Of Moons, Birds, and Monsters

“Luke, how am I going to explain to your mom that you stayed home from school TWO days in a row, and keep my job?” I asked, mixing the macaroni and cheese that was on the stove.

“Mom knows I’m sick. I told her that I stayed home yesterday when you left, and then I acted super sick this morning when she came to check on me,” he said, balancing on of the dining room chairs on it’s back legs.

“You don’t seem that sick to me,” I observed, scanning his face for any hint of exhaustion or illness.

“I’m a lot better than yesterday,” he shrugged. “I still have a minor cough."

“I haven’t heard a cough,” I pointed out, trying to get him to admit he wasn’t sick.

“It’s slight,” he insisted, patting his chest. “But it’s still there.”

“Luke, your eyes are getting really dark,” I told him, setting a bowl of macaroni and cheese in front of him, staring him down.

“It’s probably because it’s we don’t have the light on,” he shrugged.

“Or maybe because you’re so full of it,” I suggested with a smile.

Luke shook his head and laughed. “That could be why,” he agreed.

“Riley, I want a blue spoon,” Colby said, holding up the purple princess spoon in the air.

“Oh, my bad,” I apologized. “How could I forget?”

“I dunno, but don’t do it again!” Colby said sternly, wagging a tiny finger at me.

“Colby, be nice,” Luke instructed with a furrowed brow and a spoon full of Mac.

“Don’t do it again, please,” she added.

“I’ll try,” I winked, handing her a Blue’s Clues spoon.

The front door opened and shut, sending me into a slight panic. If it were Mr. or Mrs. Moreno, I would have to explain myself why Luke was home.

“Yo, yo, yo! What’s happening?!” Mason yelled, walking into the dining room.

I let out a sigh of relief. He was just here to talk to Luke and hang out with him. I could go back to being invisible and taking care of the kiddos.

“Oh yeah, I invited Mason over here to talk to you,” Luke informed me with a sideways smile.

“Huh?” I asked, dumbstruck.

“I heard you’re wanting to get back to school,” Mason asked, plopping down into a dining room chair.

“Uhm, yeah,” I said quietly. I suddenly lost my voice. I gotten used to Luke-being able to talk in front of him and directly to him. Mason wasn’t necessarily a new face, but he was not on a friendly basis with me. He was a friend of a sort of friend of mine, and I was still uncomfortable around him.

“Gettin’ tired of wiping little Squid’s boogers and tears?” Mason teased, yanking on one of Luke curls. Luke scrunched his face up, trying not to howl in pain.

“Something like that,” I chuckled nervously. I didn’t know if he was mocking Luke or me. I just busied my hands by cleaning up the dishes I had used to make lunch.

“Well, I’ll just come and pick you up from here and we’ll go enroll you with Higgins this Tuesday,” Mason shrugged, putting his hands behind his head.

“How many days a week is night school?” I asked, trying to make my voice loud enough so he could hear me.

“Four. You have one class a day for three hours,” Mason answered, snagging a bit of Luke’s Mac and Cheese.

“I don’t have to pay, do I?” I asked, swallowing the hard knot in my throat. If I had to pay, there was no way in hell that I would be able to go.

“C’mon now, Riley,” Mason snorted. “The high school offers it for free just as long as you don’t destroy anything.”

I bit my lip and nodded. There was a large possibility I could go back to school and graduate. I didn’t have to walk across the stage or get the cap and gown, I just needed that little scroll of paper, and I would be set for life.

“You’re thinking about it,” Luke grinned. He had that same grin when he gave me the money in his room. The one that made you want to look away and turn a violent red, but you couldn’t stop staring.

I slightly nodded. The only reason why I wouldn’t go to night school is the possibility of losing my job, and the house I was living in, along with my one and only best friend, Dawn. I needed to go to school so I could provide for myself. I couldn’t baby sit forever.

“Don’t worry about the people there,” Mason said, shaking his fathead. “I know Squid Kid over here is scared the other kids will pick on you,” he teased, rubbing his knuckles across Luke’s scalp.

“That’s not what I said,” Luke insisted, trying to push Mason’s wrist off of his head.

“Don’t lie,” Mason demanded. “You said ‘I just want you to be around so she’s comfortable. Going back to school means a lot to her, and I don’t want it ruined by idiots at school’,” Mason mocked in a deep voice to match Luke’s.

I just turned my attention back to the sink. Mason was talking more to Luke than he was to me now. I did feel a little smile grow on my face. Luke really wanted me to go back to school not to make me get out of his house, like Jack’s reasoning would be, but because he knew it was what I really wanted.

“Yeah, that is what I said,” Luke agreed, shoving some mac and cheese into his mouth.

“It’s the same damn thing!” Mason exclaimed, waving his hand in the air.

“We don’t say those bad words!” Karen yelled at Mason.

“Who died and made you boss?” Mason scoffed. Mason arguing with the girls was not something new. He was always talking smack to the girls. It was somewhat amusing.

“Poo-poo head,” Karen mumbled, stirring her macaroni and cheese.

“Karen,” Luke said in a deep voice. “Be nice.”

“Anyway, Squidsy,” Mason continued. “You can come to enrollment if you want. You can be our ride.”

“But I don’t have a car,” Luke informed him with a sideways glance.

“You can use hers,” Mason said, pointing at me. “I wouldn’t recommend leaving the car in the parking lot. A bunch of shit goes down after school.”

“We don’t say that word!” Karen shouted, flicking her spoon at Mason.

“Sorry!” he sneered. “For realsiez, Squid. Just take the car back over here and then pick us up at eight.”

“I don’t even have a license,” Luke announced, getting out of his chair and grabbing his empty bowl.

“That’s why you don’t get caught!” Mason exclaimed, slamming his hand on the table.

“Riley, are you okay with me driving around town in your car without a license?” Luke asked, leaning over the sink.

I didn’t really know what to say. He had caught me off guard, and it made me feel uncomfortable that the attention was all on me.

“Well,” I sighed. “I don’t want my car to be damaged in the school parking lot. But if you don’t want to drive, or you think it would be best if you didn’t, I completely understand.”

“Bingo!” Mason shouted, kicking his legs on the table, and leaning back in his chair.

“We’ll see how well I drive after we leave enrollment,” Luke sighed, walking back towards the dining room.