Anxiety

Chapter 10: Preparing for a New Beginning

"Girls, can we get ready, please? Wear something nice, we want to look professional." I heard my mom look chuckled. Mia got off my bed and wandered into her room. I threw open my closet looking for something to wear. Was a dress too much? I started pulling things out of my closet. Lace top cotton bottom. Really stretchy comfy red and white striped dress. I didn't really want to wear a dress. I pulled out the black ripped jeans I had from my closet. I never got to wear these because of what I had to wear to school.

"You should wear that with a white t-shirt." My mom said from the doorway of my room. I turned to her holding the jeans in my hands.

"Where is my white shirt?" I asked dropping them to the floor and starting to dig into my closet. My hand grabbed around something white and I pulled it out. A white t-shirt. I smirked throwing it beside the jeans. My mom's phone rang and she answered it within the ring.

"Hello?" She answered. "Oh, the girls would love that." My mom sighed. "Of course. I'll bring watermelon." She smiled. "No of course not. Oh, I've been waiting to have a pool party. I'll bring fruit and veggies and drinks if you BBQ." Mom said. Oh no. "Of course not. Meats are expensive. It would be my pleasure." Were we going over there to swim? With a guy? What the hell? Was I allowed to be confused because I am confused? My mother hung up the phone after saying goodbye. "Girls you know what that means. Swimsuits underneath." Mom called. I heard her go downstairs and start to cut up fruits. I sighed stripping down my clothes and putting on a red halter top with red and black striped bikini bottoms and slipped over the black jeans and white shirt. The red could be seen through the shirt and I admitted it looked pretty cool. I pulled my phone off my bed and put it in my back pocket to go downstairs and help my mother.

"What's up." I shot finger guns awkwardly.

"Your mother and I are so proud of you today." My dad hugged me.

"I really didn't do anything," I said.

"You pulled the boy up from falling." My mother said.

"Anyone could have done that," I said.

"But you did and that's what counts. So your father and I have been talking and we know you wanted a new laptop and we said you couldn't have one until you were responsible enough." They started.

"Oh my god I'm getting a new laptop!" I yelled.

"Well we kinda already bought you one, but we think now is the time to give it to you." They said. I was mentally melting.

"Oh my god thank you." I cheered.

"You deserve it. No more old slow laptop from five years ago." My dad nodded.

"Mia do you want my old laptop. It could help you with letters since the keyboard is so spaced out." I said.

"Yes!" I heard her yell from upstairs. I chuckled.

"But honestly your mother and I are so proud of your actions today." My dad urged me again.

"I was talking to his kosher earlier. Did you know his home life wasn't great? It wasn't until today their dad snapped out of his attitude because he noticed he could have lost something important." My mom said. I nodded.

"I didn't know about his home life," I said.

"His mom said you would be staying with him? Is he your boyfriend?" Dad asked.

"Dad he's not my boyfriend. I wouldn't lie about something like that. I said I wouldn't leave him alone again. He just spends a lot of time alone and I thought maybe if he had a friend to talk to he wouldn't feel so alone and he would be able to get rid of some of his built up emotion. "

"Ok." My dad said cutting me off. "We are just so proud of you my baby girl is so mature now. Imagine how great her university resume would look. Yeah, I just saved someone's life." He rubbed his knuckles on his shirt. I laughed and heard my sister coming down the stairs. My laptop in her hand.

"Give me that. I have to transfer all the saved pictures to the new one before you have it." I laughed.

"What?" She complained.

"Well do you want memory on it because it's full." I shrugged.

"When will you transfer it?" She asked.

"I can do it tomorrow after school." I nodded.

"So it's mine when I come home from school?" She smiled. I nodded. "Yes." She cheered.

"Are you sure you want to go to school tomorrow. You know there won't be regular classes. You'll have an assembly on the matter and the officers said they would be coming in." My dad said. I nodded.

"Yeah, I know. If S/o's going to school tomorrow I want to be there for him. A lot of people are going to be bugging him. Plus Mindy is going to need help supporting Cassie who just broke up with her boyfriend. Tomorrow is going to be a hot mess and I am going to be in the middle of it." I sighed.

"Are you sure you don't want to stay home?" My mom asked.

"No, it's fine. Ignoring people is my thing." I chuckled. My dad cut the last piece of watermelon and put it away in the container. I watched my mom grabbed a bottle of vodka from the cupboard and place in her purse. I acted like I didn't see it.

"Are you and dad working tomorrow?" I asked.

"No, we got the day off because of you." My dad ruffled my hair. I frowned having to comb through it with my fingers. My sister came down with towels folded and draped over her head. I laughed watching her walk around with her hands out in front of her.

"Where are you?" She asked. I laughed pulling the towels off her head.

"Right here. Come on, get in the car." I laughed. She chuckled slipping on her shoes in a swift motion and running to the car.

"I haven't been swimming for so long." She smiled.

"We have a pool?" I questioned.

"Yeah, but that doesn't mean I'll go swimming in it." She rolled her eyes closing the car door. I walked to the other side with the towels and my parents came out of the house with the snacks and drinks and food they were bringing. My dad was already wearing his swim trunks. Please let tonight not be a disaster. It's one this for my parents to try to embarrass me, but to have everything go wrong is another and I definitely wanted everything to run smoothly.