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“It’s not a long-term thing,” I said. “We’re still kids.”
“Before you wipe out your eyes, you won’t be a kid anymore,” Dad said. “And we won’t be around forev?—”
A car hit ours head-on. The car crumpled, and glass shattered. I hit my head on my dad’s seat in front of me. The seatbelt broke my collarbone.
Ambulances, red flashing lights, shattered glass glittering in the car lights. Being cut free from the car, the journey to the hospital, the lights in the ER sliding by as the nurses pushed me into an operating room.
When my sister and Oscar came to my room, Cat’s eyes were swollen and red. Oscar’s face was grim.
Our parents had died.
They’d come to pick me up from a party because I hadn’t wanted to go home with Oscar, who’d been driving drunk.
The other driver had lost control. He was dead, too.
I was the only one alive because my blood alcohol had been so high, my body had stayed limp, and it was what had saved me. I’d heard of a lot of people who’d survived because they were drunk.
My parents had died even though they’d been sober.
And Oscar had made it home safely.
After the accident, after I’d healed and my parents had been buried, Oscar had moved in. He’d been a pillar of strength after I’d fallen apart. He’d been supportive when I’d given up my studies to work and take care of my sister.
We’d become a little family in the absence of our parents, fighting through every day so that we could survive.
How could I point out all the small things about Oscar that bothered me after the big things he’d done for me and Cat?
My sister kept telling me I didn’t owe him anything, but it wasn’t that simple. My parents had told me I deserved more, but how could I measure what my worth was? I was the reason my parents were dead, after all.
The bigger picture had changed in the wake of that accident. Life wasn’t what it used to be. And Oscar was still here, after all we’d been through.
Cat was still talking about her classes, and I forced myself to focus on what she was saying. She was going to have a good life, and that was all I wanted for her. I could figure out the rest later.
“Tell me about your book,” I said, changing the topic. I nodded toward the book that lay on the coffee table. It was a thick book, almost like a tome, and it was all about Greek gods and magic, creatures, and the myths surrounding them.
“Oh, I’m reading about minor gods and goddesses, spirits and demons.” Her eyes twinkled when she talked about it. “They’re the link between us and the gods, bridging that gap, you know? It’s thanks to them that we can reach each other.”
“You always talk about this stuff like it’s real,” I scoffed.
Cat shrugged. “I know you think they’re just stories, but I think there’s more to it.”
“There’s no proof,” I said.
“There’s no proof to the contrary, either,” she challenged. She leaned forward, her eyes spewing fire. The atmosphere became electric. I could get into it with her right now, and we’d debate and argue all night long.
I smiled. It was this stubbornness that would get her far in life. It was frustrating when we argued about stuff, but I knew it would take her where she needed to go.
“Let’s agree to disagree,” I said.
Cat giggled, and the tension bled out of the room. “You’re just giving up before I beat your ass with arguments that make sense.”
“I’m stopping you from humiliating yourself,” I teased back.
We both laughed before the sounds of our voices faded away again. Cat yawned and stretched. It had become dark outside, and I got up to switch on the lights in our little home.
“Did Oscar let you know when he would be back?” I asked Cat.
She shook her head.
