Hello August, Please Be Good To Me

Chapter 28: Orlando We Made It!

The minute we pull up into Frankie and Pawpaw's driveway, I make a run for the bathroom, stopping long enough to hug Sierra's grandparents before dashing to the bathroom to relieve myself. I ignore my dad's teasing, which can be heard clearly through the thin walls of the bathroom. I take a deep breath in, and see that the smell of cinnamon is still as strong as I remember it. I flush the toilet and wash my hands, ripping off a paper towel sheet to dry my hands. My dad takes my stuff in the house and sets it up in the guest room us two are sharing, and I troop into the kitchen where Frankie is cooking. Just as I'm about to ask what we're eating later, my dad comes in and drops my soggy chicken sandwich onto the counter before me. More out of hunger than anything else, I unwrap it and stick it in the microwave, and watch my dad and Pawpaw catch up. "I made a red velvet cake girlie," Frankie says, and my eyes light up. "Yay!"

She pulls it out of the refrigerator, and takes it out of the plastic container. "Or you can have a slice of pecan pie, there's some on the table," I shake my head and go digging in the utensil drawers for a knife. The microwave dings, and I retrieve my has-been breakfast, and cut myself a slice of cake. It's creamy with pecans and walnuts drizzled on top, and when I cut into it, I see there's nuts inside of it as well. "Thanks Frankie," I call out, as she disappears into the garage. "Oh, it's no problem!" she calls back, and reach in my pocket for my phone. First I text Sierra to tell her that I'm eating red velvet cake, then I FaceTime Justin. "Oh, I need to charge my phone," I frown, and stare at the nineteen percentage of battery that I have left on my phone. I pray that it'll be enough until I finish eating and run to grab my charger. I don't have to wait long for the video call to go through. "Hey Robert," I chime, munching on my biscuit. "Eyy girl, what's new? Hey!" I snort as the phone is ripped from his hands, and Justin's face appears instead of his friend's. "Kay Olivia," he shouts to some asked question, then hones in on my slice of cake. "Is that red velvet?" I grin. "Frankie made it just for me," even though I'm not done with my biscuit, I take my fork and stab it in the cake for Justin to see.

"Be jealous. Be very jealous," I place a piece of cake on my tongue and clamp down, slowly dragging the fork down and out of my mouth. "Want some?" I tease, and Justin looks like he would absolutely kill for some cake. "Come and get it," I try to make my voice raspy, but it sounds more like a dry cough.

"Mmm hmmm...forget the cake. Is that a challenge?" he winks twice.

"Justin!" I exclaim, and he falls against the couch he's sitting on, laughing.

"I'm just kidding," I roll my eyes. "Sort of," he grins, and then my phone screen turns black and the phone shuts off. I go to the guess room to find my charger, and instead a big cockroach the size of my two thumbs together makes my acquaintance. It takes every last ounce of control and sanity I possess to not run from the room screaming. The roach scurries beneath the bed and doesn't come out, so I take this moment to find a show to smash it with. I grab my dad's Timberland boot, and pull back the covers to see where the roach as landed. I do let out a screech when I see it's stopped right underneath where the covering of the bed sheet falls. As if startled by my noise, it scurries again, this time to the opposite side of the room. This time, I'm prepared, mostly, and run after, slamming my hand down, encased in the boot, and onto the roach. The impact makes my wrist pop and my arm shudder, and I feel the crunch right through the shoe. "Ewwww!!!!" I screech and pull my hand out, fast as a shot. I feel the pain afterwards, stinging from my wrist. "Ow!" I wince, and try shaking out the pain, but that makes it much worse. I know I haven't broken anything from the sharp pain and a previous broken leg, but the tears in my eyes and the swelling don't make me feel any better. I wipe my eyes with my opposite shoulder, and go back into the bathroom for the First Aid Kit, clutching my pained wrist to my chest.

I think about how to explain this injury, as I struggle to wrap my wrist in gaze single-handed. When it's tight enough not to slip off, I close up the first aid kit, and fume over the limited use of my right hand and therefore other things I do with said right hand. When I walk back into the guestroom, I see my charge hanging out of my bag, which is strewn across the bed. Right on the floor where I left him, dead to the world, it the roach, looking like an overgrown raisin. My stomach curdles at the thought, and I pick it up with a wad of paper from the desk and throw it away outside. Frankie, PawPaw, and Dad see me, and beckon me over. "We're gonna go eat out later, where to?" Frankie asks. PawPaw lifts up my wrist gingerly. "What happen? You ain't been here but a half hour!" The truth and lie both play on my tongue but I answer with a shrug and, "It involved the floor. Can we eat at The Cheesecake Factory?"

My dad looks as if he'll protest but Frankie grins and agrees. "The Factory it is!" I slap at a mosquito on my arm, and eye the tall grass wearily. "Umm, you don't want to go for something less pricey?" my dad asks, and PawPaw waves it off as if it's a done deal. "If the Grad wants over glorified cheesecake, she gets her over glorified cheesecake," his easy grin lets me know that he's kidding, and I hug him and Frankie, careful of my injury. "We can go see a movie if you like, kill some time," Frankie adds and I fight the urge to hop up and down. Of course I would like to see a movie! But first, I gotta charge my phone...