Day 24

"Congratulations! You take your first roadtrip on your own and loving every second of it," says Kyle aloud in an uppity voice. He shows me the inside of his twenty-fourth birthday card. "So what you drew is supposed to be a car?"

"Yes. What did you think I drew?"

"Hmm...a toy car. A car I would certainly never be caught dead in," replies Kyle.

"Don't be too sure. That toy car might actually be your hearse," I reply with a smirk.

"I'm glad I spent my twenty-fourth year road tripping. I think I would choose to go to every state I haven't visited yet."

"Oh? And how many are those?"

"Five."

"Seriously, you've been to every state but five? Virginia is all I know!" I say aloud. "That's so unfair, Kyle. Do you know how amazing that is?!"

"Now I do," he replies. "Back then it felt like every vacation and family trip was a new sort of torture."

"Yeah, yeah, yeah. Poor little privileged kid," I replied with an eye roll.

"Poor little orphan," replied Kyle.

"I was only an orphan for a few weeks before my mom adopted me. I have a family, Kyle. So do you, and for some reason I've only ever met your younger brother." I cross my ankles over one another as I continue to sit next to Kyle. Even though every ounce of me wanted to walk away in disgust.

Kyle shrugged as he said, "My family consist of two workaholic zombies and a workaholic wannabe. That doesn't sound like much of a family to me."

"We're family, aren't we?" I asked him hesitantly.

"No, we're not." Kyle started laughing as he added, "And I wouldn't want us to be. Trust me, it'd be screwed up if you were some blood relation of mine."

"I can be your family even if I'm not related to you. I'm not a workaholic zombie and well...we argue at times like siblings anyway so what's the difference?"

Kyle's cheeks redden for a moment before he looks away.

"What is it?"

"Get the fuck out, Renata," he replied softly. "I'm not mad at you it's just...I need some time alone, okay?"

I was so shocked by his sudden change of behavior that I did what Kyle said. I left and when the door clicked, one image kept on playing in my mind. His reddened cheeks.