Page 5 of Falling With a Spin
“It was fine. It was pretty busy in the morning, and I didn’t get a break until two p.m., which was annoying. It was only Liam and me, so with the rush, it was to be expected.” I shrug, tossing my bag onto the couch.
“Well, I know what will help you relax,” she says with a huge smile. I groan and flop onto the couch as she comes over and lifts my legs, placing them on her lap as she sits down. “Come on, Em, let's go out tonight. You need to let loose and relax.”
Sighing, I raise myself from the couch by my elbow. A night out does sound nice, but I have a test to study for, laundry that's higher than Mount Everest, and overall, I need to clean. Growing up, my mom always kept the house spotless- no dishes in the sink, laundry finished, and a fridge filled with food- thanks to her, she passed that down to me. I look around the house and cringe at the mess that surrounds us. My anxiety is starting to worsen because of it. Going out tonight with my anxiety at an all-time high and running out of my medication sounds like a combination of explosive emotions and a crying fest.
“I can’t tonight, Tay. My list is endless right now. If I go out with you, I won’t be a functioning human being at work, and I definitely will not pass the math test I’m pretty sure I’ll have to retake. I’m sorry,” I reply, giving her a small smile.
“Whatever you say, Em. I wish you would relax more; when was the last time you took a break and let loose?” she asks, standing up from the couch and looking down at me with her hands on her hips. “Oh, I know. It was when you went on a few road trips with your mom and oh-so-lovely Caleb after graduation.” She rolls her eyes after mentioning Caleb.
She was right. The last time I did anything for myself or did anything close to having fun was during that road trip almost two years ago. My mom thought it would be a great way to start the summer and celebrate that my physical therapy was over. We packed up the car with as much as we could, picked up Caleb, and headed to California, attempting to hit every beach there and going to Disneyland for four days. We rode every ride and ate so much food that Caleb puked all over himself, barely missing the couple sitting in front of us.
Oh God, I shouldn’t have had those frozen drinks and corn dogs from the stand,” he groans while coming off the ride. The people in front us looked back, disgusted at the remnants of what Caleb had eaten before jumping on the ride.
“I told you it would be a terrible idea and you should wait a few minutes. But, no, you never listen to me.” I explain, throwing back my head in laughter when he shot me daggers. If looks could kill, I would be dead. At least I would have died at Disneyland, though.
“Hey, kids how are-” My mom starts to say but bursts out in laughter when she sees Caleb.
“I don’t want to talk about it,” he grumbles and walks towards the nearest bathroom.
“I warned him, but you know how he is.” I throw my arm around mom's shoulder, and we head over to the bench beside the bathrooms and wait for pukey to come out.
On the way to Oregon, we make a few stops at some landmarks on the way. Crater Lake National Park was my favorite stop. When we stopped, the sun started to set, and the view was breathtaking. I wish I could stop time right there and seen how gorgeous something could be forever. It reminded me of how I thought of dancing and that it was this beautiful form of art that was created.
Our next stop was Seattle, and Caleb insisted that we go to the Space Needle first.
“Remember what we need to do first?” he asks as if he hasn’t been reminding us for the millionth time as we pass the welcome sign into Washington.
I glance at my mom, “Do you think he wants to go?” He snaches my bag of Hot Cheetos right out of my hands.
“It’s been my only request since the trip started,” he grumbles and plops a cheeto in his mouth. “Now you can get these back,” he waves the bag in my face, and I try to reach for it, but he is faster. “when you admit that I’m the smartest and best athlete on the basketball team.”
Rolling my eyes, I turn to the front, ignoring him and the taunting of the bag he keeps shoving in my face.
“Fine!” I yell, turning around to face him. “You’re the smartest and best athlete on the basketball team.” A heavy sigh leaves me, and I open my hand for the bag.
“I guess that will do. Here ya go.” He hands me the bag, and I turn around, seeing my mom laugh and shake her head.
“Your Mom would have loved this,” she says, looking through the rearview mirror towards Caleb. A small smile appears on his face as he puts on his headphones.
Once we reach the space needle, Caleb stands before it, staring at it.
“How long do you think he’ll end up standing here looking at that thing?” My mom mumbles to me while shifting on both feet.
“As long as he wants, right? We don’t have to go back to Arizona for a while.” I look over at her.
“No, we don’t, but I would like to get some coffee or, you know, sleep.” I look at the time on my phone, and yup, it's right on time. Around seven p.m., mom starts to get hungry and will snap at everything. It’s best to steer clear until the beast has been tamed.
“You know I can hear you, right?” Caleb looks over his shoulder and raises his eyebrow just like mom does. I still don’t know how they do that.
“Oh, yes, we do know.” Smirking, I tap my invisible watch just as my stomach starts growling.
He shakes with laughter, and mom huffs as we walk away from the Space Needle. I look back to see it for the last time.
Mom had made it mandatory that our next stop be Pike Place, where the first Starbucks was built. On the last day in Seattle, Caleb and I went down to the beach before we went home. I brought a book, and he had packed the snacks. Time escaped us, and before I could mention leaving, Caleb made a mad dash down to the water.
“Em! Come on, let’s get in the water!”
“What are you, five years old!?” I kick off my shoes, place them next to our belongings, and follow him. “Holy shit, it’s freezing.”