"So, any plans for spring break?" Finn asked.
"Nope," Carter said. "What should we do, any ideas?" he asked, before he took a bite of his turkey sandwich.
Ryan and I turned to look at each other.
"We had an idea," I said. "How about we go camping?"
"We can go up to Sheer Rivers for a week and camp," Ryan explained.
"Listen," Garrett started. "I'm not really an outdoor person. I wouldn't want to sleep out in the wilderness. I can do nature, not sleeping out in it though."
I turned to look at Ryan. He nodded his head.
"How about a cabin then? We rent out a cabin for a week. Explore the town, go on a few hikes, and enjoy the views," I proposed.
I looked at the guys. They seemed like they were really considering it.
"An actual bed to sleep in? I'm in," Garrett said.
"Yeah. It sounds like fun. I'm down," Carter answered.
"Finn?" I asked.
"Nature and hikes? You know I'm down."
I smiled, knowing everyone liked the idea and agreed.
"Alright. This will take a lot of planning. We'll also have to ask our parents for permission. Sheer Rivers is a two-hour drive from here." Finn took the lead.
We all nodded.
When it came to things like this, Finn knew what to do.
"Well, my parents won't mind. So I'm sure I can go," Garrett said.
My mood instantly changed. I went from being excited that everyone liked the idea to being sad and devastated.
Garrett's parents were usually always busy. You would think that only having one child meant they would focus all of their attention on only Garrett, but that wasn't the case. I'm sure they loved him. I knew they did, but sometimes they overlooked him. That's why he loved spending time with us, just like me. We were two lonely children in households where no one was ever home.
I looked over at Garrett. He looked at me and smiled. Through everything. He still managed a smile. That made me happy. I returned the smile.
####
I grabbed my phone and pressed on the contact.
There were a few rings before someone answered.
"Hello?"
"Mom?"
"No, sorry. This is her assistant."
Assistant? When did my mother get an assistant? Why did she need an assistant?
"This is Roxy, right?"
"Yes. Roxanne. May I speak to my mother?"
"One moment, please."
I waited for a few minutes before she came to the phone.
"Hello?" I heard.
"Mom."
"Yes, honey?"
"When did you get an assistant?"
"A while back. Didn't I mention it to you?"
"No."
"So did you need anything?"
"Yeah. For spring break the guys and I want to go to Sheer Rivers and stay in a cabin for a week. May I go?"
"Is Finn going?"
"Yes."
"One moment please. No. Not right now. I'm talking to my daughter." She sounded distant. Like she put the phone away from her face.
"Mom?"
"Sorry, hon. A meeting is starting soon."
"So may I go?"
"Yeah, sure. Just call back and tell me how much money you need. If I don't answer, just tell my assistant."
"Ok?"
"Listen, I have to go now."
"Alright."
"Bye, honey." She hung up before I could say my farewell.
I laid back on my bed and sighed.
Honestly, I loved my parents, but sometimes they were too much.
I grabbed my phone again and pressed another contact.
I let the phone ring. It took a while, ringing. I thought it was going to go to voicemail.
"Hey," I heard from the other line.
"Hey. Come over. Let's hang," I said.
"Everything alright?"
"Yeah."
There was a pause on the other line.
"We can watch a movie. I have a freezer full of ice cream, and I'll order a pizza."
I heard him chuckle. "Alright. On my way. See you in a few."
"Alright." We both hung up.
I got up from bed and walked downstairs, ordering a pizza on my phone.
He arrived shortly after, right after the pizza had arrived.
"Hey," I said, when I opened the door.
"Hey," he said, stepping through the door.
We sat down and ended up watching a random movie, as we ate the pizza. I didn't care too much about watching the movie. I just cared about the company. We had ice cream topped with toppings afterwards.
"So why'd you call just me and not the guys?"
I shrugged my shoulders.
"Roxy?" he asked.
"Because my parents suck," I said, after eating a spoonful of ice cream.
"Ditto," he said, looking down into his bowl of ice cream before eating some.
