(Mike)
When I got home that evening, Leah was just coming in too, tugging her jacket off as she shut the door behind her.
Perfect timing.
I crossed the room without thinking and leaned in to kiss her.
She stopped me with one hand to my chest and made a face like I'd just tried to hug her while covered in roadkill.
"Ew," she said flatly. "You stink of leech."
I froze, blinked, then sniffed my shirt.
…Yeah. Okay. Fair.
"Right," I said, scratching the back of my neck. "I kinda forgot about that. You get used to it after a while. It doesn't bother me as much anymore."
She stared at me like I'd just confessed to enjoying the smell of rotting fish.
"You can get used to that smell?" she asked incredulously. "No. Absolutely not. Go take a shower. Now. And scrub yourself raw if you have to."
I straightened instantly, snapping her a dramatic military salute.
"As you order," I said solemnly.
She shook her head, muttering something about vampires as I headed for the bathroom.
…
When I came out of the shower, towel slung over my shoulder and hair still damp, the smell of food hit me like a physical blow.
Not just food.
Dinner.
Voices followed right after. Familiar ones.
I stepped into the dining room and stopped short.
My parents were already home.
Worse, they were already eating.
Leah sat at the table with them, relaxed, one leg tucked under her chair, chatting with my mom like she'd been there all evening. Plates were half-full. Glasses already touched.
I stared at them, wounded.
"You couldn't wait?" I asked, putting a hand over my heart dramatically. "I was in there fighting for my life. Scrubbing vampire stink off my soul."
My dad chuckled around a mouthful of food, but my mom didn't even look apologetic. She glanced at me with a brow raised, fork paused midair.
"Well?" she asked. "Are you eating or not? Because if not, I can just take your plate and…"
I was already moving.
I slid into the chair next to Leah so fast it scraped loudly against the floor, grabbed my plate like it might disappear, and immediately started shoveling food into my mouth.
"Thang you," I said through a mouthful, nodding enthusiastically. "This is amaz…"
"Michael Newton," my mom snapped. "Swallow before you speak."
I obeyed instantly, chewing harder and faster like my life depended on it.
My dad laughed openly now, shaking his head. "You'd think we never fed him."
Leah smirked beside me, elbow resting on the table, clearly entertained as she watched me demolish what could only be described as a small mountain of food.
And honestly? She wasn't much better. Between the two of us, plates emptied at an alarming rate.
My dad's amusement slowly turned into a wince as he watched us go.
"…So," he said cautiously, setting his fork down, "uh, Mike. You think you could go fishing again soon?"
I paused mid-bite and looked up.
"Money's getting a bit tight," he added, not meeting my eyes. "Groceries, utilities… you know."
I swallowed properly this time and leaned back slightly in my chair, a small smile tugging at my mouth.
"Yeah," I said. "About that… money's not going to be an issue anymore."
Three sets of eyes locked onto me.
Leah narrowed hers immediately. "You didn't hit your head, did you?"
"No, I didn't, I'm telling the truth."
My mom frowned slightly. My dad blinked. Leah just stared at me like she was waiting for the punchline.
I sighed and set my fork down. "Alice is going to help me invest."
That did not help.
My dad tilted his head. "Invest… how?"
Leah crossed her arms. "Mike."
"Okay," I said quickly. "Before you all think I've lost it, Alice can see the future. To her, investing is basically stealing candy from a baby."
My dad's expression shifted.
Hope crept in slowly, like he didn't dare trust it yet.
"So," he asked quietly, "no more debts?"
I nodded.
"No more counting cents at the end of the month?" His voice cracked just a little.
I nodded again.
"We can finally eat something other than rice and fish?"
That one hit harder than I expected.
"Yeah," I said softly. "Yeah, Dad. We can."
He sat there for a second, staring at nothing, eyes suspiciously shiny.
Then he turned to my mom suddenly, energy snapping back into him.
"Honey," he said, standing up, "go pack your things. We're going to Hawaii."
My mom gasped.
"Hawaii?" she repeated, already half out of her chair.
"Yes," he said firmly. "Immediately."
She didn't argue.
She beamed, leaned over to kiss his cheek, squeezed my shoulder, and disappeared down the hall already talking about swimsuits.
Leah and I exchanged a look.
"…Dad," I said slowly, "what about the store?"
He turned back to me, serious now.
"Mike," he said, pointing at me, "it's time you start learning responsibility."
Uh-oh.
"You'll be taking the reins while your mother and I are away."
My stomach dropped.
"I… wait."
"I've got to pack now," he added cheerfully, already heading after my mom.
And then he was gone.
I sat there, dumbfounded, fork hanging uselessly in my hand.
Leah stared at me for exactly three seconds.
Then she burst out laughing.
Full-on laughter. Head thrown back, shoulders shaking, absolutely zero sympathy.
I turned to her slowly, wounded beyond words.
"You could at least pretend to feel bad," I said.
She wiped at her eyes. "You reap what you sow."
She nudged my knee with hers. "And admit it, they deserve a break."
"…Yeah," I muttered. "They do."
She tilted her head, studying me. "So. Store manager. Do you even know what you need to do?"
I groaned and leaned back in my chair. "Unfortunately, yes. I've worked there enough times when I wanted extra pocket money."
She grinned. "Good. Because that would've been tragic."
I sighed, then straightened a bit. "I could ask my friends if they want summer jobs. Split the shifts. Keep things running."
Leah smirked. "Look at you. Responsible already."
I glanced at the now-empty plates on the table, the warm, lived-in mess of the dining room, the echo of my parents' laughter still lingering in the house.
Yeah.
Life was getting complicated.
But for once?
It felt like the good kind.
…
(Short chapter, kinda tired and couldn't come up with more ideas. I'm probably going to do a timeskip soon... Support with power stones or comments 🐢 🎶)