Free Kismet by AE Woodward

hallway floor. In all the confusion I think I’ve been forgotten. But that’s fine, because I’m really good with being alone. It’s soothing for me to be lonely. That, and listening to all the conversation gives me something else to focus on besides myself. Tommy and Pop eventually join Mom and Stevenson in the kitchen, waiting for Parker. Each of them throw their two cents in as to how this should go down. Tommy insists that he should go with us, saying that Parker can’t handle the responsibility. I appreciate that he’s still trying to look out for my best interests, but the fact of the matter is that Tommy doesn’t know the half of what I need.
    He goes round with Mom and Pop, but Stevenson stops him. “We need to follow her lead, Tommy.”
    “I just don’t think her going there with him is the best option right now!” Tommy yells.
    “Now, I respect your concern, Tommy, and we all appreciate that you want the best for your sister. However, if Katie wants to go alone with Parker then that is what we give her. She needs to be in control of her own recovery. We need to remember that this isn’t about us. She’s an adult, she can make her own choices.”
    Tommy lets out a sarcastic laugh just before I hear the screen door fling open, the springs creaking in response, and then quickly slamming shut. “What the hell is going on?” Parker asks anxiously.
    Quickly, Stevenson fills Parker in on my request. He adds that Parker shouldn’t feel pressured, especially if he’s not comfortable with the situation, but that he needs to understand how huge this could be for my treatment.
    “Why me?” he questions.
    “I dunno, Parker,” Tommy barks. “ Why you?”
    There’s a brief, awkward silence before Stevenson clears his throat and continues to speak. “Obviously Katie knows you well enough to know that you’ll be there for her, while allowing her enough independence to cope with it on her own terms. She’s trusting you,” Stevenson says without emotion.
    “I don’t know if I can do this,” he mutters. Experience tells me that he’s most likely running his hands through his hair. He always does when he’s nervous.
    A fist slams against the table, making me jump out of my skin. “You’re right, you can’t!”
    “Tommy!” Mom scolds.
    A few more moments of awkward silence pass. I can only imagine the looks that are being thrown in that kitchen. The tension is surely raising a few questions in everyone’s mind. “I just don’t think this is the best idea,” Tommy speaks quietly. “You’re in over your head, Park.”
    “We’ve been here before, Tommy,” Parker reminds him.
    “Exactly.”
    “If it helps, I’ll give her some anti-anxiety medication before you leave,” Stevenson says, “and you can take these.” There is a faint rattling, which I can only assume is a pill bottle being passed over. “Only give her one if you think it’s absolutely necessary.”
    On that note, it’s time for me to make my presence known. I’m tired of feeling like a child, listening to people talk about what is best for me. I walk into the kitchen, and my eyes lock upon Parker. He’s looking at the floor, obviously lost in his own thoughts. I wonder what he’s thinking.
    It takes him a minute to register my presence, but eventually his eyes meet mine. I plead without words. He knows he owes it to me. Everything that happened was because of him, and deep down he knows it too.
    Parker studies the bottle in his hand. “All right,” he says shoving the pills into his pocket, before looking back at me. “You ready, kiddo?”
    I nod. My family take turns giving me hugs and sharing words of encouragement before I leave. It hits me that I’m slowly becoming more comfortable with skin-on-skin contact, and I no longer feel the urge to crawl away from them when they touch me.
    “I’ll stay here with your parents until you get back, Katie.” Dr. Stevenson places a pill in my hand and without hesitation I pop