"Trish, why are we moving?" Kiara's question seemed to strike Dad more than me. He shot me a concerned look, his jaw clenched tightly. Our eyes locked for a brief moment before he refocused on the road, his knuckles whitening as he gripped the steering wheel.
I sighed. He wouldn't want to explain, and neither did I, so I settled for the simplest part of the truth: family.
I shrugged: "It's just…we need some time together as a family and mom and dad have been working so hard to keep this family up and running, you know? We haven't been able to properly spend time with each other and so, we thought it would be a good opportunity for us to…connect."
She looked at me with confusion. "What does connect even mean? I already follow you guys on social media."
I didn't like the idea of my little sister on social media, where all sorts of creeps and weirdos lurk, The idea of my little sister being exposed to the vast, unpredictable world of social media made me uneasy, but I shoved that concern aside for later.
"I mean like, we'll have a fresh start, get to know each other better, have meaningful conversations, and, I guess, just love." I sighed. That word had been stuck in my throat for so long. Love.
"Oh, that sounds nice. I'll miss my friends, though. I love them, too." She sat back, her expression softening as she fiddled with the hem of her sweater, a small frown tugging at her lips.
"Uh, you can still contact them. With letters and whatnot." I blurted. I couldn't even focus on thinking right now. Love, love, love. The word echoed in my mind for a reason. It felt like a taboo these days, like something to be cautious of. 'Careful of the L word.', you might slip and start an argument.
I remembered the first time I told Rachel the L-word, the first time Kiara called me "big brother," which felt like a synonym for the big 'L'.
And my fondest memory was when Avery said she loved me.
That thought consumed me, drowning out Kiara's cheerful chatter. It was a bubbling thought waiting to burst.
"I guess there's been a shortage," I mumbled. My eyes drifted to Mom, still asleep. This woman could have changed my whole world with just three words, but she chose to be greedy and keep them to herself. I heard her say it to my sister, and I'm partly glad because at least Kiara got to hear it throughout her life.
Mom's a good mother, but I couldn't believe that was the best she could be. For the first twelve years of my life, she was amazing—working hard, playing hard. My dad was smiling and laughing, I could still hear his high-pitched laugh.
Everything was great, but now it's like a desert, dry and barren. This is my chance to fix it all.
"We're headed to Oakridge, guys!" Dad announced.