i sent ginger back to her room with a small pat on her back as she walked away. i entered my room, sighing in contempt and flopped down onto my bed, taking in the fresh scent.
i soon found myself opening every drawer of the room in search of my old savior. my baseball.
it was my cure to boredom, mostly. i'd just lay on my bed like a starfish and stare at the ceiling as i tossed that baseball up in the air, then caught it.
i finally found it under my bed, just sitting there. it looked like it was waiting. i liked that. i reached under the bed for it and pulled it out, dusting away the built up debris from the years stuck under the bed.
i flopped back down on the bed and started throwing the ball up and down until i heard the familiar crashing of pans in the hallway. oh, my mother.
it was like a tradition that every friday before school our mom would parade down the halls with two pans and clash them together while shouting a string of words to motivate us to get up. worked like a charm.
i snuck out of my room with everyone else, remembering that no one except g knew i was home.
i sat at the breakfast bar with my sister and two brothers, waiting for breakfast like always.
"hey mom," finn greeted our mother, who looked back and smiled as a response.
"hi hun," she then looked across the bar and realized i was sitting there silently, an enormous goofy smile on my face.
"ashlynn?" she asked in astonishment. i just smiled and shrugged my shoulders. "maybe," i quietly said.
our mom saying my name caused all my siblings to turn towards my usual seat at the bar.
"ashlynn!" finn and derek shouted in unison. everyone then practically leaped for me, engulfing me in yet another hug.
"i thought you weren't coming until saturday?" our mother questioned as everyone let go from the hugs. to this, i just responded with yet another shrug, a goofy smile on my face.
"surprise!" i said in a quiet voice, doing a lesser version of jazz hands.
"okay, well, since this is such the surprise on a school day, that gives you all a huge motivation to go and fill your heads with new knowledge!" our mom enthused excitedly to my siblings, in which they groaned in response, as she expected.
soon enough, everyone was out the door and to the bus stop.
"so, lynn, i've noticed that in your high school years, you barely ever left the house, nevermind your room. so, being the great mother i am, i've signed you up for drumming lessons." my mom casually said as she washed the dishes. i just nodded and walked away. i didn't like fighting with her, as much as i didn't want to go to these lessons. how does I having to get out more correlate with getting drum lessons?
i sat at the desk in my room, opening up my suitcase beside it. i dug around for my laptop which i eventually found and pulled onto the wooden surface. i sat criss-cross in the swivel chair, typing away about various things. i might've been visiting family, but i'm still going to work. i typed away at an essay that is due in about a month, but i had to be safe.
after a few hours of just that, i decided i'd check out the area. online, of course. i'm not leaving the house. what if i see someone i know?
i listened to an array of frank sinatra to beastie boys through the small ear pods that perfectly fit my inner ear. someone once told me that my music taste seems like that of someone with multiple personality disorder. interesting.
i checked the top right corner of the bright display that was my laptop and saw that it was already 18:00. dinner.
"dinner!" i heard my mother call, as if on cue.
i got up and headed for the dining room, seeing a feast on the table. i sat in my usual spot next to g and ruffled her hair, which she whined in response to.
the perfect american family, right?
i wish.
at least drum lessons start tomorrow
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a/n: just listened to cancer and i'm crying now.
