The Great Shift Diary

(04/20/21) (Part 13)

Dear Diary,

Soccer is great. I don't know if it's this body's muscle memory from having done it before, but I am great at it. I picked it up like a fish to water. From the first time the ball hit my foot, I could control it perfectly. I even managed to score like three goals yesterday, and it was only my third time going to soccer.

and I cannot deny I love having Greg there cheering me on. It felt really nice, like before the great shift when Mom and Dad would come to mine and Jason's basketball games and cheer for us. I couldn't help but smile seeing Greg standing, shouting my name when I scored a goal. I even thanked him for taking me and watching me, and he said he'd be happy to take me every time, which is twice a week. I can't help but feel happy knowing he is going to be there at all of my games.

I know I have only known the guy for just over a month, but I think he was giving me something I or this young body has been missing since I ended up inside it, and that was just someone who I know wants me to be happy – someone I see as an adult, not like Mom, who I still know is or was my twin brother in the end. And well, Jack is great at being a big brother, and I still see him as the person who used to be my mom, but I don't really feel like he is anything but a brother now days.

But Greg is just an adult to me, a guy I guess I look up to because he has not done anything to make me mistrust him. All he is, is nice and tries to spend time with me, so I don't see any reason not to like him.

I don't know what Jack thinks of him. He usually goes out with his girlfriend when Greg comes over and, from what I have seen, not really said a word to him or about him to me. But the main reason I am writing this is that I fell asleep last night downstairs on the sofa. It's kind of normal with Mom not being amazing at sending me to bed at my "bed time", which I am perfectly happy about. But I woke up with Greg carrying me to my room, and I kind of let him, feeling nice in his arms being over his shoulder. I pretended to be asleep and let him put me on my bed and the covers over me.

I don't know why I am feeling this way about him. I just feel safe with him near me, and I don't know what to feel about it. I am meant to be 15 right now, but the great shift made it so I am now a small, skinny 9-year-old. So I don't know, should I feel this normal about it? Or should I tell him not to do that again and put boundaries between us?

Well, I guess I am going to have to figure this out sooner than later.

So this is Luke signing off.