of cool air.
I sighed a breath of relief.
"You seem happy" I heard Dane say. He was sitting in the living room watching something on the tv.
"I just feel blessed because we have ac, The school dosen't have it" I explained shutting the door and slipping my shoes off.
I kicked them towards the nearby closet.
"How was your day?" Dane asked as I walked past him.
"Pretty good" I replied.
"Have you made any friends yet?" Christine called from the kitchen. "Yeah...at least I think so" I said walking into the kitchen.
"Let's say there's people who show an interest in willing to associate with me" I said.
I sat down at the breakfast bar where I'd sat this morning. I tossed my bag onto the floor.
"You better not leave that there" Christine advised.
"I won't" I said.
The late afternoon light streamed in from the windows. Then I noticed something that was out of place.
"It's too quiet in here...where are the kids?" I asked.
"I set up the sprinkler and they're having a blast in the yard" Christine said pointing behind me.
"Oh shit we have a yard! I haven't even looked at it yet" I gasped. Christine snapped her fingers at me in response to my cussing.
I know she really dosen't care if I swear, it's just her motherly instinct.
I hopped off the chair and stepped outside into the yard closing the fancy French doors behind me.
The yard is a decent size.
There's a deck with a gazebo with lights strung up and a outdoor dining set underneath that I'd just walked out onto.
The first half of the yard is all grass and that's where the kids were running around in their bathing suits.
The back half had the above ground pool and a fence with planters built into the fences and the ground was lots of rocks with a fire pit surrounded by chairs. The yard basically looks like every suburban white mom's dream off Pinterest.

Meenah and Cole were dancing around as the water sprayed onto them.
They were screaming and laughing. Meenah saw me and came running towards me with Cold following shortly after.
"You're home!" She yelled and wrapped her arms around me getting water soaked into my clothes.
"Ah you're getting me all wet, go get a towel!" I laughed and she pulled away grabbing a nearby blue towel.
Cole didn't hug me as he's not much of a hugger but just held his fist out towards me for a fist bump. I gave him the fist bump.
"Come play with us" Meenah said jumping up and down with her towel over her head.
"Maybe in a bit if I can find my swim shorts" I replied.
The two seemed satisfied with my response then ran back out into the grass. I laughed and went back inside.

The rest of the night went smoothly. We ate supper and I joined Meenah and Cole outside in the sprinkler for a while.
It really helped cool me down after suffering all day.
The kids had to go to bed at 8 so Dane shut off the sprinkler and got them inside.
I made myself hot chocolate (yes wtf was I thinking it was over 100 degrees outside) later in the night around 10 but I found almond milk dosen't mix well with the powder so I had to heat it up then mix in the powder, it worked well and was really good.
I'm lactose intolerant so almond milk is my saviour.
I went to bad at 11 after being scolded by Christine to get to bed so I listened.

Lance pov

I lay on the living room floor in my own hell. "Mamá podemos por favor conseguir un maldito aire acondicionado?" I yelled at my mother as she was outside on the back deck. "How are you not dying out there? It's like 200 degrees out" I groaned.
"Lance deja de quejarte, estás siendo una reina del drama!" My mother hissed.
"And stop switching from Spanish to English, you know I hate it. Pick one or the other for a conversation" she added.
"Fine I'm going with English, It's the American way after all" I said. See, We weren't allowed to get ac. It's too expensive apparently and we don't need it according to my father. Everyone but my mother and father suffer in the heat. Kaleb, Candice, and Felix all trotted down the stairs in a line.
Kaleb went into the kitchen and was scrounging around for what I assume something to eat even though we just had dinner an hour ago. Candice and Felix flopped down on the faded leather couch next to me.
"What are you doing?" Candice asked and looked down at me, poking her tiny foot at my side.
"I'm suffering" I grumbled and let out an over exaggerated groan.
"He's just being dramatic as per usual" Kaleb intruded.
"Nobody asked you!" I hissed back at him.
"You're such a princess" he spat and then laughed.
"Yeah! I am a princess" I said getting up off my place on the floor.
"I'm proud to be a princess" I said. Kaleb rolled his eyes.
"There's no fucking food" he murmured.
"Whoa don't swear!" I said dramatically even though I don't care and I'm just teasing him.
"Oh fuck off" He retorted. Being his edgy 14 year old self I guess he can't help it.
"Kaleb Lee Escuché eso" Mother called from the deck. The door was open and the screen was set in it's place but I guess Kaleb forgot that.
"I don't know what you're saying Mom" He said and sat on the counter top. He totally knew what she said.
"You're such a pain in the ass" He snapped.
"Oh that's it!" I cried and gave him our special look.
I grabbed him from the counter and threw him over my shoulder and ran outside with him and threw him on to the grass.
He struggled and grabbed me and pulled me down next to him. We wrestled for a bit until mom threw her book at us.
"Stop it, both of you!" She scolded. "We're just playing around" I complained and gave Kaleb one last shove.
"They're boys mamá" Jana said and stepped out onto the deck and sat next to her on another wooden chair.
I got off Kaleb and I left him on the grass not looking back.
We've always been close.
We've always had that love hate relationship and we fight but never mean it.
I love Kaleb and he loves me.

Later that night when I went to bed I was thinking about all that happened today.
I ran over me and Keith's interactions and I smiled.
Just seeing him smile... Now that was enough to fuel my happiness drive for days.