Coming home

Friday night I slept a half a wink. My anxiety and nerves ate at me like piranhas. At breakfast, I was a complete zombie but no one said anything. I'm sure the news of my moms' deployment spread like wildfire here. There were no secrets in the secret service. Well, almost no secrets.

In the car to my mom's, I was fairly quiet until we hit city limits. Then, like a tour guide, I started telling Bryson everything. Which school was mine, where I worked, and where I would go.
"How could a town like this, create a girl like you?" Smiling, I understood what he meant. It was like stripes and polka dots. They aren't supposed to go together, but somehow they do.

When we got to the front door, for a split moment I felt out of place. I was almost a guest in my family home. I debated whether to knock or use my key to let us in. Shaking the uneasiness, I unlocked and opened the door.

Everything was just as it was when I left. Slightly messy smells of wood and leather and all the lights are turned on. My family had a light problem, it was all or nothing.

Damion and Scott came bounding in the living room. My stepbrothers were like Fred and George Weasley. They always seemed to be right in the middle of trouble and if they didn't find trouble, trouble found them.

"You brought your boyfriend home?" Damion watched him closely.
"How much did you pay him to be your boyfriend?" Scott chimed in.
"He's my partner, you jerks. Would you leave him alone!" I grabbed the Nerf gun next to me and shot Scott.
"Ow!" He yelped, the foam bullet got his ear. "You've gotten better since you left."
"That's my job." I rolled my eyes. Leaving them alone I wandered to my right.
"Hi, mom." I entered the kitchen. Mike and my mom were busy cooking.
"Rene, you're home!" My mom engulfed me in a bone-crushing hug. I squeezed her just as tight.
"Good to see you kiddo."
"Hi, Mike." I smiled and hugged him too.

Walking back into the living room, the twins had Bryson sandwich on the couch and were badgering him with questions.
"Isn't there a lot of explosives and weapons?"
"Yeah!" Damion joined in. "Like bombs going off and gunshots everywhere." Bryson looked at my stepbrothers, appalled.
"What is this, a Tom Cruise movie?" I joined in the conversation. The twins chuckled together.
"You're as boring as we thought." In one swift motion, I leaned back in my chair, grabbed the Nerf gun behind me, and pointed it at them. I had forgotten the alarming amount of Nerf gun access was had at any spot in the house.
"I am not boring."
"That was kinda cool." Scott shrugged. I shot him in the chest, then Damion.
"Jerks." Partly annoyed, I laid the gun on the coffee table and went to the kitchen for something to drink.
"If this is a Tom Cruise movie, which one of us is Tom Cruise?" I heard one of the twins ask.
"I'd put my money on lover boy over here." I rolled my eyes. They were annoying.

My mom cringed with every mention of my job. I knew she didn't agree that's why I tried not to bring it up. The twins on the other hand couldn't get enough.
"So are you like 007, sneaking around?"
"What is wrong with you two!" I smacked them upside the head. They grumbled but let it go for now.

My mom's house and Bryson's mom's house was very different. His mom's house was clean and beautiful. It was only the two of them so it was quiet. Here it was the 5 of us and clean wasn't a word we knew.

"Hey, Lawrence?" I looked at Bryson. "Where's your room?"
"Absolutely not."
"Lawrence? They don't call you Rene at work?" Asked my mom, grabbing my attention.
"Uh, no. To my dismay, we can only go by legal names. I can't get behind the idea of being called Campbell all the time."
"You can blame your father for naming you, Lawrence."
"Don't worry, I do." I smiled at her. I turned my attention back to Bryson.
"My room is off-limits."
"It's boring anyway. We snooped after you left." Scott admitted casually.
"What the hell you two!" I threw the pillow behind me at them.
"She's so violent." Damion shook his head.
"I'm aware." Bryson joined in but left it at that. Rolling my eyes, I sank further into my chair.

After about a half an hour, my mom called us for lunch. Our table we sort of crammed so we at outside. The weather was always appealing this time of year.

In order, going around the table to the right was; me, Bryson, Mike, Scott, Damion and my mom. My parents sat at the head of the table while the rest of us were squished on the sides. Putting two car tables together gave us chair room but with all the food to feed 3 boys in their 20s and me, took up a lot of space.

