Whirlwind | W.M.

15

I felt like a maniac pacing around the living room with my fingertips embedded between my teeth and the elephant sized question of where the hell Martina could be because she had left over three hours prior and the sun was setting and every possible scenario was playing out in my head. I couldn't even appreciate the snow that came while she was gone because my mind was wrecked with worry.

It was definitely ugly, even going as far as to thinking how I'd explain to Natasha that I lost the kid because I let her go out to buy board games. Natasha would kill me— no, actually, she'd probably give me that sulky, disappointed look and that would kill me, it definitely would. It would kill me with more agony than any word, any bullet or blade that could ever break skin.

So of course, when the front door clicks open and Martina walks in, her lower lip trembling with snowflakes in her brown hair as she practically waddles to the coffee table, dumping out every bag she brought with her, I feel relief wash over me unlike any other. It was concerning how the items she had amounted to a pile that was probably even taller than her.

"Where the hell have you been?" Is the first thing that slips out of my mouth as Martina runs to the kitchen, ignoring my worried exclamations.

"Hey!" I call out, following her with a stomp to find her pouring herself a hot cup of coffee— like any normal thirteen year old would.

"I—I'm freezing. Wait." She says through gritted teeth, bringing the cup to her lips and visibly softening into relief the moment the hot liquid enters her system.

"What took you so long?" I question incredulously, watching as she saunters past me once again with zero regard to my worries.

"The game store thingy— the one two blocks down was closed so I had to run around for it. Plus, I got beer." She beams, setting her cup down as she practically rips the paper bags open.

"Beer? Why the fuck would you— how did you even get that?" The questions pile up, tripping over each other as they slip from my lips.

"I gave a guy ten bucks to buy it for me. Thank god morals are overrated, he ate that shit up with no hesitation." She cackles, tossing the discarded paper in the bin by the corner as she pulled out several boxes and laid them out onto the table.

She must have gotten every board game she could find because what stared back at me looked more like the beginnings of us starting our own board game shop than actually hosting a game night. She went all out with it, she even got bingo and here I was thinking that was only for the elderly. She also pulls out a six pack can of Bud Light because apparently we're also hosting a party filled with a bunch of middle aged men.

"Bud light? Seriously?"

"Do I look like I know this shit? I just gave him the money and told him to get me beer. This is what he brought." She defends, plopping down onto the couch as I hastily grab the pack, heading to the kitchen to shove it into the fridge.

"So what do we do now?" I call out, feeling slightly overwhelmed at the set up before me.

"I don't know? Wait for her to get here? We can all have dinner together then do the games. Just don't be weird about it." Martina replies from the couch, lounging with another open bag of chips rested upon her lap.

"Why would I be weird about it? How is that even possible?" I scoff at her remark, masking the way I was totally freaked out about everything that I felt like my heart was going to drop through my ass.

"Oh trust me, you can be weird about things. Just make it as natural as possible." She waves off as I take the spot next to her, sinking into my seat with the crushing burden of worry that I would fuck up the night.