Tight-Knit Family

Maybe In A Mile I'll Be Okay

Dylan

I'm not sure why, but I feel like everyone in my family's been talking about me. 

I've just decided to ignore it, though. There's too much going on in my life for me to dwell on something that silly. I don't even know if it's true, maybe it's just my paranoia or something. 

"Hey Pickle." Emma said, coming in the room. "Are you okay?"

"Not really, how are you?" I said. "How's school been going?"

"School's been good, and I'm proud of you for standing up for yourself and admitting that school isn't something you can handle right now. Truth be told, I might take a couple of weeks off too. Our teachers haven't given me much homework after they heard what happened, but it's still a lot and I'm glad you're doing what's best for you." Emma said. "But enough about me and school, what do you need from me right now? I want to help."

What I really needed was something Emma would never be able to give me, no matter how hard she tried. I needed things to be okay again.

"Nothing." I said. "It's fine, I'm just playing a game on the computer." 

"Would it make you feel even slightly better if I told you I went to the store with Uncle Mendel and we got your favorite flavor of ice cream?" Emma said with a smile. "And extra chocolate sprinkles?"

"You got me cookie dough with chocolate sprinkles?" I asked.

"Yeah! I know ice cream won't fix all of our problems, but it might make you smile just a little?" Emma said. "If that doesn't work, I also have the option of hugs."

I smiled and gave my twin sister a hug, who hugged me tighter and kissed my forehead. "You know I love you so much, Pickle, you're my best friend and the best brother I could've ever asked for. And I know things are really hard right now but we're going to get through it. Dad's going to pull through and we're all going to be happy."

I nodded and turned to my sister with a smile, remembering something I had to look forward to. "Oh my God, Jason's bar mitzvah! In all the hectic, I completely forgot about that!" 

Emma sighed and said, "About that...Jason doesn't want a bar mitzvah until Dad gets better. And since it's kind of difficult to explain how sick Dad is to a twelve year old, we might have to cancel it. Trina told me the other day and told me about how torn she was on what to do." 

"Oh." I said. "Shit, now I feel bad for getting all excited." 

"Don't feel bad, Pickle, it's not your fault. Although I can see where Jason is coming from. I mean, he's only twelve and a half." Emma said. 

I nodded slowly, suddenly getting an idea. "Hey Em? What if we put our heads together and find a way to make Jason feel better?"

Emma blinked for a minute and then turned to me with a smile. "That would be awesome, Dylan, but are you sure? You need some time to process all this too." 

"I'm sure, Em, and I know just the thing to do."