CHAPTER SIX:
OUT ON THE TOWN

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FRIDAY CAME QUICKER THAN Shay thought it would. In the days leading up to her shopping trip with Alice and Bella, Shay found as many excuses as possible to stay out of the house, avoiding her flighty mother with every chance she could get. Usually, this meant she was picking up extra shifts at the diner, but on the days that Cora already had enough people working, she'd sit Shay down in one of the empty booths with something to eat, distracting her with mindless chatter until it came time for the cafe to close and for everyone to head home. Sebastian found himself following his sister's actions, either coming with her to the cafe or sleeping at a friend's house to avoid his own home altogether. If Melody Chambers caught on to what her children were doing, she didn't show it. At least, she didn't until Friday morning.

Shay was the first awake in the household, as per usual. By six in the morning, she was in the shower with warm water spraying down on her, stomach flipping with excitement as she thought about what the day had in store for her. It was a new feeling, excitement. For years, Shay's idea of fun had been watching Friends on a weekend with her brother, eating pizza and laughing to her heart's content. And if she wasn't taking care of Sebastian, she was behind the counter at the cafe, chatting to her customers and serving them food for hours on end. She wasn't used to shopping trips in general, let alone a trip with two pretty girls who seemingly wanted to be her friends. Some people might've found this sad, that Shay was caring for her brother at such a young age, but Shay had never minded looking after Sebastian. In a heartbeat, she'd given up the parties and the hang-outs and everything else that came with being a teenage girl. For she knew that Sebastian needed her, so much so that even now as she was sitting in front of her bedroom mirror, a towel wrapped around her drying body, she wondered if her brother was going to be okay while she was gone, even though she knew he had school.

"Shay?" Sebastian frowned as he noticed his sister sitting on her bedroom floor. He was passing her room to get to the bathroom, the sound of his mother's snores bringing a scowl to his face, when he noticed Shay's position. She looked lost, surrounded by piles of clothes, her hair thrown up in a messy bun as she looked around in confusion. Sebastian's heart twinged as he realised that his sister had no clue how to act like a teenager anymore. Just another thing their mother had taken from them. "You good, Shay?"

"What does one wear to a shopping trip?" she asked him, holding up a pair of jeans with rips at the knees and eyeing them with uncertainty. 

"Does it matter?" Sebastian shrugged as he moved to sit on his sister's bed. "You're only hanging out with your friends, I doubt they're gonna care what you wear."

Friends. The term made Shay pause as she moved to stand in front of her mirror, a leather jacket and a lacey camisole gripped in her hands. To be honest, Shay had no clue what Alice and Bella were to her. They were just two girls who she ran into far too much for it to be a coincidence, two girls who invited her to their shopping trip knowing barely anything about her, but for some reason, wanting to know more. Sebastian wasn't right in calling them her friends, but maybe that would change soon. The thought of having friends made Shay feel strange; the only people she was remotely close to were Cora, Cora's husband, and Sebastian. Shay winced at how pathetic she sounded, quickly pushing the idea from her head.

"Earth to Shay?" Sebastian called, throwing one of his sister's pillows at her when she didn't acknowledge him. Snapping out of her daze, she turned to shoot him a glare, dropping the clothes she was holding to the floor with a sigh when he simply sent her a frown. "Why are you overthinking this, Shay? It's just a shopping trip. It doesn't matter what you wear." Shay went to protest, and Sebastian held up a hand in frustration, causing her to snap her mouth shut in surprise. "And if it does matter, then you don't need girls like them as friends. Just wear what you feel comfortable in."

"That's easy for you to say, Seb, you own the same two t-shirts," Shay rolled her eyes, pointing to her brother's shirt with an alien on the front, the shirt he wore all the time. Sebastian shot her a knowing glower, causing her to turn back to stare into her mirror hopelessly. "I just want them to like me." I want Alice to like me, she thought.

"They will if you're real with them," Sebastian assured. When Shay said nothing in response, he sighed, moving to leave the room. But just as he reached the door, Shay gave a cough, causing him to glance at her curiously. 

"Thanks, Sebby," she mumbled, mustering a tiny smile for him. Sebastian slowly returned the grin, muttering a "you're welcome" before he was jogging downstairs to the kitchen. Closing the door behind him, Shay turned back to her mess of clothes. "Okay. Just be real, Shay, be real and they'll have to like you."

In the end, she chose a pair of light-blue boyfriend jeans that were ripped at the knees and cuffed at the ankles. Paired with a plain black camisole with lace around the neckline and a matching black cardigan. Choosing to leave her hair out for the day, her curls too wild and frizzy to be tamed, she moved to head downstairs. But as she left her room, her mother stepped out of the bathroom, staring at Shay with a curious frown.

