Taking Flight (31 page)

I folded my arms across my chest. “You’re an asshole.”

He laughed lightly and adjusted the cap on his head. “I’m just looking out for my little sister.”

“I know this is like arguing with a brick wall, but I’ll bite. What have I done to make you think I’m not good for her?”

“You’re here. No one good ends up here.” He walked past me to head back up the stairs, and I trailed behind him.

“You liked me before you knew.”

“Yeah, well, turns out finding a girl’s a dyke who’s screwing his little sister changes a guy’s opinion on her.”

“It’s not like that,” I called after him, growing genuinely annoyed now. “I actually care about her.”

He was waiting for me in his bedroom, a fresh box already packed. “Not like a guy can,” he countered, and moved around me to leave again. I stood alone in his room, jaw clenched as I heard him heading back downstairs.

We didn’t speak again.

Chapter Twenty-Two

Another week passed and I found myself walking with Cammie to our shared lunch period, hands brushing and shoulders bumping as I resisted the urge to tangle our fingers together.

When we sat down with Fiona and Nate, Fiona smiled at Cammie and told her, “I like your shirt today. That shade of green’s my favorite color.”

“Aw, thanks. I like your earrings.”

“Thanks!”

Nate and I exchanged amused looks from across the table. Cammie’d been sitting with us for a while now, and she fit right in at this point. I wasn’t sure what her and Tiffany’s status was anymore, but Cammie no longer talked about her, and I never saw them talking to each other, so I assumed that the whole Peter fiasco had been the downfall of their friendship. Cheerleading season was over, so they were no longer hanging out then, either.

“So are you guys going to Prom?” Fiona asked us. “It’s on March 18
th
. Just a month to go.”

“Whoa, hey, that’s my birthday!” I told her. Then I frowned. “What a lame way to spend it. Ugh.”

“Of course you’d hate Prom,” Fiona laughed out. “Dismantle the establishment! Boycott Prom!”

“Oh, shut up,” I mumbled to laughter from Cammie and Nate. “It’s just expensive.”

Fiona and Cammie both shot me knowing looks, and I heaved a sigh.

“
What
? There are just better ways to spend my night.”

“I think you should ask Maddie to go with you,” Fiona teased with a wink.

Beside her, Nate added, “Bow chicka wow wow…”

“You guys are
way
too late,” I told him, and reached down to pat Cammie’s thigh under the table. “Do I seriously need to remind you that Maddie’s hated me for a while now?”

“Well, she’s like the only other lesbian at this school,” Fiona pointed out. “Go forth, and… settle for your only option!”

“I’m seriously not going,” I said, and held back a wince when Cammie pinched my side in a very clear,
“Oh yes you are.”

“Well, we are,” Nate told me. “What about you, Cammie? Any guy you’re interested in going with?”

Cammie coughed abruptly, mid-bite, and grabbed for her napkin, startling Fiona and Nate. “Oh, um,” she finally mumbled when she recovered. “I don’t know.”

“You have to go,” Fiona insisted. “You were Homecoming Queen. Just because you don’t have Peter doesn’t mean you can’t find a date just as hot.”

“And less douchey,” added Nate.

“I’m not winning Prom Queen,” Cammie said. “I’ve been ostracized from that clique for daring to have a cheating asshole for a boyfriend, in case you haven’t noticed.”

Fiona and Nate exchanged an awkward look, and then Fiona evidently made the decision to speak up. “Didn’t you cheat on him first?”

There was tension for only a moment before Cammie smirked. “Shh.”

Nate chuckled as Fiona grinned at her. “I’ll help you find a date. There are plenty of cute boys who’d jump at the chance to go with you. Maybe not star athlete cute, but there are plenty of other fish in the sea.”

“Don’t try too hard,” Cammie insisted. “Maybe we can all just have fun as a group.”

“Yeah. That sounds fun,” I added hastily, and ignored Fiona’s arched brow. “Let’s do it.”

* * *

Fiona and I stayed after school together that day. I had a project in Home Ec that involved creating my own recipe, and she was a decent cook, so she offered to help.

We sat down on a bench together just outside of the door to the gym, and I asked her, “Before we start, can I borrow your cell phone?”

