Slammed

comfortable.”
     
    “ Apparently,” he smiles as he nudges my shoulder.
     
    We drink our coffee in silence. Comfortable silence.
     
    Will takes my empty cup to the sink and rinses it out before putting it in the dishwasher.
     
    “ I’m taking Kel and Caulder to a matinee,” he says as he turns on the dishwasher. “We’re leaving in a few minutes. I’ll probably take them to dinner afterwards, so we’ll be back around six. Should give you and your mom time to talk.”
     
    I don’t like how he throws that last sentence in there, like I’m susceptible to his manipulation.
     
    “ What if I don’t want to talk? What if I want to go to a matinee?”
     
    He lays his elbows on the bar and leans toward me.
     
    “ You don’t need to watch a movie. You need to talk to your mom. Let’s go.”
     
    He grabs his keys and jacket and starts walking toward the door. I lean back in my chair and fold my arms across my chest.
     
    “ I just woke up. The caffeine hasn’t even kicked in yet. Can I stay here for a while?”
     
    I’m lying. I just want him to leave so I can crawl back into his comfortable bed.
     
    “ Fine.” He walks toward me and bends down as he kisses the top of my head. “But not all day. You need to talk to her.”
     
    He puts his jacket on and walks out, shutting the door behind him. I walk to the window and watch as Kel and Caulder climb in the car and they all drive away.
     
    I look across the street at my house. My house that’s not a home. I know my mom is inside, just yards away. I have no idea what I would begin to say to her if I walked over there right now. I decide not to go right away. I don’t like that I’m so mad at her. I know this isn’t her fault, but I don’t know who else to blame.
     
    I notice someone grinning at me. It's just the gnome. The gnome with a broken red hat and his ugly little smirk. It's like he knows. He knows I'm over here, too scared to go over there. He's taunting me. Just as I'm about to shut the curtain and let him win, I notice someone pull up in our driveway. Eddie.
     
    I open the front door to Will’s house and wave as she gets out of her car. “Eddie, I’m over here!” She looks at me, back toward my house, then back at me with a confused look across her face before she crosses the street.
     
    Great. Why did I just do that? How am I going to explain this?
     
    I step aside and hold the door open for her as she enters, eyeing the living room curiously.
     
    “ Are you okay? I’ve called you a hundred times!” she says as she plops down on the sofa. She props her foot up on the coffee table and starts removing her boots. “Whose house is this?”
     
    I don’t have to answer her. The family portrait hanging on the wall in front of her answers for me.
     
    “ Oh,” she says. That’s all she says about it, though.
     
    “ Well? What happened? Did she tell you who he is? Do you know him?”
     
    I walk to the couch, step over her legs and take the seat next to her.
     
    “ Eddie? Are you ready to hear my version of the stupidest thing I’ve ever done?”
     
    She raises her eyebrows and waits for me to spill it.
     
    “ I was wrong. She’s not seeing anyone, she’s sick. She has cancer.”
     
    Eddie places her boots beside her and brings her feet back up to the coffee table as she leans back against the couch. She has two completely different socks on.
     
    “ Man, that’s unreal,” she says.
     
    “ Yeah, it is. But it’s my real.”
     
    She sits there for a moment, picking at her black fingernails. I can tell she doesn’t really know what to say. Instead of saying anything, she just leans across the couch and hugs me, right before she bounces up.
     
    “ So, what’s Mr. Cooper got to drink around here?” She walks to the kitchen and opens the refrigerator. She grabs two glasses and fills them with ice and brings them back to the living room where she fills them with soda.
     
    “ Couldn’t find any wine. He’s such a bore,” she says as she hands me my drink. “So, what’s her prognosis?”
     
    I shrug. “I don’t know. I left right after she told me last night. It doesn't sound good, though. I haven’t been able to face her.”
     
    I turn my head toward the window and look at our house again. I know it’s inevitable. I know I’ll have to face her; I just want one more day of normalcy.
     
    “ Layken, you need to go talk to her.”
     
    I roll my eyes. “God, you sound just like