Sienna POV

"So, you guys broke up?"

I am currently at Harpers house, with Ellie and obviously Harper, going over the whole "what is new" talk. When Harry left my house this morning, I knew staying home and sulking would make me more miserable, so quality girl time I thought would cheer me up.

"We were never dating," I say to Harper who has her eyes scrunched at me. I just got done explaining my not so eventful morning. "But we aren't seeing each other anymore, or right now, I don't know." I say while sighing and throwing myself back on her mattress. I close my eyes in frustration and huff silently. 

"So if Michelle never opened up her trapper, do you think he would've thought to be single the rest of summer?" Ellie asks.

Good point.

"Probably not," I say with a sigh. "There were obvious red flags that I ignored," I admit. The phone use, the not doing "labels". 

"And you never talked to him about it?" Harper chimes in, in a much more brass tone. Ellie is obviously the friend who is softer spoken and more understanding. Harper is that friend that would kill for you. I think the three of us compliment each other well.

I sit up and prop my body on my elbows. "I didn't think too, because we weren't in a relationship. And I knew I should've set ground rules, or whatever, but I was scared." 

"Scared?" Harper asks, furrowing her eyebrows.

"Scared like you didn't want to step on toes?" Ellie offers. She is sitting at the corner of the bed while Harper and I are sitting near the headrest.

"Scared like we fucked up once and I wanted to try and make it work out," I briefly explain, not wanting to go into specifics with my feelings right now. Maybe I am part of the issue to why we are where we are right now.

Obviously, my brain automatically inserts. 

Our conversation goes quiet when I hear my phone buzz a few times. I groan and reach to the night stand where I put my phone on charge. 

Mom: where are u? I thought u would be home?

Mom: your father and I wanted to talk to you

Mom: please be home soon Sienna

Now my parents are calling me Sienna

"I gotta go guys, my Mom wants me home," I say to my friends while sliding off Harpers mattress. "I'll keep you all posted if anything comes up."

"You better." Harper teases making me smile. 

I hug my friends goodbye and exit the house. My Mom has never been persistent on having me home at a certain time, or wanting me home at all. I know she mentioned talking about my future, but I am not even interested, as stupid as that sounds.

I am just going to go to Oregon, and call it that. Part of my reason for staying "close" was for a boy, which is silly. Or maybe it isn't silly and I don't want to to admit I was falling.

~~~

I open the front door to my house being awfully silent. With Ezra home, and awake, this is rare. 

"Hello?" I call from the foyer, peering around the entrance then to the hallway.

"In the kitchen!" I hear my Father respond with. 

I drop my shoulders and walk to where they are. I see them sitting at the island, like they were waiting for me. My heart begins to quicken and my hands feel sweaty like I have been caught or something.

Is this about Harry?

Do they know about us?

"What's up? I ask casually. I am probably overthinking this soon to be conversation. 

"Take a seat," My Mom responds with. Her eyes land on the stool I am standing in front of. My throat turns dry and the nervous shakes I feel tingling in my spine. 

I oblige, having no reason to argue. I slide my body onto the stool, and straighten my posture. "Is everything okay?" I ask.

My parents look at each other, and I hear a deep exhale come from my Mom's mouth. "Ezra, obviously doesn't know," She starts, making my eyebrows furrow automatically. "Your Father got laid off from work Sienna," 

I feel all the air leave my lungs in one breath, and my eyes widen naturally. I feel foolish now, thinking that this conversation would be about my love life. "When?" I manage to ask.

My eyes fall on my father. His eyes are tired looking, with the words stressed, written along is forehead. 

"Maybe a week ago, max." He answers while making eye contact with me. My eyes shift to my Mom who has her hand on his shoulder in support.

My father was the main income of our house. He was the one who provided our lifestyle, and the one who carried the weight of the bills obviously. A million questions rush to my mind, selfishly the number one being my college tuition. My parents obviously made too much for me to even apply for FASFA, so now I am worried.

"Is this why you are trying to convince me to go to culinary school instead?" I ask my Mom who has her eyes set on me. "Because now I would have to apply for student loans?"

She doesn't answer, because it is answered with her eyes. My shoulders fall and my eyes close. "What about the house? Do we have to move?" I ask.

"Thankfully, our mortgage has been paid off on both houses," My Father says, making me feel slightly better. "So we just have to maintain the main bills like electric, water, whatever else."

I nod, biting the inside of my cheeks. "We have this house for passive income too during the school year, and my job as well," My Mother adds. 

"What happened?" I ask, shifting my eyes to my Father.

"I got greedy," He answers. "That is the easiest way to explain. I am applying to jobs actively, got some interviews, but we know you would've left for school soon, so we thought to tell you now. The Dean is a good friend of mine and was very understanding of the un-enrollment."

"Un-enrollment?" I ask, raising my voice now. "When did you guys do this? Why wasn't I even asked if I wanted to un-enroll?" 

"Don't raise your voice at us," My Mother scolds, making my eyes roll. "Sienna, realistically, it made sense. It is too late for you to apply for loans, too late to get the FASFA rolling, it was just too expensive, until you have fifty something grand out of pocket to pay for the first year." 

Her words cut into me and sink into my skin. I feel enraged. Realistically, yes I couldn't afford to go without my parents, I just feel like it should've been brought to my attention before today.

"We reached out to some culinary schools in the city, and they'll take you for the end of September. We did the FASFA thing, even though it might not process, we are trying," My Father says once he realizes I have nothing left to say.

"You guys made fun of me for wanting to go culinary school," I point out. "Now it is deemed worthy because we are poor?" I question, furrowing my eyebrows.

"We are not poor yet," My Mother says, sighing loudly and shaking her head. "We are trying to be supportive now. It is not that expensive to attend. You can commute with the train, or you can find a roommate and get a job. We are trying to figure it out with you."

I stand up from the island and run my fingers thru my hair. "I just need space." I manage to say.

I excuse myself from the table and walk away. The first person I think to comfort me, is the first person I don't even want to see because I might break down.

I close my bedroom door behind me, and find Ezra asleep on my mattress. He is under the covers and has his action figures sprawled around him. I smile at his sleeping self and take a deep breath.

I sit at my vanity, open my laptop, and do some research.

A://N

Hello!!

how is everyone?

thank u for reading

~Lauren