“Hey, you’re home. How was your first day?” my aunt asks as I’m hanging my blazer on the coat rack by the front door.
My face must give me away because she frowns. “Oh, my God. I’m the worst aunt ever. Please tell me you didn’t walk home. I was going to pick you up, but I figured Oakley would drive you. And then, when I got your text, I realized he didn’t…but then I got your second text and you said a friend of yours was giving you a ride, so I—”
“It’s fine, I’m not mad at you.”
It’s clear she doesn’t buy it because she guides me over to the couch in the living room. “Okay, start talking. Dinner is in the crockpot, which means I’ve got at least an hour and a half for girl talk.”
“There’s nothing to talk about. If you don’t mind, I’m gonna take a nap before dinner.”
If I crack and tell her everything happening at school, it will be like experiencing it all over again and I just want to forget for a few hours.
Worry flashes in her eyes. “But I really want to know how your day was.” Her face lights up. “Did you get the job?”
I nod. “Yeah. Wednesdays after school, and Saturdays six a.m. to eight p.m.”
She scrunches her face. “That Saturday is a killer for your social life, but I guess you can rest on Sundays.”
It takes everything in me not to laugh. “What social life?”
She waves a hand. “Don’t worry, a pretty, smart girl like you will have the boys swarming in no time. I bet they’ve already started.”
That’s the thing about my aunt Crystal. I love her, but she was never a social outcast. She was the head cheerleader and dated the most popular guy at school.
She was Britney.
Only a blonde and way less bitchy version.
She sits up straight. “Tell me about this friend who dropped you off. Do you know her from—”
“Him,” I correct. “And yeah. We’re kind of…old friends. I guess.”
Her eyes light up. “Does this boy have a name?”
“Tommy.” I look at the carpet. “He doesn’t go to RHA, though. He goes to the public high school on the other side of town.”
Her brows furrow. “Then how did—”
“He was picking up his younger brother who goes to RHA. Or rather, used to.”
She blinks. “Oh.”
If there was ever a good time to push for going to public school again, this would be it.
“So, I was thinking, would you and Uncle Wayne reconsider me going to Royal Manor High—”
“Honey, no. I’m sorry, but it’s the one and only thing your uncle Wayne won’t budge on. He wants you to have the best education.” She sighs. “Obtuse people really bother him. He says he deals with them all day in the courtroom and doesn’t want to deal with them at home too.”
I want to point out that there are plenty of obtuse people with million-dollar educations. As well as a plethora of intelligent people who went to public school, but it’s moot at this point.
I stand up. “Right. I’m gonna take a quick shower and nap. I’ll be down for dinner.”
Her face scrunches. “That shirt is swimming on you. I could have sworn I got you a size small—”
“You did.” I open my purse and hand her the bag with the pastries in it. “But Britney tripped me at lunch, and my tray of spaghetti and meatballs broke my fall. Luckily, a girl named Sawyer took pity on me and lent me one of her spare shirts.”
Her hand flies to her mouth. “Wait. What? Some girl tripped you in the cafeteria.”
“Yup.”
“On purpose?”
“Oh, yeah. I’m her public enemy number one.”
Crystal looks outraged. “What’s this brat’s last name? I’m gonna call her parents an—”
“Aunt Crystal, I’ll be eighteen in a few weeks, not eight.”
She looks deflated. “I know, but…I don’t know, Dylan, you can’t expect me not to do anything about this. No one messes with my niece and gets away with it.”
Wait until she finds out what kind of rumor her stepson started about me.
I feel like crap for thinking she couldn’t possibly understand when I see the tears in her eyes.
“We’ve always been close. You’re like my…you know how much I love you.”
I do. And seeing her so upset makes me feel like shit.
“I’ve been dealing with Britney for years. She’s like a fungus that never goes away, but one I can deal with. I’ll be fine.”
“Are you sure?”
“Yeah. It is what it is. Sooner or later she’ll get bored.”
Sadness flickers in her blue eyes. “You remind me so much of your mom right now.” She takes a tissue out of a nearby box and dabs her eyes. “She was so strong and beautiful.”
I start to smile, but then she starts bawling her eyes out.
I freeze, unsure what to do. She’s definitely the more emotional one of the two of us, but I’ve never seen her this emotional before.
I’m completely out of my element. “Is…are…should I call—”
She waves a tissue. “I’m fine, I swear. It’s just the Clomid.”
I have no idea what that is. “Is that like a fancy yoga technique or something?”
She laughs, despite the tears still streaming down her face. “No, it’s my infertility medication.”
Well, shit. “Oh. I didn’t know you were doing that.”
Although I guess it’s not surprising. My aunt’s wanted to have babies for as long as I can remember. To be honest, I’ve always wondered why she and Wayne hadn’t yet.
I guess now I know.
“I didn’t want to tell you because I didn’t want to make you feel like you were inconveniencing us by coming to live here.” She reaches for my hand and I sit back down. “You’re not. I needed something to brighten my spirits after the miscarriage and having you here has.”
My heart twists. “I’m so sorry. I didn’t—”
“You weren’t supposed to. I know how you are, Dylan. I didn’t want to make you feel like you were getting in the way. Or make you think about…” Her voice trails off.
My mom.
The only thing worse than finding my mother dead on the kitchen floor that morning…was that she was five months pregnant when it happened.
I didn’t just lose her. I lost my baby sister.
The one I told my parents I never wanted.
The irony…because I’d give anything to have them both today.
A disturbing, horrifying thought hits me. “Aunt Crystal, are you okay? You said you had a miscarriage. Did you have a heart attack like my mom?”
She looks fine, but so did my mother. The room starts spinning and it’s a struggle to draw in oxygen.
My aunt is literally all I have left. If I lose her…I can’t.
“No, nothing like that.” She pulls me into a hug. “I’m okay. It happened a little over a month and a half ago. I barely even knew I was pregnant, it was so early. The doctor said it was just one of those things that happen sometimes.”
I hug her tighter. “Are you sure you should be trying again so early?” It’s absolutely none of my business, but I need to make sure she’s okay. “I’m not trying to be a downer. I just don’t want anything bad to happen to you.”
“I’m in perfect health, I promise.” She smiles. “In fact, I had an appointment with my doctor today. It’s why I didn’t respond to your first text right away.”
Relief fills me and my eyes become glassy. “Oh. That’s good.”
“Look at you being the sappy one now.”
“I can’t help it. It’s been a shit day and I don’t want to lose my favorite aunt.”
“I’m your favorite, because I’m your only. But I’ll take it, kid. You’re stuck with me forever.”
“Promise?”
“Yes. But I’m gonna need you to tell me where this Britney girl is so I can kick her ass.”
That only makes me cry harder. “She’s with Jace having a stupid pool party.”
I can hear the disappointment in her sigh. “Boys seriously suck sometimes. Jace may be the gorgeous, popular boy at school right now, but he’s also a dumbass. Sooner or later he’ll realize his idiot ways and come crawling back.”
“I’m not so sure about that. He’s really angry with me and I have no idea why.”
She cups my cheeks. “You and I both know you did nothing wrong. You guys were best friends. A bond like the two of you had doesn’t just vanish into thin air. He’ll pull his head out of his ass and come around soon.”
The sound of my uncle clearing his throat interrupts our little hug-fest. “Is everything okay?”
“No,” Crystal says as we break apart. “We need chocolate.”
“And ice cream.”
I might as well go for gold.
My aunt hands me a tissue and holds up the empty box. “And more tissues.”
Wayne’s eyes widen. “Anything else you two want?”
Yeah. I want to make your son my personal piñata.
But mostly?
I want my best friend back.
