When Everything Changes

Chapter 2

Heyyyy, regardless of whether or nah you decide to read this chapter, you should totally check out the song in the window thing above this message ^^^ it's rad. Anyway, enjoy!

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When morning light shone through the curtains, I was still awake. Sighing, I get out of bed, knowing, despite the early hour, I wasn't going to fall asleep. I grab the comforter and head  for the living room. Surely an early morning episode of Roseanne will cheer me up. The Conner family is full of laughs, which is exactly what I need right now. Turning the volume down to a low level, I wait for the rest of the house to liven up. Glancing at the clock, I see that that won't be for a while because it's only 6:30, and the earliest anyone wakes up in this house is 10.

I'm in the middle of the episode where Darlene first meets David when my stomach starts growling. I remember I didn't eat dinner last night, so I throw on a hoodie and make my way into the kitchen to look for something to eat.

I open the cabinets, but they're basically empty. Opening the fridge, I see there's not much in there either. Sighing, I close the fridge and grab an old apple from the fruit basket on the kitchen table.

"Good morning, Alyce!"

Turning around, I see Emily, dressed in a pretty, blue blouse and crème-colored pants.

"Hey, Em. I'm surprised you're up so early, it's only 8."

"Yeah, yeah, me too." She sighs. "I have to be at the restaurant in thirty minutes to meet with the district manager."

"Mhm, sounds important." I say.

"It fucking must be if she's making me get up at this ungodly hour on a damn Saturday." She mutters.

I laugh, "Em, has anyone ever told you, you have quite the potty mouth?"

Emily blushes. "Sorry, Alyce. I'm trying to stop for the kids. Sometimes I can't control myself, it just comes out. It didn't seem like such a problem before they learned how to parrot me." I laughed at that, remembering the time Avery heard her mom say 'ass.' She taught Axel and it took two weeks to get them to stop screaming it every time they went out.

Waving her off, I tell her not to worry about it. "The twins are going to hear it everywhere else. Even from me."

Looking at me sternly, Emily says, "You'd better not. It took two weeks to get Axel to stop saying 'hell' after you let it slip the last time you were here with you par--" she stops herself, as she realizes who she's about to mention. "Oh, Alyce, I'm so--"

Ignoring it, I simply say, "C'mon, hell isn't a real curse word. It's so innocent!"

Chuckling nervously, Emily stares at me and says, "Yeah, well, don't make it a habit. I don't want my kids speaking like sailors, regardless of whether they're 'real curse words' or not."

"Yeah, yeah." I tell her. "By the way, grocery shopping should definitely be on your to-do list."

Opening the cabinets and the fridge, she curses again. "Oh, right, I was supposed to go last night."

"I could go, if that would help?" I tell her. "I'm not doing anything important today."

Emily looks at me. "That would help, actually. I'll be at the restaurant until late tonight. Are you sure?"

"Yeah, don't sweat it. And you should probably go, if you don't want to be late." I tell her, looking at the microwave clock and noticing she has ten minutes before she has to be at the restaurant.

"Shit, I'm going to be late." She says, rushing to get her coat and keys. "Here's my card, just get whatever you want." I say okay and watch her rush out the door. Looking back for a second, she says, "Oh! Don't forget to get the twins' apple juice. And you should probably get some more spaghetti-o's."