What I imagined Ryan to look like...or close enough
-------
"Lottie? What's going on?" I was over my head in horse shizzle. Trying to get him to leave I said quickly,
"It's nothing. Go back to bed," but he kept nagging me.
"Is that-"
"It's no one Jason, please go back up to your room." I felt him move closer.
"Is that mom?" Resisting the urge to pinch my nose, I steadied my drunk mother before answering in a fierce whisper,
"Jason go back to your room now. I'll be there in a few moments. Go." His eyes widened and he scurried up the stairs, obviously scared of my tone. My mom was still squeaking, but it was quieter due to the fact that she was distracted by my hair, playing with each piece.
"Preettttty."
"Like a mouse mom." She nodded with a serious expression and began squeaking again. I led her up the stairs, praying God with all of my soul and being that Logan wouldn't hear. We made it to her room and I gave a sigh or relief.
"Okay, let's get you changed." As I turned on her bathroom light she put her hand on my face and I flinched. Her fingertips grazed over the bruised area- I'd taken off all of my makeup for the night.
"Why is your face purpley Charliee?" I refrained from telling her it was her fault...that she had given me the bruise. But I wasn't ready for an angry drunk mother, that'd be too much to handle in one night and as it was three fourty-five am, I was barely awake anyway.
"Because purple is my favorite color Mom." She grinned and clapped her hands as I cringed, trying to get her to stop.
"Same!! I loveeeee purpleeee." Finally I got her changed and washed and tucked into bed before turning off the light. The next issue was Jason.
I tip toed into his room and sure enough he wasn't awake, snoring away quietly. One conversation avoided...for now. I knew that when morning came he'd be bursting with questions that I wasn't sure I could answer. However, before I could leave the room he started coughing, and my hand froze on the doorknob. He needed the inhaler, which was downstairs. I saw his blonde halo of hair sit up and look at me, still coughing.
"I'll run and get the medicine mi amor, sit tight." He nodded, obviously having a hard time breathing and I rushed downstairs, not caring if anyone heard. Grabbing it from the counter top, I skipped the stairs two by two and made it up to Jason's room quickly, breathing hard. He took the object and used it, inhaling the medication, holding his breath and then releasing. After a few times he gave it back to me, lying down once more. When he spoke, his voice came out as a croak.
"Tell me a story." I pulled my hair into a messy bun and sighed, trying to think of one.
"In a small town in the village of Helm, lived a man named Moishe. He didn't like working, instead he drank his Turkish coffee on the steps to the market place every morning and ate a piece of blueberry pie inside the bakery every afternoon." I heard Jason laugh.
"Why didn't he eat in his kitchen?" I smiled and brushed his hair out of his face.
"I'm not sure. But all of the townspeople told him," I imitated a deep voice, "Moishe, you have to work and work hard. That's the only way to make money! But Moishe didn't listen." I continued the old folktale that my mom told me when I was five or six. Jason fell asleep towards the end, and when I looked at the blinking digital clock, it read 5:45. I sighed as I closed the door to his room. I wasn't going to school again because of Jason, but it was obvious I couldn't get any more sleep for a little while.
--
Logan came stumbling into the kitchen at 6:40, probably smelling the pancakes. He rubbed his eyes, his voice coming out scratchy.
"What time did you get up?" I shrugged.
"A little while ago." I tried to keep my answers vague, but he raised his eyebrow.
"When?" I opened my mouth to answer but Ryan came bounding down the stairs, all dressed and ready.
"Morning Carl- whoa what are you doing here?" His gaze had fallen on Logan.
"He needed help with math. I told him to sleep on the couch." Ryan nodded, not questioning it and Logan looked relieved that I hadn't said anything else. My brother inspected me, knowing I was wearing makeup over the bruise again. I think he could see the bags under my eyes from staying up and he asked, with a double meaning in his eyes,
"How was your sleep Charlotte?" They both stared at me and I shrugged once again.
"It was fine." Jason came down in his checkered pajamas as I was giving the pancakes to the other two boys and said the one thing I was hoping he wouldn't.
"Where's mommy?" I sucked in before giving him a huge, fake, forced smile.
"She had a really late shift and came in late last night." Ryan raised his eyebrow, understanding what I was saying, but watching his words because Logan was listening.
"How was she?" I pushed a plate of pancakes towards Jason and answered while putting away the ingredients.
"Very tired, but she told me to say good morning to you boys." They nodded and stopped asking, while Logan gave me a confused glance.
"Ryan, your bus is going to be here any second. Go!" He gave me a quick kiss on the cheek, ruffled Jason's hair and waved to Logan before bolting out the door. "Logan, do you want to run home and change before school?" He rubbed his head sheepishly.
"Uh, my sister dropped me off here so I don't have a car." I rolled my eyes and smiled.
"I'll be right back." With that I ran to the attic and took out a tighter looking white shirt before coming back downstairs. "Just wear your jeans again with this." I threw the material at him and he gave me a thankful smile.
"You're the best, have I ever told you that?" I laughed lightly and picked Jason up.
"Yup. Now go change!" Logan went into the bathroom to change while I took Jason upstairs to get him changed.
"Why am I getting ready?" I helped him into tiny sweatpants and a batman shirt.
"We're gonna drop Logan off at school then head to the pharmacy to pick up another inhaler to give to your school. Then, you're coming with me to go food shopping before I go to work." He smiled, excited.
"We're gonna hangout all day?"
"Si mi amor." He clapped his hands as I picked him up and placed him on my hip, walking back down the stairs.