The Profile

Chapter 2

My feet stomp loudly as I jump down the stairs two at a time that lead into the living room. Abby is on the couch swiping through Instagram on her phone, but looks up to see me reach the final step of the staircase.

"You're loud, you know that?" Abby says smirking. A fourteen year old sister never fails to find something to pick at about me. I roll my eyes at her and she goes back to her phone. I turn the corner and I enter the kitchen with my dad making spaghetti and garlic bread for dinner; a Robs family finest. Whenever my dad comes home late from work and we need to make something quick and easy, spaghetti is the way to go. 

"Hey, kiddo. Dinner's almost ready, can you set the table?" My dad says, going back to stirring the pasta sauce on the stove. 

"Sure, is mom eating?" I grab four plates just in case from the cupboard and lay them out on the table. Mom has been upstairs in her room grading papers for her classes she teaches at the college, and she needs to get them done before the end of the night. My dad shrugs his shoulders.

"I'm not sure, Abby, can you go ask?" Abby looks up, annoyed that she has to get up from the couch and runs up the stairs. 

"You feeling ready for exams this week?" Dad asks, getting ready to drain the pasta in the sink. I take a seat on a bar stool at the island in the kitchen. I have five exams this week and I am needless to say: terrified.

"I don't know, I think I am. I studied a lot today, I just don't know if it was enough." I play with the candle sitting at the middle of the island, Peppermint Bark, and decide to light it.

"I'm sure you'll do just fine, just make sure you get enough sleep since most of them are at 8 am. Is Mark feeling confident about exams?" He notices me searching for the lighter and finds it in a junk drawer and hands it to me.

"Thanks. And yeah I think so, he only has four so he has it better than me. However, I'm going to kick his butt in our English exam Tuesday." I say with pride. Mark Coleck has been my best friend ever since fourth grade. We were in the same class together and bonded over this little green alien that I drew on my paper when I was bored in class. He was sitting next to me at the time and thought it was the coolest thing ever. I drew him one to keep and we've been best friends ever since. He's so goofy and a total nerd, but one of the funniest guys I've ever met. I've told him more things than I've ever told any of my friends that are girls. We are so close it's almost scary and my parents are just as close with him.

Once I light the candle I sit back on the chair and watch the three little flames shake from side to side, threatened to be blown out by any sort of breeze.

"You know, I still can't believe after all this time, you two have never ended up together. I've never seen two people so close and share everything with. It's like you're dating and you don't even know it." He scoffs, taking out the garlic bread and putting them onto a platter. This again, I can't even begin to count how many times my parents have talked about me dating Mark. Yes, I do love him, but we became so close it almost doesn't feel right for us to date. He's always felt more like a brother to me and I've always felt like a sister to him.

"That's because she's too afraid of commitment, she will run away from a guy right as they starts to have any feelings for her." Abby says, coming back down the stairs. "Mom says she going to try and come down, she's almost done grading." She plops back onto the couch and I swivel to face her. 

"I do not run away! I've dated guys! I've had my first kiss, I am so not afraid of commitment." I say, defending myself as much as I could, but I knew exactly what she was going to say next.

"Correction, you've been on dates with guys, you have never dated guys. So once they want to be more then friends, you swoop out of there and never speak to them again." She says, standing up and walking to the table where the food sat, steam coming off the warm spaghetti. I was irritated because she was right; I have no problems going on a date with a guy, but I'm almost afraid to get any closer because I don't know if I will feel the same way or if I'll hurt them, or they'll hurt me. My mind overthinks every single detail of a relationship that I back out before a relationship has even been made.

I sigh and I take a seat at the table and start scooping out spaghetti, hoping we can drop the subject after Abby's comment and let me eat without being attacked. I hate when she's right.