My parents came back home on a Thursday evening.
I was sitting in my room when I heard the front door open. I didn't rush downstairs. I waited. I listened. The house felt different. Heavier.
After a few minutes, I heard my mom's voice. "Kathy? Come downstairs."
I took a deep breath and went down.
My parents were sitting at the dining table. They both looked tired. Not just tired like they had a long flight. Tired like something had been weighing on them for days. My dad had his hands folded on the table. My mom was staring at nothing.
Betty was there too. She was sitting on the couch, scrolling through her phone. She didn't look up when I walked in. That was weird. She always looked up. She always had something to say.
"Kathy," my dad said. "Sit down."
I sat across from him. My heart was beating fast. I didn't know why. Something felt wrong.
"We lost the contract," he said.
I blinked. "What?"
"The contract we've been working on for months. The one that was supposed to keep the company stable. We lost it."
I didn't know what that meant. I didn't know how bad it was. But the way he said it made my stomach drop.
"Is that... bad?" I asked.
My mom let out a small laugh. Not a happy one. A tired one. "Yes, Kathy. It's bad."
I looked at Betty. She still didn't look up. She was just scrolling. Her face was blank.
"The company is in trouble," my dad continued. "We're going to have to make some changes. We might have to sell some things. Maybe even the house."
My eyes widened. "Sell the house?"
"I said maybe. Not definitely. But we need to be prepared."
I didn't know what to say. I just sat there, staring at my hands.
My mom stood up. "I'm going to make dinner. We'll talk more later."
She walked into the kitchen. My dad stayed at the table, staring at the wall. Betty finally looked up. She looked at me. For a second, I thought I saw something in her eyes. But then it was gone.
She stood up and walked upstairs without saying anything.
I sat there for a long time.
Dinner was quiet. No one talked. My mom pushed food around her plate. My dad ate without looking up. Betty was on her phone the whole time. I just sat there, feeling like I was in someone else's house.
After dinner, I went back to my room. I lay on my bed and stared at the ceiling.
I didn't know how bad losing a contract was. But I knew it was bad enough to make my parents look like that. Bad enough to make Betty act like that.
I pulled out my phone. I had a message from Aiden.
"Project tomorrow?"
I stared at it for a moment. Then I typed back.
"Yeah. Same time."
He sent a thumbs up. I put my phone down.
The house was so quiet. I could hear the clock ticking from downstairs. I could hear the wind outside my window.
I closed my eyes and tried to sleep.
But all I could think about was how everything was starting to fall apart.
***
The next morning, my parents were already gone. There was a note on the kitchen table.
"Gone to meet with the bank. We'll be back late. There's money for lunch."
I folded the note and put it in my pocket.
Betty was still in her room. I could hear her moving around. I didn't knock. I just grabbed my bag and left.
The walk to school felt longer than usual.