All Work and No Play
From Welcome to Keystone Novel 11: Pressure: Chapter 1, Scene 1
Outside fourteen-year-old Kaitlin Lawrence’s bedroom window, the last strains of winter sunshine that had been filtering through the slats of her white blinds all throughout Sunday afternoon finally completely faded out, leaving the sky high above the peaks of the stone gray Water Mountains that overlooked the backyard of her Keystone, California home an inky black blanket that was dotted with twinkling white stars.
Inside the large white and pale blue house though, Kaitlin barely noticed that yet another weekend was coming to an end. Because just like many of the other weekends that had come and gone since she had returned to school after Christmas break, she had spent the majority of this one participating in activities that were intended to prepare her for high school the following year. Activities such as the long list of homework assignments that she was now once again reading over in her student planner in order to ensure that she had completed them all.
“Let’s see,” muttered Kaitlin as her eyes scanned the homework block that she had filled in throughout her class periods on Friday. “Social studies questions…done. Math problems…done. Language arts essay…finished. Reading EGST practice work…I still need to do.” Turning to look at the clock radio that sat atop the white light-pink-trimmed nightstand that stood to the left of her bed, she observed, “And it’s already five-fifteen. Five-fifteen on Sunday of another weekend when I haven’t been able to have any fun because I have way too much to do. Argh!”
As a flash of anger and frustration suddenly struck her body just as instantaneously as a lightning bolt, Kaitlin pulled back her arm and hurled her planner across the room. Then she buried her face in her hands and let out a loud groan of irritation, exasperation, and misery.
As Kaitlin’s planner hit the back of her slightly open bedroom door and then tumbled to her light pink carpet, the door opened just a little bit more, and her twenty-four-year-old sister, Keri Ann, cautiously stuck her head in.
“Whoa,” said Keri Ann as she slowly looked around the room, taking in the planner missile that was now sitting directly in front of the door, the array of textbooks and notebooks that was spread out over the light pink and white floral-print comforter that covered Kaitlin’s white metal-framed twin bed, and her sister herself who was sitting in the middle of the mess looking as if she were on the verge of a complete mental breakdown. “Are you okay, Kate? Because you nearly just killed me here, you know.”
Drawing in a few deep breaths in order to calm herself, Kaitlin finally forced a nod. “Yeah,” she replied as she slowly lifted her face from her hands and looked up at Keri Ann who was now carefully stepping into the room. “I just got a little annoyed because…” dropping her hands into her lap, she paused and took a moment to swallow back the tears of frustration that were threatening to explode from her throat in unhappy wails, “well, because I’ve been doing homework all day again, and I’m still not done yet.”
Understandingly nodding, Keri Ann bent down and scooped up the planner. “Hmm,” she said, her brow crinkling with concern as she straightened up, tucked her loose wavy dark blond hair behind her ear, and then took a moment to read over Kaitlin’s assignment list herself. “You’re right. There is quite a bit of work here.”
“Yeah,” Kaitlin muttered in agreement. “And I barely got any time to work on it yesterday because I had to baby-sit Marisa and a bunch of other kids at the rec center again while Mom coached her last game for Allison’s basketball team.”
Looking up at her sister again, Keri Ann said, “Yeah, that can be tough. Figuring out how to balance lots of schoolwork with other activities, I mean. So do you want some help with planning out next week so that you maybe won’t be so stressed out?”
Shaking her head, Kaitlin climbed off her bed and pulled down on the hem of the white long-sleeve sweatshirt, which had a lavender hood and a lavender and violet tie-dye pattern printed on it, that she was wearing with jeans and brown boots. “No,” she replied as she blinked her tears from her brown eyes. “There’s really not a point in doing that right now when I don’t know for sure how much homework I’m going to have each night yet.”
Keri Ann sympathetically nodded as she turned and gently set Kaitlin’s planner down on her white light-pink-trimmed desk. “Well, maybe before you finish the list of homework that you’re working on right now, you should take a little break,” she suggested as she turned back to her sister and crossed her arms over the chunky off-white long-sleeve turtleneck sweater that she was wearing with brown jeans and brown boots. “And if you do decide to do that, now would actually be a good time. Because Mom and Dad want to see you down in the kitchen.”
Slowly turning to look at her sister, Kaitlin crossed her arms over her chest and gave her a disbelieving look. “Now?” she shrilly demanded.
Upon hearing the note of agitation in her little sister’s voice, Keri Ann grimaced slightly. “Yeah,” she confirmed with a nod. She shook her head. “Sorry. But since part two of the court proceedings that Jody and I need to attend in order to get justice for our car accident is starting this week, they want to talk to everyone about the extra responsibilities that they’re expecting them to take on for as long as this whole process lasts. And as soon as Marisa and Allison are done, you and Darrin are up.”
Letting out a scoff of disgust, Kaitlin agitatedly threw up her hands. “Great!” she exclaimed. “More stuff to do.”
As Kaitlin let her hands drop against her sides with a loud slap and then turned to start reorganizing some of the items on her bed, Keri Ann’s face pinched with concern. “I, uh, can go down and tell them that now’s not a good time for you if you want,” she offered.
But Kaitlin just shook her head. “No,” she said as she reached up and tucked a strand of shoulder-length brown hair that had come loose from the white hair elastic that was holding it in a low ponytail behind her ear. “I’ll go.” Turning to her sister, she added, “Because just like my homework and volunteering at the rec center, it’s a responsibility that’s not going to disappear no matter how much I want it to. And that means that I’m going to have to do it sooner or later, right?”
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