Page 44 of The Roommate Situation

Parker pauses the game to ask if we should help in the kitchen. “You can try,” I tell him, “but she won’t let you.”

He does, and she doesn’t. I hear, “Oh, no, dear, thank you. I’ve got everything handled. You go have fun.”

He shrugs and I mouthtold youwhen he returns.

We do help set the table later though, and that seems to make Parker happy. The meal is amazing as always, and I groan as Mom and Dad share stories of when I was little.

“He was so cute,” Mom coos, looking at me. “He’s been wearing bow ties since he was six years old, you know. All the other boys were in jeans and T-shirts, but not Rory. He’s always loved to dress up.”

“Do you have pictures?” Parker asks, and I bury my face in my hands when Mom nods, a huge smile on her face.

“We’ll show you after dinner.”

Parker grins at me and I glare, but it’s not real. I can’t be mad at him or my parents.

“You should have seen him when the girls came along,” Dad says. “He was such a good big brother. Scared shitless at first, but once they were here you couldn’t get him to stop holding them and wanting to help.”

I flush, and Ava and Addison beam at me. I stick my tongue out at them and they giggle.

After lunch, Dad goes away and comes back with a photo album. He sits on the sofa and Parker joins him. They flip through it as I help Mom with the dishes, and the twins race upstairs to their room.

“He’s a really sweet boy,” Mom tells me, and I hear Parker and Dad laughing in the next room.

“He is,” I agree.

There’s a short pause before she says, “You know you don’t have to tell me what happened with you and Zach, but I’m here to listen if you want to.”

I don’t know what happens. Maybe it’s the fact that she’s my mom, or maybe I’ve been holding it all in more than I realized, or maybe it’s the thanksgiving turkey messing with my head, but I start sobbing right then and there, and she takes me into her arms, holding me close as Dad and Parker continue to laugh in the next room, and I hear shrieks and squeals from upstairs. I flinch and Mom rubs my back, shushing me softly.

“I’ll get them set up with a movie in a bit,” she says, knowing how I need the quiet, no matter how much I love my sisters. “It’s okay. You’re okay.”

I sniffle and choke out. “He cheated on me.”

“Oh, honey,” she says, hugging me harder and making me cry more. “I’m so sorry. That must have felt terrible.”

I word vomit then, telling her about how I found him, all the texts he sent me afterwards, the things he said, how he made me feel like I wasn’t good enough and how somehow it was my fault, and how I realized what a complete asshole he was. I tell her how I’ve been struggling with believing I’m good enough and that anyone would ever want me because of how he made me feel. She listens and strokes my hair, and kisses my head.

“My beautiful boy,” she murmurs. “You are such a kind soul and you deserve someone who appreciates you. I’m really glad you're not with him anymore. But I am sorry he hurt you.”

She hands me a tissue and I use it to wipe my nose. “Yeah, me, too.” She hugs me again and I melt into her. “Thank you.”

Dad and Parker enter the kitchen then and Dad stops when he sees us hugging. Parker looks a little concerned, too.

“Everything okay?” Dad asks.

I nod and Mom smiles at him in a way that says,I’ll tell you later.

Dad shows us a picture in the album of me at the age of six riding my big wheel bike, a huge smile on my face, my two front teeth missing.

“You were the cutest little kid, freckles,” Parker says, ruffling my hair and making me blush. Mom and Dad exchange glances at the nickname and my cheeks heat.

There’s another shriek from upstairs and I flinch again.

“I’ll take care of it,” Mom says. She kisses my cheek and heads up the stairs.

I tell Mom and Dad that Parker and I are going to take a nap in my room. Dad reminds us that s’mores start at six and I nod, then grab Parker’s hand and pull him up to the stairs.

We lie on the blow up mattress and make out for a while before we doze off, this time with the door locked.

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