Chapter Fourteen

I was tempted to wallow in my own angst for a million years after the trauma of discovering I was in love with Selena, but I wasn't able to. The disruption to my special teenage boy angst-time had a name: Kenji Zapata. Yes, the newest plague to my home-life, otherwise known as my sister Cammie's new boyfriend. Well, at least according to her. When you asked him, Kenji would be apt to call her his romantic partner. Yes, he was that pretentious.

But even worse were his many obnoxious habits that prevented me from effectively lounging around the house being depressed.

For one, he was always staring at himself in the dining room mirror and making absurd faces. Frankly, it was nauseating, especially when he picked at his teeth right there.



Then there were his insanely long baths in the mornings- always right before I needed to get to school, and always in the bathroom next to my room. And inevitably, he would forget to lock the door (I mean, who forgets that? Did he not grow up with sisters who were prone to sneaking into the bathroom with a video camera while he was showering to get blackmail material?) Yes, I have seen waaaaay more of Kenji than I ever wanted to!



Oh, don't forget his insanely loud conversations at 2 AM, always in that same bathroom right next to my room! He argued about absurd topics (I mean, who cares why the sky is blue? Though whatever the other person thought must've made more sense than Kenji's theory that the birds got some blue paint and smeared it everywhere...). Whatever the case, I experienced many sleepless nights because of Kenji's ridiculous nighttime conversations!



And then there was the crazy sight of him exercising in clothes that I could only identify as... a pirate outfit?? Who on earth is this guy?? I couldn't bring over any friends for fear that he would scare them away. Had my sister gone insane? I confronted her about Kenji's many absurdities, but she just laughed and said he was adorable. Teddy bears are adorable, ponies are adorable, Selena's hair when it curls just a little bit and you can see it from your seat behind her in class (let's pretend I didn't just say this and sound like a total sap)... that's adorable. Not the maniac my sister had brought home!



Then it got worse. So much worse.

Me: Cammie, what're you doing?

Cammie: Blegh, I've felt so sick lately! I'm sure I didn't eat anything bad either!

Me: You don't think...? No, no, no!



But it was true. Cammie was pregnant. And getting more pregnant by the day. I passed the months leading up to my birthday alternating between dreams of Selena, hatred for Kenji, and the strong desire to escape Cammie when she was in an especially bad mood swing.



Then Kenji did the most unforgivable act of all. He brought another woman to our home, and introduced her as "his girlfriend." Yes, he said that, right to Cammie's face. We were flabbergasted as she said her name was Betsy Ursine.



He brought her upstairs with him, and we could only imagine what they got up to... not that I particularly wanted to imagine. Cammie had fallen into Mom's arms sobbing, while Mom comforted her by telling her that Kenji was a jerk, that Betsy was ugly, that Cammie deserved better, etc.



Being the martyr that I am, I decided to venture upstairs at the risk of my mental health (and my eyes). But hey, someone had to figure out what was going on.

What I saw was worse than I could have imagined. He was proposing to Betsy! That total jerk, who did he think he was?!

She said yes. Well, she was a strong woman if she could stand even a day of living with Kenji, that was for certain.



But all the pent up anger at Kenji, the frustration over my inability to ask out Selena: it all boiled over. I finally confronted him.

Me: You absolute failure of a human being! How could you treat my sister like that! Do you have a death wish? Cause you know we're a large family, and my sister's a scientist! She could send a poisonous plant after you! Do you want to be attacked by a gigantic venomous plant?



Kenji looked at me strangely.

Kenji: Your sister? Who's that?

I decided at that moment not to wait for Ambrosia's venomous plant. Killing him with my bare hands would be more satisfying.



Me: The whose house you've been living in! The one who is pregnant with your child at this very moment!

Kenji: Oh, Chantel, right. Well, she knew we weren't serious or anything.



Was the guy for real? Did he seriously think my sister's name was Chantel? I let Cammie have it at him after that because I was too busy planning how to murder him and frame it on someone else (hmm, maybe framing it on Tanner would work...).

Cammie: Get out of my house, scum! I hope your toenails rot and fall off and you smell so bad that no one ever goes near you again. Speaking of that, you really do stink! When's the last time you even showered, imbecile?



After Kenji was kicked out, Cammie fell into a little bit of a daze, where all she could do was play her guitar and sing sad songs about betrayal. I felt pretty terrible for her... but I wished she would stop singing. Cammie may have been talented at the guitar, but her voice was terrible!



I was entirely thankful when it was time for my birthday. Finally, I could leave behind the awkwardness of school. I blew out the candles and grew into a very handsome young adult (in my most humble opinion- well, Mom said it too!).





Shortly after my birthday, Cammie gave birth to a beautiful baby girl, Opal Savory. Mom was overjoyed to have her second grandchild (did I mention that Sage and Serenity had a baby boy named Shaun? Not that I've ever met the kid, I never see Sage anymore!).

Opal's birth was a catalyst that Cammie needed. She snapped out of her daze and went back to her normal, slightly edgy self. She also decided to move out and raise Opal on her own. Mom supported her decision, and I did too, though I felt weird about being the only sibling left in our house.



Then, for the millionth time, tragedy struck (my God, do we EVER get a break??). Mom was at the park picking fruit when she started to appear transparent. She passed away, joining her parents and her husband.



I wasn't there, but Ambrosia saw it all with her own eyes. She told me tearfully about Mom's smile as she realized she was joining her husband, how she embraced death instead of running from it- and then how Kenji and his new wife made a scene at the park.



The whole thing was going down: you know, the grim reaper, Mom's ghost, etc. And Kenji and a very pregnant Betsy (did he impregnate her right after my sister or something- what a jerk) were having a fight. Apparently he wasn't a supportive husband (shocker!). She even implied that his mother was a llama (I could believe that).



As if they hadn't already hijacked Mom's final moment, Betsy chose that moment to go into labor. Causing everyone in a nearby vicinity to panic. Just get her to the hospital, idiots!



I was so sad when Ambrosia told me that I didn't leave the house for an entire day. Mom had always been there for me. It was painful to know that she wasn't coming back. When Dad died, I'd been so little I hardly understood. This was something altogether different.

I was struck by just how alone I was. I had the entire house to myself, and no one to turn to. I hardly knew Rosemary or Ambrosia well enough to talk to them. Sage was off with Serenity and Shaun like always, and how could I interrupt his perfect family life? Even Cammie was busy raising Opal.

The only person I wanted to talk to was Selena, and I hadn't had a real conversation with her since the awful dance. But I remembered what Mom had told me that one night: there was a chance that Selena felt the same way about me. I vowed that the next time I saw her I would ask her out. I would do it for Mom, if no one else, because I knew Mom would hate to see me so lonely.

I took a walk at a nearby pond to clear my head, and was shocked to see Selena walking straight towards me. I hadn't seen her as a young adult before that moment, and I was amazed to find that she had only grown more beautiful. I steeled up my courage and prepared to find out how she felt, one way or another.





Sorry for the wait guys!! There will be one more update, and then the interlude :)