I looked out at the crowd, finding Fletcher as he weaved in and out of the students, talking and laughing, trying to have a good time. But I could see the tension in his raised shoulders. He was a walking ball of nerves. He knew, like everyone else, that his future was riding on the success of tonight’s event.
“I’m gonna go check on him,” I said, turning to Gabe. “Save me a dance?”
“You bet.”
I gave his hand a quick squeeze before turning away, and I darted straight for Fletcher.
“How’s it going?”
“It’s going great,” he said, shaking his head in disbelief. “Look at this turnout, Mandy. Can you believe how many people are here?”
“I never doubted it would happen,” I said, remembering how at one point there were at least some people on the team who doubted the ability to make this dance a success.
“We could actually win this thing.”
“It’s already won,” I said, smiling. “You’ve got this in the bag, Fletch. I’m so proud of you.”
“Thanks. Listen, I hate to run, Mandy, but the band is going to wrap up their first set soon, and I have to make a few announcements. Do you think we can catch up later?”
“Yeah, sure, I’m not going anywhere,” I said, giving him a quick wink. “Have fun tonight, and relax those shoulders. You have nothing to worry about.”
The night carried on that way. Everyone involved with the program was either scurrying around or tearing up the dance floor, and all of the tables remained relatively empty for the better part of the night. That was a good sign—people were having fun. Julia’s desserts from the bakery were disappearing at an alarming rate, but that was a pretty great thing, too. The whole night was shaping up to be one huge success.
But there was one thing I couldn’t quit looking at—the one person in the room who wasn’t having a good time at all. And even though my sister hadn’t spoken a kind word to me in two days, I found myself walking in her direction. She looked down at my approach and started fiddling with some of the confetti strewn around the table, acting as though she hadn’t seen me coming.
“Your team did a great job,” I said, admiring the handiwork. “I hope you know how much it means to Fletcher.”
“Glad they could help,” she said, turning in her chair to watch the band.
She stared at the group, watching them as intensely as they played.
I slid into the chair next to her, hoping that if I stared at her long enough, she might turn back and look at me.
“Bailey, you can’t stay mad at me forever; you know that right?” I asked. “You can’t honestly sit there and be angry with me because you and Mom didn’t get your way.” I imagine she rolled her eyes, but I couldn’t tell. I was still talking to the back of her head. “I think, deep down, you knew all along that Dad and I would never go for your plan,” I continued. “I think that’s why you were desperate to spend time with Mom, while she was here. You wanted to get in all the time you could. You knew how this would play out. And honestly, I think that’s why you’re so angry—because you wanted to be wrong, and we proved you right.”
“I’m not angry with you,” she said, taking a deep breath. She turned in her seat, meeting my stare without pause. Her gray eyes watered, and the tears fell down her face—one quick stream after another. “I’m not angry.”
“Then—”
“I’m going to miss you,” she said. “And I don’t know how to say goodbye.”
“Miss me?” I laughed. “I’m not going anywhere.”
“I’m going back to California with Mom,” she said quickly.
“You’re taking a vacation?” I asked. “You’re seriously going to skip even more school with homecoming next week? What about your crown?”
“I’m not going on vacation, Mandy. I’m moving back,” she said. “We’re leaving on Monday.”
“No,” I said, shaking my head. “No way, Bailey. She’s leaving. You’re staying here—with us. With Dad, with Jones and Gabe. With me.”
“Mandy, no. You’ve made your decision, and you had every right to choose to stay here. You don’t want to be with Mom, and that’s fine.” Another steady stream of tears soaked her face. “I do; I want to be with her.”
“But Bailey,” I said, starting to cry myself, “what about—”
“I’m not going to let the fact that you can’t get over the past keep me from being with my mother.”
I guessed that meant she knew about my conversation with Mom. Bailey must’ve known that she’d come seeking my forgiveness, and even after all of the things we’d said, I still hadn’t given it to her.
“What about your friends?” I asked. I knew she was angry, even if she couldn’t admit it; it was partially my fault she didn’t get her way. So if I couldn’t convince her to stay for me, I had to find another way. “What about all your plans? You had your whole senior year mapped out here.”
I couldn’t help but remember the argument we’d had not even six weeks ago. Back when we thought Dad was going to move us to California, Bailey was just as against the idea as I was. She had plans to conquer Sugar Creek and take the place by storm—homecoming queen, prom queen, graduation, and then California. What changed?
“What about Jones?” I asked, glancing to the band, hoping that I might get my answer of where they stood. The fact that I hadn’t heard from him was concerning.
“He broke up with me,” she said, looking back over to him. She watched him as he drummed, each fluid movement filling the gym with a rhythmic beat. He was lost in his own little world, having no clue that we were both watching him with tear-filled eyes. “He said he couldn’t stand by and watch me hurt the people that loved me, and that if he kept hanging on, I’d eventually hurt him the way I hurt you.”
