"Are you excited for your date tonight?" Stacie asked as I chuckled. "It's not a date." I said and shook my head.
"Right. Are you excited for your not date date?" She asked as I shrugged.
"I'm indifferent." I said then looked at the time. "Do you need anything else from me? I gotta get the kids from school." I said with a sigh and stood up.
"Is it safe for you to be driving?" Stacie asked as I shrugged. "I'm gonna walk. It's not too far." I said with a sigh.
"Then you're gonna be sweaty for your date." Stacie said causing me to laugh. "Good. And it's not a date." I said and grabbed my bag.
"Whatever you say, Jules." She said as I clocked out. "I'll be at your house at 5. Is that okay?" She asked as I nodded and checked my phone.
M: Meet me at Wild Sage at 5:30. Can't wait to see you.
"That's perfect." I said with a small smile then grabbed my keys.
"You're blushingggg." Stacie sang as I rolled my eyes. "See you at 5." I said then turned and left the building.
When I got to the car, I let out a sigh and tapped the steering wheel. "No seizure." I said, hopefully manifesting that I wouldn't have one while driving.
Luckily I was pretty good at knowing that one was going to happen, so even if I was driving I would know to pull over.
My house was only a couple of minutes away anyways so I was pretty positive in my abilities to get there safe.
When I got home, I quickly went inside to change out of my work clothes so my walk to Juniper's school would be more comfortable.
I then grabbed my bag and made my way out of the house. I had to admit walking by myself made me nervous, considering my past.
I made sure to get a house in the safest neighborhood possible though. After everything that happened, I wasn't going to risk anything.
My siblings meant too much to me to put them even remotely on the line.
The walk to Juniper's school was about 20 minutes which was perfect because they were being dismissed when I got there.
"Hi, sissy!" Juniper said as she ran up to me. "Hi, love bug. How was school?" I asked and took her backpack from her. "Good!" She said with a smile and took my hand.
"Good." I said then squeezed her hand. "Are we walking, sissy?" She asked as I nodded.
"Yep. It's good for us." I said and looked around at my surroundings.
Nobody seemed to be watching or following but I could never be too sure.
When we got to the middle school, I brought Juniper to the playground so she could play while we waited.
I had to admit I was feeling a little shaky and my head was starting to hurt, but there was nothing I could do about it.
I kept myself together long enough for Jenna, Carter, and Sam to come out and join us, which was good because I didn't want to have a medical emergency that would leave my five year old sister alone.
"Are you feeling okay?" Jenna asked as I shakily sat on the bench that was behind me. I shook my head and laid on my side, waiting for the moment to arrive.
"Don't worry. We're here." Sam said and put his hand under my head to cushion it. "Watch Juniper." I mumbled as my hands and arms started to shake.
"We've got her." Carter confirmed as I nodded, my mouth going dry. Before I could say or do anything else, my body had slipped into a seizure.
I felt bad because when I came to it, there was a crowd of concerned adults and their scared children.
"Don't call an ambulance, she's fine!" Jenna argued as a woman grabbed her phone, bringing it to her ear.
"You're okay, Jule. You had a seizure. You're okay." Sam hummed as I tried to sit up, only to fail from how dizzy I was. "Love you, sissy." Juniper said as Carter held her on his hip.
"Are you okay, sweetheart?" A woman said, causing my heart to jolt ever so slightly. "I'm fine. Epileptic. G'me a minute." I mumbled, closing my eyes.
"I really think we should get an ambulance here." The woman with the phone said as I shook my head.
"Happens all the time. M'fine." I said then tried to sit up. "Just a wait a second, Jule." Jenna said then looked at the crowd.
"She's fine, walk away." She hissed aggressively. I thought it was adorable how protective my siblings got when I had seizures.
It was like our roles reversed for just a little while.
Everyone walked away from the scene, leaving me to calm myself down.
"Alright. Thanks guys." I said quietly and stood up.
"You're feeling okay?" Carter asked as I nodded. "A little shaky, but I'll live." I said and took Juniper's hand.
"Let's get home." I said and gestured for the kids to walk in front of me.
"Ma'am." A woman said causing me to turn. "This is for you." She said and handed me a bottle of water. "Thank you." I said with a small smile then nodded and turned towards the kids.
I always made sure to have the kids walk in front of me so I could keep an eye on them.
There were dangerous people in this world.
When we got home I made the kids a snack then went to get ready for my date. I wouldn't have time right before going because I had to make dinner for everyone.
Since I was ignoring the fact that this was a date, I went with a pair of jeans and a black sweater. It was nice enough to look good, but not nice enough to be considered trying too hard.
I decided to curl my hair, having it cascade down my back since my hair has gotten pretty long again.
I had to admit I missed the shoulder length hair because it was easier to handle, but it was really pretty long.
Once I was done with my hair I did my makeup. It had been a really long time since I have actually put any effort into myself because I didn't have the time.
Plus, I was never trying to impress anyone.
"Jule, you look pretty." Sam said as I made my way to the kitchen. "Thanks, Sam." I said then ruffled his hair.
"I'm thinking of making chicken parm for dinner. That sound good?" I asked and opened the fridge, looking at the small amount of groceries we had.
"I kinda want tacos." Sam said as I shook my head. "No tacos. Ever." I said with a sigh. "Jule, can you help me?" Jenna asked as I closed the refrigerator door.
"Depends on what it is." I said and pursed my lips. "Just this problem. I don't understand it." She said and put her book down.
"Math is the worst, so we will have to see." I said then looked at the math problem.
"I think you need to just carry the one. See? You just forgot to write it." I said and pointed to her mistake.
"I'm an idiot." She said as I shook my head. "No, you're not. Math is stupid." I said then smoothed her hair down.
"I don't have much for dinner, so your options are chicken parm, buttered noodles, or grilled cheese." I said then went back over to the fridge.
"Chicken parm." Jenna said as I nodded. "Perfect." I said then turned to start making dinner.
By the time I was finishing up, there was a knock on the door.
"Hey, thanks for coming." I said to Stacie as I let her into the house.
"No problem, Jules. I'm happy you're taking a night for yourself." She said causing me to sigh.
"It's just dinner. I'll be back in an hour." I said as she shook her head.
"Take your time. I've got nothing going on tonight." She said as we walked into the kitchen.
"Hi, Miss Stacie." The kids said as they waved. "Hey, guys! We're gonna have fun tonight." Stacie said with a smile.
"Alright. Eat up, you can leave the dishes. I will do them later. The doors stay locked and you listen to Stacie. Understand?" I asked and looked at the kids.
"We'll be good, Jule." Carter said with a laugh. "Yeah, don't worry about us." Jenna said as I shook my head. "I'll always worry." I said then ruffled Juniper's hair.
"Be good for Miss Stacie." I said causing her to giggle. "Okay, sissy." She said and smiled up at me.
"I'll be back soon. Love you guys." I said then grabbed my keys and waved. "Love you." They all said and waved.
I couldn't get over the fact that I was leaving them. It felt like a bad idea because I haven't been away from them in four years but I trusted Stacie.
I deserved to have a night away where I wasn't so stressed out.
I deserved to have a good night.