Help Me Feel

Help Me Feel - Meeting Brandon's Family

I frowned. “You're being weird. I guess you can come in while I change.” Even being his friend, I barely ever said more than a few words. Brandon's eyes widened, but he nodded. He'd learned to stop commenting on when I said above a certain number of words.

I forced him to sit on the sofa. “Be right back, I just have to change and take out some recycling,” I told him. I needed some water or something as well.

“I'll sit here and stare at your amazing television set,” Brandon commented, sarcasm in his tone as he stared at the desk in front of a blank wall.

I didn't answer. What was I supposed to say? My father was never around to get one, and I had no interest in getting one because I didn't see the point. Instead I continued moving the bottles to the bin, emptying them in one at a time so Brandon wouldn't get curious. I wasn't too sure how I'd be able to explain the overload of beer bottles. I think there was even a Smirnoff bottle.

I had to pass the living room, and upon glancing into the room, I noticed Brandon frowning at a picture on the desk. I was sure it was one that had my mother in.

I didn't want to deal with his questions about her, so I made my way silently to my bedroom, changing quickly into a different long sleeved shirt and some jeans. I slipped into my sneakers and quickly brushed my teeth. I hadn't eaten, but I wasn't hungry still. I'd be fine until lunch.

“Already done?” Brandon asked, sounding shocked as I walked into the living room.

I shrugged. “Yeah.”

“Nice. Do you have a curfew?” He asked.

I shook my head, knowing I'd have to explain. “My fa-, I mean, my dad, is pretty trusting. Just have me back before midnight,” I suggested. That sounded somewhat reasonable, right?

“Sounds good.” Brandon walked over to me and pulled out a set of car keys. “Let's go.”

I followed him out to his car, not seeing the point in taking my own keys or locking up. It wasn't like my house had anything valuable in it.

As we pulled out of my driveway, Brandon asked the question I knew he'd been wanting to ask for a while. “So, where's your dad?”

I shrugged. “At work. He has a constant job.” It wasn't a lie, not at all. My father really was working, as far as I knew, and his job really was all the time.

“I see. So who's the woman in the photos?” He asked.

I tried to figure out the best way to answer the questions that would follow. “She's my mother,” I told him.

“Where is she?” I wasn't surprised by this, and knew exactly how to answer it this time.

“She died when I was six,” I explained. “It's a touchy subject around me, and Anna knows that. Everyone does.”

There. I didn't explain why it was touchy, and if Brandon asked why, I could just shrug and tell him I didn't handle death well.

Luckily for me, we reached his house pretty quickly so the interrogation didn't last too long. Since the last time I was here, an additional car had been added to the driveway. Other than that, I couldn't see any other major changes.

“So, ready to meet my family?” Brandon asked, almost as though I had a choice.

So I shrugged, faking a small smile. In a way, I wanted it to be real. I didn't want to lie to his family too, but I had to. It was nicer than the truth in this case.

“Don't worry, it's not like they'll be too hard on you. We're just friends and they know that.” He smiled at me before getting out of the car.

I had to be relieved about that. I'd never had a boyfriend, never even kissed or held hands with a guy, because I'd never wanted to get close to anyone. I didn't want the first friend I had to be pushed away because his parents didn't like us being just friends or something.

Maybe I had tried pushing him away in the beginning, but he'd been growing on me.

We left his car and walked in before I could think twice, and I think that was Brandon's goal. He didn't want me over-thinking this, which was a problem when I was used to over-thinking.

“Mom, dad, Evie! I bought Andrea!” Brandon yelled into the house as we took our shoes off in the little doorway entrance.

In seconds, a girl wearing a thigh-length skirt and a loose tank top walked into view, smiling widely.

“Hi! I'm Evangeline, but everyone calls me Evie. You must be Andrea! I've heard so much about you! We're going to be great friends!” Evie hugged me before I could prepare, and I felt the sharp sting of pain in my abdomen.

I knew my body tensed up slightly, so to cover it up I hugged her back, not exactly sure what I was even doing.

“We need to talk,” Evie whispered in my ear, and as she pulled away I saw the serious glimmer in her eyes.

I nodded subtly, not sure why she wanted to talk to me. However, when her glance hovered over my wrists, I froze. How could she..? Did she know? Did she figure it out just like that? Was she that observant?

She stepped back, the smile once again on her face. I gave her my own small one, and before I could be introduced to Brandon's parents, Evie took my hand. I noticed how she avoided my wrist, and my paranoia grew a little.

“We have so much to talk about! I want to tell you all the embarrassing stories about my brother!” She winked, dragging me to another room even as Brandon protested. Evie didn't give him a chance, or opportunity, to stop us, and I wasn't sure yet if I was thankful or not.

I decided on not when Evie sat me on a bed in what I assumed was her room, shut and locked her door, and turned to me with an angry look on her face.

“What the hell are you doing?”