Flying Too Close to the Sun

America

I had been pretty down and stressed out the last couple days.  Pippa being upset about Molly leaving didn't help.  My mom had called me from prison.  She was wondering why I hadn't come to visit her.  I didn't have a good answer for her.

Most of the time I was a pretty outgoing, friendly kid.  Well, apart from the times I was backstabbing people.  I felt like I was past that now.  In the Mirandas' house, I didn't have to do crazy things to make my mom happy.  The Mirandas just wanted to me to do well in school and help with chores.

I holed up in me and Cam's room after dinner.  I'd been contemplating whether to visit my mom or not.  Honestly, I'd felt free since she went to prison.  It was this huge weight off my shoulders.  I didn't have to deal with her shit daily and I could just be a normal teenager.  But, she was still my mother.  Despite everything, I still loved her.  I missed her sometimes, like when I saw Pippa with her kids.  I wanted a hug from my mom.

When Cam walked in one day after school I must have been staring off into nothing, because she asked me what was wrong.

"Oh," I snapped myself out of my trance.  "Nothing."

She eyed me as she fumbled through her desk drawer for something.  "You sure?  You've seemed down lately."

She sat on her bed against the other wall and waited for me to say something.  "My mom's called me a couple times from jail.  She wants me to visit."

"And you don't want to?" she asked. 

I shrugged.  "I'm not sure.  I'm kind of sick of her drama, you know?"

She nodded vigorously.  "I can imagine.  She did some crazy stuff."

"When I was five and we had no money she used to have me steal food from the store for her.  She figured if I got caught I wouldn't get sent to jail like she would."

"Wow," she said.  "That's messed up."

I bit my lip, nodding.  "I kind of miss her, though.  Is that kind of messed up?  She's put me through so much crap."

"Not at all," she told me.  "She's your mom.  For better or worse."

I nodded and we were both silent for a while.

"If you want to go, I'm sure my dad will take you," she offered.  "I could go too if you want."

I smiled a little and thanked her.  "I'll think about it."

____

Cam and I were starting to trip over each other in our room.  We were two teenage girls who loved clothes.  We were always civil towards each other, but I felt like Cam wanted her own space back.  We talked again one night about me moving into Molly's room for the time being.  We'd tried with Lin, but he wasn't much help.  Maybe Pippa would be more sympathetic.  We approached her one evening after the twins had gone to bed.

"Pippa?" Cam asked, sitting next to her on the couch.  Pippa closed her book and smiled at her.  I sat on the other couch.  "America and I have been thinking.  There's a whole empty room not being used by Molly.  Couldn't America have it until Molly gets back?"

Pippa smirked a little bit.  "Lin told me you already asked him," she said.  "And what did he tell you?"

Parents could be tricky.  I'd never had a dad so it was weird having two adults.  Two adults who communicated with each other.

"That we should ask Molly," Cam said.

"And did you?" she prompted.

"No," Cam admitted.  "But couldn't you just say we can?"