“Okay?”
“And then I told him that I was moving to LA, and he called it off.”
“And what did you do?”
“I told him that it didn’t matter,” she said, and my mouth dropped. She jumped to her defense. “There was no point in fighting him. I was planning to move to LA anyway, so what did it matter? We were going to have to break up sooner or later.”
“But—”
“He walked away,” she said. “He chose to call it quits, and he hasn’t said a word to me since.”
“Probably because he broke up with you and your immediate response was that it didn’t matter,” I said, shaking my head. “He wanted you to fight him, Bailey. He wanted you to prove that your relationship was something you were willing to fight for.”
“What’s done is done,” she said, sounding a lot like Mom. “I’ve already made up my mind.”
“But you love him.”
“And I’ll always love him, but my heart isn’t in Sugar Creek anymore.”
I couldn’t look at her. I turned in my chair to find Gabe, watching him sway across the dance floor with little Amanda Goodwin propped on his feet, her arms holding him tightly at the waist. They danced that way, swaying with one another for the entirety of the song, and she beamed like the happiest person on earth.
“So you’re leaving?” I asked, looking back to her.
“I am.”
“And you’re sure this is what you want?”
“I’ve never been so sure of anything in my life. Mandy, I never wanted to leave her, but I didn’t have a choice then. I have a choice now. If she wants me back, I’m jumping on that plane and I’m never looking back.”
My eyes filled with tears again as I listened to my sister, so adamant that her life was taking her in the one direction I could never see myself headed again.
“Does Dad know?”
“He does. I told him last night.”
“And he’s okay with you going?”
“No,” she said, “but it’s my decision.”
I nodded.
“Okay,” I said. “Okay then.”
“Do you hate me?”
“I’ve never hated you, Bailey,” I sai
d through tears. “I love you. I just… I can’t believe this is it.”
“We still have a few days. I’ll be here tomorrow for the RI announcement. And then we have all day Sunday; let’s take the day, the two of us. We’ll do something fun.”
“Okay.”
“And you can skip school Monday, right?” she asked. “Take me to the airport?”
“Yeah,” I nodded. “Yes, absolutely. If that’s what you want.”
“I love you, you know?”
“I know,” I said, leaning forward to hug her. “I know.”
###
I sat outside on the cold steps, shutting myself away from the music and the crowd for a few minutes. It was a lot to take in, a lot to absorb. While Mom was at the bakery taking her chance last night, Bailey had gone from her dinner with Jones and straight home, just to tell Dad that she was leaving for good.
I couldn’t stop my tears, and thankfully I was able to escape the gym without anyone noticing that I turned into a complete crybaby.
“Oh, Lord,” Lashell’s voice carried from the parking lot. I kept my head low at her slow approach. I didn’t want to explain it. I didn’t want to have to tell her what had happened in there. “I certainly hope this isn’t the aftermath of that first kiss you’ve been waiting on.”
I cracked a smile and lifted my head, seeing the two women in front of me.
“Lenora,” I said, focusing first on the woman in the chair. Lashell stood behind her, her hands grasping the handles. I stood up quickly, smoothing the wrinkles from my dress. “You came?”
“I’m here, aren’t I?” she asked, breaking into a small smile.
“My God, you look wonderful,” I said, admiring how much effort she’d put into fixing her hair and makeup. I suspected Lashell had a lot to do with that. “You look great.”
“I wish I could say the same for you.” She motioned for me to come closer. I skipped down the stairs, careful not to trip on my heels, and stopped short of her wheelchair. She reached up and pulled me closer, bringing my face down to hers. With the edge of her thumb and a gentle motion, she wiped the mascara trails away from my eyes. “There.”
“Is everything okay, Mandy?” Lashell asked as I stood tall again.
“Yeah. It’s nothing. Family drama.”
“Bailey, right?” Lenora asked, looking back to Lashell to confirm. “That’s the sister.”
“Right,” Lashell winked.
“Should we get out of the cold?” I asked, eager to get the two of them inside. “You’re missing a great dance in there.”
Lashell managed to push the wheelchair up the ramp until it leveled out at the doors. We entered the gymnasium together, the three of us clustered in a group. The two women passed their tickets off to the student at the doors.
“I’ll go find Gabe.”
“Wait,” Lenora stopped me. “Let me.”
She put her hands on the wheels and started into the crowd, and I turned to look at Lashell.
“That’s a wonderful thing you did there, Mandy,” she said. “I’m not sure how you did it. I’ve been trying for years.”
“It wasn’t me. It was William.”
“Will?”
