Then There Was You

Chapter 7: Oh Sista

Lilah

   The weekend came by fast. The first three days of school were always exciting. Yesterday we had the new student barbecue during which we got to gorge ourselves with French fries and burgers, starting the year strong. Theo and I were on talking terms again. I hadn't realized how much I missed him until we started talking again. I played a huge part in the added distance between us, but slowly we were working our way back to how things used to be.

   I walked through the neighborhood, feeling light with each step. You could already feel the fall even though we were still weeks away. It was the perfect time for a walk or to practice outside. The thought made me smile. The last time I played, it summoned quite the audience. I would do it again if Valery wasn't home. Like Dad, she always had something to say, only her commentary wasn't welcomed given she didn't know a thing about music.

So I'd have to be content with catching up on a show or watching a movie until dinner's ready.

   Upon entering the house, I knew the second I smelled the jute leaves that Valery was up to no good. Of all the meals she could cook, she had to make the one thing she sucked at and that took forever to make.

"You're sure you don't need my help?" I queried, peering into the kitchen as she cleaned the pork.

   Armed with a dramatic eye-roll, she gave me a blank stare, signaling that my presence wasn't needed or welcomed. Valery was like that, competitive and ambitious. If she failed at something once, that was a sign that she must try harder. Right now, I was just getting in her way, and she made sure I knew that I was being a nuisance.

   Raising my hands in surrender, I walked away toward my room. I'd regret it later but my limbs yearned with the need for the comfortable support of my mattress. It was the good kind of exhaustion, the kind that made you fall asleep extra fast only to wake up refreshed. As I went up the stairs, however, my phone buzzed with a message from Theo.

It was a link to someone playing Caprice No. 5. I grinned as I recognized the woman playing and the piece she expertly played. Having watched this video before I answered quickly.

Me: You understand why I say he's literally the best composer of all time?

Theo: No wonder they thought he was summoning demons. He's cracked!

Me: IKR!

Theo: You should try to play that sometime.

I snorted when I read his text. Unless I wanted us kicked out of this neighborhood, I'd stick to Mozart and some of my creations.

Me: Lol. The sounds such an attempt would produce would for sure summon Satan himself!

Theo: 💀💀💀

   I stayed in bed until dinner was ready, shunning sleep out of my system by reading over my old conversations with Theo. As I scrolled through our more recent texts, guilt lay heavy on my chest. We'd talked more in the last three days than we had in all the years we lived next door to each other. Yet, while we're now closer than we've ever been there was a line I could never allow us to cross because if I did, he'd have to know the truth.

"Mom's calling us down for dinner," Valery's voice brought me out of my head.

"Okay," I replied and slid off the bed.

   In the end, Valery should've accepted my help. The undercooked rice and burned lalo were the proof of it. Only the pork was good and that positive was enough to make me bite my tongue while we ate in silence until Mom spoke up.