by Jenni James
Within a few minutes, we’d prepared most of the food to go back in the house. I was putting the lid back on some barbecue sauce when I overheard my mom talking to Maralyn.
“So, why were you guys so late getting here?”
“I don’t know. Harrison was late picking me up—he said something happened to slow him down.”
They both looked over at Harrison, who was collecting the lawn chairs and bringing them back to the porch.
“Did he tell you what happened?” Mom asked her.
“Not really, but he looked kind of freaked out when he got to the house.”
“Well, that’s everything.” Lilly washed her hands and turned off the faucet. “Are we ready to take it inside?”
Dang it. So much for eavesdropping.
Sean stacked as many bowls of food as he could before making his way to the door. “What’s taking you two so long?”
I chuckled and started piling my arms full of condiments as Lilly grabbed bags of marinating meat.
“Hold the door open for us,” she said to Sean.
“Sure. Now I’ve gotta do everything?”
“Good grief.” She chuckled as she brushed past him. “Carrying a few dishes and being a gentleman—you’re already doing everything.”
He gasped. “Are you mocking me?”
“You’d better believe it.”
He winked as I walked past and then he said, “Thanks. Don’t mind me and Lilly. We’ve been arguing for years.”
“Years.” She opened the fridge and set a bunch of things inside, then cleared space for Sean’s dishes.
“See?” Sean grinned and started to hand over the bowls. “It’s how I know she still loves me.”
“You’re going to get it one day,” Lilly grumbled as she placed another one on a shelf.
He laughed. “Empty threats, empty threats.”
I let the two banter, just enjoying their playfulness. It was something my mom and dad used to do, these little one-up word games. Dad used to say he married Mom because she was the only one who could keep up with him. Mom used to say she was the only girl who wasn’t afraid of him, and it was a dang good thing they got married since she was pretty sure no one else would’ve put up with him.
It’s the relationships like Sean and Lilly’s, like my mom and dad’s that I relate to most. They’re not out to hurt one another, and the joy—the sparkle that lights up their eyes as they tease—is perfection. To me, it’s normal.
Which was probably why I worried so much about Harrison and Maralyn. There wasn’t playfulness—just intensity, and feelings, and . . . I don’t know . . . they were too serious about everything. It wasn’t right, was it? Something seemed off. And the more I pieced together about Harrison, the more I wondered how right I’d been all along.
* * *
A couple of days later, my worry about Harrison became reality when Maralyn burst through the bedroom door and jumped on the bed above me. I’d been doing homework with my iPod on, but quickly turned it off once I heard her sobbing.
“What’s wrong?” I asked as I climbed out of bed and peeked at her.
“Everything!” she wailed before turning her back to me. Her shoulders shook hard. I reached out and touched her.
“Hey, it’s okay. Do you want to talk about it?” I really had no idea how to handle situations like this. You’d think I’d be used to them, but I really wasn’t. All I knew was that I needed space and time alone, but Maralyn did better talking and venting it out.
She continued to cry. This really was something extremely devastating for her.
I tried again. “Come on—just tell me about it. You’ll feel better.”
“No, I won’t! You’re going to harp on about Harrison and how you were right, and I don’t want to hear it.”
My stomach dropped. All at once, I had a strong urge to punch the guy in the face. “What did he do? Did he touch you? Hurt you? What?” I pushed her shoulder. “Tell me!”
Mara slowly turned around. Her face was in complete shock. “Wow. I don’t think I’ve ever seen you mad before.”
Was I mad? I could feel rage coursing through me. “I guess I am. But really, he’d better not have tried anything. I’ll destroy him.”
“I can see that.” She wiped at her eyes as she propped herself up on her elbows. “No, it isn’t anything like that. He didn’t hurt me physically. Just my heart. I think it’s literally breaking.”
I really was going to kill him. “Tell me what happened.”
She blinked, and then her shoulders began to shake again. Suddenly, she was crying, and my rage toward Harrison tripled.
