Oh, that's right.
Owen
TESSA!
Grant
Why are we yelling?
Jo
Oh my God, Grant, scroll up.
Owen
I'm gonna call her…
When I reach the last message, I pinch the bridge of my nose, mustering the last bit of patience I have for the night.
No need to call. Owen, they're both terrible. Use the one from New Year's last year. It's Trevor, Margot, and you never see him because you all moved away or are too busy. That includes you, Jo, so I don'twant to hear it.
And hi, Grant. As always… it's nice to know you're still alive.
Jo
You're forgiven.
Margot
I guess.
And for the hundredth time… I did not move in with him. Not exactly.
Jo
Yeah, but he thinks you did.
Grant
#ILoveCollege
Owen
Thanks, Tess. What would we do without you?
Ignoring Jo, I smile weakly. It isn't much, but it's something. My siblings are exhausting, but I can always count on them to make me laugh. It may be from chaos alone or some familial form of delusion, but it's constant and dependable.
Love you guys.
"Ah, come on!" Trevor yells from the couch, his eyes glued to the TV screen. He sits at the edge of the cushion and turns the volume up so I can barely hear the pounding inmy head.
I sigh, deciding the best way to get through tonight is to avoid it altogether. "I'm gonna head to bed," I call over the announcer's voice blasting from the surround sound speaker.
"Sounds good, babe!" Trev calls back without tearing his gaze away from the game.
I grab my phone and head into his bedroom—our bedroom?—shutting the door behind me. Plopping down on the mattress, I check the chat one more time. When there's nothing new, I silence my phone, wishing more than anything that I could do the same to the sound roaring from the living room.
And to the noise inside my head.
