youngblood // p. hockstetter // 0.1

//thirty-one

•••

Still dressed in her church clothes despite the darkening state of the sky, Rosemary lay on her bed as she stared at Jude's ceiling intently, thinking. Although they wouldn't say it, Rosemary was aware that both David and Nathaniel where becoming increasingly concerned by the amount of time she was spending in there, whether sleeping or doing exactly what she was doing in that moment. She'd be laying there for hours.

A slight knock on the door drew Rosemary's attention where she smiled at David and Nathaniel. "Hey" Rolling upwards, Rosemary propped herself up and shuffled to the end of Jude's bed where the two brothers stood. "Do you two need something?"

The pair glanced at each other and David sighed, "Rosemary, we want to have an...Important conversation with you"

"You're a member of this family and as such you should be involved and aware of what's happening" Nate stated, rubbing his hand along his jaw. They both towered over her.

"I'm pretty sure you would've picked it up at some point but...we've been struggling a bit lately" David said sitting down beside her, rubbing his neck as Rosemary sunk slightly towards him.

"We paid for schooling through Summer School for both you and Jude, but-" Nathaniel's lips pinched as he breathed harshly through his nostrils, "-evidently it appears your brother has gotten a bit side-tracked. Fixing this house alone took a reasonable chunk out of our budget, a bit more I think then we where originally expecting" Nathaniel sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose as he tried to blink away his exhaustion. Large indents where set beneath his eyes from the lack of sleep and Rosemary could see from his face and sides that although he was putting on muscle from work, he was also gaining weight around his face and hips.

"What we're trying to say Rosemary is...we're going to have to be a little tighter on money from now on. You might not be able to go to the cinema as often as you like it or get pocket money, stuff like that" David said, rubbing her back reassuringly.

"Until I start getting my six month advance I'll be working the late night shifts and so will David which means neither of us will be getting home until around ten or eleven at night. We'll be leaving you dinner, but you're going to be putting yourself to bed for a while Rosemary, at the very least until next year"

Money had never been something Rosemary concerned herself with, their father after all had had plenty of money to spend. If she had it she'd spend it if she felt like it, if she didn't have it, she wouldn't beat herself up over having nothing to spend.

But now it was different, because it was affecting her schedule specifically. The brothers where silent, waiting for Rosemary's response until very quietly she mumbled. "I've started tutoring"

"Pardon?" David leant closer and jokingly, Rosemary blew quickly in his ear, making him reel back in surprise. Nathaniel chuckled as Rosemary smiled at him.

"I've started doing tutoring sessions with my classmates. I was offered today and I get twenty-five dollars an hour" Nathaniel and David looked at her in surprise. "If you want I can help wi-"

"No,no,no,no,no. No" David kissed her forehead. "That is your money, not our money. Every dollar of that is going to you and yourself"

"But-"

"No buts-" Nathaniel cut through, smiling slightly when she pouted. "Its a nice thought but we're the ones who look after you" He leant forward, pulling her head forward as he kissed her scalp, "Not the other way 'round"

She smiled in response and after a surprisingly brief discussion of her safety around town, the pair left her to her thoughts. Laying on Jude's, she glanced beside her where the edge of the brown parcel could barely be seen beneath the pillowcase. Against her better judgement, she took the package and tore it open, already knowing what was in there. One year, nine months, two weeks, and four days.