Why Me?

Chapter 20

Luke:

            I opened the door and heard Miranda doing something in the kitchen.  Hoping she wouldn’t notice me slip up the stairs, I went up quietly as possible.  Not quiet enough, apparently.

            “Luke?  Are you home?  I was getting worried!” she said, coming into view.

            “Sorry, there was a-”

            “Okay, that’s fine, want some dinner?  I made lasagna!”  The last time she had made lasagna was a while ago.  She almost never made it, only on special occasions.  She didn’t even seem to care why I was late.  It was so unlike her.  I cautiously came back down the stairs.

            “Umm...sure, mom,” I said, wondering what was going on.I entered the kitchen and sat down in the dining room chair as she set a plate of lasagna in front of me.  “So...what did you do today?”

            “Stuff,” she said casually.  I knew today had been her day off from work

            “Okay...” I trailed off. She sounded weird. She walked back to the kitchen with a bounce in her step and I stared at her. My mom could be a bit hyper and energetic and embarrassing at times, but she never acted like this.

            I finished my lasagna as my mom hummed a happy tune in the kitchen while cooking some more food. Deciding not to ask my mom what was wrong with her, I went upstairs to do my homework.

            The next day, as I got in the car to get the school, I noticed her already waiting in the front seat for me, dressed up in a nice blouse and skirt and wearing her makeup more carefully than usual.  I decided to go ahead and get straight to the point.

            “Mom, why are you so dressed up?”  She stopped humming for a moment to examine me carefully.

            “Well, honey, umm...you know about how Justin divorced with me, right?”  Justin was her ex-husband, so I guess in a way he was my stepdad now, I really wasn’t sure.  I had never met him, they had divorced before she adopted me.  I wondered if they were getting back together.

            “Well, now there is someone else-”  I released my breath, which I didn’t even realize I had been holding.  “And he’s really sweet and stuff and...today after school I’ll probably introduce you guys.  We’ll be going to his house so you can meet his family.  His wife died a while ago, and he has a few kids of his own.”  She looked worriedly at me.  “I know this is a big change, but-”

            “No, Mom, it’s fine!  It’s great, actually!  I’m so happy!” I said, feeling genuinely happy for her.  It would be nice for her to finally move on from Justin and have something to distract her from the stresses of life, work, and taking care of me.  Not that she needed to take care of me anymore.  I was almost legally an adult, in only a few months.  I smiled at the thought of being free.

            “Well, that’s good.  So make sure you are ready to go to their house tonight, I’ll pick you up right after school.  Okay?”  I nodded in response, wondering vaguely how old their kids were, if we would even get along.

            I got to school earlier than usual, Miranda hadn’t been as slow and careful of a driver like usual.  We had swerved a bunch to avoid certain death, and I was thankful I made it to school in one piece.  I stepped out of the car and saw Noor and Drew talking to each other.I went over to them.

            “Hey Drew!  Hey Noor!” I said light-heartedly.  Miranda’s good mood was contagious.

            “Hey Luke!” Noor said, engulfing me in a hug.  I had gotten the feeling she didn’t like hugs, so it caught me completely off guard.  I hugged her back awkwardly.  When she pulled back, she looked up at me with a mischievous smile on her face.  “What?  You’re my brother!  I have to hug you!”  I rolled my eyes but wondered if she had also forgotten she hated hugging people.  Maybe it had been something that had developed because of Jasper and Drake so she didn’t remember it, now that everything about those two had been cleared of her mind.