The weekend finally came. It was sort of a moot point I guess when you’re on leave from school for recovery, especially when you had a separate “incident.” My high school’s follow through wasn’t the best when it came to protection, but at least they were merciful. But that’s not what was on my mind. As I slipped my jacket on, I pulled out the bill with the note Veronica had left me. I stared for a moment before smiling and stowing it away. 

I didn’t really have much space to stow it anywhere else. My room was already pretty cramped, with the only things adorning it being a cheap nightstand with a lamp and a small dresser. The closet was a sliding door that was about as wide as I was tall. I was fairly minimalist anyway, as I didn’t need a lot. Jessie’s wasn’t much bigger.

A knock at my bedroom door caught my attention as the door opened ever so slightly.

“You decent?” a firm voice asked. A knock at my bedroom door caught my attention as the door opened ever so slightly.

“Yeah, come on in.”

The door gently pushed open. Standing there was my sister, Jessie. While we shared some similar features, you might not have guessed we were siblings at first glance. We shared dad’s eyes, but that was it. She had a lot of dad’s sharper features while I erred towards mom’s softer ones. It was kind of ironic, given we both had better relationships with the other. Not to say Jess had a bad one with dad. It was a lot more solid than what I had with mom.

“Just checking in before I head to my shift.”

“I’m fine, Jess,” I responded with a reassuring smile. “See?”

I turned towards her and rotated my arm. I twinged before I could even make a full rotation. I laughed quietly, embarrassed. Jessie gave a stern frown.

“Maybe we should get you checked out,” she murmured.

“With what? We’re barely able to afford rent. I’ll be good after a few more days of rest.”

Jessie stared reluctantly. I gave her another reassuring smile, albeit with less confidence. I avoided eye contact as I made my way to the door. As I did, she wrapped an arm around me.  I stopped in my tracks as she wrapped her other arm around me as well.

“I can’t have another repeat,” she said tiredly. “After you… it’s just me.”

I turned my head towards her. My head sank a bit as I hugged her back with a quiet sigh. Her grip tightened even more, shaking. Jess was typically the stronger one of us. She didn’t put up with ANYONE’S shit, especially Ryan’s. I had to keep her from absolutely thrashing him in front of the school when she picked me up after our penultimate run-in. God knows she did the same to me if I got out of line.

The fact that she couldn’t be there for the last one… she was an apologetic mess when she got back home. Last time I saw her cry like that was at our parents’ funeral. We sometimes got at each other’s throats, but she took her job of taking care of me as seriously as any guardian would. She was all I had left and I was grateful for it. I wouldn’t have made it as far as I did without her. If I lost her too… maybe I would have been floating under the Manhattan Bridge instead.

“Some birthday, huh?” she asked jokingly.

“Was it as bad as my sixteenth?” I retorted with a weak smile.

Jessie let out an uncomfortable laugh. After a couple of minutes, she let go. She cleared her throat as she wiped her eyes and forced a smile. Her mascara was a little runny and smeared; she knew it, but she didn’t care.

“Any problems come up, you let me know, okay?” Jessie chimed while she headed for the door. “No missed calls this time.”

Jessie smiled encouragingly as I followed her. I nodded and smiled back, trying to be as reassuring as possible. She glanced towards the corner of the living room, where two urns and a photo of us with our parents during happier times rested on a shelf. It felt like a far cry from where we were now; it was one of the cheapest places in Inwood because that was all we could afford, and it showed. We knew people who had kitchens larger than our place.

Jessie took a deep breath as she looked towards me, practically begging me to be careful, before leaving. As the door closed behind her, I listened intently for her footsteps and her car driving off. It was a bit of a clunker, so its distinct grind was easy to hear fade off into the distance. The moment it was silent, I grabbed my keys and a bag of leftover stroganoff I stashed in the fridge before making my way out. I know Jessie wanted me to take it easy, but I had other goals on my mind.