Inevitable (38 page)

Trudy’s
car was already there when we arrived and my heart hammered against
my chest as I made what felt like a six mile walk down the path to
my house. Blaine held my hand the whole time and I gripped it so
tightly I must surely have hurt him. After hesitating outside the
door for a moment I sucked in a deep breath and prized it open. My
eyes automatically met Kara’s who was sat on our sofa and at first
I didn’t even notice Trudy or my mum who were sitting at the
plastic table.

“
Hey,” I said to no one in particular. My mum and Trudy
stood up at the same time and in less than a second were
surrounding me. This whole ‘two mothers’ thing was still weirding
me out and I wondered if I’d ever get used to it.
Doubtful.

Nobody spoke.
The silence was deafening. My two mums smiled sweetly, almost
sickeningly at me and Kara continued to gawp at me with a curious
look in her eye.

“
Well this isn’t awkward,” Blaine said, his delicious voice
cutting through the silence like a knife.

“
Liar,” Kara muttered with an amused smile.

“
Well it’s looking like no one else is going to start so shall
I do the honours?” Blaine asked, looking around the room for any
objections. I shrugged, my mum looked to the floor, Trudy nodded
and Kara still stared at me as if I was some newly discovered
species.

“
Right
, Maddie, this is your little sister Kara. Kara, this is
your big sister Maddie. Yes it’s a surprise, yes it’s fucked up,
but will you just hug it out already and plan a girly shopping trip
together or whatever else it is you chicks do to bond?”

Trudy’s jaw
dropped open whilst I simply giggled and Kara threw a cushion at
Blaine. My mum still stared to the floor looking altogether
uncomfortable.

“
I
hate
shopping,” was Kara’s response. We had something in common
already.

“
Me too,” I said. Kara raised an eyebrow at me. “Unless we’re
talking about the chocolate aisle at the supermarket. I could shop
there all day.” Kara smiled and it seemed pretty genuine. It melted
my nerves a little and I took the brave step of joining her on the
sofa.

“
This is pretty weird huh?” I said to her. There was no point
in trying to sugar coat our situation with small talk.

“
I think I prefer Blaine’s analogy. This is seriously
fu-”

“
Kara
!” Trudy scolded before she had a chance to finish the
expletive which I was sure she probably used on a daily basis while
she was with her friends. Kara shrugged off her mum’s reprimand
like a typical almost teenager.

“
Do you think we’ll ever be like… you know…
sister
sisters?” Kara asked
nervously, twiddling a piece of her chestnut hair around her
finger.

“
Yeah I think we could be. I mean, I’d like to try… if you
would too?”

“
Hmm, I guess that could be fun. I mean having a brother is
great and all but well, guys just don’t ‘get’ stuff the way we do
if you know what I mean?”

I laughed softly. She was really trying.
I
was really trying.
We could do this. We
were
doing this.

“
Totally. And they smell.”

Kara giggled
and looked at Blaine who was still hovering by the front door.

“
You’ve smelt his kitbag then?” she teased.

“
I’d quit now unless you want a piece of this bad boy,”
Blaine said, holding up the brown cushion that Kara threw at him
earlier.

Looking relieved with how things were panning out my mum
and Trudy went into the kitche
n to busy themselves with brewing up. Things were
a lot more chilled when it was just Blaine, Kara and me, although
it didn’t do anything to hamper the overpowering weirdness. I mean
here we had a twelve-year-old girl sitting between her brother and
sister who also happened to be screwing each other.

Christ, this
just gets more fucked up by the second.

Kara and I talked for a little while and at one point it
was easy to forget anyone else was with us. We swapped favourite
bands – she hadn’t heard of most of mine,
favourite chocolate – again she’d
never heard of a Malteser (god I missed those) and favourite TV
shows. I didn’t really do TV but when she said hers was The Vampire
Diaries I agreed in an effort to have something in common. I’d
heard Lori bang on about it enough times to keep up with the
conversation that followed.

“
I’m team Damon all the way,” I said and hoped I’d remembered
the vampire’s name right.

“
No way! Elena and Stefan belong together. There’s no way
you can be my sister!” she beamed and it made me smile. Everything
was going so well. Almost
too
well. I had role-played this meeting over and over in my
mind this afternoon and every time there was shouting, screaming
and buckets of tears. Something had to go wrong soon, right? It
usually did.

“
Come on, Kara it’s time for us to leave. Maddie needs to
get to work soon,” Trudy said with a gratified smile.
Kara sighed and
seemed disappointed. It gave me hope that maybe, just
maybe
, this could all work out just fine.

“
Actually, Kara I have a little confession to make,” I said
guiltily. But it was all part of my master plan to get her to like
me. Her face dropped and I realised after the day of revelations
she’d had it probably wasn’t the smartest move.

“
Yeah?” she asked nervously.

“
I’m not actually all that up on The Vampire Diaries,” I
confessed. “I get all my knowledge from my best friend,
Lori.”

“
Oh,” was all she said.

“
But I thought maybe you could bring your DVD’s round some time
and you could get me hooked too?”

“
Really?” she beamed, her big brown eyes wide and
excited.

“
I’ll even crack open some Ben & Jerry’s,” I said with a
wink.

“
Deal! I have all three seasons so we can make a night of it.
Maybe I could even sleep over?”

“
I’d like that,” I said and meant it. Things were going so
well it didn’t seem real. Who’d have thought I’d have enjoyed
having a little sister so much? Not me that’s for sure.

I stole a peek at Blaine who was sitting with the
widest
, most
genuine grin on his face. He looked so happy. Maybe even a little
proud. I hoped that feeling would last for him, but deep down I
knew it would disintegrate the minute he got home. I decided in
that moment that I would need to tell him about the rumours
surrounding his dad being seen at the hospital. Maybe he would
stand a better chance of staying unharmed if he had prior warning?
I knew in my heart it would make no difference… but I had to
try.

