Chapter Two
She didn't tell her mother right away. For one thing, Raven wouldn't be home for another hour. Nia closed her eyes almost the second Booker and Levi went to find Tess. Voices in the living room woke her up again soon after, but this time they belonged to her mother and Aunt Chelsea. Nia tried to ignore them as she snuggled further under the covers.
"You didn't have to pick me up, Rae."
"Why wouldn't I? You were on my way home."
"I would have taken the bus if I'd known you'd be like this!"
"Like how, exactly? Like a responsible adult?"
The moms were arguing again. Since they'd become impossible to ignore, Nia resigned herself to putting off sleep until the fight was over. She even stood by her door to listen because...well, why not? The two best friends conveniently stood in the living room, well within earshot.
Chelsea looked more furious than Nia had ever seen before. "I'm sick of this. Why are we always fighting? Why do you always have something negative to say about my life?"
"Maybe because there aren't a lot of positive things to say about it," Raven snapped, already in a full-on temper.
Nia winced at the same time her aunt Chelsea did. Things had been tough lately, but Raven didn't need to point it out so bluntly. Sure enough Chelsea's face revealed how much the remark hurt. "Hey, I keep everything about your life to myself."
"Well, yeah, what's there to say? I'm the only one of us with a job," Raven retorted.
"How could I forget when you remind me every, single, day? This is no picnic for me either, Raven."
"It is a trip a Vegas through," Raven muttered.
Incensed, Chelsea demanded, "What was that?"
"Nothing, I was thinking how much I would love to go to Vegas," Raven went on. "But I can't because I have a job and responsibilities..."
Chelsea put her hands on her hips. "I asked you if you minded watching Levi. It was important that I go on this trip."
"Why, you needed to get away from me? Because I can't think of any other reason you'd need a break."
"It wasn't about taking a break, it was about..."
Raven shook her head. "No, no, no. That's it. You left because you couldn't stand me making my jokes all the time. Well, here's a hint, I wouldn't make those jokes if..."
"I know, I know, if I got a job," Chelsea interrupted. "That's all you care about anymore, isn't it? All you care about is hating your job, snapping at me, and being miserable."
The tension in the air increased drastically. Nia couldn't even read their minds – she could only sense the anger. In a sweeping gesture, Raven pointed at the front door. "Then leave if I'm so miserable," she ordered. "See how tough it is out there on...your own."
As soon as Raven said it, she instantly regretted it. Nia could read her mother's mind again once guilt cut through the anger.
Oh snap. I really, really shouldn't have said that. She wouldn't leave. Would she?
Too overcome with emotion, Chelsea stood by the kitchen, staring at the exit like she might take Raven's suggestion. Nia stepped back from her door. Eavesdropping was bad enough, but did she want to hear her family's thoughts during an ugly fight? Curiosity got the better of her and she moved towards the door again.
"Maybe that would be for the best," Chelsea said slowly, looking like she didn't believe her words.
I don't want to leave, Chelsea thought. I don't. Levi and I love it here. But I can't stay if it's ruining the best friendship I've ever had.
Stunned by Chelsea's response, Raven crossed her arms, her eyes on the ground. "Yeah, maybe it is. We couldn't live together forever, right?"
"Right. Um, I guess I'll start looking for a place," Chelsea said.
"At the risk of sounding like a jerk..." Raven replied. "Can you, uh, afford to move out? I'm mad but I don't want you and Levi living on the street."
Annoyance flashed in Chelsea's eyes. "I'm not completely broke, okay? You know I still have savings that Garret couldn't access. If I can't find an apartment and a job right away...I'll just have to go back to San Francisco and live with my parents for a while."
Raven's thoughts were so frantic that Nia couldn't help hearing them. San Francisco? Is she serious? What if I never see her again? Meanwhile, Raven stubbornly refused to let any of this show. "Okay then. You do that."
"I will." And even though she just got home, Chelsea stormed out of the loft.
Tears streaming down her face, Nia curled up into a ball on her bed until she fell asleep.
When Nia woke up the next morning, her eyes were puffier than they'd been the day before. She slept most of the night, but between her cold and the numerous crying sessions, she looked much worse. Booker stopped by her room on his way to the kitchen. "'Morning, Nia. How are you feeling? Mom said you slept through the night."
"I feel terrible, and not because of my cold," Nia blurted. "This is awful, Booker. Now I definitely have to cancel my date. I can't go anywhere like this!"
Booker grinned. "Hey, that was my vision! What's going on, Nia? Does it have something to do with how weird Mom and Aunt Chelsea were yesterday? They're barely speaking to each other."
"They had plenty to say when they got home. Booker, close the door, I don't want Levi to hear this."
As he shut the door, Booker asked, "It's that bad?"
"Yeah, it is." Nia took a deep breath and slowly let it out. "Booker...Mom kicked Aunt Chelsea out of the apartment. She's moving."
"Oh, come on," Booker said. "I'd believe that you can read minds before I believed that Mom kicked Aunt Chelsea out. They're like sisters! That's why we call her Aunt Chels! If she and Levi move out while she's fighting with Mom...what if we never see them again?"
"It's a possibility."