“Definitely.” She handed it over immediately, and I nodded thankfully. I’d told her about Caitlyn a while back.

I dialed her number and waited as it rang, then grinned when I heard her pick up. “Cait!”

“Lauren. Oh my God. Hey, how are you!?”

“I’m actually doing pretty well,” I told her. “I have an update for you, though. It’s kind of important. I need you to hold off on that ride. I, um… I decided I want to stay and graduate.”

“Seriously?” she sounded surprised, but not upset. “Wow. What do you want me to do, then? Are you sure you’re okay staying the full seven months?”

“I can make it,” I said. “Once I get the money in March, I’ll transfer some to you to help pay for where we live. I’ll call you again soon to work out details with that. We can do the whole New York thing, I just won’t come up until after I graduate. And also, we might have a fourth.”

“Who?” she sounded genuinely curious, and I hated that she’d asked the question, because now I’d have to answer it beside Fiona.

“Um… the same one?”

Fiona looked curious, but I figured I’d been vague enough.

“Wait, you’re still with her?” Caitlyn laughed. “Wow.”

I furrowed my eyebrows, a little taken aback. “Yeah. Of course. It’s different. I told you that.”

“I know, it’s just… It’s kind of a ‘you have to see it to believe it’ thing, you know?” There was a long silence, and when I didn’t respond, she sighed. “I’m sorry, Lauren. You’ve changed a lot. But you’re still my best friend, and I’m really glad you’ve found someone. Please don’t be upset. You two can come up in May and we’ll take her clubbing; introduce her to our world, right?”

I smiled and nodded. “Yeah. Sorry. I’m just a little stressed right now.”

“I bet. Her family still doesn’t know?”

“Just Mom,” I said, still thinking of Fiona.

“How did the others take it?”

“Dad was good. Brother not so much, but he’ll live.” I paused. “How are things there. Anything from my dad?”

“Oh. Um.” She was silent for a moment, and I began to get nervous.

“Cait…”

“No, it’s okay. He’s just the same, is all. I know you sent him a letter; I’ve kind of been bringing the mail inside every few days for him. I don’t know if he’s opened it.”

I sat back in my seat with the sigh. “Okay.”

“I’m sorry. I wasn’t sure if I should say anything…”

“No, I’m glad you did. I’ll try to call more, I’m sorry. It’s just been…” I shifted uncomfortably, eager to change the subject. “A lot’s been going on here.”

“I get it. Momma drama. So if I don’t hear from you before your birthday, I’ll wait until May to come get you. If I don’t hear from you by May, I’m gonna be at your front door on May 1
st
with a battering ram.”

“Got it.” I forced a laugh. “Sounds perfect. You’ll hear from me soon.”

“Okay. Muah.” She kissed the air. “Two more months apart! What am I gonna do?”

“You have your hand,” I joked, and she snorted.

“Inappropriate! You have a girlfriend now!”

“Bye, Cait,” I said, chuckling.

“Love you!” she replied, and ended the call. When I handed the phone back to Fiona, she looked amused.

“So you were planning on busting out of here early,” she said. “That’s good to know.”

“Can you blame me?” I asked her.

She laughed. “I can’t. But I’m glad you’re staying a little longer. What changed your mind?”

“Your beautiful face,” I sighed out, watching her dreamily.

“Knew it. Now give me your assignment so I can do it for you.”

“You’re the best,” I told her, leaning down to dig through my backpack.

“Don’t forget it.”

* * *

David and Cammie went out to eat alone that evening for some father-daughter bonding time, which, unfortunately, left me alone with Wendy.

The drawings Cammie had done over the years had been removed from their hiding place in her closet and now rested in a folder on the living room coffee table, which was where Wendy sat flipping through them for the dozenth time when she called out, “Lauren?”

I was in the kitchen, making a bagel for dinner, and peered over the counter at her. “Yes?”

She made eye contact briefly and patted the seat beside her. I swallowed hard and nodded, abandoning my bagel and moving into the living room with trepidation

“Come sit,” said Wendy. “Have you seen these?”

