“You were thinking that since you saw Clarissa Explains It All the night before that you could pull off the same look.” I looked pointedly at her.
“Oh, yeah,” she mused.
“Hey, Jussy.” Aria never seemed to call anyone she cared about by his or her real name. It was her thing.
“Hey, kid.”
Aria went over and gave Tina a hug so hard that they both fell back on the bed.
“I’m going to miss you, Jussy,” said Aria in a small voice before giving her a sloppy kiss on the cheek.
“Ugh!” Justina said, laughing and pushing her off playfully, “I won’t miss those hugs. But I will miss you, kid. Take care of your sister while I’m gone. You know how she can get sometimes.”
“Pfft, I totally got this,” Aria said.
I just rolled my eyes.
“Okay, well, I’ll go wait in the car. I don’t want to witness two old people cry—talk about awkward.” She barely made it to the door before the yearbook was tossed at her.
“Old,” muttered Tina mockingly.
“You know how she is,” I said by way of explanation. I went and sat down next to her on the bed, and she handed me a box. “What’s this?” I asked. With raised eyebrows, I opened the box and saw that it was a silver chain with a small shovel attached to it. The shovel was like the kind found in a preschool sandbox...I looked up at her and smiled. Leave it to Tina to do something annoyingly caring.
“Whatever. I was feeling epic. I have one too. Don’t make a big deal about it.” She waved her hand in the air to play it off.
“Does this mean you’re my pimp now?” I joked. “Do pimps get their hos jewelry?”
“Only if they want them to bring in the big-time money, so I better start seeing some big-time money soon!”
“I’ll get right on that,” I stated mockingly as I rolled my eyes and put on my necklace.
“So I hope I meet some cute Miami bo—”
I slammed into her with a fierce hug and held on tight. This was how I wanted to leave things: us laughing and making stupid jokes—no crying, no sad good-byes. She seemed to understand as she hugged me back tightly and didn’t say a word. We sat like that for about three minutes. Then, like nothing, I got up and went to the door.
“Love you, bitch.” It came out like I wasn’t saying good-bye to my best friend for what would be the last time in this room.
“Later,” she said, like her voice wasn’t thick with emotion.
I went downstairs and passed the empty hallway and out the door without really looking. I didn’t want to remember this house that I practically lived in over the years, being as empty as it was now. I wanted to remember everything as it once was.
“Are you okay, sissy?” Aria asked in a small voice as I got in the car.
“Yeah.” I let out a loud sigh. “I will be.”
“It’ll be okay,” Aria said, tilting her head to the side and giving me a sad look.
I gave her a smile back. It would be okay. After all, it was just a move. I could handle a move.
Chapter 4
I found that adjusting to life without Tina was just that—adjusting. Now, instead of me seeing her every day, it was me texting her every day. A lot. Thank god for unlimited text messaging. It made life without her more bearable.
Her new life in Miami was going well. Turns out, there were tons of Adam Rodriguezes in her classes, and she already had a study session lined up to get “caught up” on what she missed. When I asked her what she could have possibly missed the whole first week of school besides the syllabus notes, I got a smiley face reply back.
I filled her in on Opal: The Untold Story, as promised, and she still ate it like Nutella on toast, even by text. Opal was still Opal. Not better, but not worse, and Tina had gotten a good laugh when I told her how Opal had told me to tell Tina, “Stay away from that ol’ red lipstick while in Mi-ama ’cause red lipstick is the hussies’ color and Tina ain’t no hussy, but if she put on that ol’ red lipstick, she would be one.” Tina told me she was actually wearing “the red lipstick,” to which I replied, “Hussy.”
That’s how our conversations went. It was like she was here, but she wasn’t. She sent me pictures of Miami and her new house, which was colorful and big. I could see the appeal and why people left Shaddy Groves. It was beautiful in Miami, with the lush trees and the beaches and so many shops and different things to do.
Aria was settling in to her new life of a college student pretty well, too. She had her drama friends and was doing well in her classes. She was auditioning for some play they were having and was nervous but excited about it.
“Will you run lines with me?” she asked, cornering me after school one day.
“Ahh, sure. When?”
