If I Fell

Breakfast

The Webers are certainly... interesting... in the morning.

Fifteen minutes after helping Isaac with his cut, Angela returned, her hair dripping water instead of syrup. She didn't say anything about the incident, just came in and started making coffee. I moved away from the counter in order to give her more space but still do not sit down.

Mrs.Weber is the next to enter. She looks nothing like she did yesterday. I wondered why she looked so tan when the rest of her family, hell the rest of this town, was paper white. She must use some type of bronzing make up or something. Without it and all the other gunk she had to have been wearing, she looks a lot younger. She doesn't have laugh lines like her husband but they do share a few forehead wrinkles, as if they've seen a few too many surprises.

I say good morning to her and wrinkle my own forehead when she grunts at me.

She walks right past Isaac without any greeting and stops behind Angela. She paid no attention to her mother and continued pouring three cups of coffee, two ceramic mugs and one traveler.

I look to Isaac for an explanation and he just shrugs.

As soon as the first was done she grabbed it and shuffled back out the kitchen.

"Mom isn't much of a morning person. She's a zombie from six to eleven and unfit for human company."  Angela said, mixing a ton of sugar and creamer into the other mug after capping the traveler.

"I kinda noticed," I reply in an amused voice.

"Why don't you take a seat? Mom will take a little bit longer but once she's done getting ready we'll go register you for school and take you shopping."

Still wary of the possible impending awkwardness, I sit down across from  Isaac and start tracing patterns on the place mat.

"Are you hungry?" Isaac asked. "We're not really big on breakfast. Nobody makes a fuss of it unless its a holiday, but we have a bunch of cereals and stuff, and Angela could share some of her granola with you if you ask really nicely."

I gave an understanding smile and tried not to laugh at the little boy's use of the word fuss.

Angela opened a cabinet as he was speaking. There was probably more than fifteen different types of cereal in there, not to mention oatmeal, Pop Tarts, breakfast bars, and drink mixes..

"Which one do you want?" Angela asked, as if this was not going to be a difficult decision. I sat gape mouthed for a bit before straightening up and asking for the Cinnamon Toast Crunch. She brings it over along with a jug of milk and four spoons. I grab a bowl from the stack Isaac put on the table earlier and pour myself a nice helping of the delicious sugary squares.

Angela begins telling me about Forks High School and the classes I'll be taking. Isaac briefly comments on how lucky I am to not have school until Monday. While we're talking, Joshua comes in with a somber look on his face and sits down without talking. Angela keeps on talking, though she has tiny smile of triumph tugging at her lips. He fixes himself a bowl and munches away quietly. Isaac smiles openly at his brothers attitude and I wonder just how often Joshua gets in trouble.

After we're done an the dishes are in the dishwasher, the boys head to their room and Angela goes into the living room. The time on the microwave reads 10:53 and Mrs. Weber doesn't seem to be coming down yet. I deem it a reasonable time to call Devyn and go back to my room for some privacy.

I take my phone off the charger then take a seat on the sill of the bay window. The wood is cold and sharp beneath me but I ignore it for now, thinking I'll buy a pillow for it when we go out. It'll be a perfect lounge spot.

Devyn doesn't pick up until the fourth call.

"Whoever you are you'd better have a damn good reason for disturbing me this early in the morning."

"Your such a joy in the AM, I almost can't believe it, " I say sarcastically.

"I know, I'm a peach ain't I? Now what the hell do you want child?"

I wonder who's a worse morning person, Devyn or Mrs. Weber.

"Just wanted to check in. Breakfast went fine. It was just me and the kids."

I blow on the glass and draw shapes in the fog.

"You call them kids as if one of them isn't your age," she yawns. A second later she curses. "How freaking cold is it in here?!"

I can hear her shifting around, probably burrowing deeper into her blankets. That jackass landlord of hers was supposed to fix the heater in her apartment during the summer. It's September and the heat still isn't on. I need to make sure I call and harass him  later.

"You know what I mean. Anyway, there wasn't a lot of awkwardness or anything. I wound up having to bandage one of the twins up 'cause he cut himself. It was weird," I divulge.

"Really? How?"

"He was moving dishes and his hand must have slipped. He seems like a pretty reserved kid. He didn't even cry when it happened. His brother is a little more... spirited, He got an entire bottle of syrup on the floor and let his sister slip in it." The design fades and I repeat the process.

"What do you mean, he 'let' her slip in it?"

"Apparently it was an experiment. I thought she was going to kill him."

"I remember you doing something like that when you were little," she remarked.

"I highly doubt that."

We continued small talking until Angela knocked on my door and said to come to the car.

"Talk to you later kid. And don't be all modest if Mrs. Weber asks if you need anything while you're shopping. I don't know if you'll be able to get a job in a town that small and if not there's  nothing wrong with letting them buy you things."

I rolled my eyes and gave a semi-committal response before hanging up. I don't need them to buy me a bunch of stuff. It always feels weird when I leave cause I don't know if they want me to give the stuff back or not. I always wind up leaving and really expensive items in whatever room I slept in. I would definitely need to secure a job soon. And a car. I don't want to have to rely on Angela or whoever to drive me around. As tiny as this town is, I doubt everything is within easy walking distance.

I put on a light jacket then throw my phone and wallet along with what little money I can spare into the pockets. A car horn honks from outside and I quickly head downstairs.