“Yeah,” I told her. I sat down, trying my best to keep some space between us. “It took her a while to show them to me, but yeah, I saw them.”

“So you knew about this.” She closed the portfolio and turned to face me, and I swallowed hard again. Scott was bigger, stronger, and taller than Wendy, but she was easily more intimidating.

“Yes,” I said uncertainly.

“Did you know about the rest of it?” She paused, and then wondered aloud, “Did she sit up there with you for
months
talking about what a horrible mother I was?”

“She doesn’t think you’re a horrible mother,” I rushed to correct. “Neither do I.” I paused, struggling for the right words. At last, I said, “When I came here, it was made very clear to me that I was meant to be a certain way. I knew that if I wanted to get the stamp of approval to leave here, I couldn’t be the way that I was beforehand. And yeah, there were some aspects about me that really
did
need to change, so that whole philosophy worked with me. But Cammie? Cammie’s a good kid.”

“Of course she is, and it’s because we raised her that way.”

“You raised her alongside people with more issues than
me
and expected her to be the perfect model for them. You put that pressure on her and taught her that she had to be a certain way too. She felt like she had these impossible standards she had to meet because she had to
prove
constantly that she was the perfect child. Or else risk messing up the setup you’ve got here. On top of that, she knows how much she means to you and once she was in too deep with making you happy, she didn’t think she could bring herself ruin the illusion.”

Wendy looked away from me to the drawings, cycling through them silently for a moment. At last, she declared, “You’ve become my daughter’s best friend. And I’m not sure how I feel about that.”

“I just waited and listened,” I explained. “That’s all. That’s what it took to get her to open up.”

Wendy let out a quiet sigh, then turned and offered me a small smile. “I guess I should’ve told her sooner that I preferred her with my friend Dottie’s son over Peter, anyway.”

I couldn’t tell if she was joking or not until I replied, “You should probably let her make that call,” and she laughed.

“Yes, I suppose I should.” She stood, turned, and bent down to wrap her arms around me. I blinked twice, surprised, and then hugged her back until she withdrew. “Now: were you making bagels in there? For dinner? I don’t think so; let me get the oven preheated.” She bustled off to the kitchen, and I watched her go, realizing with mild surprise that I was beginning to like Wendy.

* * *

“Holy shit.”

I stared at myself in the mirror, eyes wide, and then leaned in closer, not daring to believe that I was actually looking at myself. Cammie giggled beside me as I turned and asked her, “Seriously, when did this happen? I’m, like,
hot
.”

“Uh, yeah.” Cammie nodded very emphatically, looking me up and down. I turned back to the mirror and reached for them of my shirt.

“I mean, I was skinny before, but I have
abs
now.” I lifted my shirt and gawked. “Are you seeing this?
When did this happen?!
”

“Well, when you go from your only exercise being dancing at clubs and having sex to working on a farm daily for a few months, your body changes.” Cammie shot me a pleased smile and joked, “Now you’re as hot as me!”

“Impossible.” I arched an eyebrow at her. “Also, I haven’t completely cut out my
whole
old exercise routine.”

“I’m surprised you haven’t commented on your arms yet,” she replied, gesturing toward the mirror. I raised an arm and flexed, and my eyes widened.

“Oh man. I’m not, like, ripped… I’m like that perfect middle ground you’ve got going on, too. I wish I could sleep with myself.”

“Muscle building kinda works this way,” Cammie explained. “At first it’s not there, and then, one day, it springs itself on you and you notice you’ve changed. If it were summer, you’d be a lot tanner, too.”

“I bet I could, like, lift you onto things,” I mused aloud.

Cammie snickered next to me. “Okay?”

“It’d be hot. I’d be all, ‘Cammie, let’s do it,’ and lift you onto the counter and—”

“Hey Dad!” Cammie cut in brightly, looking past me with flushed cheeks. I whirled around to see a thoroughly disturbed David at the top of the stairs, watching us.

“Lauren, I’d like to talk to you.”

“Okay,” I mumbled, unable to look him in the eyes as I followed him into Cammie’s room. The bathroom door shut behind me, and a moment later I heard Cammie running her shower. “Sorry I—”