Clean Slate #Wattys2019

Chapter One

I heard the slightest knock on my partially open bedroom door shortly after the screaming match started. Turning to look at Natalie, I saw that she had my car keys in her hand, jingling them as a proposition.

"Let's get out of here, I'm sick of hearing the same argument every week." She nodded her head in the opposite direction of my bedroom door, gesturing down the stairs.

"I'm in. Where do you wanna go this time?" I questioned as I shoved my feet into my sneakers and grabbed my jacket from the computer chair as I made my way towards the door.

Jogging down the stairs behind her, she gave me an option, "We can go to the diner or the park, I'll let you pick which one."

"Diner, we'll grab milkshakes to go and then to the park?" I raised my left eyebrow as I waited for her response.

"I like the way you think. Dibs on the music choices!" With that, she took off running towards the car so her phone's Bluetooth would connect before mine got the chance to. Rolling my eyes and shaking my head I unlocked the car and watched her scramble in and immediately start fumbling with the radio.

Ducking my head, I slid into the car and hummed along to all the songs she played while she was belting them out.

When Nat swung the door to the diner open, I caught it and barely made it through the second set of doors before Martha greeted us with the same warmth that she always did. She was almost like a second mother to us, she'd talk to us for hours and even let us stay after closing when she knew we didn't want to be home. Her little diner was the best part of this town. We first started coming here four or five years ago when I first got my license, which finally gave us a means of escape, and very quickly, Delgado Diner became our hideaway.

"Hiya, Darlings! Two vanilla milkshakes, extra whipped cream?" She asked knowing us and our order by heart which made sense considering how frequent we were actually here.

"Please." I nodded and Natalie excused herself to the bathroom while we waited for the milkshakes at the front counter.

Once she was out of earshot, Martha asked, "Your mom fighting with her boyfriend again?" I could hear the sympathy in her voice.

"Yeah, I just want to try to keep Natalie as far away from that stuff as possible. It's not good for her. I can tell it bothers her but she would never admit it." I leaned my elbows on the counter with my arms crossed.

"I'm sorry, hon. You two are planning on getting out of there soon, right?" Usually, she would've apologized for having her back to me, but today she just listened while I talked and she made our milkshakes.

"Yes, I'm just waiting for her to graduate so that nothing holds her in one town. I know I'll watch over her better than my mother would. She doesn't even see how incredible Natalie is, it's making her small. She doesn't tell my mother things excitedly anymore. She doesn't think she cares." I shook my head at the fact that my baby sister felt the way she does because my mother can't get her priorities straight.

"If it's any consolation, I think you're doing the right thing by Natalie. Just do me a favor and don't forget to do the right thing by you, too." She offered a small smile.

"Making sure that Natalie is happy and flourishing is the right thing by me," I tell Martha, realizing the truth behind it while I hear it spill from my mouth.

Martha cleared her throat when she noticed that Natalie was coming back and finished popping the lids on with a smile.

"Here ya go, hon. Where are you two off to today?"

I shot her an appreciative smile and let Natalie answer. "We're heading to the park," she held her hand up to hide her mouth from me but loudly whispered, "we have to talk about prom stuff!" She and Martha snickered at my expense and I threw my head back dramatically and groaned, earning a playful punch from Natalie.