The Dark Side of the Moon

T W E N T Y - F O U R

I thank Cass for dropping me off and she shrugs it off and demands that in return for the ride home I have to go the mall with her this upcoming weekend. I don't even try to fight her, happy to spend time with her after she was such a good friend to me. Once I walk through the door, I'm almost knocked down by Evie. She always finds a way to jump on me without warning, and I'm grateful that most of the time I'm able to keep us both upright.

"Thee! It's been so long since I've seen you!" she screeches into my ear, and I have to fight not to cringe back. Even through my eardrums are now ringing, I can't help but smile and place a bunch of kisses all over Evie's face as I squeeze her tightly. I haven't been paying as much attention to her as I should. I blame college, work, and the supernatural- but still, it's no excuse for neglecting her. She only has me and my mom, and I so badly want to be enough for her.

"I've missed you, E. Sorry I've been so busy. But I promise that we'll spend more time together, okay?"

Her face lights up at my words and she continues to tell me about her day at school. I nod and add in a comment here and there as she animatedly tells me about her art projects and her time on the playground. All the while, she's resting on my hip as I set the table. I can hear dishes clanking together in the kitchen from my mom finishing up dinner for us. A wave of nostalgia hits me as I realize that it's hard to remember the last time the three of us sat down to eat dinner together. My mom's always running around taking care of Evie, and when she's not doing that she's flying around the world for work.

I also haven't been home in time for dinner every night and tend to settle for leftovers. I'm usually working at Java or finishing the loads of homework I'm given- Calculus and Biology are NOT fun. Ethics and Psychology are very interesting to me, so I enjoy those subjects a bit more. Thinking about Ethics makes my thoughts drift to Eli, so instead I choose to focus on the cute 6-year-old.

"And then, Sara found a sparkly butterfly necklace in the sand! Sara said it was a magic necklace and she wanted to keep it," Evie babbles, then she places a hand around my ear and leans in to whisper something else. "I know it wasn't really magic, but I pretended it was because Sara was so excited about it." She looks up at me as if she just told me the biggest secret. I let out a little laugh, then place Evie down in her usual seat at the table.

"That was very nice of you, E." I make sure to praise her about her sweet behavior towards her friend, knowing she would appreciate her big sister's compliment. She giggles at my words and her cheeks turn a bright pink. At least now I know blushing is hereditary...

My mom walks into the room with large oven mitts on while holding the Crock Pot. I smile, remembering the last time Evie and my mom made dinner in it she called it a Cock Pot...

My mom went back to the kitchen and returned with side dishes- vegetables, potatoes, and pasta. "Thanks, Mom! This looks amazing!"

"Yeah, thanks Mommy!" Evie claps her hands and makes grabby hands for the pasta. I pour a generous amount on her plate before grabbing food for myself.

"You're welcome, guys. I just thought it would be nice for us to have a home-cooked dinner with all three of us." We all dig in and I enjoy the seasoned flavors of the chicken dish along with the savory tastes from the side dishes. A few minutes into the meal, my phone dings and I unlock the phone screen to see about a hundred texts. I forgot that I haven't checked my phone since the weekend when I ignored everyone. I see all the messages from Cass, Cooper and Eli, but I stop scrolling when I see 34 texts from Grayson. I get a little misty-eyed as I scroll through the messages. Each text I read is more and more upsetting.

Grumpy: Baby, please respond

Grumpy: I'm sorry for not telling you sooner, but I'm still the same person. I still care about you so much