Taylor was looking for her soldering kit the whole morning, and obviously, it was at the bottom of the last box she checked. Her mother's desk lamp needed a small repair and she wanted to finish it by the time she got home from her daily grocery shopping. She didn't understand how Jessica managed to tolerate going to the shop every single day. She could've just bought 2-3-days worth of stuff at once, but no… She had to go to town for something every day.
"Come on in, boys" she heard her mother's voice.
Great. And now she brought home guests.
"This is the kitchen, you can just put the bags wherever, I'll put everything away later. And this is my lovely daughter, Taylor, who runs exclusively on nicotine and caffeine" Jessica said with an over exaggerated eye roll, making Sam laugh.
"And anxiety" Taylor added without looking up from the soldering, slightly blowing away the thin streak of smoke.
Sebastian felt that, and he could hardly suppress a smile. Maybe his half-sister was actually right. When she was finished, she looked up and saw her mother standing over her with two boys who looked like they were the exact opposite of each other.
"And these fine gentlemen are Sam and Sebastian" she introduced them. "They helped me bring the groceries home."
"Very gentlemanly of you" Taylor replied, nodding to the boys.
"Exactly. How about some cookies and soda as a reward?" Jess smiled, getting a small container from the cupboard.
"Wow, thanks. So, what do people do for fun in Crystal City?" Sam asked, while taking a cookie from the container.
"Drugs" Taylor said without hesitation, as her mother opened her mouth to say something.
Sam's mouth dropped at the comment, locking eyes with Sebastian, who just looked at his friend with a questioning look.
"Taylor…" Jessica sighed, looking at her side-eyed.
"Crystal City has by far the highest number of drug users in the country" Taylor continued, turning to look at her mother. "One in three people between the ages of 18 and 40 use some kind of non-subscription drug on a daily basis."
"Anyway… I've heard about the festival this week" Jessica said with a smile, changing the subject. "Are you boys going?"
"Of course we do" Sam replied as Sebastian nodded, throwing his arm around his friend. "What would the Flower Dance be without the dancers?"
"Oh, you guys dance?" Jessica asked in awe, looking at her daughter with a suggestive look.
"Basically everyone who is single dances during the festival" Sam commented, as Jessica's eyes lit up with pure joy.
"Don't even think about it" Taylor said matter-of-factly, earning a laugh from Sam and a half-smile from Sebastian.