"Are you going somewhere, hon?" she asked. Shay gave a scowl at the pet name, crossing her arms over her chest. The last time her mother called her hon, she was fifteen years old and Shay's dad was alive. Now, every time she heard the name hon, it made Shay feel sick to her stomach.

"Not that it's any of your business, but I'm heading into Port Angeles with some friends," she told her. Before heading to the kitchen, she ducked in the living room to where she'd put her combat boots the night before, taking a seat on the lounge as she began to lace them.

"Oh, that's nice," Melody called after her. She didn't bother to follow Shay. Instead, she disappeared into the kitchen, grimacing at the sight of her son, who was sitting at the dining table with a book in his hands. "Oh, good morning, Sebastian. What are you reading?"

"Just something for school," he muttered as Shay entered the room. She had her car keys gripped in her hands, and hope bloomed in Sebastian's chest at the sight of them. "You ready to go, Shay?"

"Yeah, bud," Shay nodded, immediately notice the relief in his eyes. "Make sure you bring your house keys with you, yeah? Cora's gonna pick you up this afternoon."

"I could pick you up," Melody suggested. She'd tuned out of her children's conversation, busying herself with the coffee pot that sat on top of the stove, but at the mention of Cora taking care of her son, she was quick to snap out of her daze. 

But before she could get another word in, Sebastian was shaking his head. "It's fine, Cora can pick me up."

"Nonsense," Melody dismissed him, though she noticed the annoyance glinting in his eyes and it piqued her curiosity. "I'll pick you up and we can go to the diner, just like old times."

Shay sucked in a breath at that, ready to intervene, but Sebastian was already scowling, shoving his chair back from the table. The sound pierced through the sudden silence as he snapped, "I said I'm fine, okay? Just leave it." And with that, he was storming from the room with 'just like old times' echoing in his ears.

Shay heard the front door slam and knew he'd been waiting outside for her. So with a sigh, she turned from the room, ignoring her mother's burning gaze on the back of her head. She didn't even say anything as her mother muttered: "Why is nothing I ever do good enough for these damn kids?" She knew it'd be a lost cause.

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THE DRIVE TO SCHOOL was a silent one. Shay tried to start up a conversation, but Sebastian wasn't in the mood as he sat in his seat with his forehead pressed to the window, glistening eyes locked on the scenery in determination. He was upset, both of them knew it. What Melody said had sparked something in both of them. For Shay, it was sadness and a countdown for when her mother would finally leave again. But for Sebastian, it was anger and memories of the life he'd had before, a life where he had a mother and a father and a sister who was a real teenager, not a parental figure. 

The moment the car stopped in the school's parking lot, Sebastian had his bag in his grasp and was throwing the passenger door open. But before he could disappear into the school, frustration burning in his veins, Shay reached out and grabbed his arm, forcing him to meet her knowing gaze.

"Have a good day at school." Try not to think too much about what she said. "I love you." I'm here, I know what you're feeling, please don't shut me out. "I'll see you at home."

"I love you, too." 

With that, Shay let him go, waiting for him to disappear inside before she backed out of the parking lot to drop her car off at home. Alice and Bella said they would meet Shay at nine - the perks of graduating soon, their school schedule freed up a lot - and Shay hoped she could beat them to her house so they wouldn't have to interact with her mother. Fortunately, she arrived home just before them. She was parking her car in the driveway next to Melody's flashy range rover just as Alice's yellow porsche appeared by the side of the road. Shay heaved a sigh of relief, locking her own car and dashing towards the vehicle.

"Hey," she grinned as she climbed into the back seat, Alice and Bella returning her smile from in front of her.

"Hello, Shay," Alice was the first to greet her, followed by Bella's quiet mumbles. Alice looked tiny behind the wheel of a car, especially one that was so flashy and expensive, but Shay thought the porsche suited her. "How are you this morning?"

"I'm okay," she shrugged, though in the back of her head, 'just like old times' began to taunt her again. "I just got back from taking Sebastian at school, so good timing."

"Oh, we wouldn't have minded waiting," Alice assured her, though at the dark glower in Shay's eyes, she knew it was a good thing they'd shown up when they had. "But it doesn't matter now; are you excited for today?"

"Of course," she nodded, and she was. The excitement from that morning had returned stronger than ever, blossoming in her chest and sending her heart racing as Alice sent her a grin through the rearview mirror. "You?"

"It's going to be fun," she agreed. Fun spending time with you, she wanted to add.

With that, Shay sunk back into her seat, ready to spend the day with Alice and Bella. Pushing all thoughts of her mother and Sebastian from her mind for the first time in what seemed like forever.