The natural light from outdoors reflected through the windows, beaming on Rafael, Abuela, and I as we resided on the couch together. Abuela was in the middle, while I sat at her right, and Rafael was on her left. Their eyes were glued to the screen of the television that was attached to the wall. Multiple advertisements of all kinds played before winding back to whatever was on TV.
My attention was focused on the picture frames fastened accordingly against the sturdy, champagne wall. They had various pictures of us as a family throughout the years. Some of them were from before Rafael and I were born. However, most had us all there, smiling brightly for the wholesome picture to be captured—and cherished for the years to follow.
The picture that caught my attention most was the one of Mom and Dad, their faces closer to each other's as close as possible—as if they were about to kiss. I knew for sure that it was from a special day, possibly from their engagement party or wedding night. Whatever it was from, it must have been special and romantic.
Instead of thinking if my love life would end up like theirs, I thought about Rafael and his new girlfriend Josephine. Since they are seniors, this last prom coming up in a few months would be remarkable for them.
At Westdale, prom is not ordinary—it is a battle. Couples here try their best to win their title as prom king and queen of the year. Last year, Millicent and her current ex-boyfriend, Charles won and owned the titles for themselves. Millicent is the queen bee of the sophomores, so winning prom queen helped her stay relevant to her title.
By now, everyone—no matter what clique they're in knows that Millicent will try her best to earn her title as prom queen. Her elite friends are fully supporting her, while people of other cliques want someone else as prom queen.
It would be challenging to find someone different. Most people adore Millicent more than anyone else in the whole grade. They would not vote for anyone for prom queen other than her. The possibilities of anyone becoming prom queen was low, but anything is possible.
"So," Abuela croaked, running a hand through Rafael's shaggy, brunette hair, "Do you two have any plans for today?"
"In a couple of minutes, I will head over to Josephine's house to hang out with her and her siblings." Rafael beamed, glancing at his smartwatch fastened around his wrist.
"That's great, mi amor." Abuela grinned in an adorable manner, "What about you, Rose?"
"I think I will go with Rafael. I want to meet Josephine's siblings." I responded briefly.
"It's nice that you want to do this." She declared, her caramel eyes gazing into mine with tender care, "You two should get going now. It's warm out, and it will get hotter later."
"Okay, but then you'll be here alone. Mom is doing her work upstairs, while Dad is playing soccer with some friends." Rafael stated, foiling his hands in his pockets as he stood up.
"I know, but it's alright. Go ahead and go." She reassured him, "Tell Josephine I said hola."
"Bueno, Abuela.." I asserted before abandoning the couch, "Adios!"
"Adios!" Abuela chimed before turning her gaze back to the television.
Rafael and I walked through the medium-sized foyer of the house. We exited the front door, instantly seeing the greenery of the front porch. Lush green plants resided in small buckets, which hung down from the porch's ceiling. Flowers of multiple hues were planted into the dirt, in front of the trimmed bushes which left a shadow on the cement behind it. The garden extended to the back of the house, where the flowers got more colorful, and the grass was greener.
Our family had this thanks to Abuela, who volunteered to make the exterior of the house more alluring to look at.
Rafael and I entered the car, fastening our seatbelts before we took off. He turned on the radio and we jammed to whatever song came up, even if we do not know most of them. As he drove, there was not much traffic, so the ride was typical. Except for the fact that Rafael was driving a bit over the speed limit again, as if we were in a roller coaster.
The car turned into a neighborhood, which was a few minutes away from school. It was one of the newer subdivisions in town, so everything looked upgraded and fresh. The houses we drove past were multiple tints, especially chestnut hues.
We pulled up at a cement driveway that supposedly belonged to Josephine's house. It was around the same size as ours, but the model was not. Rafael and I abandoned the car, hiking up to the front door. Strips of lime leaf decorations draped down from the ceiling of the front porch, in front of the glass windows.
After Rafael rang the doorbell, we heard muffled babbling of children that were on the opposite side of the door from us. Another voice shouted "I'm coming" from a distance away. The door flung open, and we were greeted by Josephine and two young children who stood at her feet.
"Hey, you came." Josephine greeted us with an energetic smile, "Come inside!"
"Hi, cutie pie." Rafael beamed as he entered the house as I trailed behind him.
"Hola!" I grinned, my gaze turning to the two children who played with Barbie dolls and action figures on the grey, wooden floor.
The foyer of the house was medium-sized, large enough to fit a couple of people. A yellow vase filled with fake, purple flowers stood firmly on the stand-by table that was against the unpigmented wall.