Her brother had started to pace the room. Nia's answer made him pause. "Nia, I was being dramatic. We'll see them again. Levi goes to our school."
"He won't if he moves to San Francisco," Nia replied glumly.
Booker's voice emerged as a high-pitched squeak. "San Francisco? For real?"
"Yes!" Nia exclaimed. Her stuffy nose making her sound even more emotional, she explained, "I didn't even have to read their minds to find this out. They were practically screaming at each other. Aunt Chelsea said she'll try to find an apartment here, but if she can't, she'll move back in with her family."
Sinking into Nia's desk chair, Booker looked stunned. "Wow. I don't get it, what were they fighting about? They seemed fine before."
"They weren't fine." Nia stared at Booker, wondering how her psychic brother could be so dense. "They've been snapping at each other for months now, and it's because Aunt Chelsea doesn't have a job yet. But I also think it's because Mom's so unhappy."
"Mom's unhappy? I know she said she 'lost her vision' or whatever but..."
Nia nodded. "Yeah. Aunt Chelsea actually called her 'miserable.' Out loud. It was weird...they were saying the meanest stuff to each other, but they kept the nice stuff all bottled up. I couldn't help reading their thoughts during the fight. Mom really regrets telling Aunt Chels to leave, and Aunt Chels really doesn't want to go. They're both being stubborn and dumb and I just want it to be over."
At the risk of catching her cold, Booker sat next to his twin and put an arm around her shoulders. "Hey, they'll work this out like they always do. Are you gonna be okay?"
"Not until Mom and Aunt Chels make up. Booker, when they screamed at each other yesterday...all I could think about was Mom and Dad's divorce. I-I...I don't want everything to change again."
Nia fixed up her face the best she could before going into the living room. The moms, Booker and Levi sat around the kitchen counter. Raven and Chelsea ignored each other, Booker inhaled his cereal, and Levi tried to figure out why no one was talking. As Nia walked in, Levi asked, "Is everything okay?"
"Yeah, sweetie, why do you ask?" Chelsea said with forced cheeriness.
Levi raised an eyebrow. "Uh, because no one's saying anything."
"So? We can't have a nice, quiet breakfast?" Raven replied defensively. She looked up when Nia walked in, grateful for the distraction. "Nia! How are you this morning, baby? You must be feeling better if you're out of bed." Good, I would've felt terrible leaving her here. I shouldn't go to the fabric store before work, though. I'll stay with Nia as long as I can.
Apparently Nia could still read minds. She'd woken up in a daze after sleeping so long, wondering if the psychic phenomenon had been a cold-induced dream. "I'm way better Mom, really. You can leave whenever you want," Nia insisted. Her mother and Aunt Chelsea needed to spend as much time apart as possible while they were still so angry. "Aunt Chelsea will be here to take care of me, right?"
Chelsea nodded as she took out a loaf of bread. "Of course, Nia! Do you want some toast? It's best to have something plain when you're sick." Poor Nia. I can take care of her while I look for new apartments online.
"Uh...yeah, toast would be great, thanks." Nia grimaced, noticing Chelsea glance at her laptop on the coffee table. Even though it was up to the adults to end their fight, Nia couldn't sit back at let half her family move out. She had to do something.
Meanwhile, her mother grabbed her purse. "Well, I'm off to work, I guess. Nia, call me if you need me for anything, and I'll pick up medicine on my way home..."
"Mom, wait!" she exclaimed.
Nia didn't know what she'd say, but she let out a relieved sigh when Raven paused by the door. "What is it? Do you need something before I go?"
"No, not me, um...Booker! He needs a ride to...to...school! He's playing basketball with his friends."
Still in his pajamas, Booker whirled around in his seat towards her. "Huh? I am?"
Raven sighed at her son. "Booker, go get dressed. If you're not out here in five minutes you'll have to find another ride."
"But –"
"Come on, Booker!" Nia pulled her brother towards the hallway and glanced at Chelsea. "I'll be right back and we can have breakfast together, okay?"
Chelsea gave her a confused look. "Okay..."
Nia shoved Booker into his room and closed the door behind them. "Get dressed. You need to go with Mom so you can talk to her about Aunt Chelsea."
"Hey! This is my Saturday, Nia! I planned to stay in my PJs until well after lunch." He paused. "And I'm not getting dressed until you're outta here."
Nia rolled her eyes. "Yes, I'm leaving! Just say you'll talk to Mom!"
"How can I ask her about her fight with Aunt Chelsea? She'll never tell me what's really going on."
"Don't ask directly, just...make conversation. About Aunt Chelsea. Eventually she'll talk about what's really bothering her. I mean, she's definitely thinking it."
Booker stared at her. "What'd you hear in there?"
"Well, nothing about the fight," Nia admitted. "But I heard her think about going to the fabric store before work. She always goes to the fabric store when she's really upset, remember? She called it her 'happy place.'"
"Mom's so weird," Booker muttered. Then he let out a long sigh. "Alright, I'll do it. I guess you're talking to Aunt Chelsea while we're gone?"
"Yup. I'll talk to her as soon as Levi isn't around. He'll probably play video games in his room all day like he usually does."
Booker glared at her. "Lucky kid. That was my plan for today."