Friday, July 14th. . .
*First Draft*

"Don't forget the chocolate chips," I remind Saige, handing her the bag. She gives me a 'duh' stare from beside me. "Of course not!" She takes the bag, emptying the correct amount, plus a few extra, before she stirs the thick dough with her wooden spoon.

I'm currently 'babysitting' at the Patricks' house today because, apparently, Saige couldn't make cookies at my house. Don't know why, but okay. I'm cool either way. I ended up working at the diner yesterday due to Nadine taking the day off for some reason, so I really don't mind.

I enjoy Saige's company....And Drew's if he's actually around or acting social enough to give it.

I haven't actually seen the reclusive Drew since I arrived here at 10 A.M. And it's now close to 1 o'clock.

Saige spoons the dough into separate balls, arranging them neatly on a cookie sheet. I think Nadine must be teaching her, because I barely even had to assist her in the making of her chocolate chip cookies.

Not that my mom hasn't 'tried' to teach me. I just, well...that's another story for another day. . . . Like never.

She pushes herself off from the barstool, carrying the tray over to the oven. She opens the door, placing the sheet carefully inside before shutting it and setting the timer.

I hold my hand out for a high five as she walks past me. "Great job." I ruffle her hair, and she laughs before smoothing it back down. "I couldn't have done it without my partner," she bashfully says, causing me to smile.

Awww.

I tap her button nose just like my mom does to me. "You, missy, are just too cute for your own good," I gush, pulling her in for a hug because, well, why not? Saige pulls away as there's sudden footsteps from the doorway behind us.

"Am I interrupting something?" Drew sarcastically inquires, walking past us and over to the fridge. Saige rolls her eyes. "No, Drew." She places her hands on her hips, glaring over at him.

He holds his hands up in a defensive gesture, pulling one of the two earbuds from his ears. "Okay, gee, I was just asking." He steps up to the fridge, pulling it open and grabbing a glass before filling it with water.

I look between the two, the conversation feeling somewhat...normal for once.

Drew, today, actually seems to be in a relatively good mood for once. Sure he seems a bit more sarcastic, but I kinda prefer it. Laidback is always good for me.

He leans back against the counter, much like last week, sipping at his water as he observes us with keen eyes. Today he's wearing a navy blue hoodie with his usual dark jeans and converses. Not much change in wardrobe. But that's to be expected.

"Did you finish your homework, Drew?" Saige questions as she wipes the counter. I stack the messy bowls and measuring tools together while I wait for his answer. Hey. I am supposed to be in charge here. Drew screws up his face like he's just eaten something unpleasant, looking at Saige like she's a foreign object.

"What, so now you're my personal monitor?" He rolls his eyes, and I almost wince at the sour tone in his voice. But Saige simply brushes it off like the crumbs on the counter, shrugging her small shoulders.

"Mom told me to make sure you got it done. So I am." She informs him matter-of-factly. Drew scowls, taking another sip of his water as he shifts his weight. He blows a breath out, seeming to release his anger.

"But yes, yes I did." He relents, crossing his free arm around his torso. "Happy now?" He fills his voice with mock giddiness, making his face match his voice before dropping it into a dark scowl.

Saige nods, humming her agreement. "At the moment." She stacks the dirty utensils by the sink, brushing her hands off.

I almost laugh at Drew's sudden crestfallen expression.

I return my attention back down to my phone, absentmindedly flipping through amusing animal videos on Facebook as I wait for the cookies to be done. What? It's a hobby of mine.

A few minutes go by in a comfortable silence. My head pops back up as Saige opens the oven door, letting a delectable smell waft out from within. Almost as good as the donut shop the other day.

It rates close second.

She takes the tray full of fluffy chocolate chip cookies out of the oven and sets them down on the stovetop, the chocolate giving a just slightly melted look to them.

Drew slides into a barstool next to mine, and I can hear whatever jam he's listening to reverberate out from his earbuds from such close proximity. He places his forearms down on the counter, leaning into them.

"Smells good, Saige." Drew admires, and Saige looks up at him with something akin to surprise. Does he never praise her? That's a pity if so. "T-Thanks," Saige stutters over the word, sounding baffled. Her face grows a bit redder. And it's not from the heat of the stove.

She waits a solid, painful, minute to let them cool before using a metal spatula to place them off the sheet and on to a plate. Carrying them over to the counter, she slides the plate over to the middle.

I swallow, leaning forward as I pluck a cookie off the plate. Drew hesitates a moment before also taking a cookie, offering his sister a smile as he brings it up to his mouth. I bite into mine, letting a moan out at the perfect texture, the flavor, and the sweat chocolate melting in my mouth.

"These are the best!" I sigh blissfully. "You're now my official cookie maker." I tap Saige's shoulder, making her blush at my praise. Her eyes go over to Drew, who's preparing to take a bite, if it takes preparation, a hopeful glint in her orbs.

He finally nibbles off a bite, chewing slowly before he speaks. "Yup. Just as good as always." He winks at Saige. "If not better." Saige giggles, picking up her own cookie as she takes a seat on my other side.

I suddenly find myself devouring my third cookie in only a span of maybe five minutes, and not feeling the least bit full.

Yeah, I'm totally going to need a diet. But hey, what's a few pounds when it means this yummy-ness?

Plus, remember my awesome metabolism?

"Gosh, I can't stop!" I pout, laying my head facedown on the counter as I try to hold my hand back from reaching over for more. I hear Drew hum in agreement from beside me.