"So, I haven't introduced you guys to my siblings yet." Josephine gestured to them with a genuine smile, "The oldest is Paisley, and she's four. The youngest is Ryan, and he's three."
"They're so adorable." Rafael acknowledged, crouching down to the floor. He gently tapped both of their shoulders, causing them to drop their toys as their curious gazes turned to him, "Hi, I'm Rafael, Josephine's boyfriend."
Paisley crossed her arms, her eyebrow raising. "What is a boyfriend? Is it a friend that is a boy?"
"No, a boyfriend is someone who loves a girl more than a friend. You know, just like your mom and dad." I clarified in the simplest way possible.
Ryan and Paisley's noses wrinkled in disgust, their tongues sticking out as if they had eaten brussel sprouts with expired cheese.
"Ew," Ryan uttered in sheer horror, his fingers clenched into his fists, leaving his thumb to point downward, "That's g-gross."
"There's nothing wrong with love, and it is not gross." Josephine stated while rolling her eyes, her hands planting against her hips.
"Fine," Paisley groaned, clutching her fingers together, "Aren't we going to head to the movies like you said yesterday?"
"I was, but today, I want to hang out with Rafael. I'll try to take you next week." Josephine muttered silently.
Paisley and Ryan's vanished smiles faded into downhearted frowns. They began to twitch and turn like irritated toddlers who just found out that their family vacation to Disney World had been cancelled. I've experienced this feeling multiple times in my life, and it is not a pleasant one. I can't blame the kids for behaving this way.
"First, Mom and Dad can't take us to the movies, and now you." Paisley whined, her arms crossing against her chest.
"What if I take them?" I suggested, my gaze turning to Josephine as her face lit up, "I have nothing better to do today, anyway."
"Are you sure about that? These two can be quite a handful." She let out a sigh of both relief and exhaustion.
"I'm sure, but only if they want me to take them." I chimed in a high-pitched voice.
The children's attention turned to me as they nodded their heads up and down, indicating that they wanted me to take them to the movie theater. I don't know how everything will go, since I'm assuming that Paisley and Ryan are energetic children—and they might cause trouble. But either way, I'll be making them happy, which is what matters most.
"Yay!" They chanted with excitement.
"Just remember one thing—minimize the amount of sugar they get as much as possible. Sugar and children combined are difficult to deal with." Josephine apprised.
"I'll remember that." I responded, lifting up Ryan from the floor, only to gain a relaxed coo from him.
She rummaged her hand through a pocket of her jeans. Josephine fished out a fifty-dollar bill from it, holding it out in front of my free hand. "Here's some money to pay for a movie, snacks, and to pay you for watching them."
"Thanks." I acknowledged, sticking the dollar into my pocket.
***
We arrived at the local movie theatre in town within twenty minutes. We could have arrived faster if it weren't for Ryan and Paisley walking slow and steady, babbling their kid talks as they went.
The tickets to the kids movie they wanted to watch were more expensive with me included. The price had taken up more than half of the amount of money Josephine gave me. The only money that remained was for snacks, which would take up the rest of the money.
"Can we get snacks now?" Paisley pleaded, tugging the sleeve of my shirt with her hands.
"Please?" Ryan begged with persuasive eyes.
"Sure, we can. Let's go," I announced, gently grabbing both of their hands to lead them to a nearby concession stand.
We stood in line, patiently waiting for the people in front of us to get their orders done. I observed the large poster overhead that mentioned all the foods that they served. There were many items on the menu that looked delicious—but because of the little amount of money I had left, I could only get two or three items.
"Next in line!" An employee of the concession stand declared, waving his hand in the air.
I lifted up Ryan with both of my hands, and let go to Paisley's to securely hold Ryan in my arms. I trudged a few inches to where the employee was, taking one last glance to the menu overhead.
"Hello, is there anything you'd like to order? Today, our kids pack is five percent off." The employee proposed, gesturing to Paisley who had a huge grin spread across her face.
"Can I have one, please?" She begged, jumping up and down with excitement.
"I want one, too." Ryan petitioned, his finger pointing to a nearby popcorn machine in delight.
Maybe ordering a kids pack for the siblings would be effective in a positive way. At least I wouldn't have to order dozens of sweets that would give them sugar rushes. Hopefully, the kids pack won't be filled with too many sweets.
"We'll take two of them, please." I requested politely, nodding my head in approval.
"Got it," The employee proclaimed, "Is there anything you'd like for yourself?"
"Yes, please." I stated, glimpsing at the menu overhead, "I'll have a small, buttered pretzel and a medium orange soda."
"Alright, your total will be nineteen dollars and twenty-four cents" He announced, his gaze turning to the cash register.
