Chapter 1: The Procrastinator’s Grand Idea

Erica Wiley was supposed to be signing up for her sophomore classes. Instead, she was watching her aunt Marian pick at the fraying hem of her sleeve, a cigarette dangling precariously between two fingers. The living room smelled like stale coffee and the faint remnants of some long-extinguished lavender candle, neither strong enough to mask the exhaustion hanging in the air.

"He's doing this just to get under my skin," Marian muttered, exhaling smoke. "That bastard never gave a damn about those kids until now."

Erica leaned back into the sunken couch cushions, letting her head lull to the side as she watched her twin cousins—Sydney and Sid—sit stiffly on the floor by the coffee table.

Sydney's nails drummed an erratic beat against the tabletop, her dark eyes distant. Her short, curly blonde pixie cut framed her face in a way that made her look even more delicate than she already did. It was a deceptive kind of prettiness, the kind that made people underestimate how sharp she could be.

Sid sat hunched over, arms crossed, his jaw tight. He was the tallest of them, with a bulkier build that made it easy to mistake him for someone older. His dirty blonde hair matched Sydney's, cut just as short to keep up the twin illusion—a decision Sydney absolutely despised. Unlike his sister, Sid's skin had darkened from constant sun exposure, his features rough around the edges. He could probably be considered handsome if he ever cared enough to try.

"What's he saying in court?" Erica asked, though she could already guess.

"That he's changed. That he's fit to be their father now. That I'm unfit." Marian let out a bitter laugh and shook her head. "I can't prove he's lying, but he sure as hell can make my life miserable trying to prove I am."

Sydney scoffed but said nothing. Sid's fingers dug into his arms. Erica studied them both—fresh out of high school, standing at the edge of adulthood, yet trapped in the mess their father had created.

Her mind drifted to the last time she had seen them, just a few weeks ago.

She had found Sid sitting on the back porch, arms wrapped around his knees. He had been so still, so quiet. Without a word, she sat beside him, waiting for him to speak.

"I just wish things weren't always… temporary," he had finally murmured.

She had tilted her head. "What do you mean?"

"Everything," he muttered. "This house. Our mom being happy. Even you being around."

Erica had felt something twist inside her, but she couldn't argue. She had always had the luxury of leaving. Sid hadn't.

"I just… I want something to last, you know?" he had said softly.

She had wanted to tell him things would get better, that he'd find stability. But she wasn't in the business of making empty promises.

Instead, she had simply said, "Yeah. I get it."

Marian exhaled, rubbing a hand down her face, pulling Erica back to the present. "I can't keep fighting him forever."

Erica tapped her fingers against her thigh, her mind flickering to her last conversation with Sydney. That one hadn't gone as smoothly.

"You're an idiot," Sydney had snapped, arms crossed as she glared at Erica down in the living room.

"Nice to see you too, Syd," Erica had deadpanned.

Sydney's scowl had deepened. "You let my mom use you as a personal puppet, and you just take it."

Erica's expression hadn't changed, but her fingers had twitched. "Not your business."

"Yeah, well, you always make our business your problem, so I think it's fair."

She had left after that, but the words stuck. Sydney hadn't just been angry—she had been worried. It was a shame Erica didn't know how to acknowledge that.

Erica straightened, pushing both memories aside. She wasn't here to dwell on the past. She was here to fix things.

"You know," she started, crossing one leg over the other, "now might be the perfect time for them to take a trip."

Marian arched an eyebrow. "A trip?"

"Yeah, like a gap year experience. Self-discovery. Real-world exposure. That kind of thing." Erica waved a lazy hand in the air. "I took a gap year, and it did wonders for me."

That was a bold-faced lie. She had spent most of her so-called gap year in bed, dodging emails and avoiding anything remotely resembling responsibility. But Marian didn't need to know that.

Sydney perked up, the first hint of interest flickering across her face. "We'd be gone for a whole year?"

"Or at least long enough to keep Ken from getting his hands on you two," Erica said. "Aunt Marian, you always say you want what's best for them. Maybe what's best is getting them the hell away from this situation."

Marian hesitated, her fingers tightening around the cigarette. Erica could see the internal battle waging in her tired eyes.

"You really think that'd help?" Marian murmured. "Just... leaving?"

"I think it's better than sticking around for this custody nightmare," Erica said bluntly. "Besides, they need this. They need space to breathe."

"And adventure," Sydney added quickly. "And excitement."

Sid, who had been quiet the entire time, finally spoke. "And peace."

Marian exhaled, rubbing a hand down her face. "I can't believe I'm even considering this."

"Believe it," Erica said, already feeling the weight of what she'd just signed herself up for settle onto her shoulders. "It's happening."