I Never Told You What I Did for a Living
Going Back
The rest of the week went by relatively smoothly. I stayed away from Natalie, which also meant that I didn't get to talk to Kevin. He seemed to be taking it pretty hard. As cute of a couple as they made, I knew it wouldn't be long before they broke up. Unfortunately, they'd already arranged to be one another's grad dates. Hopefully they lasted that long.
I spent my time at school either with Angela and Josh or by myself. At home, I never had to worry about being alone. The guys kept me so occupied I didn't have time to think.
On Friday after school, I was squirming in my seat waiting for Gerard to pull up to the house. I couldn't wait to grab my stuff and go see my mom. When I entered the house, the distinct smell of burnt sugar filled my nostrils.
"Frank!" I yelled immediately, dropping my school bag on my way into the kitchen.
He appeared, looking sheepish. "Yeah?"
"What did I tell you about cooking?"
"I didn't cook! It wasn't me!" he held his hands up as though it would prove his innocence.
"Who was it then?"
"Mikey."
"Mikey!" I pushed past Frank and into the kitchen.
He stood, leaning against the counter. A brief smile flickered across his face as he held up a charred pop-tart. It was so black it was impossible to tell what color the frosting originally was.
"Did you know your toaster sucks?" he asked conversationally.
I rolled my eyes. "Get your shit together. We're leaving right away."
He tossed the nearly unrecognizeable snack into the trash and went to retrieve his things from where he'd left them. The mood in the house was somber as everyone gathered their belongings. I had to admit, I would be sad to return to this house and not have them with me. This place would be so lonely with just Dad and me.
"You'll be back with us soon enough," Gerard whispered, reading my thoughts. "You've only got like a month of school left."
I nodded. "I know, but it won't be quite the same. We won't all be together like this."
He laughed. "I know you didn't live with me for very long before, so you don't know just how much time we spend together. Don't worry, Lily, we'll hang out all the time."
Everyone hauled duffel bags out to the waiting cars as we prepared to leave. I didn't pack a bag. I knew I wouldn't be there for long, since Dad would force me to go to school.
I playfully shoved Mikey as he tried to jump into the front seat. "We all know that I get shotgun in Gerard's car," I pointed out.
He sighed. "It's not fair. I always used to get shotgun."
"Yeah, and you also used to be the only passenger," Gerard muttered, getting into the driver's seat.
"Shotgun!" Frank yelled, tossing his bag into the trunk of Ray's car.
Ray groaned. "There's nobody to compete with for that!"
Frank shrugged and grinned. "I know, but it never hurts to call it, just in case."
I shot a sideways glance at Mikey. "I think you two have some sort of wierd mind-meld thing going on."
"Hey, I never called it when I was the only other person in the car."
"That's true," Gerard admitted, starting the engine. "Now get in before I leave you behind."
We followed Ray as he pulled out of the yard. I couldn't help but feel a pang of sorrow as we drove away. It wasn't long before the feeling was replaced with tension. I was happy to be finally going to see Mom, but I was worried as well.
What if she didn't remember me?
Even when Dad had called back later, he had failed to mention if her memory had returned. I was forced to take on the "no news is good news" philosophy, but it didn't sit quite right with me. I didn't like being left out on important information.
Especially when it involved someone close to me.
The drive seemed to fly by, though conversation was sparse. Ray and Frank pulled into the parking lot ahead of us. I was incredibly grateful that they had promised to stay with me until they knew I was okay. Right now I needed all the support I could get.
I walked inside and immediately felt smothered by sterility. A chill fled down my spine as I walked down the deserted hallway, my footsteps the only thing disturbing the silence. When the guys followed, their footsteps echoed and made me feel less alone. I headed past the front desk and straight to the waiting room.
Just as I suspected, Dad was already there.
I spent my time at school either with Angela and Josh or by myself. At home, I never had to worry about being alone. The guys kept me so occupied I didn't have time to think.
On Friday after school, I was squirming in my seat waiting for Gerard to pull up to the house. I couldn't wait to grab my stuff and go see my mom. When I entered the house, the distinct smell of burnt sugar filled my nostrils.
"Frank!" I yelled immediately, dropping my school bag on my way into the kitchen.
He appeared, looking sheepish. "Yeah?"
"What did I tell you about cooking?"
"I didn't cook! It wasn't me!" he held his hands up as though it would prove his innocence.
"Who was it then?"
"Mikey."
"Mikey!" I pushed past Frank and into the kitchen.
He stood, leaning against the counter. A brief smile flickered across his face as he held up a charred pop-tart. It was so black it was impossible to tell what color the frosting originally was.
"Did you know your toaster sucks?" he asked conversationally.
I rolled my eyes. "Get your shit together. We're leaving right away."
He tossed the nearly unrecognizeable snack into the trash and went to retrieve his things from where he'd left them. The mood in the house was somber as everyone gathered their belongings. I had to admit, I would be sad to return to this house and not have them with me. This place would be so lonely with just Dad and me.
"You'll be back with us soon enough," Gerard whispered, reading my thoughts. "You've only got like a month of school left."
I nodded. "I know, but it won't be quite the same. We won't all be together like this."
He laughed. "I know you didn't live with me for very long before, so you don't know just how much time we spend together. Don't worry, Lily, we'll hang out all the time."
Everyone hauled duffel bags out to the waiting cars as we prepared to leave. I didn't pack a bag. I knew I wouldn't be there for long, since Dad would force me to go to school.
I playfully shoved Mikey as he tried to jump into the front seat. "We all know that I get shotgun in Gerard's car," I pointed out.
He sighed. "It's not fair. I always used to get shotgun."
"Yeah, and you also used to be the only passenger," Gerard muttered, getting into the driver's seat.
"Shotgun!" Frank yelled, tossing his bag into the trunk of Ray's car.
Ray groaned. "There's nobody to compete with for that!"
Frank shrugged and grinned. "I know, but it never hurts to call it, just in case."
I shot a sideways glance at Mikey. "I think you two have some sort of wierd mind-meld thing going on."
"Hey, I never called it when I was the only other person in the car."
"That's true," Gerard admitted, starting the engine. "Now get in before I leave you behind."
We followed Ray as he pulled out of the yard. I couldn't help but feel a pang of sorrow as we drove away. It wasn't long before the feeling was replaced with tension. I was happy to be finally going to see Mom, but I was worried as well.
What if she didn't remember me?
Even when Dad had called back later, he had failed to mention if her memory had returned. I was forced to take on the "no news is good news" philosophy, but it didn't sit quite right with me. I didn't like being left out on important information.
Especially when it involved someone close to me.
The drive seemed to fly by, though conversation was sparse. Ray and Frank pulled into the parking lot ahead of us. I was incredibly grateful that they had promised to stay with me until they knew I was okay. Right now I needed all the support I could get.
I walked inside and immediately felt smothered by sterility. A chill fled down my spine as I walked down the deserted hallway, my footsteps the only thing disturbing the silence. When the guys followed, their footsteps echoed and made me feel less alone. I headed past the front desk and straight to the waiting room.
Just as I suspected, Dad was already there.