Our Year Together - Book One

Chapter 1

"Do I seriously have to do this?" I asked, looking down at the costume my mom and younger brother has forced me into. The costume of a dog from the infamous kids show Paw Patrol adorns my body and I frown at the black spots. I generally don't mind dressing up on Halloween. In fact, I love it. But, not when I look like a five-year-olds tv special.

"Oh hush, you look great." My mother said, laughter in her voice and a hand over her mouth to conceal her smile. Blonde hair falls into the green eyes I'd inherited from her and she pushes them out of her face and behind her ear. "Besides, if his older brother won't do this for him, who will?" I open my mouth, ready to say our father and then come up short.

Let's not get into that conversation.

Despite my avoidance of the topic my mother loses her smile and lowers her hand revealing the frown that seems to make her look ten times older. It knots my stomach and my hands grip into tight fists.

"Your father is no longer here, Michelangelo. You need to remember that."

I scowl and look away from her.

"Yeah, he left I know." We both fall into an uncomfortable silence at that. The tension in the room becomes thick enough that it could be cut with a plastic knife and I hate that this is what has become of us. My mother and I.

We used to have a great relationship. We'd talk about everything day in and day out. She was the one person I went to for everything. My mother was the one person who I could talk to for hours on hours and never run out of things to say. That all changed the night dad just up and left. After that, my mother couldn't look at me for weeks.

I look at her and bark out a bitter laugh when I notice she's looking anywhere but me. She jumps, startled by the noise and I lift my hand to cover one side of my face.

"I know you hate my dad for what he did, for how he just up and left out of the blue, but I really wished you'd be able to just look at me normally like you used to. Just because I have his face, doesn't mean I'm him." A look of guilt crosses my mother's features, but I don't feel bad in the least because even as that look appears she still doesn't look at me. I leave the living room, disgust churning my stomach.

Outside, in the hallway, my little brother hops from foot to foot dressed up in his Ryder costume. His jack-o-lantern basket hangs from one arm and a huge smile shines on his face. It works to lessen the sour mood I'd just been put in and I return his smile as I crouch down.

"You all set?" I asked and Drew nods a mile a minute making me wonder if he's already snuck a few pieces of candy while mom and I weren't looking.

"Of course!"

"Then, let's go get some candy."