Trudy told
Kara it really was time to go and reluctantly she stood up from the
sofa. I was completely thrown when she bent down and threw her arms
around me and for a second I just sat there like a frozen idiot.
She squeezed a little tighter and instinctively my arms wrapped
themselves around her.

“
I’m really looking forward to getting to know you,” she said
as she pulled away. It was hard to believe she was only twelve –
well, almost thirteen as she reminded me a few times. She had taken
this news so well – better than me. She was sweet, level headed and
mature beyond her years.

“
Me too,” I said, again because I meant it.

“
Trudy can I have a word outside?” Blaine asked as they were
about to leave. I furrowed my brow, confused.

“
Sure,” Trudy replied. “Kara darling, you wait in here for a
minute and I’ll come and get you.”

Kara shrugged
and happily flopped back down onto the sofa.

“
Don’t worry, they do that a lot lately,” she said nonchalantly
as if noticing my curiosity. That only made me worse. Now
everything was out in the open what else could they have to discuss
so sneakily?

Blaine and Trudy re-emerged a couple of minutes later and
Blaine looked decidedly relaxed. Curiosity ate away at my insides
but I pushed it to one side as I waved goodbye to my brand new
family. Christ that felt strange. I had an actual family. It had
always just been me and my mum. We never needed anyone else. Or at
least I didn’t
think
I did… until now.

“
So, Trudy suck you off out there or something?” I
whispered
impishly to Blaine as we sat back on the sofa while my mum
made
more
drinks. She did that a lot when she was nervous.

“
What! Eww, lish, that
’s just wrong on so many levels.” Blaine shook his
head as if trying to shake away the vile image I knew I had just
planted in his mind. It made me giggle. “You have a sick mind you
know that?”

“
I prefer
dirty
,” I muttered suggestively. He literally squirmed in his
seat. That was just the result I was after. “You just came back
looking all happy that’s all,” I said, hoping he’d tell me what
they talked about without me actually having to ask.

“
I asked her to cover for me with my dad so I can take you out
tonight,” he said solemnly and I noticed him shiver slightly as he
said the word ‘dad’. “I don’t know what she’s gonna say but she’ll
take care of it long enough for me to enjoy tonight with
you.”

“
What does that mean?” I asked as gut-wrenching worry twisted
around my stomach. “Long enough for you to enjoy tonight? What will
happen tomorrow?”

“
Don’t think about it, lish,” he said, shrugging. “I’m not. I
won’t let him ruin tonight. I’m looking forward to it so
much.”

How in hell
could I not think about it? I could see in his eyes a strike was
looming whenever he went home. This was getting ridiculous. How
many more times would he roll over and take this shit?

“
You should go home, Blaine. Don’t push him if you don’t need
to.” Tears pricked at the back of my eyes. I didn’t want him to go
home tonight. But I didn’t want him to go home to a strike tomorrow
even more.

“
What I
need
,
Maddie, is you. I’m not giving up tonight; I’ve had it planned for
too long. Besides, it’s too late to worry about pushing him
now.”

“
What do you mean?” I said as I gripped his knee.

“
My dad knows what happened at the party,” he admitted, his
voice breaking. “He went to the hospital today and paid Jared’s
family off with a shit load of cash to stop them pressing charges
against me. Not because he cares if his son is left to rot away in
jail of course, but because of the shame that would bring upon
him.

“
Then after hearing that, Scott’s family jumped on the
bandwagon. I’m in it up to my eyeballs, lish. I’m sure he has my
punishment all mapped out but I
will not
let him take tonight away from me
too.”

Stunned into
silence I let my eyes drop to the floor as stinging hot tears
escaped with each blink. Blaine wrapped an arm around me and pulled
me into his chest then started stroking my hair with his
fingers.

“
It’ll all be okay.
I’ll
be okay. Once I hit eighteen I can find a way out.
We’ll be okay, Maddie.”

Would it? Would he? Would
we
?

How?

Blaine drove
me to work for my two-hour shift. It seemed pointless going in for
such a short time until I got there and saw the queue backing right
up to the door. I didn’t even have time to give Blaine a kiss
goodbye before I headed straight into the back room to swap my
jacket for my apron.

Don and
Michelle were busy manning both tills so I used my initiative and
started clearing tables. No sooner had I cleared one another one
appeared – loaded with empty cups, crumbs and coffee rings.

“
Jesus, it’s like every student and his mother has come out
here tonight!” I groaned as I struggled to keep up with the
ever-increasing number of used tables.

“
It’s the college open night for the fresher’s staring this
fall. The college should be closed now and it should all die down
pretty sharpish,” Don said, throwing a tea-towel over his
shoulder.

He was right. About twenty minutes later the floor started
to clear and tables were starting to stay empty after I’d cleaned
them. I spent my last forty minutes being a contestant on the All
About Lori quiz show. Michelle grilled me endlessly, wanting to
know anything and everything I knew about Lori – most of which I’m
sure she already knew. I hadn’t known Lori for
that
much longer than she had after all.
It was kind of cute though. She obviously adored Lori. It’s a good
job too. I liked Michelle and would hate to have to bitch-slap her
for messing with my girl.

Don chipped in every now and again with tales of the man of
this week’s dreams. He was in love.
Again.
It must be exhausting falling love every
other day. I had only ever done it once and it had taken its toll
often enough. It was impossible not to be happy for him though.
Like Michelle, he had those lovesick puppy dog eyes. The kind I
knew
I
had
when I told them about my date with Blaine tonight.