Yours Truly, Ramona

chapter eight | sweet sorrow.

"Nadi!"

Marek shoots up from the couch to hug Nadia when we walk into her house after dance practice.

"Hey there, little man!"

She picks up her little brother and runs her fingers through his night-black curls, reminding me of how much I wish I could still do that with Mason.

I miss Mason like crazy. Every day that I come home to an empty house I feel my heart break a little more inside—my soul hollows out more and more every time he doesn't come into my room to cuddle at night.

"Where are Mom and Dad?" Nadia's sister, Reece, asks from behind me.

Marek points to the large staircase in front of the foyer.

"Upstairs."

Nadia puts Marek down and he goes running back to the living room with his curls flopping through every stride.

"You guys hungry?"

"I sure as hell am," Luis says, looking to me. "You?"

I shrug. "A little."

Nadia gestures for us to follow her into her kitchen, which we do without protest.

Reece goes straight upstairs, knowing Nadia would be annoyed if she were to follow us. Personally, I don't know what it's like to have a sister. But from seeing the way Nadia and Reece treat each other, I don't think I want one.

"Here. Help yourselves." Nadia gestures to her pantry as we place our bags on the kitchen table.

Nadia's house is rather nice, compared to other houses in the area. Her bedroom is probably the size of Marta's living room, just to put it into perspective. Her brick mansion is out of place in the shitty neighborhood it stands in; among the shabby houses, you can see her beautiful, cozy home sticking out in all its glory.

"How've things been here?" I ask Nadia as Luis grabs a box of fruit snacks from the pantry.

"Tense."

"I bet." Luis sits next to me at the kitchen table and opens up the box of fruit snacks. "Your parents still mad about Primosa?"

Nadia sighs. "They're very disappointed about Primosa—I could care less though. I didn't even want to go there for college."

"Yeah. You must be glad to be leaving town, though," Luis says.

"Luis, seriously—I can't wait. I'd leave right now if I could."

I smile and tear open a pack of fruit snacks.

"I don't blame you. I'm jealous, actually. Luis and I still have another year in this shithole."

I share a glance with Luis while I settle into a spot at Nadia's kitchen island.

Honestly, I don't even know if I'll want to leave once I'm eighteen. I know Mason isn't my responsibility anymore, but leaving him in Portland while I go away to college just wouldn't feel right. But at the same time, this visitation won't stay in place forever.

Eventually Mason is going to move on and I won't be a part of his life anymore.

"Ew. Please, don't remind me," Luis exaggerates, dramatically rolling his eyes.

"Like you're going to college," I retort.

He nods, knowing I'm right. "True. I'll just, like, become a drug dealer."

"Sounds like a one-way ticket to prison," Nadia remarks as she leans back on her kitchen counter.

As much as Luis likes to joke about his future and ignore thinking about it, it's going to bite him in the ass when everyone around him is applying for colleges and he's stuck in Portland with nowhere to escape to.