Closer To The Truth

I was more than shocked when I opened my eyes and saw that my clock read two-thirty in the afternoon. I jumped out of bed and into the shower, throwing on an old pair of grey cotton shorts and a navy blue tank top. I let my wet hair hang down and grabbed my phone, texting Alaska to ask her what time she got off of work.

I flipped on the TV and saw that a re-run of Jersey Shore was on. I shrugged and let it play before going into the kitchen and grabbing a water bottle. My phone began vibrating and I knew it was Alaska texting back.

Four. (:

I quickly replied back with an 'okay' before taking a seat on the couch. Just as I was getting into watching an argument going on between JWow and Sammi, my phone began ringing, 'Cheap Trick's Surrender' playing. I raised my brows, knowing that that ring tone was set for my mom.

"Hello?" I answered.

"Hey, babygirl! How're you?" her voice greeted me in a cherry tone, automatically bringing a smile to my face. I missed her.

"Hey, mom. I'm good. How're you?"

"I'm fine. Dale's at work and I have the day off for once, so I thought I'd give you a call."

"Oh. How's Dale doing?" I asked, suddenly missing my step father, who I considered my dad. My biological father hadn't earned the right to that title.

"Oh, he's fine, honey. He misses you and Alaska, though. We both do," she said in a somber tone.

I felt my heart drop a little. "We miss you and dad, too, mom."

"How is Alaska doing there with you? I mean, is everything okay? How are you guys doing financially? Should dad and I wire y'all money?"

I had to laugh. God bless my mother, she was always worrying. When I first came to Arizona, she called me at least five times a day, each time with a new 'what-if' scenario. I knew she had wanted me to come back home, but I was ready to start a new chapter in my life. An independent chapter.

"She's doing great, mom. She already has a job working as a receptionist at a dentist's office and has made some friends. We're making it financially, too. You and dad don't need to send anything," I assured her.

She sighed. "Are you sure, Roxie? I just worry about you girls so much, being all alone over there," she said, her voice letting me know she was tearing up.

"Mom, don't cry! We're fine. I promise!"

She sniffled. "Are you and Craig still together? I feel better knowing that you at least have a man around in case something happens."

This question gave me a heavy heart, and sprung on my own set of tears. I licked my lips and sighed. "Craig broke up with me."

I heard her gasp. "Oh, baby! I'm so sorry!"

"It's fine, mom. I'm getting through it."

"Are you sure? You two were together for a long time, sweetie, and I know how much heartbreak hurts. I've had that feeling before ..." Her voice trailed off and I knew she was talking about my father.

"I'm sure," I stated, although my voice came out small.

Our conversation carried on for another good half hour, before she had to let Titus, our Bulldog, outside. After hanging up, I inhaled a sharp breath of air to calm myself down. I flipped the channel, no longer feeling like watching Jersey Shore. I settled on a music channel, and went to the kitchen. Although it was Alaska's turn to make dinner today, she had worked and I figured I could do her a favor and cook.

I looked in the pantry and saw we had a few cans of tomato paste and sauce, along with two packets of enchilada mix. I quickly checked in the fridge and saw we had a pack of tortillas that I had bought only a couple days ago. After making sure we had plenty of cheese, I settled on making enchiladas for dinner.

I threw a pack of beef into a pan, letting it brown before turning it around. When it was done, I took it off the stove and began working on the sauce. Just as I was stirring the contents around, I heard the door open.

"Honey, I'm home!" Alaska sang, making me laugh.

"I'm in the kitchen!"

"I knew I smelled something good," she smiled before frowning. "Wait, I thought it was my day to cook?"

"It is, but I figured I basically slept all day and you worked, so I can at least cook," I explained.

She nodded her head. "I'm not complaining," she laughed, setting her keys on the counter. "What're you making exactly?"

"Beef enchiladas."

"I love you," she sighed, smiling.

I laughed. "I love you, too."

She sat down at our small, round kitchen table and picked up the mail she had retrieved from our box. "So, guess who stopped by my work today?"

