Everything I'm Not ~ Solangelo

Chapter 14

Monday came too soon. I woke up to the sound of my alarm clock screaming on my bedside table. I quickly turned it off, and slid out of bed. I got ready as fast as I could, and headed downstairs for breakfast. 

When I entered the kitchen, it was empty. "Well, better get started on breakfast," I said to myself as I began gathering ingredients. Despite my lack of cooking skills, I managed to prepare decent-looking eggs and toast that was only slightly burned. Hazel came running down the stairs a few minutes later, and joined me in the kitchen. She was dressed up again today. This time, she was wearing a pair of white skinny jeans, a flowing, sea green blouse, and a pair of shiny, gold flats. 

"Good morning, Nico," she said as she entered the room. 

"Hey, Hazel," I replied, serving her a plate of eggs and toast. 

She shoveled a spoonful of eggs into her mouth and winced, "What did you do to these?"

"I cooked them," I answered. 

"Did you use milk?" she asked.

I paused and reviewed the process in my mind. "You're supposed to use milk?" I responded.

Hazel giggled, "Yes!"

I flushed, embarrassed by my mistake, "Oh..."

"That's ok," Hazel assured me as she scraped her eggs into the trashcan, "We can just have toast." I threw away my eggs, and finished my toast. As soon as we were done with breakfast, we snatched our bags from the front hall and ran to the curb to catch the bus. 

When we arrived, Will was in his usual place: leaning against the outside of the school, waiting for me. His face lit up when he saw me step off the bus. "Hey, Nico!" he called. 

Hazel and I jogged over to him. "Hey," I answered. 

"You look nice today," Will said. 

Hazel blushed, "Thank you." 

"Hey, Hazel!" someone called. Hazel turned and spotted Frank stepping off of a bus several feet away.

"I have to go," she said. She kissed me on the cheek, "See you later!" She waved goodbye to us before turning and hurrying towards Frank. 

"Your sister seems nice," Will said.

"Stepsister, actually. Yeah, she's sweet as can be," I replied. 

Will raised his eyebrows, "She isn't your actual sister?"

I shook my head, "No, just my stepsister. We're so close, I feel like she's my sister. That's why I call her my sister instead of my stepsister," I explained. 

Will nodded, "When did your parents get divorced?" he asked. He suddenly flushed, and stared at his feet, "Oh god, that was rude. I'm sorry."

"No, no," I answered, "It's fine. My mom left me and my sister when I was ten. My dad met Hazel's mom when I was twelve, and they got married when I was thirteen."

"You have another sister?" Will inquired. "Where is she? What's her name?"

I sighed, "She's dead."

Will was silent for a moment. "I'm sorry," he apologized softly. "I didn't know, I'm sorry I asked. Just... wow. That's tough."

I nodded, "Yeah. Her name was Bianca, she was great. She was two years older than me, and she always looked out for me and protected me. She died last year."

Will shook his head, "I'm really sorry. I know saying sorry doesn't help, but I just can't think of anything else to say. That's really hard."

"Enough about me," I said, trying to change the subject, "What's your family like?"

"Well, I don't really have much of a family," Will began. "My dad died of cancer when I was five. He was really great. He was a pediatrician, and everyone loved him. Everybody always tells me I look like him. My mom never got remarried, she always felt loyal to Dad. I don't have any siblings, so it's just me and her."

"Your dad's dead?" I asked in disbelief. 

Will nodded, "Yeah."

"You don't seem like you've ever lost any loved ones," I said, "You're always so happy, and you make everyone else happy. How are you that optimistic after something like that?"

"Dad was always happy. He would want me to be happy, too. I keep smiling for him," Will explained. He smiled at me, and I returned the gesture. 

I had always felt so alone. I felt like nobody understood what I felt like after losing Bianca. Not even Hazel had realized how much gravity the situation had on me. But, after talking to Will, I didn't feel so alone anymore. Will knew what it was like to lose the person you looked up to. The person who protected you, loved you, and would do anything for you. And now, thanks to Will, I started to realize that Bianca would want me to be happy. She wouldn't be able to stand seeing me like this.

"Ready for class?" Will asked, grinning. 

I nodded, "Ready as I'll ever be." Together, we joined the mob of students filing through the doors and prepared to face the day.