The Girl Who Made Life Worth Living

Chapter 5: Uncle Charley

This chapter gets kind of dark and stressful, especially at the end, so prepare yourself!

- Erin (author, they/them)

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By the time he clocked in, Finn had calmed down. While mindlessly frying chicken and fries all day, he kept thinking about what to do with Nora. He still didn't want a relationship; he wasn't prepared for one. He wasn't prepared for another load to his plate. And she definitely had a lot going on. He was always so tired already, having a girlfriend like that sounded like too much.

But when he was around her, seeing her smile, he couldn't help wanting to be with her. To make her even happier. She was complicated and unknown, but she was also magnetic. And Finn felt he had to help her, even if they weren't together. Somehow, he wanted to make her life better.

This could easily turn toxic.

And wanting to help her was probably just some kind of projection anyway. He'd always tried to help others. He was there for his mother even from small, because he was all she had. But he was never enough; he could never fix everything in their lives. Growing up like that made putting his all into others feel natural; automatic. Subsequently, he was always there for his school friends and his ex girlfriends. But there was a simple reason he wasn't in contact with any of them anymore. Good people just get used.

Would Nora use him? Maybe she just saw him as a ticket to safety, or a good time. Would she discard him when she got what she wanted? How genuinely did she want to be with him? She said she liked Finn because of how he treated her, so what would happen if he dared to prioritize himself for once.. would she leave? The stream of thoughts went around and around in his head for hours, until he noticed his shift was almost over. Soon I can finally get out of my head and just go be with her. He was relieved. Maybe that was the benefit of having a girlfriend.

But when Finn went to clock out, he didn't see Nora anywhere in the restaurant. He'd fully expected her to be sitting in the booth by the door like she'd done the last few days, but the space was empty. Finn tried not to get too let down by it, and started on his way to the bus stop. Maybe she just skipped school and stayed home. He smiled at the thought of her sitting on his couch drawing all day.

Hoping he'd walk in and see Nora, Finn was eager to get into the apartment. But he only found his mother, who was vacuuming the living room.

She turned off the vacuum before greeting him. "Hey Finnley! I was thinking sub sandwiches tonight?"

"Was Nora here?" he asked bluntly.

Melissa lightly scowled, "You're just gonna ignore me? No hello either?"

"Sorry. Hi. Sure. So was she?"

"Was she what?"

"Was Nora here, like when you got home."

"Oh, no," she answered. "Last I saw her was when I came home to you two sleeping on the couch together last night." She looked excited, as if she was privy to some secret of Finn's.

He ignored her smug gaze. Where the hell is Nora?? He thought back to when he'd passed by the park after work; she definitely hadn't been there under the tree, Finn would've noticed. Where else could she be? School? Her house.. maybe?