Thursday arrived. The boy eyed his mom from the corner of his eye, who was draining the last of her cigarette before he would make her dump it.
When she'd flicked it to the ground, the boy stepped forward and knocked on the door of a large white house.
Voices, and then the door opened. The girl stood there, wearing a casual sundress. She grinned at the boy and said Hey.
He strangled his emotions away and replied Hey.
Is this your mom? She had turned to face his mom, and he went stiff. But to her credit, the mom didn't add a snide remark to their greeting.
The girl ushered them both inside, looking shyer than usual. Nervous. She closed the door behind him, and then the boy saw them.
The girl's parents. Her dad was tall, belly plump. The mom was smaller sized, like the girl, with the same dark hair and green eyes. He recognised the friend with pink hair, who eyed him with folded arms.
The girl touched his elbow and he averted his attention to her. She introduced him to the family, cheeks slightly red.
The parents greeted him warmly, the mom warmer than the dad. The friend merely waved.
Only then did the boy see that the girl had a Sister, little and with dark hair that was identical to the girl's and her mom's. They all could have been the same person, of different generations — that's how similar they looked.
The boy crouched to eye-level with the sister, and smiled at her. Raised a high-five, which she slapped like it was her life's mission.
The boy grinned. He looked up and the girl was watching him, smiling softly. She extended her hands and he took them to pull himself to his feet.
She led him towards the dining room, skin tingling where their hands clasped together.