I Don't Believe In Fate

Chapter 5

I surprised Lily by getting there early. I took Friday off so that she could leave a little early and have more time on her trip. "Max is out on his skateboard with Alex. He's a kid that lives a few houses down and they hang out every day," she told me as she pulled her suitcase down the stairs. "I make him come home by six for dinner and he isn't allowed out after that. Alex can stay over if it's okay with you, they usually stay in Max's room most of the time playing with the Xbox. Princess has dry food in her dish, although she knows that she gets a can of wet food at night, so she will usually be waiting for it. Don't forget." She spoke nonstop, racing across the room, grabbing her jacket. "There is a pan of veggie Lasagna in the fridge for you guys. All you have to do is put it in the oven for about forty-five minutes and it will be ready."

I followed her outside just in time to see Max and Alex ride by on their skateboards. "Max!" She yelled, but he kept going. "I don't like him wearing those damn earbuds while he's skating, he can't hear anything. Makes me so nervous, he never listens! He's got an attitude lately Claire. Are you sure you can handle all of this?" She asked, staring at me.

I smiled, "Of course I can! Get going Lily. It's still early and you guys can still have today to go have some fun. You deserve it. Max will be fine, trust me." I didn't want her to change her mind and decide to stay home because she thought that I couldn't handle a twelve year old.

"I'm going..." She said walking to her car and sliding into her seat. "See you Sunday night.. Thanks again sis." I watched her drive down the street and stop next to Max, who walked up to her car for a few minutes. She drove away and he went back to skating with his friend.

It had been a while since I last saw Max and I had to admit, the older he got the more I saw Mitch. He will be a good looking guy when he grows up that's for sure. His blonde hair was long on top and hanging over his right eye in the front. The sides were shaved and he was taller than the last time I saw him. I stood just watching him skate all the way at the end of the street before disappearing around the corner.

Walking into the house, I took my backpack into the guest bedroom and picked up my phone. Sitting on the couch, I called Erica, but she sent me to voicemail. Just as I was getting up, Princess jumped into my lap and made herself comfy. She was a beautiful, overly friendly Siamese. I missed my kitty, Delilah. She was my cat when I was a teen and lived with my parents. Unfortunately, she was gone for a few years now. Princess was all too happy having me scratch her head and neck. Eventually, I tossed her down, and went back to scrolling.

I walked around the house, shocked at how my sister still managed to keep the place clean with a full time job. It was just her and Max there, but I knew how teenagers could be sometimes. I sat on the couch, again scrolling through my phone until Max and his friend walked in slamming the door closed behind them. "Hi Max."

"Hi." Was all he said. They walked directly into the kitchen.

I got up and followed. "So, how have you been?" I watched them make themselves a sandwich.

"Fine." One word answers were all he seemed to be offering.

"Your mom says there's veggie lasagna for dinner." He never even looked up at me. They were too busy opening cans of soda and eating.

"Yeah, okay, come on Alex." They took the sandwiches and drinks and walked back outside, leaving the mess for me to clean. Shaking my head, I cleaned up before going into my room. I've stayed over a few times and always sleep in the same room. I took out my pajamas and planned to put them on after my shower later. Making my way down the hallway, I looked at the family photos and smiled. Back in the living room, Lily had a few photo albums on the bookshelf. I took them to the couch and was looking through them.

I sat outside for a while, watching out for Max and his friend while they skated up and down the street. Around five I decided to put the lasagna in the oven and turned on the tv. I became interested in some cooking show for a while and laughed at how I rarely watch tv. Anything would be interesting, I guess. My phone rang and I saw that it was Erica. She was telling me about her shitty day at work when the timer went off for the lasagna. I got up and took it out of the oven and sat down, listening to her complain about our boss when I heard the doorbell. I glanced up at the clock and frowned when It read six-fifteen.

I walked to the door and almost passed out when I saw who was standing there. Shannon looked at me and smiled, "Hi, uh... I almost hit your son with my car. I was backing out of my driveway and he was on his skateboard and didn't hear me. Scared the hell out of me." He didn't recognize me? He turned around to look at Max. "Dude, you really should be careful. I just wanted to let your mom know what happened."