“How about tomorrow night after dinner? You’re coming over, right?” She looked at me expectantly.
“Dinner?” I asked, lost.
“Was I supposed to tell you or Mom?” she murmured to herself while pulling out her cellphone, I assume to look at her text messages.
“Ohhh, sorry. I was supposed to tell you yesterday that Mom wanted you to come to dinner tomorrow night. Uncle Mick is coming over, and she thought it’d be nice for you to come, since she hadn’t seen you in a while,” she rushed. She knew I loathed her Uncle Mick. “So come to dinner tomorrow night, ’kay?”
“Ewww, Mick? Pass,” I said, making a face. “Besides, Mom just saw me last week and I just talked to her three days ago.”
“Yeah, but you know how Ann gets. All ‘I miss my girls.’ She’s on that kick again, and Mick is in town, so she said something about two birds and a stone?” she said, shrugging to indicate she didn’t know what it meant, even though she did as Mom used that mom-ism a lot.
I stomped my feet like a crabby child. When Mom got nostalgic, I couldn’t help but give in. If I didn’t, I would find myself in a polka-dot dress and pigtails with a lollipop in my hands. Not kidding—it happened once, which is why Aria and I always complied when she got this way.
“Ugh, but why when Mick is in town?” I seethed. “You know I really don’t like your uncle.”
“Sometimes, neither do I, but we don’t have a choice.” She waved cheerily as she got in her car to drive away. “See you tomorrow, sissy!”
I stood there, still seething. Mick Holmes was a jerk. Thank god he still lived back in Mom’s hometown of Savannah, Georgia. He was Mom’s older brother and only living family aside from us. When their parents died, they were all each other had and their parents left them with money, like blow-your-nose-with-a-hundred-dollar-bill-because-you-can money. Mick, being the older sibling by two years, had control of the money and spent it how he saw fit. They were out of money in no time flat, and that left Mom having to find her own way to go to college. She moved to Shaddy Groves because of the small-town feel and to put distance between her and Mick. Over the years, through her first husband’s death and Aria being born along with her remarriage, she and Mick rekindled their brotherly-sisterly love. But Mick was still a jerk.
He always said my name as if it were dirt rolling off his tongue, and he always looked at me to the same degree. He was louder than an airplane and looked like his name should be Vinnie from some mobster movie. Although he was never flat-out rude to me, he gave me that vibe, and I never trusted him after hearing what he did to Mom. He was what my aunt Opal would call money-hungry, and people like that didn’t change.
I made my way back to my dorm to start on my homework for the night. I ran into Riley, as I had been more and more, on my way. He didn’t live on campus, but he worked at the campus bookstore.
“Hey, fancy meeting you...No, no. That’s lame even for me.” He shook his head, laughing at his own joke.
“Riley, hey. How’s it going?”
“Oh, you know. So they are having auditions for that play The Frost. I heard Aria was trying out?”
“Yeah, she is making me run lines with her tomorrow night,” I said absently, still thinking abo
ut Mick.
“Cool, cool. Let me know if you need any help. I happen to love that play and am somewhat of a theater buff myself. Although, behind the scenes.”
“There is nothing buff about you, Riley,” I joked, coming back to the present.
“Hey, under all this soft flab,” he gestured toward himself, “is...softer flab, so...yeah, you’re right,” he conceded, laughing at himself.
“I’ll keep that in mind, Pillsbury,” I said, playfully poking his stomach, and he actually laughed liked the Pillsbury Doughboy. I raised a brow at him. “Really?”
“I thought it’d be funny, no?” He smiled.
“Oh, it was.” I laughed as I started walking away. “Later, Pillsbury.”
“See ya.”
At my dorm, I saw a girl, Kelly I think, who stopped me.
“Hey, you’re that girl with the weird aunt, right? Day-something?” She had the whole “I’m a cheerleader” vibe going.
“Dacey, and yeah,” I said carefully.
“What a cute name,” she squealed.
“Okay?”
“Oh, sorry. Some guy was here looking to get in your room, but the RA was being a bitch, so I totally snuck him in for you. Just giving you the heads-up.” She tossed her hair over her shoulder.
