AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Did you eat today?” she asked finally. “Is your blood sugar low or something?”
I gritted out anI’m finebefore hauling my ass upstairs to change. I was pissed. I was tired. And I could feel the claws of depression, self-pity, and bone-deep dissatisfaction drawing me in. But, of course, in her mind, the only explanation for my mood was an empty stomach. It couldn’t possibly be the immense dissatisfaction I felt for my life. I just needed a cookie.
I closed my bedroom door, shutting out my mother and the rest of the world, just like always.
Yes, I still lived in my childhood bedroom. I’d redecorated it, of course, so now it actually looked like a grown man lived here. But pushing thirty and living with my mother wasn’t something I was particularly proud of.
I quickly took off my jeans and polo shirt, swapping them for some black sweatpants and a T-shirt. I lay on the bed and closed my eyes, willing my mind to quiet down.
But peace was never long lived in this house; soon there was a knock at my door.
“You’ve got forty-five more minutes, Ma,” I shouted. “We don’t have to leave yet.”
But it wasn’t my mother. Instead, a soft, gentle voice responded.
“Not Mom, Luke. It’s me,” my sister, Laura, said.
“Oh. Come in.”
She opened the door slowly and I sat up on the bed, my anger quickly subsiding. Laura was the youngest of the lot of us and the only one who still lived at home full time. She was a senior in high school and was about to graduate at the top of her class. Of all of us, Laura got the least amount of time with our dad and spent the longest dealing with the aftermath and the tension in the house. And yet she still managed to grow into a curious and kind person.
“What’s up?” I asked, finally noticing the envelope in her hand. It was big.
“I wanted you to be the first to know,” she answered excitedly. “I got in.”
She rushed over, presenting the envelope to me.
My baby sister had done it. She’d gotten into fucking Yale.
“Of course you did,” I said, looking at the envelope and then back to her smiling face. “I knew you could do it.”
“I wasn’t sure. I mean, taking AP calculus as a junior was a risk, and I didn’t dosuperwell on the exam.”
“You did well, Laura. Don’t pretend you didn’t.”
She rolled her eyes. “But I was really proud of that essay and everything.”
“You should be. Fuck, I’m so proud of you, Bean.”
“You know, I thought we could at least get through my college acceptance without you calling me that stupid nickname. Or cursing,” she joked, playfully smacking my shoulder.
Yeah, I knew I cursedwaytoo much.
In my defense, I’d thought I was going to be a Marine, and I knew Marines were well known for the way they swore. I started practicing at eighteen and developed a shitty habit in the process.
“I’m so proud of you,” I told her. “We should go celebrate. You, me, Mom… maybe Elias and Carter if they’re around.”
“I was thinking about that, actually. Max is coming home for summer break soon, and I think we can pry Henry away from work for a few days,” she offered.
“Sounds good. Are you going out tonight?”
“Just hanging out with Jessa and Bailey,” she said. “Usual stuff. You?”
“Driving Ma to church in half an hour. Then picking her up at ten.”
“Those aren’t plans. Those are chores.”
I shrugged.