It took every ounce of control not to shout at her. But really, I could feel my whole body overreacting in a way I wasn’t comfortable with, but it created this new sense of power or something. All over me. “Tell me.”
“He’s moving! To Farmington. Okay? He’s not going to prom, or school, or anything. His parents have kicked him out of the house, and he has to go live with someone else in Farmington. A friend, or aunt, or something—I don’t know. He hasn’t told me yet. All I know is that he’s leaving me and he can’t see me anymore and I’m going to . . . I’m just going to die without him!”
“Wait. Are you serious?” I couldn’t even process everything she was saying.
“Yes! It’s awful!”
He was actually getting kicked out of his house? “Um, so, why? What did he do?”
“I don’t know. He wouldn’t tell me. He said it was bad, though, and his parents found out and they’re super mad and nothing is making sense. Nothing.”
“Um…” I didn’t know what to say. I let her cry. I felt bad for her, but at the same time, I was relieved, too. If he screwed up so much that his parents kicked him out, he was not a good guy. Thank goodness he and Maralyn were being separated now and not later after he did something to hurt her too.
I quietly left the room and walked into the kitchen. My mom was wiping at her eyes. “Did you hear about Harrison?”
I nodded. “Yeah.”
“It’s awful. I feel so bad for her. I was really hoping he’d be the guy to break her out of this funk she’s been in.” Maralyn had been acting weird lately? I hadn’t noticed.
Mom opened the dishwasher and looked inside, then shut it. “I don’t feel like doing anything right now.” She plopped down on a chair, so I sat down next to her.
“What do you think he did?” I was hoping to get any information I could.
“I don’t know. I don’t even care. I just care about Maralyn’s heart breaking so badly right now.”
My jaw dropped. “You don’t even care what he did to get himself kicked out?” Was I hearing her correctly?
She looked at me and then straightened up a bit. “Of course I care—I wasn’t saying that. I just meant that I’m more worried about Mara right now than what happened. Her heart is breaking, Ellyn. Breaking. This isn’t good.”
Since when was Mom so caught up in drama like this that she forgot common sense? “Well, yes, I’m sure she’s sad.” I tried to keep my voice as neutral as possible.
“Sad?” Mom let out a sob. “She loves him! And he’s been banned from seeing her and she’s upset. Do you know what it’s like to lose someone you love so much? Do you? It hurts! She literally feels like she’s dying because her heart is broken…”
Wow. I looked at my mom for a few minutes while she continued to vent. It wasn’t Maralyn she was talking about. I was beginning to understand—it was her. She was missing Dad. He’d left her suddenly, and now this. It was the first time I’d seen her grief. She needed to feel it and accept it. I knew she did, but at the same time, it was really hard to see my mom sort of lose it in front of me.
“I’m sorry,” I whispered.
Mom looked at me and started to cry all over again. She needed time alone. She needed to process.
After a little bit, I slowly stood up and walked away. I found Katelyn in the living room watching a movie. I looked at
the time—it was crazy late. “Hey, aren’t you supposed to be getting ready for bed?”
She shrugged. “No one told me to.”
I doubted if anyone was in a state to tell her tonight. “Well, I am.”
Looking up, she made a funny face and asked, “Why is everyone so sad?” The hustler was clearly trying to get out of going to bed.
I didn’t know how much I should tell her, so I hedged. “What do you mean?”
Katelyn rolled her eyes and turned off the TV. “You can tell me what’s really happening. It’s not like I’m blind or something.”
Sighing, I sat down on the couch next to her. “Well, Mara is sad because she can’t see Harrison anymore, and Mom is sad because she’s missing Dad.”
“Oh.” Katelyn curled up next to me. “I miss Dad too.”
“So do I.”
She plucked at the button on my shirt. “What can we do about it? Is there something that makes missing Dad better? So we don’t hurt as much?”
“Nope.” I shook my head. “Only time. Supposedly, it gets better the longer you wait.”