“Oh, well, thank you?” I frowned. It could only be Trevor—at least I hoped it was Trevor. If not, she just let some random guy in my room. Thanks, Kelly. “Why would he need to be snuck in?” I mused out loud.
“He’s so sweet,” she crooned. “He’s got a nice body, your guy. Not my type, so don’t worry,” she added and walked back down the hall to her room.
Weird. I walked into my dorm forgetting Kelly and was awed. There stood my perfect boyfriend next to a travel-size table with a tablecloth draped over it, two chairs, and a single rose in a cup as the centerpiece. Two paper plates and napkins were laid out next to plastic cups, and the lights were out, except for small votive candles placed strategically all over the room, and the blinds were drawn.
“Boy, you know how to charm a girl,” I said, closing the door. “What’s all this?”
“Well,” he took my book bag from me, “you’ve been busy, and I’ve been busy, and I’ve missed you, and I know you’ve missed me. So I thought we could have a quiet night in. Just you, me, and pizza.” He grinned.
“Pizza. That’s a way to a girl’s heart. Carbs.”
“Then I won’t tell you I had to bribe the girl down the hall with a slice to sneak me in then.” He winked and led me over to a chair, then pulled it out so I could sit.
“She told me you weren’t her type, so I’m not worried.”
“Hmm, really?” he mused. “I’m sure I could persuade her if I gave her a few more slices,” he joked.
“Watch it, buddy.”
“Baby, you know I’m kidding.” He planted a kiss on my forehead before sitting down across from me and then grabbing the pizza from the bed. “Cheese or cheese?”
“Um, I’ll have cheese.”
“Good choice.”
“This was sweet, babe. Thank you.”
“Anytime.”
We ate our pizza, and I told him about my day and how I had to have dinner with Mick tomorrow night.
“I wish you could come, be my buffer,” I whined. Yeah, I whined again.
“I know. But tomorrow Mom is actually getting off early and we are supposed to hang out. I’m sorry, babe. It’s just one night.” He rubbed my arm.
“Easy for you to say. You have never had the displeasure of meeting Mick. Imagine a turtle crossing the finish line of a race. It takes forever, right? Well, one night with Mick is like a turtle night.”
“It can’t be that bad.”
“Want to bet?” I challenged. “You’ll see. One day you’ll meet him, and then you’ll see what I’m talking about.”
“Gee, with an introduction like that, I can’t wait to meet him!” he cried, dripping with false enthusiasm.
I curled my lip at him and rolled my eyes. Tina was the only one who had met Mick, and she agreed. He made her skin crawl. She was always my buffer, but now that she wasn’t here, I would have to endure him alone. I wanted to text her and complain to her about it since I wasn’t getting any sympathy from Trevor, but I would hold off on that until tomorrow since I didn’t think Trevor would like that too much. He seemed to have mixed feelings about Tina being gone. On the one hand, he didn’t have to see her all the time and fight the dirty looks she used to give him. But now, he said it seemed as if I was having an affair with my cellphone because I was on it so much. I had taken to putting it on vibrate when I was around him just in case it went off, which it always seemed to.
Trevor put away the table and chairs and cleaned up after dinner, and I took a quick shower. When I came back, I got in some studying and homework while he played around on his phone and listened to his iPod. I asked him if he ever got bored, but he said he didn’t mind me doing homework or whatever while he either watched me or just lounged around doing nothing, as long as he was with me. Outwardly, I rolled my eyes at how cheesy that sounded. But inwardly, I totally girl sighed. We went to sleep early that night because he had to be at work early for some staff meeting, and I was pretty beat too. We got in our usual position of him hugging me to his chest while he lay on his back. He kissed me and told me he loved me.
I sighed out my “I love you too,” and the last thing I remember was him running his fingers through my hair.
* * *
Morning came early when Trevor woke me to say good-bye in a very Trevor way.
“Just what a guy needs before going off to face a hard day’s work,” he grinned.
“Clever word choice,” I smirked, dipping further in between the blankets as he pulled on his shoes.
“I am clever.” He leaned down to kiss me, and I grabbed his collar.
“Amongst other things,” I said, kissing him good-bye and thanking him again for last night. “Or should I thank you for this morning?” I asked while letting him stand up.
