AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Prologue
Cypress
Five Years Ago
“When do they get here?” I ask.
“It’ll be another ten to twenty minutes, hon,” my mom tells me as she tucks a longer strand of hair behind my ear. “But you don’t have to wait at the door. Why don’t you come help me with dinner?”
“I’m just excited. I’ve heard so much about Theodore from Ben, and I can’t wait to meet him.” It’s almost like I know him already from how much his father talks about him when he comes to see my mom. Mom and Ben have been dating for a few months now, but Ben’s son was spending the summer with his mom. I know he’s a few years older than me, but it’ll be nice having someone closer to my age to talk to. Anything’s better than watching Ben and Mom flirt and kiss.Ew.
“Earth to Cy. Come on, you can’t stand there the whole time. Let’s get busy. We want there to be food ready when they get here.” Mom walks into the kitchen again, and I follow along. Mom isn’t a great cook, and she could use the help. At least if I’m here, there’s a better chance dinner will be edible. There’s already a pot of spaghetti sauce on the stove that’s boiling over. I adjust the knob, turning the heat down as I grab the wooden spoon on the counter.
“Weren’t you going to do a salad too?” I ask. There’s no way she can burn that.
“Right.” Mom opens the fridge and pulls out veggies as I take over the stove. Spaghetti is easy enough, and I even throw some frozen garlic knots in the oven to go with it.
The doorbell rings, and I rush to answer it. “That must be them!” I skid to a stop when I get to the door, swinging it open to see Ben and his teenage son. He showed me a picture of Theodore before, but it doesn’t compare to the real thing. I know he’s seventeen, but I wasn’t expecting him to be so much bigger than me. Not just taller, but he’s wider and more muscular, too. Tousled dark blonde hair adorns his head, and he wears a disinterested sneer while looking down at the ground instead of looking at me.
“Cy, it’s great to see you. Son, this is Selene’s kid, Cypress. Cy, this is my son, Theodore,” he introduces us. I bite my inner cheek, not thrilled with Ben using the wordkid,but I don’t correct him. It’s better than being calledson.I know he’s trying to get my gender and pronouns right. He even said he’d warn his son about it before they showed up.
Theodore finally looks up at me. “Hey,” he mumbles.
“Is your mom in the kitchen?” Ben asks.
“Yup, come on in.” I step aside to let them in our apartment. Ben walks past me to the kitchen, leaving me in the living room with Theodore. “Do you want to play a video game, Theodore? Do you like video games? I don’t have a lot of them, but you can pick which one we play. You can call me Cy, by the way.”
“Slow down, Cy.” He crosses his arms over his chest, looking down at me. “What kind of name is Cypress, anyway?”
Maybe this is a bad idea. I don’t like his attitude. “It’s a type of tree. At least it’s more original than Teddy.”
“It’s Theo.” He crosses his arms over his chest. He stares at me, and I glare right back.
“Dinner’s ready,” Mom calls from the kitchen. “Can you boys set the table?”
“Come on, Theo, I’ll show you where the dishes are.” I can be the bigger person here and be polite, even if Theo is acting like a turd. Theo rolls his eyes at me but follows me. Mom walks in holding the salad, and Ben follows her, holding the pot of spaghetti. I run into the kitchen to grab the garlic bread. When I get back, everyone is already taking seats. Mom is at one end of the table in her usual spot, and Ben is on the opposite end. Theo is already seated, leaving me only the spot across from him.
“So, Theodore, your dad tells me you’re going to be a senior this year. That’s exciting. Cy is starting high school, and I heard you’ll be at the same school.” Mom looks at Theo as she scoops a spoonful of noodles on her plate.
Theo shrugs, making a noncommittal grunt as he snags a garlic knot.
“Are you involved with any groups or sports?” Mom tries again.
“Theo is on the wrestling team,” Ben chimes in.
“Oh? That’s great. Cy does Jiu Jitsu,” she offers the bit of information like it’s similar. Like wrestling and JiuJitsu are anywhere near the same just because they’re both fighting.
“You do Jiu Jitsu?” Theo asks. His eyes glance over at me as he raises an eyebrow. I know I’m on the smaller side, but I haven’t hit my growth spurt yet. Most people underestimate me. I use that to my advantage.
“Yeah, maybe we could spar sometime. We could go by MMA rules,” I offer.
“Nah, I only wrestle.” Theo pokes at his spaghetti as he goes silent again.
“Well, boys, we’re glad we could get everyone here tonight. As you know, Selene and I have been dating for a few months now, and we wanted to have you two meet before we decided, but …” Ben glances at my mom and she nods. “We’ve been talking, and Selene and I are planning on moving in together.”
“We’re moving?” Theo’s voice rises as he looks at his dad.
“Actually, Cy and I will move in with you. The house is big enough to fit everyone. You’ll only have to share a room until we can clear out your father’s office,” Mom says.
