Total pages in book: 26
Estimated words: 24257 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 121(@200wpm)___ 97(@250wpm)___ 81(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 24257 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 121(@200wpm)___ 97(@250wpm)___ 81(@300wpm)
9
Frankie
I reach for my phone, which is vibrating on my nightstand. It’s Jenny calling, of course. Part of me doesn’t want to talk to her – I don’t want to talk to anyone right now - but I’ve been ignoring her calls all day and I know if I don’t deal with this soon, she’s going to send out a search party. I gave her the most basic details that I could about the ill-fated wine and cheese date, which, at the end of the day, was all I could bring myself to talk about. Thinking back to that moment in the kitchen when our parents walked in makes me feel sick to my stomach.
I’ve been moping around the house for the past week, feeling both numb and vaguely ill. My head is spinning with embarrassment and humiliation, yes, but also with uncertainty. What’s going to happen now? Will I ever see Hunter again? Neither of us has contacted the other since it all happened, and part of me wonders if this is all just too much for him. For all I know, he could be going to more sex parties, having forgotten about me already. Or maybe he’s flown back to New York. Would it really be that hard to understand, if he wanted to get away from me? Our relationship so far - if you can even call it that - has just been one curveball after another. He probably doesn’t want to see my face again after what happened.
Outside of the most basic conversations, Mom and I haven’t talked since the blowup. We’ve been making an effort to avoid one another, both of us too embarrassed to discuss what happened. I could see this going on for a long time - until the summer’s over, even - but I’m terrified of approaching her to talk it over. It was obvious that she didn’t want me around Hunter, and the last thing I want to do is cause problems for her and George.
I turn off my music and put my phone to my ear.
“Hey, Jenny.”
“Hey,” she says, sounding subdued. “I wanted to see how you were doing.”
I sigh.
“About as well as you’d expect, considering everything.”
“Mm.” She hesitates for a moment, and then says, “Look, I just wanted to apologize again. This is all kind of my fault.”
“Come on, Jenny, no it’s not,” I reply. “I made those choices myself.”
“Yeah, but I was the one who took you to that party,” she protests. “If it weren’t for me, you wouldn’t have hooked up with him!”
“Don’t blame yourself,” I tell her. “I’m a big girl. Nobody forced me to hook up with him. And as for the rest… Well, I guess I’m just the world’s unluckiest person.”
She sighs.
“Look, if you need anything, though…”
“I’ll let you know,” I reassure her. “I promise.”
That’s when there’s a knock at my bedroom door. It can only be my mom.
“Honey?” Gertrude calls quietly, her voice muffled by the door. “Can I talk to you for a minute?”
“Who was that?” Jenny asks.
“My mom,” I reply, my heart already sinking. “I have to go.”
“Okay,” says Jenny. “Good luck.”
We hang up the call, and I tell Mom to come in. She’s tentative as she enters my room and perches on the edge of my bed. Her hair is frazzled, and I can see bags under her eyes.
“I think it’s time for us to talk,” she says at last. “We’ve been avoiding one another.”
Feeling a lump in my throat, I nod.
“Okay.”
Gertrude takes a deep breath, like she isn’t sure where to begin.
“I wanted to apologize,” she says at last.
My jaw might as well have hit the floor.
“Huh? What for?”
She sighs, looking weary.
“For everything, I guess,” she replies, watching me earnestly. “Mostly for my reaction the other day. I was caught off guard, and I… I panicked.”
“Oh,” I say, swallowing. “I see.”
“Anyway, I wanted to tell you I was sorry for yelling. That just escalated things, and at the end of the day, Hunter was right. It’s not my business who you spend your time with.”
My eyes widen.
“Even though he’s your future stepson?”
Mom bites her lip.
“That’s the other thing,” she says. “George and I have decided not to get married after all.”
“Mom,” I protest, “come on. That’s not… I mean, you can’t just… Did you break it off because of us?”
Gertrude waves her hand vaguely.
“We had a long talk,” Mom replies. “We’re still on good terms, and there wasn’t a fight or anything. But our children will always be our top priorities, and we’ve decided that if you two want to be together, then the right thing to do is to let you. Without the complications of being step-siblings.”
For a moment I’m at a loss for words.
“But Mom, please. I’m sorry. I’m so sorry. I never wanted this to make you guys break up! Neither did Hunter! We were confused, yeah, and it was awkward, but… but…” I’m babbling, the shock of the announcement almost as surprising as her sudden change of tune.