Surprisingly lunch went by unhitched. The conversation flowed and it was like any normal dinner with the family. It sort of remind me of time when Robin used to come eat with us, but this was better. The twins didn't complete badger Bryson but he also happily answered all their questions. It was nice to feel so at home again.

After lunched I offered to do the dishes. Bryson wasn't allowed to help, although he offered many times. I said I would do them myself. Most of the dishes went into the fridge anyways with its leftovers food.

The house was too quiet. I poked my head out into the living room, it was empty. Putting the last dish in the drying rack I went on a hunt for the twins and Bryson.

Despite my earlier heeding, I found Bryson standing in my room. He looked around, not noticing that I entered.
"You are awful at following directions." He flinched.
"Scott and Damion brought me here." I was fully aware of how those two operated. "I didn't peg you for the pink type." He was referring to the worn peach color on the walls.
"My dad painted the room before I was born but I never had the heart to repaint."
"Ah, makes more sense." We stood in the middle of the small room, taking it all in.

I had forgotten how much of my life was on these walls. My track metals hung under a photo of me at a meet. Army and band posters covered another wall. The spot above the headboard was filled with family photos. Anywhere from baby photos with my dad to my moms' second wedding and baking with Grandma Campbell. With my everything on the walls, the peach color still peaked through.
"Did your mom clean after you left?" I shook my head.
"I've always had a clean room."
"Interesting." He headed for my collection of photos.
"Okay, you've seen enough in here." Grabbing his arm, I dragged him out the door.

Mike and my mom sat in the living room but the twins were nowhere to be found, shocking.
"You leave tomorrow night?" My mom asked, I nodded. "We were thinking about having a game night tomorrow, what do you think?"
"Oh, I love games. I dominate!" Bryson was too excited for a game of Monopoly or Chutes and Ladders.
"Well, then it's settled." My moms smiled. I loved when she smiled. She had perfect teeth and plumper lips, she looks like she should be on a toothpaste commercial.
"Where are the twins?"
"Hiding." Mike chuckled.
"Not for long." I stood up.
"Where are you going?"
"I'm pest control." I grabbed two Nerf guns, winked at Bryson, and dipped out to find the twins.

Growing up in a small house, in the most influential times in our lives taught us a lot about one another. I knew when they were guilty, they would hide. The thing is they didn't want to seem like they were hiding so sometimes they would board themselves up in their room and play video games or nonchalantly go out with friends. Today's hiding place was playing basketball in the driveway.

At the sound of the door, they both looked up. Scott had a pretty good poker face but Damion had a guilty conscience. His face went pale at the sight of me.
"Hi Rene." Squeaked Damion.
"Whatcha doing?" The twisted together behind my back.
"Playing basketball." Scott said as if there was nothing to hide.
"Why didn't you ask Bryce to play?"
"We did, he said he wanted to wait for you." I chuckled.
"Fools." I drew the guns at them.
"That's the truth!" Damion shouted. "But we did show him to your room." In light of Damions full honesty, I pointed both guns at Scott.
"Hey, hey, hey! What the hell?!"
"He told me the whole truth."
"But I did tell you the truth!"
"Yeah, well, you piss me off." I shot both guns at him twice then on bullet at Damion.
"How come I get shot four times the amount Damion does but I told the truth too?" Scott pouted. In annoyance I shot Damion again.
"Happy?" He nodded, it was settled.

I came back in to find Bryson helping my mom make dinner while Mike watched tv. I plopped down on the couch next to him.
"He's a good kid." He pointed the remote back at Bryson.
"He's tolerable." Mike chuckled. I was never one to dote on people or sing their praises but I also was honestly when I didn't like something.

After our late dinner and hours of conversation, it was time for bed. After traveling and getting back into the swing of being here, I was drained.

The spare room was actually an office with a Murphy bed. I had pulled the bed down and put on the sheets while Bryson and my mom were making dinner. Bryson's bag sat on the office chair. He climbed into bed and looked at me. It was apparent both of us were tired.
"I guess I am going to have to get used to calling you, Rene." I hummed in agreement.
"Lawrence doesn't really exist here."
"It's weird." I chuckled lightly.
"You're telling me." I took in Bryson for a moment. It was weird watching my two lives collide. "Goodnight Bryce."
"Goodnight Rene." He smiled.