Finding Myself

Carter

After last class we met up with the boys at the school’s lobby, but had to say goodbye to Everett soon after, since Ashley and I were getting a ride from Dallas. After he left, I went to look behind the bushes for my bags, and as soon as I got them, I went towards them again. 

“C’mon, I want you to meet my mom” Said Ashley. The thought of staying somewhere else that wasn’t the house I’ve always lived in scared me a bit, and more thinking that my parents may come looking for me. Only God knows what could happen if they found me. Which was a very high possibility since they knew where the school was considering they payed for it. Maybe they were so drunk they couldn’t even remember where their daughter studied. 

Ashley and I said goodbye to Dallas after he helped us get all of my bags in, and he left for his house, which was next door. 

Ashley’s house seemed bigger on the inside than it did on the outside, with cream wallpapers and brown sofas, throwing in a couple of blue pillows here and there, and candles in what seemed to be every corner, the house seemed very cozy and warm. Exactly the opposite of everything I have ever lived by in my whole life. 

“MOM!” A voice screamed from the top floor, sounding stuffy and hoarse. “Yes honey?” Came another voice from the kitchen, which was right infront of us, with only a door hiding the carrier of the voice that came from it, which I assumed was Ashley’s mom. The door opened swinging back and forth as a lady that looked like she was in her mid-forties came out, carrying a bowl of soup in one hand and what looked like medicine in the other. 

“Hi sweetie” She came forth and quickly kissed Ashley’s cheek while she tried to get away from her, wiping her cheek afterwards, making me chuckle. Ashley’s mom didn’t say anything to me but she winked at me before going upstairs.

“Well, now you’ve met my awesome mother, and the mongoloid screaming at the top of his lungs is Carter, my brother.” Said Ashley as soon as her mother was out of sight. “That’s wierd, I’ve never heard you mention you had a brother, does he not go to our school?” I asked her, curious as to why I haven’t seen him. 

“He does, but he’s been sick all week, so he hasn’t been able to go. That’s why mom was bringing soup and medicine upstairs.” She replied. That made sense. “Carter! Don’t go out like that! We’ve got visitors!” Ashley’s mom cried, making me look up at the stairs. A guy was coming down the stairs in just grey sweatpants that hung loosely around his hips and didn’t have a shirt on. He didn’t exactly have abs, but they were slightly marked, but he did have strong arms and chest. He looked at us and smirked. “Like I care” He said back to his mother, which I found really rude. 

Although his body seemed okay, as soon as he was closer I could identify the tell-tale signs of sickness. His eyes were a little red, and so was his nose. His defined jaw had a little stubble on it, which told me he hadn’t been taking care of his appearance for a while, and his jet black hair was spiked messily all over his head, meaning he just got out of bed. 

He actually looked very much like the male version of Ashley, with his coffee brown eyes and the same straight black hair, and fair skin. His jaw looked stronger while Ashley’s looked more feminine, but they definetely had the same nose and eyebrows. 

“Hello, my name is Carter, Ashley’s twin brother, what would be yours?” Carter said, taking my hand and slowly placing a kiss all the while without breaking eye contact with me, making my cheeks brighten. The fact that he was sick and his voice sounded very hoarse didn’t seem to stop him. Not that it should, since he apparently has the moves anyway. “Isa” I replied and then looked away in embarrasment, not being able to hold his gaze any longer. 

He smirked and left without another word, leaving me kind of stunned. Ashley rolled her eyes besides me and grabbed two of my bags. “Come on, let’s get you settled up.” I took the remaining bags and followed her upstairs. Finding what I assumed would be my room for the time being was easy, since all the other doors had something that marked who’s was it. 

Ashley’s room had big, pink, sparkly letters that spelled out her name, while Carter’s had sort of a military style stickers that said: “Keep out, Carter’s space.” And the master bed room had “The ‘Rents” written in bold red letters. There was only one other room left, and the door was a bare wooden one, without all the scribbles the other doors had.  

“Usually we use this room when family comes over, but you can have it.” Ashley said, pushing the door open and dropping the bags next to the closet and opening it, and started to take out my clothes and organizing them. “Are you sure your mom’s okay with me staying here? I don’t think you’ve talked to her about it.”

“That’s because I haven’t, but my mom is kind of this good Samaritan, and she wouldn’t live with herself knowing she left you out on the streets, so I’ll just tell her later at dinner.” 

“I don’t feel sure about this” I said, twirling a piece of my hair around my finger, showing my nervousness. “Oh, please, get over yourself, now come and help me unpack your bags.” 

I stood up and passed her articles of clothing from my bags, while she kept stuffing them in the closet. “So, Ashley, what do you think about Everett?” I asked her. When she blushed I smirked at her. “Uh, I don’t know, he’s okay I guess” She told me, but the squeak in her voice said otherwise. 

“Oh, please, don’t give me that bull. Come on, tell me. Aren’t his eyes completely dreamy?” I told her, making a whole show of batting my eyelashes and hands, and slowly drifting down the wall as if I were melting.

“Oh Jesus Isa stop, you’re embarrasing me” Ashley said behind a curtain of hair that covered her face. “Would you stop if I told you that I think we has dreamy?” She asked me, her cheeks still scorching red from the embarrasment. “No” I giggled and kept prancing around her and poking her arms. Childlish I know.

“Huh, well I guess you think that Dallas is completely drooly, don’t you?” She said, in an obvious attempt to distract me. “Ash, really? Is that all you can come up with? Drooly?” I told her, making fun of her stupid nickname for Dallas. “Oh, come on Isa, you can’t tell me that he isn’t drool worthy, or that you are soo hot for him” She pushed. I looked at her with an ‘Are you serious?’ face. 

“Well, then I’ll just keep bothering you with Dallas” She smirked and I instantly stopped, eyes widened. “Isa and Dallas, sitting on a tree, K-I-S-S-” I lunged at her, tickling her sides to shut her off. This resulted in the ultimate tickle fest, until we threw our hands up in surrender. “Okay, fine, whatever, let’s just let this go and keep sorting your things out” Ashley said, picking up a shirt and straightening it out, then hanging it in the closet. I went to her and started doing the same, folding pants and jackets. 

For the rest of the day, we kept unpacking until all of my bags were empty and my stuff was all over the room. As soon as we were done, Ashley’s mom called us downstairs, so we bounced down and sat at the table while she set up.  Soon, Carter and his mom were both sitting with us, Ashley’s mom next to me and Carter sat down in front of me.

Conversations struck up between the three of them while I played around with my pomodoro pasta. I was never one for food, I was even anorexic for a while, although now I eat more than I used to, but sometimes the feeling of hunger never actually hit me so I would just wait for the next meal to come up.

“So...What’s your name?” Ashley’s mom asked. “Isa” I responded as I looked up from my pasta. “And yours? Mrs....?” I asked back. “Oh just call me Mia” she smiled and waved her hand at my plate, raising an eyebrow, silently asking why I haven’t touched my food. I quickly lifted the fork and stuffed some of the pasta in my mouth. I felt the need to throw it back up again, but I don’t think that would be polite. Specially since I would be staying here God knows how long. 

“So... Mom, I was wondering, can Isa stay here?”