"Hello," I Lied.

Jack

I grumble in annoyance as I drop the last box in the stuffy room. Even though my mother hadn't been to America for long, the guest room- now Ashleigh's room- has a layer of dust settled on the hardwood floor.

Mom's house is fairly big, and it has some nice sized windows that show off Europe's unfamiliar scenery, but it's still not home. I take a deep breath and turn around, almost dizzy from the sight of the huge hills in the distance.

It all feels so unreal. I have half a mind that maybe I'm still asleep on the plane, but even as I trip down the steps, I know I'm awake.

"Hey, Jack?" My mother calls, standing in front of the fridge. It seems she's throwing away the old, rotten food. I look on curiously, noticing how lively and happy she looks in her red cocktail dress and black pumps.

Maybe it's the fact that was back in good old Europe, away from the reality that her husband's dead. Maybe she's trying to pretend it never happened. I don't see how that works when she now has a gay son and a pregnant daughter to deal with.

"Do you think you can take Ashleigh outside? Maybe you guys can explore a little bit? It's wonderful here, and I know it would do both of you good to see the place. It would make Ashleigh more comfortable with you here."

I agree with her, nodding as she throws moldy cheese in the bin. Walking outside, I find Ash standing in the small yard, looking around. The house is weirdly set up to go on a slanting hill. I don't mind, considering it looks like a house from a perfect movie.

I stroll over to Ashleigh, touching her shoulder. "Hey, mom wants us to look around the city a little bit. You up for that?" She smiles, but it looks kind of strained.

"Sure." I guess leaving Dustin has been harder for her than I realize. I mean, imagine if I had a baby with Nate before he left. That would be awful. Ew. Thinking about one of us pregnant is weird.

Ash seems pretty out of it. I swing the car keys around my finger that I had swiped from the table before we left. The steering wheel placed on the left side of the car makes driving a bit awkward, so I'm thankful that I don't have to be here long.

Ashleigh leans her head against the window, squinting out the window as we pass random individuals on the sidewalk. I wish I could say something to make everything normal again, but there's really nothing I can do.

Pulling up to an empty space in a parking lot, we get out next to a large gray building. Around us are tons of people, walking around, talking aimlessly with their funny accents.

Ashleigh follows me as I shove my hands into my pockets. I feel very self conscience at the moment, and even though I had changed and fixed up my hair when we arrived at mom's house, I still feel inadequate.

"Uh, could we get some food, Jack? I'm starving!" Ash exclaimed, before rubbing her belly, whimpering. I mean, she had to be about four months pregnant, right?

She's barely showing, but she just kind of looks...roundish? If that makes sense? She can't pull the 'I'm eating for two' thing just yet, although I'm hungry, too.

"Sorry to disappoint you, but uh, hun, we don't have any money. Well, at least not the kind that would be good here. We can't pay in American dollars."

She pouts, sitting down at a bench. I follow suit and drape my legs across her lap as she glares at me playfully. Suddenly she looks up, alarmed. Two guys stand above us, and I have to shield my eyes from the sun as I look up at them.

"Oh, uh, yeah. I'm sorry, but we overheard what you were saying. You're from America, right? Well, we were wondering,"

The one talking steps forward, his dark hair spilling over his eyes even as he pushes it back again. "Do you want to eat with us?" The other boy nods shyly; he was pale white, unlike his friend, who has light brown skin.

"Really?" Ashleigh asks, excited. She pushes my feet off of her and jumps up. I stand, too, smiling sheepishly as they nod.

"Yeah, really. Oh, and I'm Ricky." The first guy said, pointing to himself. "This is Dustin." He said, pointing to his pale friend, who had a bright splotch of blue in his blond hair. Ashleigh's expression fell as she was reminded of her own boyfriend.

Dustin spoke up, "But my friends call me Dusty." He smiles at us as I note that he's the only one of the two with an accent. "So, we're only treating you to lunch if it's pizza!"

I laugh as Ricky nods energetically. Ashleigh and I were okay with that, so we follow Ricky and Dusty to what looked like a pizza shop.

"So," Ricky leans over to me as Dusty and Ashleigh engage in what seemed to be a conversation about why we're here. "Is she single?"

I immediately get territorial. "Don't even fucking think about it." I growl.

He puts his hands up, smiling sheepishly. "Wow, man. I'm sorry, I didn't know she was your girl. So, the baby is yours, right?" He asks, his eyes filling with curiosity.

I start to choke on air, I don't know what to be more disgusted at: The fact that she's my sister, or the mere fact that she's a girl. After a minute of staring at him with my mouth open, I start laughing, sounding like a barking dog.

Ashleigh and Dusty stop talking to join Ricky, whose staring at me as I laugh uncontrollably. I couldn't even explain, so I sit there, on the ground in the middle of the cafe, trying to regain my breathing once more.