Father (Rewritten)

Chapter 5: It's fine, I'm fine.

Early morning, Monday. 

Waiting at the door of Maddy's house, Claudia scruffs the bottom of her flats against the ashy concrete while listening to the muffled radio music from inside. Good music for dancing, the kind Claudia would actually manage to sway her stiff body to without shame.

"Here you are!" An older melodic voice chrips, heavy footsteps growing in weight as a pair of fuzzy skippered feet make way to Claudia.

Strong scents of roasted meat and seasoned pastries clinging along to the freckled older woman as she gently gifts Claudia with a 3 tiered lunchbox.

"Don't forget to refrigerate these the second you're home, I added extra briskets for you and your sister." Sharon smiles wide, warmly patting Claudia's hand that is holding onto the wooden lunchbox handle. 

As Claudia watches her own feet going down the steps carefully, she stands tall after. "Thank you, Mrs Smith. Jenna and I love your cooking."

Sharon sends a grateful squint of her brown eyes, her bulbing cheek smile nonstop as she holds onto the door. "I am always happy to cook for more. Glad to hear it, sweetie, now take good care of yourself on your way back." 

"Yes!" 

.    .    .

Returning home, Claudia is more than pleasantly surprised to see and hear she wasn't alone. Loud pop music vibrates through her.

A flash of ripped-blue jeans, stylishly torn fabric for a crop top and strawberry-blonde hair twisted into a high bun. Her older sister's back faces her until the door clicks into place behind. The music instantly gets lowered as Jenna does a slow turn, propping her hands at her flaring hips, an expectant look on her short face. Her pose birdlike.

Claudia hangs the house keys on a hook, doing a glance over purposefully slow at Jenna's outfit. "Is that... New?" 

"Designer new, brand new." Jenna sucks in her already flat stomach, looking down at herself like she was performing an intensive inspection. "I cannot not be competing in this month's best dressed category without new clothes. I just can't." 

"You look great," Claudia automatically reassures as she shuffles out of her old flats and neatly pushed them to the wall with her foot.

"That's for the average person," she scoffs, "I can't just look great, I need better." Jenna fixes whatever invisible thing lies in her perfect hairstyle, tugging out thin wavy locks from behind her ears to frame her oval face shape. She takes out her phone, hums satisfied, blinking aggressively at her own reflection in her phone screen.

Claudia was at a lost for words like most times with her sister as she passed her by the kitchen to wash her hands.

Knock. Knock. 

"Oh! That's the delivery guy!" Jenna cheers, rushing to the door, her strawberry-blonde waves bouncing all the way.

.    .    .

"Chakrii is the absolute sweetest guy out of all the guys I've dated," Jenna said inbetween her open mouthful of beef skewers, rolling her eyes up like she's tasting heaven. "Like, I can't even describe what kind of person he is. He's just so good." 

Claudia bites on her bottom lip, unsure what to add to the conversation as she eyes the smokey-smelling meat skewers. "He sounds really nice." 

Jenna makes an agreeing sound, unable to pull away from consuming another skewer. "You know, he bought these for me? And the spicy chicken feet skewers for you. I forgot to tell him you don't like spicy food but my god, isn't that so sweet?" 

"Yeah, he sounds way better than the Thai guy you brought home before." 

The chewing stops. Claudia's heart thumps in a tiny scare.

"He is the Thai guy I introduced you to..." Jenna trails off, thick soy sauce dribbling over her lips until she licks it clean and resumes eating, this time reaching for a chicken feet skewer. "You must've forgot. It happens." 

Claudia sips her hot chocolate, enjoying the gooey sugary goodness spreading across her tongue. And not wanting to remind Jenna that she never introduces her boyfriends. 

Properly. Usually it's the unexpected run-ins with them that Claudia wishes she doesn't have around the house, like being scared to death at having the bathroom door aggressively pounded in the middle of showering or waking up to an unfamiliar face that isn't her sister. 

"Mmhm, I must've." 

She takes a small break from scalding her tongue and continues watching Jenna devouring the spicy sauced chicken feet and picking it off the skewer with her straight teeth. Claudia wanted one but she could always go over to Maddy's place for leftovers.

.    .    .

Claudia resigns from her laptop, pushing at her computer desk with a lazy hand and spinning around. Her eyes trailing across her dull bedroom and down to where a half-packed, washed out luggage lays sadly.

Finding things to pack have become a mind numbing task. One she promises herself to do later, for Maddy. 

Is the City really where she wants to go? There's still time to decide. To think. 

She pushes herself with a lazy kick, back around facing the computer screen. Why couldn't she be more like Maddy, they're the same age and yet here Claudia is... Still not a shred of an idea in her head about the future. Her future.

3 miscall — Mad (Online)