"You know, I do love them, and I'm thankful for everything they do for me, but that's not enough."
He nodded his head, avoiding eye contact.
"You know, my mom got an assistant. I didn't even know. I called her to ask her if I could go on the trip for spring break and her assistant answered."
"Did she let you go?" His eyes finally met mine.
"Yeah, but the way she did it. She barely asked any questions. She just told me to tell her how much I needed then hung up."
"I feel you. I called my dad. He practically said the same thing. Told me whatever it was 'yes' and just said he would deposit money into my account. Didn't even ask any questions. He was too busy with something. Couldn't even spare a minute to ask me where I was going."
I nodded my head, understanding.
"That's why I invited you and only you. You understand what I'm going through. Sure, Finn is also an only child, but his situation is different. His parents actually ask questions and live with him."
"Yeah."
"See, Garrett, you and I get each other."
"We totally do. We should do this more often."
"What? Rant about our parents?" I chuckled.
He laughed. "No. Spend a night, just watching movies and pigging out. You know, two only-children just keeping each other company, while ranting about how our parents barely care." He laughed.
"I'm down. Thursday nights, like tonight. Just have a night for the two of us and just watch movies."
"Yes! That'll be awesome."
"Garxanne nights!" I beamed.
"Yeah!" He lifted his hand for a high five.
I smacked my hand against his, hard.
"Ow." My hand was stinging now.
"Maybe something less painful."
"Pinky promises?" I held out my pinky. He held out his hand too, with his pinky extended. "Pinky promise to have a Roxy and Garrett night on Thursdays. Garxanne Nights."
We interlocked our pinkies and nodded our heads.
"Hopefully, one of us comes up with a better name." I laughed.
"Hopefully."
####
"It's getting late."
I nodded.
"You know, my parents work so hard but for what?"
I turned to look at him.
"Working so hard for a house they never sleep in. Working so hard for a son they never see."
"Does it get lonely at your house?"
"All the time. When I get home, it's quiet. No sounds. Nothing. Just a big empty house. Most of the rooms are empty. The only ones that aren't are my room, my parent's room, the guest room, my parent's study, and the—" he paused. "It's just a big empty house. Sure, there are things that fill it up but barely any bodies." He shrugged.
His situation was like mine. My parents were starting to come home less often. Now, I saw them a couple times a month. I managed though, practically living at Finn's most of the time. It didn't occur to me that Garrett had to manage on his own.
He stood from the couch. "I better get going."
"Garrett, you're welcome to stay. You can sleep in the guest bedroom."
"Really?" His eyes lit up.
"Yeah."
"But I'd need clothes."
"You can get them now and come back."
"Alright. Mind coming with me?"
"Don't mind at all." I stood from the couch.
I grabbed my phone and keys. Garrett and I walked out of my house. We got in his car and he drove.
We arrived at Garrett's house not that long after. We stepped inside, and he turned on the lights from the living room.
"It's cold in here." I rubbed my arms, wishing I would've brought a sweater.
"It always is," he mumbled, as he walked up the stairs, and I followed him into his room.
"Which shirt?" He stood before his closet.
I walked over to him and stood beside him. I looked at the shirts hanging from his closet. "You own a lot of flannels."
"Some of them belong to the guys. They're not all mine."
"While I'm here, let me borrow a flannel."
"Go ahead. But what should I wear?"
"We can match tomorrow," I suggested.
"Hell yeah. Choose a flannel and we'll match."
I nodded my head, while he walked away. I looked through the shirts, running my hands along the fabrics.
"How about gray flannels?"
"Yeah."
I grabbed two long-sleeved flannels similar to each other and placed them on his bed.
"Full outfit matching or just the shirts?" he asked.
"Full outfit?"
He nodded his head. "Black jeans?"
"Yeah. Shoes?"
"All-black high-tops." He walked around his room, getting things he needed and he put them in his duffel bag. "Alright. I have everything I need."
I nodded my head.
Garrett and I walked out of his bedroom and down the stairs, out the door.