I fished a twenty dollar bill I had out of my pocket, placing it onto the metallic counter of the concession stand for the worker to get. He placed the bill into the cash register, typed something onto it, and handed me a printed receipt and change—which was worth under a dollar. He shuffled away to the popcorn station, which was not far away from where he was standing.
The popcorn machine popped its last kernels as the employee filled three paper bags with popcorn. He proceeded to the drink station and grabbed two small cups and one medium cup, pushing down the lever of the lemonade choice. Yellow lemonade gushed out of the nozzle, filling up into the two small cups moderately.
I tried to focus on other things as the employee continued to prepare our order, like the noises of rowdy teenagers from my school shuffle across the building, or the scowls of parents who scolded their hyper children.
Without hesitation, I looked down to my right, where Paisley was supposed to be. But the thing is—she is not there. She's... missing.
My heart raced as blood drained from my cheeks. My hands began to tremble, almost causing me to drop Ryan. My feet felt weak, like a baby deer struggling to walk on frosty ice. I had one job to watch over the siblings and take them to the movie theatre—but I failed.
Paisley could be anywhere in the building. It would take time to find her if she did not get kidnapped by a stranger already.
My anxious thoughts were interrupted by the voice of the employee that served us, unaware of what was happening. "Miss, your orders are complete."
I cautiously grabbed the two small kids pack boxes, handing one to Ryan, and the other hung on my hand. I let Ryan down so I would not spill anything on the floor.
That was one of the last things I need for today, other than losing a kid that I'm responsible for.
"Thank you, sir. Have a great day." I acknowledged before wandering off to the front entrance of the theatre.
Searching for Paisley will not be effortless. It will be a challenge—maybe more. If she was lost for good, Josephine, her family, Rafael, and my family would not want to look at my face ever again. Babysitting is something I have never done before, so I don't know the consequences of losing a child. But whatever they are, I don't want to experience it. The only choice I have is to search throughout the building.
It will be tough, but in the end, it is worth it. Finding Paisley would at least keep me alive by the time we get back to Josephine's house.
"Where is Paisley?" Ryan sulked, noticing that she was not anywhere in sight, "The m-movie will not be f-fun without h-her."
"I know, Ryan. That is why we are going to find her before the movie starts." I proclaimed, shuffling through a mob of people who waited in line to purchase their movie tickets, "Until then, can you help me search for her?"
"I will," Ryan gulped through a mouthful of M&Ms. Fortunately, it was a mini pack of M&Ms instead of a share size pack.
No matter if it were in front of doors that led to theatres playing muffled sounds of movies or between people who were in line to get snacks, Paisley was still nowhere to be found. It appeared that her younger brother wasn't having any luck either in our mini search party.
Ryan shouted, his free hand pointing to a group of familiar teenage boys and a little girl residing in front of a large movie poster display. "I see Paisley! She's o-over there!"
It turned out that he's right. Paisley is with the group of boys, and they were not just any normal people. They were Tyler and his friends. He carried Paisley in his arms, high enough for a good portion of people to see.
"Hey, Tyler, it appears that you have found Paisley for us. She went missing, and we've been trying to find her for the past few minutes. Thank you for not letting her go anywhere out of your sight." I graciously acknowledged, carefully lifting Paisley from Tyler's arms with a free hand.
"You're welcome. She was lurking around, so I decided to take her and watch her for the moment instead of letting her get more lost." He nodded his head, his voice sounding somewhat sexy, "Are you babysitting these kids?"
"I am," I replied neutrally, attempting my best to not blush as red as a ripe tomato.
"I didn't know that you babysit children," Tyler chuckled, his lips puckering into my favorite expression from a guy—a smirk.
"I don't... This was just a last-minute thing." I responded in the most nonchalant way possible.
Honestly, babysitting Ryan and Paisley was not a last-minute thing I wanted to do. As much as I could've stayed silent, I decided to speak up and offer to look after them to put smiles on their faces.
"I understand." He stated, his hands planting inside the pockets of his sky blue jeans, "Well, I'll let you three go now. I know that you have a movie to get to, so I'll see you later."
"Goodbye!" I waved my hand before him and his group disappeared into a crowd of people who stood in line for movie tickets.
My gaze turned to Paisley, who had an innocent smile plastered across her lips. I let out a relieved sigh that she was safe, causing her to shrug her shoulders.
"Can we go now?" She requested, her eyes narrowing to the display poster of the movie she wanted to watch.
"Yes, we can. Let's go." I proclaimed, holding both of their hands as I led them to the theatre where the movie is taking place.