"Who?" I asked, dipping the tortillas into the pot of sauce, before placing them on a greased pan.

"John."

I stopped what I was doing and looked at her. "Really? Why?" I gasped. "He doesn't have kids, does he!?"

She laughed. "No, no. The moron came in and tried saying he wanted his teeth cleaned. I asked him if he was sure because it was a pediatric office. I think I bruised his ego."

I laughed. "Poor guy. Did he say how Garrett's doing?" I questioned, biting down on my bottom lip.

"Yeah, he said he's on babysitting duty, but Garrett's doing okay," she told me.

I nodded my head. "Good. I feel so bad about what happened last night, 'Laska."

"Don't, Rocco. It was an accident."

"But still ... I don't know if I could ever even face him again," I told her honestly.

She didn't say anything for a minute. "Um ... About that ..."

I turned around, fully looking at her. "What?" I arched my brows.

"Well ... You see, I sort of invited John and Garrett over for dinner," she said, biting down on her bottom lip.

"What!?" I yelled, feeling my heartbeat increase. "Alaska! I broke his nose! I can't face him again!"

"Roxie, it's not like you killed his dog! It was an accident, and he didn't even really seem to care yesterday! I'm sure everything will be fine!"

I sighed but said nothing more as my nerves began acting up, making me cook at an increased rate. Once I was done spreading the meat, sauce and cheese on the tortillas, I placed the pan in the oven and set the timer. I then went back to the pantry and pulled out vanilla, almond extract, flour, sugar and baking powder, setting everything on the counter before grabbing eggs, butter and milk.

"What are you doing now, big sis?" Alaska asked me, coming into the kitchen whilst pulling an off the shoulder pink tee shirt over her head.

"Yellow cake," I told her, measuring the milk.

"From scratch?" I nodded my head. "Are you that nervous, Rox? I know you only cook this much when you're nervous."

"Yeah, I really am. Now shut up and let me bake this cake," I snapped.

"Feisty!" she laughed before leaving the kitchen.

I rolled my eyes and finished measuring everything, mixing it in the bowl. Once I was done, I poured the batter into a cake pan and set it on the counter. The enchiladas only had ten minutes left. I sighed and ran my hands through my hair, before groaning loudly.

"Fuck!"

"What?" my sister asked, poking her head out of her door.

"I just got flour and shit all in my hair!" I cried.

She busted out laughing. "Just go take a shower, boo. You have time."

Just as she said that, the doorbell rang and I felt my heart stop as my eyes widened. "Get the door!" I told her.

"I can't! I have to put on my shorts! Just answer it!" she yelled, shutting her door.

"Damnit!" I mumbled, going to the door. As I pulled it open, I saw John and Garrett, John armed with two bottles of wine. My face immediately felt like it was on fire.

"Hey, Roxie," John said, smiling nervously. "I'm sorry we're early. Alaska said six ..."

"Or six-thirty!" she said, coming next to me. "Hey, Garrett."

"Hey, Alaska, Roxie," he smiled, although I could tell it was difficult for him to do so.

"Hi," I smiled shyly.

"Well, you guys can come in," Alaska told them, widening the entryway.

We stepped aside as they entered. "Um, I can take those," I told John, gesturing to the wine. He grinned and handed them to me. "Thanks."

"No problem. It's the least Garrett and I could do."

I set the bottles in the fridge, being that I didn't have a bucket to place them in. When I came back into the living room, I saw that John and Alaska were sitting on the love-seat, while Garrett sat alone on the couch.

"So, how're you feeling, Garrett?" Alaska looked at him.

"Great, actually. Those pills don't let me feel shit," he laughed.

I felt relieved. "I'm really sorry ... Still."

He gave me a warm smile. "It's fine, Roxie."

"So what are you cooking us, Alaska?" John asked, giving my sister a teasing smile.

"I'm not cooking anything. Rocco, being the amazing sister she is, made beef enchiladas and cake for us," she told him.

