I awoke the next day at noon. I hadn’t gone to bed until the wee hours of the morning as I was too hyped from the two naps. I went into the kitchen to see what I could dig up. As I was about to pull some bread out of the freezer, I remembered that I had to be at Julia’s at one. I raced to the bathroom and jumped into the shower. The good thing about having an odd schedule was that Matt and I didn’t fight over the bathroom. He used it around eight in the morning while I rarely needed it before noon. I washed myself hastily before hopping out of the shower. Running to my room, I thought about what clean clothes I had. I pulled on a black cotton skirt and a red tank top before flying out of the house. It was twelve-thirty, and I was going to have to forgo food until I got to Julia’s. I just hoped she had something she could feed me. I also hoped the gang wouldn’t be too pissed that I hadn’t finished my work.
“You’re early,” Julia said in surprise, reaching over to hug me. She was subdued, and Banana was clinging to her legs again. “A whole ten minutes. You’re usually busting in here half an hour late.”
“I didn’t want to be late because I didn’t do my homework,” I said, ruffling Banana’s hair. “Got any food?” Julia sighed, but didn’t say anything as she was used to feeding me. She walked into the kitchen, dragging Banana behind her. I followed, eager to wrap my teeth around something delectable.
“Hon, I need you to let go of my legs,” Julia said gently, reaching down to unwrap her daughter. Banana let go, but she immediately transferred her grip to my legs.
“Hey, what’s up, Banana?” I asked, my voice quiet as well. It was unlike Banana to be so clingy and not to say anything. I wondered if she was still worried about her father.
“Nothing,” Banana said, her grip tightening. She didn’t seem to want to talk about it, so I let it go.
“Hey, glad you could stop by,” Julia said, her eyes red. She looked as if she hadn’t slept in days.