“I was afraid of that.” She snuggled in closer and then asked, “What do you miss the most about him?”
I don’t know. I thought about it for a minute and then answered, “I think I miss all the hours of talking to him. Being able to ask him questions and hear his advice.”
“I miss him playing with me. Taking me to the store and then secretly buying me an ice cream cone on the way home. I miss that—having a partner in crime.”
Wait until Mom heard that. I chuckled. “A partner in crime, huh?”
She grinned. “He was the best at it.”
“Yes. He most definitely was.”
CHAPTER TWENTY: The Guilt Factor
“What do you mean, you want me to go to prom with you?” Out of everything I’d ever heard Maralyn say, this had to be the absolute craziest.
“Please?” she whined in front of the door of our bedroom, holding me hostage inside with her. “I don’t want to go all alone. I’ve already got the dress—I’ve been planning on going for forever now. Just be my date. We’ll have a blast, I promise. Then you can see what prom’s really like.”
It was a week before the big day. Harrison had yet to answer one text, Facebook post, or email from Maralyn the whole time. She was an absolute mess. In fact, this was the first bit of spark I’d seen in her since he’d left.
“Come on—just come.” She attempted a smile. “Think of how much fun it’ll be to dress up together.”
I was already dreading it. But more than that, I was dreading her staying here alone during the prom. If I thought she’d been a wreck before, that would be ten times worse. I was positive of it.
But I really, really didn’t want to go. I didn’t. I hated the idea of prom. Hated it. And I so didn’t want to see Zane there, dancing with Loni. Maralyn was staring right at me, her eyes pleading with mine. “Aren’t you mad at me?” I blurted, hoping she’d say yes.
“For what?” She looked at me like I was crazy.
I threw my hands in the air and walked around the room. “I don’t know—for talking bad about Harrison to Sean and Lilly the other day. Haven’t you wanted to chew me out since then?”
“Uh—sure. I guess. But what does this have to do with going to prom?”
“Because we’re fighting?” I answered lamely.
She groaned. “We’re sisters. We’re supposed to fight. It’s part of the family code or something.”
“Oh. So, you’re not mad?”
“Not mad enough to miss prom.” She laughed.
I had to grin. “You’re incorrigible.”
“What?” She blinked innocently at me. “Haven’t you forgiven me over and over again?”
“More times than you know.”
“Exactly! See? We’re just making up.” Grabbing my purse, she headed toward the door. “Now hurry up. Let’s get to the mall so we can get you a dress!”
“Ugh. No.”
“Too late.” She dangled the keys in front of me. “I already asked Mom for the car. She gave me the debit card, and she says there should be enough left over for Chinese food, too.”
“I’m sure this could be considered kidnapping,” I muttered as I slipped on my flats.
“Not if you go willingly.” Mara walked out the door. “Chinese food … It’s your favorite.”
I wanted to cry. I didn’t. But I sure wanted to.
After what seemed like hours of trying on dresses—this time it was me being tortured—I finally settled on a beautiful green gown. The long skirt was made of a couple of layers of fun silk. They were lightweight and just seemed to flow and bounce as I walked. With its three-quarter sleeves and sweetheart neckline, I looked like I’d stepped straight off the set of a 1940’s movie. It was something I hadn’t expected to find, and since we’d waited so close to prom to get it, it was 25% off, too.
I’d thought I’d protest a lot more than I did, but I think I secretly really wanted to wear it. Even if Zane wouldn’t be dancing with me, at least he’d see me looking amazing.
Once we’d paid for the dress, I noticed that Maralyn was hanging back a bit in the mall. She seemed to be looking into every store. I hoped she didn’t have even more shopping in mind.
“What are you doing?” I asked.
She looked over at me guiltily. “Nothing.”
Grinning, I shook my head. “Right. Are you gonna tell me?”
She shrugged and let out a sigh. “I don’t know. I was hoping that since we’re in Farmington and all, we might run into Harrison.”