"No shit?" John said in disbelief, looking at me. "I love Mexican food!"

I laughed. "That's good. At least I know you'll eat it."

I heard the timer go off and I rushed to pull the pan from the oven, putting in the cake. I set the time for twenty-five minutes and walked back into the living room. "Um, the food's done. I'm gonna go change real quick."

They all nodded their heads and I went to my room. I sighed once the door was closed, and walked to my closet. There was no point in dressing up as they had already seen me a mess. I shed my clothes and replaced them with a pair of light blue jean shorts and a black Killer Clowns tee shirt. I threw my hair into a sloppy bun and wiped the flour from my face, quickly applying eyeliner and mascara to my eyes.

I walked back out into the living room and saw John and Garrett sitting down at the table, Alaska making plates of food in the kitchen.

"Go ahead and sit down. I'll get you a plate, too," she told me.

"Thanks, 'Laska," I said before sitting down across from Garrett.

Alaska placed a plate in front of them before placing one in front of me. After grabbing her own, she sat down beside me and across from John. "Oh, shit, the wine," she said, standing back up. After popping the cork, she poured the wine into four glasses and brought them to the table.

"Thank you," John and Garrett said.

"Thanks, 'Laska." I said before taking a sip of the red wine.

"So ... Do you guys live here alone?" John asked.

"Do you see anyone else?" Alaska asked sarcastically before taking a bite of her food. I kicked her shin and she gave me a look.

John laughed. "Alone, it is."

After that attempt at conversation, no one said much. The only sound came from forks and knives against our plates, and every now and then, John would clear his throat. When everyone finished, the timer for the cake went off and I jumped up. After setting the pan on the stove, Alaska brought the dishes to the sink.

"That was really good, Roxie," John said.

"Yeah, it was delicious," Garrett added.

I gave a shy smile. "Thanks, guys."

"While the cake cools, you guys wanna watch a movie?" Alaska asked.

"I'm down like Charlie Brown," John smiled.

My sister rolled her eyes. "You just keep getting more and more pathetic, John. Come on, help me pick one out," she said, going into the living room, with John following behind her.

I looked at Garrett who smiled. "I'm gonna grab a smoke outside. Want to come?" I asked, surprised that I was even talking clearly to him.

"Yeah, sure," he said.

I grabbed my pack of American Spirits from atop the fridge, along with a lighter, before walking outside. Garrett shut the door and I lit a stick, holding the pack up to him.

"Oh, I don't smoke," he told me.

"Oh," I said, suddenly feeling conscious.

"Don't worry. I'm not judging you. I just never liked the taste of them," he chuckled.

I smiled and nodded my head. "That's a good thing, I guess."

Silence came over us and I took drags from my cigarette.

"So ... Do you like to cook?" he asked.

I laughed. "I guess so. I mean, I was always in the kitchen with my mom growing up, trying to cook like she did."

He nodded his head. "That's cool. Are you going to school for culinary arts, then?"

I shook my head. "I'm actually going for business. I want to open my own concert venue someday."

His eyes widened. "Really? That's fucking awesome."

I smiled. "Thanks. What about you?"

"Well, me and John and a few of our friends are in a band, actually. We're trying to get out there and get signed," he explained.

"Wow. That's amazing! I hope it happens for you guys."

"Thanks, Roxie."

"No problem," I smiled. I took one last drag before putting the stick out in an ashtray I kept by our door.

"By the way, I love your shirt. Those are my favorite movies," Garrett told me.

"Really? They're some of mines, too," I said.

We both grinned at each other, and it suddenly dawned on me how cute Garrett was. He had beautiful blue pools, and auburn hair that kept falling in his eyes, despite his attempts to push them back. His smile was adorable, and it made me want to smile.

"We should get back inside before they kill each other," he joked.

I laughed. "You're right."

I opened the door and gasped at what I saw. Alaska was laying on the floor in front of the DVD stand with John hovering above her, their lips attached.

"I guess they won't be killing each other," Garrett mumbled beside me.