“You’re welcome, for all of it, whichever you decide.” He smiled then left.
I sat in bed a little longer, as it wasn’t time for me to start my morning yet. I contemplated pretending to be sick to have an excuse to get out of dinner, but I didn’t want to worry Mom. So at six thirty, I got up to start my morning routine.
When I got to Opal’s, I was greeted by a now-better Rufus, who I laid on his back so that I could scratch his stomach. Then I went to find Opal.
“Auntie?” I called out, rounding a corner. Opal’s house was as scattered as she was. Stacks of papers piled here and boxes of this and that piled there, but it was organized to her. Her furniture was antique mahogany and, given a little TLC, would be beautiful. All the couches needed were a little airing out, but Opal hadn’t the strength or the mind to do that, and therefore it just smelled like musty old lady—and dog.
“Auntie?” I called louder, heading up the stairs. I hoped I didn’t catch her in the shower fully dressed, again.
“Shhh, chile.” She came out of her room and closed the door hurriedly. “Why you so loud?”
“You didn’t hear me calling for you?” I asked suspiciously. She was never still in bed this time of morning. “Are you sick?” I tried to reach for her forehead like she was a child.
“No, chile,” she said as she moved her head away from my hand and lumbered past me back downstairs rather rudely.
“Why are you pushing me?” I demanded.
“You can’t jus’ come bargin’ into somebody’s house like you own the place,” she huffed.
“Actually, I can. That’s why you gave me the key, remember?” I eyed her closely. She had on her robe, and it was pulled tightly around her waist. Her hair was disheveled, and she seemed flustered, but that was how she always seemed. “What’s the matter with you?”
“Oh, pshh. Nothin’, I’m just thinkin’ you should...you should call first befo’ you come a-bargin’ in from now on.” She h
ad her hands on her hips. We were in the kitchen now, and she had me halfway out the door. This was so very unlike Aunt Opal, I didn’t even have the time to register that this was the longest I had seen her lucid. Like, lucid lucid, and shouting at me like when I was thirteen and pulled her flowers instead of the weeds in her garden.
“Okaaay,” I dragged out. “I can see when I’m not wanted, but don’t think I don’t think something’s up. I will be back,” I promised.
“I’m fine, chile,” she said as she practically slammed the door in my face.
I wasn’t buying it. I went to my car and backed out of the driveway and drove down the street, but instead of leaving, I circled the block and parked two houses down where she wouldn’t be able to see me but I could see her door perfectly. All my time of reading Nancy Drew as a kid was going to pay off today. About forty-five minutes later, I was rewarded when I saw Mr. Davis, Travis’s boss and owner of the Shaddy Groves Animal Clinic, leave Aunt Opal’s house discreetly. Aunt Opal looked around shadily before planting a very un-Opal-like kiss on his lips, which he accepted, and then he walked to his car, which was parked down the street and to the left. I sat there dumbfounded for about five minutes. Then I pulled out my phone.
O.M.G
This better b good still sleeping
Opal & Mr. Davis R 2gether
2gether in what way
THAT way
Dios mio
I just saw them kissing
Dios mio
She kicked me out 4 him
Dios mio
Can u move pass that?
Shit
Better?
If she has red lipstick, I’m so calling her out
Not funny
Oh it’s funny. Was she lucid?
Very
So all she needed was some Mr. D’s D?
Gross, but apparently yes
Opal: the untold story
Tell me about it
Txt me l8r, sleep now
OK
I put my cellphone away and sat there a little while longer. I wonder if Trevor knew that his boss and my aunt were well acquainted. How long has this been going on? Not long, since I had been coming over every morning and had never run into him. Mr. Davis had lost his wife about ten years ago to cancer and had never gotten remarried or dated anyone as far as the town knew. I wonder what he saw in Opal, or how he even came to see Opal. As far as I knew, those two didn’t tend to run into each other in town, or anywhere else, for that matter. He owned the animal clinic, but as far as Trevor knew, he was only there about three or four times a month, tending to paperwork and sometimes making surprise visits. Any other time he spent in his very nice home on the nice side of town, as he owned several acres of land and a few horses and three dogs. I guess that explained his animal clinic practice.
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