It was all making sense now. I switched the dress bag to my other hand. “Oh, so that’s why you were so desperate to get me to prom. You wanted to make a trip to Farmington to find your boyfriend.”
“What? No! Not at all. I mean, okay. Yes. Maybe a little bit. But that’s not why I came up with the idea to go to prom with you.”
She looked sincere. I decided to drop it. “So, are we going to eat yet? I’m starving.”
She glanced around the mall and then sighed again. “Yeah, why not? The odds of running into him are pretty slim anyway. He’s probably not even in town.”
“Probably.”
“Well, you don’t have to agree so quickly. What if he is here?”
Oh, my gosh. This was going to be a long day. I could tell. “Chinese? You said something about Chinese?”
Mara grinned and headed toward the mall entrance. “You’re right. Let’s go eat.”
The restaurant was a hubbub of activity—an all-you-can-eat buffet with sushi and Mongolian barbecue. The place was packed, and smelled awesome. We were seated quickly, and then took off toward the buffet. It wound through two rooms, full of entrées.
Mara had her eye on the Mongolian, while I headed straight for the good stuff—sesame chicken. Just as I went for the serving spoon, another hand beat me to it.
“I’m sorry,” a deep voice said above me.
I glanced up into the shocked face of Harrison Crawford.
“Ellyn,” he whispered, “what are you doing here?”
“Hi,” was all I got out.
“Here. You first.” He handed me the spoon as he glanced around the restaurant. “Are you alone?”
“No. Maralyn’s here too.” I looked toward the Mongolian line, but there were so many people, I couldn’t see her.
He looked nervous. “She is? Where are you guys sitting?”
“In the other room.”
A small glimmer of relief seemed to creep its way across his face.
“Excuse me,” a customer said as he brushed past us. We were totally holding up the line.
“Sorry,” I murmured, then quickly added a scoop of chicken onto my plate. I didn’t know what to do or say.
Thankfully, Harrison seemed a bit more with it. “Well, I’m gonna head back to my table now. It was nice seeing you. Tell Maralyn I said hi.” He took off. Just like that—scurried around the long buffet and towa
rd his seat.
I stood there, staring at him with the silly spoon in my hand, as he sat down across from a gorgeous girl.
My heart froze. With the way she was leaning into him and smiling, they were clearly on a date. How in the world was I ever going to tell Maralyn?
“Harrison!” Maralyn’s shrill, excited voice silenced the room. I saw her winding her way toward him. “You’re here!” She was ecstatic. Her arms went out as if she were about to hug him, but he never stood up. He didn’t budge from the table at all. “What’s wrong?” she asked as she reached him.
Someone had to get her away from them. I turned around and shoved the spoon back into the orange chicken. Leaving my plate on the buffet, I walked over to her.
“Why haven’t I heard from you?” She pointed to his phone. “Why haven’t you texted me? Or replied on Facebook? I’ve been worried sick about you.”
He looked like he was about to throw up. “I—I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“Harrison?”
I put an arm around her shoulders. “Let’s go.”
It was then that Maralyn seemed to notice the girl, who was staring rather openly and rudely at us both. “Who’s this?” Maralyn asked.
He cleared his throat. “This is Sydney.”
The girl flipped her hair. “I’m his girlfriend. Who are you?”
Mara choked and stepped back a few paces. “His girlfriend? What are you talking about? Harrison? You already have a new girlfriend?!”
I needed to get my sister out of there right now. I tugged on her shoulder again.
“New?” The girl smirked. “We’ve been going out for months now.”
“What?” I thought Mara was going to punch something. She turned toward Harrison and nodded slowly. “Nice.”
He fidgeted in his seat. I think he was worried she’d deck him too.
But surprisingly, she didn’t. Mara simply turned on her heel, then walked out of the restaurant and out to the car. I followed, and told the lady behind the register to give me a second and I’d be back with the money to pay for our meals. Mara had my mom’s card. But she waved me away. “You’re fine. Neither of you ate anything anyway.”
