Maybe One Day

21: Battle of the Boys

I cringe to my mother's obnoxiously loud groan. "How ya feeling, mom?" I ask cautiously.

She glares at me and curls herself into the tightest possible ball considering her size, which was now showing considerably at 2 months. "Never get pregnant." she says flatly.

I laugh. "Yes, because that was my next goal in life."

"I'm serious, it sucks and when you go through this 5 years from now -"

"Ten," my dad chimes in.

"Ten years from now, I will not pity you in the slightest. I will look at you and laugh, just as you are doing to me now," she finishes, holding her stomach.

I scoff at her, "Mom! I am not laughing!" I bit my lip fiercely, holding back the oncoming smile.

Unfortunately, her all-seeing eyes see right through it. "Ah-ha! I hope your pregnancy sucks."

"Now, now, Carol," my dad steps in, coming over and rubbing her shoulders soothingly. "Do we really want to wish pain upon our daughter?"

She closes her eyes and sighs, relaxed. "Yes," she states bluntly.

I roll my eyes and quietly eat my bagel.

"How's she doing?" Kendall whispers to me after glancing at our mother when she gets into the kitchen.

I shake my head, warning her it's not a good day.

"Olivia!" she suddenly shrieks. "Look at the mess you're making!" I follow her gaze and notice the three crumbs on the table in front of me. "How many times do I have to tell you to use a plate? God, Olivia, you're old enough now to take care of yourself, I shouldn't have to tell you when to clean up after yourself!" she continues ranting.

Wordless, I carefully clean up the crumbs and take the plate Kendall is holding out to me.

"Olivia! You need to move, the bus is going to be here any minute! Kendall!" she snaps her head toward her youngest daughter. "Will you please stop chewing so loudly?"

My dad chuckles as he says, "Carol, honey, listen to yourself! Just relax,"

She opens her mouth to protest, then, thinking better of it, closes it again. "Fine. I need to shower," she slowly gets up and walks toward the stairs. "Eli's here!" she calls when she passes the front door.

"That's weird," I mutter to myself as I go to open the door. I end up catching him in mid-knock. "Hey," I say, stepping back to let him come in.

"Hey," he replies, waving politely to my dad and Kendall in the kitchen. "You almost ready?" he asks as we walk up the stairs and into my room.

"For what...?" I ask, confused.

"The apocalypse," he says sarcastically. "School, Liv!"

"Yes...why?" I ask, puzzled. "Turn around please?" I command as I quickly change into jeans and a sweater.

"I'm taking you to school," he states, as if it were obvious.

"Um, why?"

"Because you're a senior, and it's embarrassing to still be taking the bus," he explains.

"Hey, my car's in the shop!" I protest. "Wait - you're going to school? I thought you're just visiting for a few days then going back to Colorado."

"I'm staying for a while," he says quietly.

I put my hand on his shoulder, telling him it was safe to turn around. "You're staying?"

"For now," he grins. "I know, lucky you."