"We haven't even had lunch yet." I groan, shoving my hand back under the table. Looking up, I'm met with the sight of Drew munching on, yet, another cookie. I frown, pulling myself up in a sitting position as I look over at Saige, who's calmly eating her second cookie. "Geez, I think you have the Cookie Monster for a brother," I discreetly mumble over to her, keeping my gaze on him.

Drew hears me anyway, his face flushing a deep scarlet red. He clears his throat, shifting in his seat as he suddenly seems to lose interest in the final half of his cookie.

"I think I have two, actually," Saige wryly corrects, hoping off her stool before grabbing the plate and moving it to the other counter. I almost cry, but quickly remind myself I don't need anymore.

I stand up. "Okay!" I clap my hands. "Who wants lunch now that we've spoiled it?" I smile, looking between the two. Saige nods, already moving to search the fridge. Drew on the other hand, shakes his head, an almost guilty expressions growing on his face.

"No...I'm good," he mutters, slowly standing from his seat. Saige swings her head over to him, eyes calculating. "I'll...I'll be upstairs." He adds, shoving his hands down in the front pocket of his hoodie as he ducks his head down.

"Um, okay?" I slowly say, unsure of what I should be saying exactly. What? This job didn't exactly come with a direction manual.

He disappears, and I snap back to the job of preparing a meal.

*Time Skip*

"Oh I don't know. The red plague?" I screw my face up, peering at Saige's red and puckered face a little harder. She lets an irritated breath out, resulting in ruining her fish face or whatever the heck that was she was trying to be.

Yeah, charades really aren't my thing.

I place my head on my fist, leaning my elbow on the arm of the sofa.

It's now sometime after 2. Saige and I are apparently bored, seeing as we're currently attempting charades with only two people, and I'm failing miserably.

I tap my foot on the ground as Saige takes a seat on the other side of the sofa, flipping her DS open as she resumes whatever mind controlling game she's playing. "It was a goldfish, Nicki," she suddenly says, glancing up at me. "You really need to stop reading into things so much." She holds in a laugh, looking back at her screen.

I look up at the staircase across the living room, quirking my lips to the side. I stand up, and she only spares me a quick peek. "I'm going to go see if Drew wants to do anything," I tell her, passing through the living room quickly.

"Okay," she simply says as I head up the stairs. I reach the top, which leads to a hallway with several different doors.

Maybe I should've asked her which one was Drew's?

"Drew?" I call out, keeping my voice down for no apparent reason as I take a hesitant step forward.

No reply.

I swallow a sudden feeling of dread down, the quiet, and quite frankly, dark, hallway beginning to get on my nerves. I open my mouth to call his name again when a sudden, unmistakable sound catches my attention.

Oh crap.

Rushing down the hallway, I stop in front of the door where the sound came from, a light protruding out from underneath it. I square my shoulders, pushing the door, that's open a crack, with my right hand while I call his name.

"Drew...?"

I'm immediately met with the sight of Drew hunched over a toilet, in the process of emptying his stomach once again. So very pleasant.

I have to force the food in my own stomach to calm down at the sight and sound, and I hold a fist up to my mouth. He hovers a minute over the toilet once he finishes, his arms trembling and his eyes shut tightly together.

He then flushes the toilet, leaning heavily back so he sits with his back against the tub.

"Drew..." I repeat, my voice fading off before I can say anything else. His sharp gaze immediately snaps up to me like he's just realized I'm here, and a spark of panic grips them.

"Nicki," he croaks, wincing. That snaps me out of my trance. My eyes lock on to the cup sitting back on the sink. And without bothering to question myself about what that cup may be used for, I quickly fill it with water before approaching him like I would a timid animal.

He avoids my eyes, like usual, his right hand vigorously fiddling with the bracelets on his left wrist. A habit I've noticed he does a lot.

I hand him the cup, and he takes it with a trembling hand. He swishes out his mouth, turning his head back to spit in the tub. I awkwardly stand above him, rubbing my arms.

"What's wrong?" I question after another minute. He blinks a few times, a guilty, almost fearful expression growing on his face. He keeps his head down, tugging on his hoodie before he traces his fingers around the rim of the cup.

He bites his lip. "Too many sweets, I suppose," he says, his voice sounding rough and gravely. I frown, something not feeling 100% right for some unexplained reason.

He did eat a lot though.

"Well...Okay. You're fine now, right?" I nibble on my lip. He nods, wiping a hand across his sweaty forehead. "Yeah, thanks." He swallows thickly, making a move to stand up.

"I'm sure Nadine can give y-"

I'm suddenly cut off as Drew's panicked gaze snaps up to me. Rendering me speechless.

"No!"

He blinks, seeming to realized he practically just yelled. "I mean...no." He looks down, once again fiddling with his bracelets. "There's no need to say anything to Nadine....about...this. I just had too much. It won't happen again." He rushes that last statement out as his eyes meet mine for a split second, desperate.

But it's not the desperation, the false promise, that makes me curl my eyebrows up in confusion.

He just called his mom by her first name.

Sure people do that sometimes. I don't to my mom. But it's not unheard of. It just seems...weird after hearing both Saige and Edward address Nadine as 'Mom'.

Not wanting to lose his trust after just gaining some, but against my better judgement, I agree.

"Alright."

"Promise you won't say anything?"

I lock my jaw, looking into his venerable eyes once again before I probably, unbeknownst to me, make one of the worst decisions in my life.

"Promise."