Bria
"Are you comfortable with being..around her?" Chris asked over the phone.
"I don't know..I haven't seen her in so long. I doubt I'd see her around the complex but if I did— that'd be hell Chris."
"Put the safety of you and Forest first Brianna, you two need somewhere to live."
"I know..I know. I guess I'll just avoid her, which might be hard because that bitch goes door to door pimping herself out-"
"Bria."
"I'm just being honest. But fine, my mind is made up. I'm gonna submit the application and hope for the best."
"It's the right thing to do I think. But I'm gonna call you when I get over there, i'm on the way."
"Alright." I said hanging up.
"Are we gonna eat cake with Chris?" Forest asked, like he was waiting for me to get off the phone just to say that.
"We can if he wants."
"I want vanilla cake and chocolate ice cream." He said excitedly to himself.
Forest
When Bria told me Chris was outside, I ran downstairs.
"Slow down, he's not going anywhere!"
I don't see Chris as much these days. And when I do Bria usually isn't around. I'm happy it's gonna be the whole family today.
"Hi Chris!" I said running outside and up to his tall car.
"Boy why you don't have no coat on?" He said laughing.
"Because he literally ran to see you." Bria said coming behind me with my coat. I hate coats.
I put on my coat and Bria helped me get in the car.
"Hi." Bria said smiling at Chris, before kissing him on the mouth.
"Stop!" I said disgusted.
"You don't have to look Forest." Chris said pulling out of the driveway.
Fine. I turned my head to face the window, when I noticed a little gold thing on the floor. Treasure!
I picked it up and tried to read it. Mag..mag.. I don't know. I ripped it open, so I could see this treasure for myself.
Gross. It's just a wet balloon.
"Forest what are you messing with?" Chris asked, looking at me with the mirror.
"I don't know."
Bria looked back at me and shrieked.
"Put that down." She said taking the balloon out of my hand. "Where'd you find this?"
"In a gold thing on the floor. I thought it was treasure."
"Don't touch stuff that's not yours, ok?"
"Ok.."
I didn't think she'd be so mad over a balloon. Who cares?
"He found a condom!" Bria tried to tell Chris quietly. I heard her.
"Oh shit." He laughed.
Condom?
"Brianna what's a condom? Isn't that a place you live?"
"That's a condo. A condom is something for adults that you shouldn't worry about."
"Chris isn't an adult. He has one."
"Forest." Bria said in her stop testing me voice. I won't ask any more questions about it.
"Are we gonna eat cake today Chris?"
"Sure. We have to make a really quick stop though, ok?"
"Ok."
It seemed like we were driving around forever, but soon we were somewhere familiar. We passed my old bus stop..now it looks like..
"No!"
"No what forest?" Bria said looking back at me.
"I don't want to go back to the old house! Chris stop driving!"
"Forest we aren't going back with her, relax."
"But this is the same place!"
"We're getting our own. I just need to turn in some papers, ok? It's safer for you and I to stay here, than to live with Noah and Greg."
Just me and her?
"Is chris coming?"
"Chris has his own house."
Oh.
Chris
Bria turned in her application fees, and we started our day. She insisted she'd treat me to lunch, even though I could pay for myself.
"Forest you wanna go to Olive Garden?"
"Yes! I want spaghett."
"Forest I keep telling you it's spaghetti." I told him. We had this conversation many times, and just when he says he gets it. He goes back to saying it.
"That's what I said. Shut up."
"Don't say shut up Forest." Bria scolded him.
"A ha. You got in trouuuble-"
"Shush Christopher before I beat you up."
"Alright Alright. My bad."
-
When we pulled up to Olive Garden Forest practically jumped out of the car, running to the entrance.
"Slow down." Bria told him laughing.
As we all entered the restaurant, I got this weird feeling. The feelings I used to get when I was Forest's age and I went out with my family. When it was my mom, dad, and my brother. Being with Bria and Forest felt like being in a family. But every time I thought like that I tried to dismiss it, I'm 18 now, and Bria will be soon. As much as I wanna be, I doubt we'd be 'together forever'.
And that hurt.
"Table for three please." Forest said, speaking up to the hostess.
"My pleasure, for the lovely family." She said, leading us to a table with four chairs in the back of the restaurant.
"A waitress will be right with you."
As I was opening my menu, I noticed Bria staring at me.
"What's wrong Chris?" She sort of whispered, so Forest wouldn't hear.
"Nothing." I said shaking my head, faking a smile.
"Do you expect me to believe that...or...?"
"Stop worrying. I'm okay. I'm happy."
"Ok." She said skeptically.
We ordered our food and it arrived in slightly short of a half hour.
"You need help cutting your meatballs?" I asked Forest who was struggling to bite it.
"No I got it."
Brianna looked up at me and smiled.
"What?"
"Nothing. It's just cute." She said looking down again.
"What is?"
"How you treat him. He loves you Chris."
"And I love him just the same."
Too bad you'll only ever know him for a few more months, the voice in my head said, making me sigh.
"Chris I know something's wrong. What gives?"
"I just. Every time I have something like this, I lose it. I have someone who loves me, and who I can confide in. After you go to college-"
"You'll be in Toronto. So will I. So will Forest."
"But high school relationships don't-"
"Understand that what this is isn't just a
high school sweetheart relationship. I've been through the worst moments in my life with you. And vice versa. We had each other when we had no one. Things like that don't just disappear into thin air."
"Can you guys stop speaking adult talk and help me with my maze?" Forest said, lifting up his kids menu that came with a pack of crayons.
"Okay Forest. Just a second." She told him, before turning back to me.
"Stop stressing about the future and enjoy right now."
That made sense, but even still in the back of my mind it worried me. But I'll take her advice and celebrate what I have right now. A family.
a/n:
hope this update was ok.
we actually don't have olive gardens in CA, so this was for my American neighbors 🇺🇸🤠 I had it for the first time when I went to Georgia to see childish gambino and it was so good. Best believe I had bread sticks in my bag. NO SHAME