NEON

18. Box of Letters

Kaplan.

"You have gotten so tall!" Some lady with white hair, cups Booker's chin. "Such a handsome young man you are." She let's go of his chin and he politely tells her goodbye.

Cyrus giggles and I shush her. Booker leads us to his dad who is in the kitchen 'grilling' some hamburger patties. His idea of having a barbecue in the rain, is pulling out a camping grill and throwing hamburger on it, setting out a table with junk food and soda in a bottle, the keg filled with beer is under the cabinet that holds the TV, game system, DVD player, VCR, and a few family portraits.

"Dad this is Kaplan." Booker introduces us again. I smile my best, trying to forget the awkward meet we had a week ago. "This is her little sister Cyrus." Cyrus shakes his hand.

"It's nice to meet you both." He smiles a pearly white smile and gestures to something behind us. His mom walks over and sets down a sack of onions on the counter behind his dad. "Kara, this is Kaplan and her little sister, Cyrus." He introduces us to his wife.

"Oh!" She smiles a wide one. "You are Kaplan Ross, right?" She asks and I nod. "They made an announcement about you at my work. Good for you." She pats my shoulder but I furrow my eyebrows.

"I don't think being in Juvi is really a congratulations moment?" I say slowly. Her smile disappears and she glances at Booker confused. Cyrus shakes her head and looks down at the ground.

"I meant your scholarship announcement." She tried to smile at me but ended up glancing at everyone but me. My jaw drops and my eyes nearly pop out of my skull. Cyrus looks up at me with a huge smile on her face. "You didn't get the letter?" She frowns.

I'm too frozen to respond any kind of way. I can see their mouths moving and Booker eventually takes my arm and moves me. My eyes are still opened wide but I closed my mouth sometime.

"If you keep that face forever it will get stuck like that." Booker takes me from my shock. I take a deep breath and dismiss myself from him. I pull my phone out and dial my fathers number.

"Hello?" He picks up on the fourth ring.

"Hey dad? Uh . . . do you know about a scholarship?" I scratch my head and stare at the dark linoleum in the dark dining room.

"You got the letter?" He answers my question with a question.

"I grabbed the mail but I focused on the box." I shrugged. He muttered to himself and I paced around the rectangular table.

"I didn't order anything? What was in it?" He asked me. A few little children run past telling each other to shush.

"I don't know. I didn't get the chance to open it." I glare around the room.

"Well check the envelopes." He urges with a laugh.

"I'm not at home." I facepalm myself for telling him that.

"Where are you?" He didn't sound mad. "Where's Cyrus? Kaplan I swear to go-" Now he was getting mad.

"She is with me at a barbecue." I groan. "I will go home early and check okay?" I roll my eyes.

"A barbecue? It was pouring rain when I left this-" He was seriously trying to interrogate me.

"Oh I am running out of service. Bye dad." I hang up on him.

I walk back into the room to find Booker. He was sitting on the stairs with Cyrus, playing a hand game. An older guy and Lexie Alder walk over to them. Booker immediately stands up and greets the guy with a handshake and hugs Lexie.

I walk over to them and wait for the bitch to stop talking. Booker looks at me and I tell him I'm leaving. Cyrus walks with me outside and gets inside the car.

"You're coming with me? I thought you'd want to stay." I start the car and drive away. She doesn't say anything, instead turns on the radio and rolls down her window. "Cyrus it's raining." I roll it up and turn down our street.

"Who the hell cares!?" She snaps as I park the car. She gets out and walks the other way towards the field. I walk after her after locking the car doors.

"Cyrus wait!" I grip her shirt and pull her back towards me. She pushes me off and looks at me, with tears in her eyes, her chin trembling, and turns around to walk away again. "Just come home. Dad will kill me if you're missing when he comes back." I call after her.

I walk back towards the house and take off as many clothes as I can so I don't walk inside with soaked clothing. I end up in my 'boxers' and undershirt, balling up the wet pants and T-shirt I was wearing.

I grab the stack of papers on the counter and start walking back towards the couch. Cyrus walks in, soaked in rain, and stays by the door.

I grab a blanket and wrap it around her shaking body. I usher her upstairs and in to her room. She takes off her shoes and the blanket falls off of her shoulders. I run the water for her in the bathroom so she can take a hot bath.

She hasn't moved since I left the room and came back in. I kneeled down in front of her and stared at her puffy eyes. "Cyrus?" She didn't look up at me.

"Cy, what's wrong with you?" I rested my arms on her legs. She didn't answer so I got up and walked out of her room. I sighed and sat on my bed waiting for my life to end. The landline started to ring and I got up with a grunt.

"I'm coming! Christ." I sped downstairs, grabbed the phone and walked into the kitchen. "What?" I snapped.

"Hi, is this Marshall Ross?" A man with a husky voice spoke.

"This is?" I responded with a sour tone.

"This is Hannah Ross' doctor, Dr. Roberts."