Page 88 of Until the Ribbon Breaks

Another long pause stretches before he asks, “Who’s the guy?”

“I don’t know, but I wonder if she’s still seeing him.”

“You want me to ask?”

“Does it even matter?”

Honestly, I’m so over it all. I only have one year left until I graduate, and then I’m out of here. It’s bad enough that I still have to live with her, but the last thing I want is to be a part of her drama. The less I know, the better.

Growing annoyed from just talking about it, I shift the subject, telling him, “I miss you.”

“Yeah, I miss you too, Sis.”

“Did you get all moved in?”

“Uh-huh. The house is cool. We threw our first party last weekend,” he says before continuing on about some mishap with the keg or something.

It’s almost otherworldly to hear him talk about his life at college, and I can’t help but wonder if I’ll be lucky enough to have the same experiences. There’s really no need to wonder, though. I know that I won’t, and that sinks my mood as I listen to him until he cuts the call. “Hey, it was good talking to you, but I have to run.”

We say our goodbyes, and he promises to keep in touch better than he has been before I hand the phone back, but there’s no one at the desk.

“You done?” Greg asks as he comes over to me, and when I hand him the receiver, he leans over the desk and hangs it up.

He walks me back to the group, which is now in an uproar. The staff is yelling at everyone to calm down, and Greg pulls me away from the door as Kevin and another kid, Derek, are escorted out.

Peeking in at the aftermath of the commotion, I find several chairs knocked over and puzzle pieces scattered on the floor.

“What did I miss?” I ask when I’m finally let into the room once everyone is settled down.

“Just another fight,” someone tells me as I walk over to Sebastian and Max.

Tears coat her cheeks as they scoop puzzle pieces onto trays. They don’t notice me until I crouch down and start to help them out.

“What happened?”

“Derek and Kevin got into a fight,” Sebastian says before standing and dumping a bunch of the pieces onto the table.

“Why?”

“Who knows?” he says, and when Max sits down in her chair, he takes a seat next to her, asking, “You good?”

She nods and starts her sorting all over again.

“How did your call go?”

“He didn’t have a clue my mom cheated.”

Max looks up. “They didn’t tell him?”

I shake my head.

“What did he say?” Sebastian asks, drawing my attention back to him.

“I mean, what could he say?”

He lets out a slow breath. “That whole situation is messed up.”

“I’m dreading having to spend the next year with her.”

---