Page 32 of Little Do You Know

“She keeps odd hours,” I say without thinking, and Owen looks at me in surprise.

“You know Thalia has trouble sleeping?”

Oh yeah. I know all kinds of things about Thalia that I shouldn’t. Sometimes, I leave my room with the hope Thalia’s out there awake. “We live in the same apartment. Not all of us can sleep through a hurricane. I’ve run into her a few times when I’m getting in late or grabbing a glass of water in the middle of the night.”

Now would be the perfect time to tell Owen all the things that have been happening. How I let his sister massage me after that hit I took in practice weeks ago. How I’ve also watched her early in the morning while she danced around in her underwear. Nothing about me and Thalia is innocent. It’s a fucking disaster.

Owen shakes his head. “She has too much energy for me. We work out too much for me to do anything but sleep through the night. I can’t believe you don’t.”

“You’ve always been a heavy sleeper. Don’t blame it on our schedule,” I reply as I look back at my phone. I choose not to mention how I don’t sleep because I’m also an insomniac. I have dreams about my parents dying that have yet to cease with time. I’ve never spoken to anyone about them, and today isn’t the day to start. “Are you okay with me continuing to watch this? Coach Harris will want to talk later to see if I reviewed the footage. I’m going to visit Mimi tonight, so I won’t have time to watch later.”

“How has she been doing?” he asks, and I tactfully avoid his gaze. This is another thing I don’t want to talk about today.

The last time Owen saw her, she at least knew who I was. Sometimes, she thinks I’m my grandpa. Other times, she thinks I’m my dad. There are very few days where she knows me as Sebastian.No one knows how quickly her condition has deteriorated.

“Good. She smiled and laughed last time I told her you said hello.” Which is true, but then she asked who Owen was.

“Do you want company? I haven’t seen her in forever.”

That’s kind of the point. “Sorry, I want Mimi all to myself today. Next time, okay?” I muster a pathetic smile. Owen looks worried, but he shrugs, thankfully not pushing me on it.

“Suit yourself. I bet Mimi would love my beard.”

Owen’s been a really good friend to me. I can only hope that one day he understands why I can’t stay away from his sister.

“No, she wouldn’t.” I laugh happily because I am certain of that. “Now, I really am going to watch this film. You should too. The other team’s safety almost caught you on one of those passes.”

~

“She’ll be so glad to see you. She’s having a good day,” Molly says, and I smile relieved at her.

“What room is she in today?” I ask, moving the flowers to my left hand as I sign the guest sign-in.

“In the sunroom.” Molly hands me a pass, smiling warmly at me. “Congratulations on the win the other day. We had it on the televisions in the main room. Andrew and Frankie said to tell you that you played like a champ, but your team could have done better.”

I feel my cheeks grow warm. “Thank you. You don’t have to play my games here, but I’ll say hello to them before I leave.” I wander through the halls, saying hello to those that recognize me and those that don’t. Their minds might not be there, but they’re still people.

She’s right where they said she would be, and a smile lights up her face at the sight of me. It must be a good day. I lean down and kiss her cheek briefly. “Hi, Mimi. I’m sorry it’s been a few weeks. Coach has been working us pretty hard lately.”

“Mark! It’s okay; I know that you’re busy. I’m just so glad to see you!” she greets happily, grabbing my hand to squeeze them tightly.

All right, I guess I’m my father today. It’s weird pretending to be someone I don’t remember, but at least Mimi’s smiling. That makes it all worth it.

“I stopped at Evelyn’s shop before I came and got you these.” I offer her the bouquet of flowers I brought, settling into the chair beside her.

Mimi smells them and smiles fondly. “Oh, son, they’re beautiful. Tell me more about that girl of yours; I think you said she was a cheerleader. ”

My dad was the quarterback at Tennessee, where he met my mom, a cheerleader, when they were in college. They passed in a car crash when I was four; I was the only one to survive. My grandparents raised me in a house a few doors from Owen and Thalia.

“She’s a photographer; do you remember Thalia?” I ask, knowing that the answer is probably going to be no. Mimi gave Thalia her first camera. They were really close. I don’t think anyone has told her about Mimi yet. I don’t know how to do that. Living it is hard enough.

Mimi’s face scrunches in confusion, and my heart sinks at the sight because I don’t want to confuse her. It’d be nice to have her in my reality instead of vice versa. I feel horrible for thinking that because I know it’s not her fault. “I thought her name was Carly?”

“Carly, you’re right. I’m sorry, I got confused,” I apologize, letting out a shaky breath. “So, I-I need some advice.”

“Of course, darling, what’s going on?”

I will try, and if it causes her to spiral, I’ll be my dad. I want to try to talk to her as me, though. I don’t have anyone else to go to. “There’s this girl I like, but I really shouldn’t. She’s my best friend’s little sister. Owen says hi, by the way. I kissed her last year, and then we got into a huge fight. Lia said some cruel things, but I’m not proud of how I reacted. I said some equally horrible things to her.”

---