Eight

February 17

No one had been in room 324.

James inserted the key into the lock of the apartment with a sigh. He couldn't think of why she hadn't been there. Unless she was with Alex. He rolled his eyes with jealousy.

Glaring at the floor, James walked into the apartment. The pungent smell of cigarette smoke invaded his nostrils unexpectedly. "What the hell?" He coughed out.

"Oh!" His older sister's voice broke from the couch followed by a few coughs. She snuffed out the burning cigarette in the ashtray on the coffee table and waved a hand in front of her mouth in a feeble attempt to banish the smoke. She stood and walked up to James, enveloping him in a tight hug. "Hey, Lil' bud! How ya been?"

He ripped himself out of her embrace. "Good." He coughed and gave her a pointed look. "Salina, what are you doing here? And," He picked up the ashtray with four cigarette butts and ashes and dumped it into the trashcan. "Why are you stinking up the apartment."

He dropped his backpack and began opening the few windows in the apartment to try and clear the smoke. "Sorry, I just wanted to visit my little brother and sister." She grumbled.

He shot her a glare as he shut the door to Lisa's room, hoping it didn't smell as much of smoke as the rest of the place did. "I suppose your cigs did, too?"

Her smile turned awkward. "Don't be like that, please."

"Like what?" He asked, spraying Febreeze into the air.

Salina frowned at his back. "You know what, James."

He turned to her, his face neutral and his voice calm. "I wouldn't have to if you'd just quit the nasty habit." He checked the time. "I have to go get Lisa." He shoved the can of spray into her hand. "Air out the apartment before I come back, please."

She laughed bitterly. "You know, sometimes it feels like you're the parent around here."

Before stepping out the door, he pulled his coat closer around him. He gave her a venomous look. She avoided his gaze by focusing on the can of spray in her hand. "That's not surprising."

___

He stepped off the bus a few blocks from the daycare. His breath fogged as he exhaled from beneath his scarf. Another woman had gotten off at the stop as well. She was busy groping inside her over-stuffed purse when he walked away.

Lisa was grinning with a finished puzzle in front of her when he stepped through the doors. "James!" Willow chimes from behind the desk that faced the door with the kids behind her. "What's up? You've been getting here earlier this month. What happened to tutoring?"

"I quit." He replied flatly as he signed out his sister, his head bent and his eyes focused too hard on the paper and the blue ink of the pen.

Willow stared at him for a moment. "Salina's in town, huh?" When he didn't respond, she sighed. Giving up on drawing the information from James, she turned in the swivel chair to face the ten or so kids behind her. "Lisa, your big brother's here!" He always found her to be too cheery.

Lisa tore her gaze from her finished puzzle. "James!" Her squeal almost couldn't be heard over the roar of kids. After she put the puzzle away, she ran to her cubby and hastily pulled on her puffy pink coat. Her arm got stuck in her haste and James had to help her. "Thanks!" Before her coat could even be zipped up by her doting brother, she hooked both arms around his neck.

Since he was squatting, he nearly lost his balance at the unexpected force of the hug. "I looooove you!" Lisa sang after she pulled herself away.

He gave her head a pat a zipped her coat up to her chin. "I love you, too, Lisa." He took off his scarf and wrapped it around the place of her coat where her neck would be. As she pulled on her backpack with Elsa from Frozen on it, he told her, "Let's go home. Salina came over to visit."

When the two siblings stepped out of the building, her small, heart-shaped face scrunched up. "She always smells like smoke. It's icky!" He chuckled. While standing at the bus stop, she grabbed his hand. Her small one was completely engulfed by his. "My hands are cold." She stated with her other hand in her coat pocket.

With his free hand, he checked his wallet. "We can stop by Walmart to get you some gloves on our way home. Sound good?" Vigorously, so that her blonde curls flew into the air, she nodded.