Empire State of Mind

4. Stay Tonight

The week passed by in a blur of boring classes and the entertainment of my newly created friendships. On the last day before the weekend I was walking back to my car, dragging a exhausted Chris, Ryan caught up to me.

"Hey! Jessi! Jessica!" she calls, grabbing my bag and pulling me to her.

She threw her arm around me, "Hey! So, me, April, and Lynn are planning a little get together tomorrow, you're invited if you wanna join."

I nod, checking my phone, like i actually had anything to do in the first place, "Hm, I'm not doing anything, Ill be there. What time?"

"Were eating lunch together, April is bringing cupcakes! Have you had her cupcakes?! ohmygooood, they're amazing."

"Ryan can't cook," Jay mumbles.

She huffs, "I burn your pancakes ONE TIME, and you hold a grudge."

He shrugs, "Food is a serious thing, Ry"

She shakes her head, "I'll see you tomorrow then," She waves as I get to my car.

I sigh, slumping down in my seat. A weird feeling in my bones, I don't exactly know what it is. I just feel neutral. I'm not angry, upset, sad, nut at the same time I'm not exactly happy either. Actually, I do feel a little mopey. Maybe because it's been raining the past few days. New York is known for being rainy, but there's always bright lights and city goers to distract you, sorry not sorry for finding blueberry bushes boring.

"How was your day?" I look at Chris, he had his head slumped, eyes closed out of exhaustion. Poor kid. New house, new school ,new friends, it has to be hard on him. I relate to him, but I'm his older sister, I should help him more than he helps me.

He sighed loudly, flopping back. I hand him a small blanket I recently added to my car.

I turn the music down, driving slower to allow him to sleep easily. By the time I pulled in the kid was out like a light. We were also home alone. Mom and dad get up early and return late, some later tan others but this week hasn't really felt like home. It feels like I'M living in a large house with roommates. Sure, sometimes mom will call to check in, like a mother, and dad will cook late in the evening as i complete homework assignments in the Livingroom, but you wont find me nominating them for parents of the year. What pisses me off is that they're just as tense around Chris as they are me. I get it with me, were rebuilding a relationship. Chris never did anything wrong, he's problebly the reason this family can still call it a family.

"Okay Mr. Muscles, you're heavy," I flick his ear.

The rest of the night passed with The Crown and the Flame and a few texts from Ryan and April making sure I was up for tomorrow, this house feels so empty. Even in New York, if not more so, mom and dad are never home. They work busy jobs, but the penthouse was just a very very large apartment. Its hard to make an apartment feel empty. Even when I got bored I just invited someone over, anyone was always up for anything, but now... I don't know, I have the group but we're not close enough for that. Usually that wouldn't matter so damn much but I have to face it eventually, the bold me might as well be dead. I need to adjust to this chaos now. Eventually I tired of my own thoughts and just went to sleep, dealing with a heavy dose of sleep demons.

I tried to look nice the next afternoon. Mom and dad weren't home, again, and Chris was out with some new friends. Ryan offered to pick me up, I went a head and accepted, wanting to enjoy a coffee instead of drive. Plus I had never been to their house, from what I could tell from the ride, it was Hella confusing.

"Jess!" April hugs me, picking me off the ground, not even giving me a chance to step in the door of their gorgeous house.

I had never seen their house before, there were two cars, their parents are problebly working too. Their house was a beautiful woody farmhouse style, about the same size as mine. It definitely fit in more than mine.