Sweet Dandelion
Ansel doesn’t strike me as the type to care if he has to meet my brother.
“You couldn’t have made a friend that’s a girl?”
“Well, there’s Sasha,” I admit, picking up my phone. “I think we might be becoming friends too.”
“Thank God.”
“Can I order pizza now?”
He wiggles his fingers at me. “Yeah, get anything else you want too. I’m going to shower.”
He passes behind me and I call a random pizza place a couple blocks away that delivers. I wonder if Sage is actually serious about learning to cook. Maybe when I brought it up before it got him thinking. In my class at school we haven’t cooked yet, apparently we only do that once a quarter, and it’s mostly been bookwork.
Sage and I are both such horrible cooks I can’t imagine us actually being able to learn to make anything. But it could be worth a shot.
I finish my homework and when the pizza arrives I sign the receipt and take it. I also bought—well, technically Sage bought it—breadsticks and an order of chicken tenders.
I lay everything out and start making my plate. My stomach rumbles from the delicious aroma.
“I smell food!” Sage calls out from his room and I laugh to myself, because his words echo my thoughts. He might be seven years older than me, but we’re eerily similar despite the age difference. “Ooh, you got chicken tenders.” He rubs his hands together and grabs the plate I set out for him.
Sitting down on the couch, I curl my legs under me and dig into the pizza. It has arugula, prosciutto, and parmesan cheese layered on top.
“You pick the weirdest pizzas, D.” Sage eyes mine as he sits down with three slices of his meat lovers.
“You’re missing out. This is amazing.”
He looks doubtful. “Looks more like a salad than a pizza to me.”
He picks up the remote and turns the TV on, flipping through the channels before stopping on a rerun of Bones.
We don’t say anything as we eat, which allows my thoughts to drift.
That’s usually a dangerous thing, and tonight is no different.
I think about the fact that our mom isn’t here. I think we’ve both come to terms with our dad’s death since it’s been so many years and he was sick, but our mom? She was killed in a horrendous way, taken by force from this world, and it’s wrong. She should still be here, laughing. I should be back home with her in Oregon. But that’s not the reality we have to live with.
The bites of pizza I’ve eaten sit heavy in my stomach.
I get up and set my half-eaten plate of food on the counter.
“D?” Sage asks, concern clouding his voice. “What’s wrong?”
“I need to go for a walk.”
“Dani—”
He starts to stand and I look over my shoulder at him. “Eat your dinner. I’m … I’ll be fine. I need some fresh air.”
“It’s dark out, let me go with you.”
“I’ll only go around the block. Promise.”
He opens his mouth to protest more, but I slip out the door.
He could follow me easily enough, but thankfully he doesn’t. Pushing the button for the elevators, I wait. It dings merrily when it reaches the floor and I get in, pushing the button for the lobby.
Honestly, living in a condo, feels a lot like living in a hotel.