Skipper's Heartbeat (PRN)

sixteen

In this bed I lay as soundly asleep as I can be. The house in its entirety is quiet. Silence is the peaceful soundtrack of my recent completed family. Anthony's return has shifted the mood in the house. My mother and I are elated to an unmeasurable amount. Finally, we are all one again. It's just me, my mother, and my brother. This is the way things are supposed to be.

"Get off of me! Get off me!"

Anthony's yelling at the top of his lungs breaks my sleep. I spring out of bed in a hot panic. When I get to the hallway, my mother is already running in front of me. I frantically follow her down the hallway until she bursts into Anthony's room. In his boxers, he stands in the center of the room. His heaving chest bounces from his spine and to his ribs. "Are you alright?" I reach to out to touch him but he swats my hand away. I feel my bones rattling throughout my body.

"Anthony," my mother cautiously calls out to him. She moves slowly, carefully placing me behind her as if she is a shield.

He sits down on the bed and immediately buries his face in his hands. I don't know what to say, feel, or do. Instead, I stand here like a big dummy, just looking at him as our mother approaches him with ease. I'm too scared to touch him. I'm not sure how to react. My cousin's stepfather came back from the war and he was never the same. It was scary to see him so off his game. I don't want the same for Anthony.

I repeat myself, this time keeping my hands to myself. I ask him, "Tony... Are you okay?"

"I'll be alright."

I didn't want to leave him just sitting here because I still felt like he was not okay. He was sweating but the moonlight shining through the blinds showed off his chills.

"I'm going to get you a cold glass of water."

The moment we're left alone, I ask, "Does this have anything to do with you being gone for so long? Mama probably knew and just didn't want to tell me." I feel my head shaking at the thought of my mother's secrets.

Anthony heavily sighs, climbing back into bed as he throws his blanket over himself. "It's not about her. Don't worry about it."

My mother enters behind me with a glass of water for my brother. "Won't you go back to sleep, honey."

I can't help but hesitate.

"I'll be alright. You go on to bed," assures Anthony.

I force myself back down the hall to my room and get in my own bed. Fast asleep, I can't feel the hours go. When I wake, to no one's surprise, I am extremely tired but still oh so excited. As always, Prince has something special up his sleeve. Two nights ago he called and simply said I have a surprise. When I asked what the surprise was he refused to give anymore details. Like the slick rick he is, he sparks up a brand new conversation instead. With him now knowing my mother's in the know on what's happening, he continuously questions why she always leaves us home alone. I call it trust and he calls it a test. He knows a tad bit more about these types of things so I gladly store his advice on the most active side of my brain.

"Mo, Skipper's here!" Anthony shouts from the bottom of the stairs as I finish blowing out the last piece on my hair. I am fast when it comes to putting my earrings in my ears.

I'm leaping over mountains. Every time I see this boy my heart gets to flipping, my toes get to curling, my stomach gets to turning and my legs get to quivering. The simple sound of his voice made me frantic. I've never met someone like him before.

"Moooooo..." As I descend down the staircase, Prince calls out my name. A fat goofy smile is plastered on his face. He loved the sound of dragging out my name. Over time it's become an inside joke between just the two of us.