Grapejuice Blues ☮︎ HS

1 ❃ love and war

The harder pill to swallow was how my father could just sit there and watch. I barely see him anymore, his work causes him to have to leave for long periods. Even if he was here, everything would be the same.

Once I've collected myself, I'm back on my feet. I rid my face of tears with my sweater sleeve. I turn around to head back into the kitchen before I'm stopped.

My sister, Lexie, was hugging my little brother James as they sat at the dining room table. Both their faces filled with worry rather than fear. I hate to admit it but they're used to seeing me this way.

I do try my absolute best to have them away if June is acting this way. Which is pretty constant nowadays.

"You okay, brownie?" James questions, making my heart warm up at his soft voice. He's a bit younger than I was when this all started. My sister's eyes haven't changed, she hates every second of this.

Who can blame her?

"Hey, yeah, I'm fine guys," I brush away any negative emotion and walk up to them. Lexie's bright green eyes peer up at me.

"Eden called, they invited us over for dinner," She explains, I take a deep breath and try not to react. My best friend has a tendency to do things behind my back, very heartfelt things.

They need to eat so I tell them to get their coats and we'll bike over. Eden has been my best friend since middle school, I love her with my whole being. It's times like this that I get anxious about. I know she would never judge me or use anything against me but I just hate asking for help. I think I can take on a lot and I know I can so it's hard to accept it.

Once I help my siblings put their bikes into Eden's garage we make our way in through the back door.

"Yes! You can eat pasta raw," Luna groans, standing over the stove across the room. Eden is sitting crisscross on the island with a bag of raw macaroni. They both turn their heads, Eden jumping off the counter as she runs up to us.

"The brownie bunch!! How are my favorite adolescents?" She throws her arm around Lexie who's fighting a smile. James has already grabbed a stool to stand next to Luna.

Our last name is brown so the nickname is a given.

"Spaghetti okay?" Lunas asks, carefully carrying the pot to the strainer in the sink.

"More than okay," I give a smile, I'll have to pay her back somehow later. There's some crinkling going on behind me, Eden has now opened a bag of Cheetos and is handing it to Lexie.

"Not before din-"

"Run run!" Eden squeals, shoving Lexie out of the kitchen. I give up with a sigh as I take a seat on one of the chairs by the island.

"It's a dinner pregame, Maya!" Lexie giggles as she walks out into the living room. James had already joined her the moment he heard the word Cheetos.

They're probably so hungry, a couple of Cheetos before dinner is okay. The kitchen goes silent for a second before my eyes start to burn up and my stomach churns.

"Come here," Eden mumbles, pulling me into a hug that I didn't really know I needed.

I break down in her arms, I'm exhausted and stressed beyond repair. This isn't a once-in-a-while kind of thing. This is the 3rd time they've made us dinner this week.

I'm so appreciative of their help but a part of me is pissed that I'm not able to do it myself. I've run out of money for the week so it's just hard right now.

But I know we'll be okay, we have to be.

"We're going to get you out of there, I promise," Eden softly says into my ear, pulling back to wipe my tears.

"It's impossible," I admit, running a hand through my hair.

Luna comes from behind me and sets a bowl of food down in front of me. Despite being starved for the past couple of days, I couldn't bother to eat. My mind was filled with everything else.

"Eat, please," Luna kisses my head before making bowls for my siblings. Eden takes a seat next to me as she watches for me to pick up my fork.

"Thank you, I'll make sure to get you some money for all the meals you've been cooking us," I look back at her, Luna rolls her eyes before telling me not to worry about it.

I look back to see Eden still watching me "I'm not hungry," It's like on command my stomach rumbles and she gives me a look.

"You're smoking hot Bod begs to differ," She teases.

In silence, I attempt to enjoy an amazing bowl of homemade pasta. For a second, all the worrying I've endured disappears.

"Would you be opposed, you know? If there was a way for you to get out?" Eden mumbles, playing with a Rubix cube I knew damn well she didn't know how to solve. She looks up at me hesitantly, giving me a toothy smile.

"What are you up to?" I grin, taking my last bite of pasta.

"One more question?" she says, hesitantly asking.

"Shoot," I say, throwing my hands in the air.

"Can you drive a school bus?"

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Oh hey! Have we been here before??
Chapter 2 will come sooner than you think.