Sami's Kisses

Twenty Five

After I finished re-telling the details of my life story to Jenny, I had no idea how much time had passed. The words had just spilled out of me rather quickly, and there was little else to think about besides the bearing of my soul.

I had to admit, it felt nice to unleash the burden I had been carrying. Sure, I had unloaded some of it on to Ashton, but since this was an actual adult it felt like it could carry some change or worldly wisdom of some kind.

"I don't know what I should do now," I concluded on one final note.

"Wooo, okay, that's a lot! Girl, how have you been doing this on your own?" Jenny asked before pulling me in to one of those bone-crushing hugs. I was happy to return the embrace, hugs are underrated.

"Help me," I muttered helplessly. Mostly, I was joking and trying to lighten the mood, but I also meant it.

"Oh, honey. You can do this! You've gotten yourself this far, and while you don't need to do it on your own, you should trust your gut. What does your gut tell you?"

"I don't know," I began to whine. "I don't want to see my sister. Well, I do and I don't. I don't know." I don't know, I don't know, I don't know! Confusion was really mucking up my brain, it felt like mush. Jenny laughed like she knew my head was minced meat. "What would you do if you were me?"

"If I was you?" Jenny sighed, thinking deeply. "If I was you, I would at least consider meeting with Carissa and hearing what she has to say. You never know what might happen. Maybe it'll be a disaster or maybe not, but you'll at least get your closure."

"Closure," I hummed back. Jenny gave me a pat on the arm.

"I'll leave you to think. I'm downstairs if you need me, or just want some company. A cup of cocoa might do you good," she smiled before leaving the apartment. Then there was one. Just me, alone with my thoughts. I rolled off the couch to dramatically fall flat on the floor with a loud huff.

Stupid decisions. I was doing fine before my sister showed up. Now I'm a mess.

Turning my head, something caught my eye under the couch. An orange envelope, the one that Ashton had given me at the diner. The confusion that had been in me turned to frustration, when I remembered that there was a bar preventing my emancipation. I grabbed the envelope, and right then and there decided I was going to talk to my sister.

It was all her fault.

With the slip of paper she had left me, I called Carissa on the cafe phone. I agreed to meet her, mostly so I could tell her all the ways she had messed me up since her arrival. She was eager and relieved, and told me she would be at the cafe in ten minutes and we could go on a walk to the park from there.

Carissa arrived, two minutes early, and we began to walk. It was very awkward at first, with the silence that fell between us. I was the one who broke it. At this point, I couldn't beat around the bush. I needed to get to the bottom of this, find my closure, and leave before I was abandoned again.

"Are you the reason they put a halt on my emancipation process?"

Carissa didn't look at me. "Yes."

"But why?"

She sighed. "You shouldn't be in charge of yourself, Sami. You're sixteen."

"So, what then? You want to ship me back to Iowa and have me live with Mom and Dad again? Two people who have made it clear they don't want me?"

"Of course not," Carissa defended ardently.

"Then why?"

"I think you should come live with me."