“I guess I could,” I reply with a grin, feigning nonchalance. I’m always hungry—always—and she knows that.
She fills my plate with steaming meatloaf, mashed potatoes, and salad before placing it in front of me. We all know it will be gone in a minute flat. What can I say? I’m a growing boy.
"So, how are you guys doing?" I ask when I'm finally full and can devote my focus to my family instead of my growling belly.
“Good,” Alicia murmurs, eating her food slowly while mom throws a worried glance at her. She’s become a person of few words, and it still surprises me how she manages to write long-ass books with the number of words she says aloud in everyday life. I tried to read a book of hers once, but after seeing a few choice words—words you never want to see written by your little sister—I snapped it shut, saving myself from the trauma. Thanks, but no thanks.
“Well, your father is in Springfield, shopping for a new bed. We kind of broke the old one.” She blushes and giggles like a teenager while Alicia and I gag.
“Mom!” Alicia chokes out, adding under her breath, “God, I need out of this house…."
“Alright, you boring bunch,” Mom laughs, moving on to the next topic, thank fuck. "So, how are things at the shop, Justin?"
“Good, actually. I’m thinking of hiring another mechanic and maybe even a receptionist,” I reply, pouring myself another cup of tea. “The business’s steady, we got a lot of customers from Springfield, and we have regulars like Mrs. Jenkins.” I laugh while Alicia perks up and glances at me with interest. Weird.
“What’s up with her?” she asks with apparent nonchalance, picking at her food. “Mrs. Jenkins?”
“She gives us stability by bringing her beast almost every month.”
“Why? Is her car dangerous?” prods Mom worriedly.
“Her car isn’t, but the way she drives is.” I cringe.
“Oh, poor thing,” Mom says, bringing her hands to her chest. “She’s too old to drive. I expect her daughter will bring her to live in the city soon.”
“I’d say she needed to do that yesterday. I love Mrs. Jenkins, I do, she’s an undeniable fixture of Little Hope with her dentures always falling out while she’s yelling at you, but she gets into accidents way too often.” I shake my head in frustration. I’ve been known to fix her car almost for free from time to time because I feel bad for the grumpy old lady; this time around, though, I'll keep her car a little longer and maybe have a chat with her daughter after all. She lives in another city and might not know how bad it’s gotten.
“You do that,” mom nods her head. “Something might happen with her on the road, God forbid,” she again presses her hands into her chest.
“When will you call her daughter?” Alicia stops chewing and asks.
“Why do you care?” I ask suspiciously.
“No reason,” she shrugs her shoulders, but I know better—my sister’s plotting something and has a little spark in her eyes that I haven’t seen in years. Whatever she’s plotting, I’ll support her. As long as I can see that sparkle again.
Guilt pierces my chest with renewed force—I’m the reason it disappeared in the first place. Me, a domino effect of actions, decisions, and their ultimate costs, andher.
“Hey,” Alicia says quietly, gently touching my hand.
I subtly take a deep breath and plant a casual smile on my face. “Sup, sis.”
“Where did you go?” she questions, holding my gaze.
“Been here the whole time.” I smile forcefully, trying to master the mask I try so hard to hide behind, so no one sees what I feel.
Though from the look on my sister’s face, pensive and dark, there might be one person who still can.
“Sup, y’all!” Jake bursts in, bringing a gust of cold wind along. When the fuck will this never-ending winter end? It’s been lingering far too long this year. “Oh damn, meatloaf! Can I have some?”
“You sure can, baby,” Mom says, causing Alicia and me to roll our eyes. Jake’s the baby of the family, and our mother sure does treat him like it; he fully supports her on it, too—I’d say he’s a step or two away from letting her wipe his ass.
“See what I mean? I need out,” Alicia complains, and I give her a commiserating smile. She’s been saying the same mantra about moving out for a long time, but I don’t think she can. Besides that, I want her where we can see her. Yes, I know she’s a grown woman, but after everything that happened, it’s hard to override the protective-brother instincts.
“What’re your plans for today, Jakey?” Alicia asks with a smirk, knowing he hates the nickname.
He throws a piece of bread at her and gets a smack on the back of his head from Mom, which makes me laugh. “Ken put me on the night shift today,” he tells us with his mouth full and gets smacked again, by Alicia this time—she hates open-mouth chewers. “I’ll be bored to death.”
Little Hope isn’t super eventful—besides Freya’s ex, we don’t have many troubles here. After something I’m still not privy to that happened a few weeks ago between him and Kenneth, the Sheriff, and Alex's brother, Jake got suspended. He was restored to his post two weeks ago, and it’s been good for him.
