The Way We Get By

2 // Ramona

"I'm sorry I'm so late," I sigh as I throw my keys on the hallway table and peel my jacket off.

"Momma!" Lucy cries.

Before I can even catch sight of her, I feel a pair of little arms wrap around my waist. I look down, and sure enough, Lucy is smiling up at me with a goofy grin plastered across her face.

"Hi, sweetheart."

I bend down and give her a kiss on the forehead, continuing down the hall into the kitchen once she releases her hold on me.

Angel and Liam are sitting at the kitchen island, Liam working on his laptop and Angel reading from a textbook.

"Hi, babe."

I wrap my arms around Liam and kiss his cheek, feeling my body relax for the first time today. He puts an arm around me, still focused on the work on his laptop.

"You hungry? There's leftovers in the fridge," he says, his attention divided between me and his work.

I nod, peeling my body away from his comforting hold.

"Yeah, I am. Thanks."

I walk around the island to the fridge, stopping momentarily to give Angel a kiss on the top of his head and ruffle his dark brown hair.

"Where's your brother?" I ask as I open the fridge door.

"Hiding in his room," Angel responds while fixing his hair.

"That kid, I swear. He's the most introverted person I know."

"What does intervertid mean, Momma?" Lucy asks, appearing beside me once again with her long, golden hair brushing against her waist.

"It's introverted, and it means that Alex likes to spend time by himself."

She nods, and I place my plate of food on the counter while preparing to heat it in the microwave.

"He's alive!" Angel exclaims sarcastically.

I look up to find Alex emerging from the hall, a scowl appearing on his face in light of Angel's comment.

"Hey there," I announce, smiling as he walks into the kitchen. "I feel like I haven't seen you all day."

I pull him into a hug, although I can feel his resistance when I wrap my arms around him.

"You okay?" I ask as I pull away to look into his tired eyes. "You look exhausted."

He nods, turning away from me and moving his eyes towards the kitchen sink.

"Yeah. Tired."

I study him with a frown, concern building up inside of me.

I know that excuse. It's the same one I used when I was a teenager and I didn't want anyone to know how I was really feeling and what I was really doing to myself.

"You're sure?"

Again, he nods, although I'm not sure if I believe him. Truth is, I haven't believed him for a while. Something's been off lately, and I'm picking up on it, slowly but surely.