“And Gabe,” I said, and her eyes started to tear at the mention of her late husband. “Gabe said he always preached a lot about having faith in things working out, and I had faith that this would. I’m just not as patient as most, so I gave her a little nudge in the right direction, that’s all.”
“She’s nervous,” Lashell said, drying her eyes. “She’s not sure he’ll be happy she’s here.”
“Then she doesn’t know him at all.”
“It’ll take time. They have a lot of wounds to patch up. Both of them.”
We watched as Lenora rolled her way through the crowd, finding Gabe at the center of the floor. She butted into the dance he shared with my sister, and he just stopped at the sight of her.
Gabe’s whole world stopped right then and there, and we all saw it in his eyes. He said something to her—what are you doing here? And then Lenora spoke to him, something that looked like a singular word. His attention was locked on her, fully focused. And after whatever that one word was that she said had finally sunk in, he lifted his head and his eyes searched the room until he found me. His mother spoke again, and his eyes snapped right back down to her.
Lashell and I watched as they interacted for a minute on the dance floor, and then the two of them strolled away from the crowd, making their way to an empty table. Gabe set aside some chairs, giving her room to roll up, and he took an empty seat next to her.
“This is good for them,” Lashell said. “Even if they don’t say another word tonight, this is a good start. You did a great thing, Mandy.”
And with a gentle squeeze of my hand, she excused herself. She headed into the crowd, finding Fletcher and wrapping him inside a giant, motherly hug. I could only imagine she was doing exactly what I’d done earlier—congratulating him, filling his head with a load of uplifting things.
I stood against that wall for the better of the night, watching it all happen around me. Bailey had already disappeared—probably back to Desden with Mom. Dad was somewhere lost in the crowd, talking it up with all the townsfolk, who admired him so much. Jones was preoccupied with the band, and Lashell with Fletcher. Georgia, Mary Chris, and the rest of the gang from the Herald were all grouped at the center of the crowd, enjoying the musical styles of Extra Bacon more than anyone else in the room. Georgia had even ditched her heels for bare feet, and she was tearing up the floor.
Gabe and his mother sat over at that table all night. He talked to her; she talked to him. They both cried their share of tears. And when my feet started burning inside my tight heels, and I couldn’t stand against that wall any longer, I sat down at a nearby table and rested my head.
“Hey, sleepyhead,” a voice whispered in my ear, and I peeled my tired eyes open. I was exhausted, so tired that I couldn’t focus on anything. “You’re not a morning bird, but you’re a not a night owl either. I’m finding you very difficult to figure out.”
I sat up straight in my chair, suddenly focusing on the quiet room.
Everyone was gone. The crowd had cleared out; the band had stopped playing. There was no one left but the RI group as they disassembled the tables and took down the decorations. The four members of Extra Bacon were over in the corner, packing up their equipment.
“I slept through it?” I asked, turning back to Gabe. He offered me a hand to help me stand, and I took it as I stared around the room. “It’s over?”
“For a while now.”
“But I didn’t get my dance,” I said, looking to the band.
For six weeks, I’d planned. I put my heart and soul into making this event as perfect as it could be, and after the scholarship was no longer in play, the only thing I wanted out of it was one simple dance with Gabe.
“Well, I’m still here,” Gabe said. “I didn’t go anywhere.”
“But the music’s gone,” I said, still looking around. “The crowd, the lights, the … everything. It’s gone.”
“But we’re not,” Gabe said, offering me his hand. “I think you and I are the most crucial ingredients. The other stuff’s not so important.”
He pulled me to the middle of the empty dance floor, drawing me closer. I rested my head against his shoulder as he swayed, and he was right—the music wasn’t all that important anyway.
We held each other that way, silent at first, not drawing any looks from the other people in the gym. And then suddenly a song started, and we both turned to see the band, all set up again, playing just for us. Jones nodded and winked before focusing his attention back to the drums. I turned into Gabe, and we swayed again. And no sooner than the music started, someone killed the lights.
“Six years,” he said, his lips close to my ear and his voice low. “The first word she said to me in six years was Mandy.” I smiled into his shoulder. “I’ll never forget that.”
“I’m glad—”
“You made it happen,” he said, pulling far enough away to catch my eye. “My mother’s talking to me again.”
“So it’s all worked out?”
“No. It’s going to take a lot of talking,” he said, smiling. “But tonight was a good start. All thanks to you.”
All thanks to me? I shook my head. No. If bringing Gabe and his mother back together was the most I could do for him, it would still never be enough. He’d breathed life back into me. He’d given me the hope and confidence I needed. He’d given me faith. At my weakest, his advice was the reminder that I needed to do what was right.
“I talked to Bailey,” he said, drawing me closer again. “She’s made up her mind, hasn’t she?”
“So it seems.”
“And what about you?”
“What about me?” I asked, pulling away again. “I’m not following her out there if that’s what you mean.”
“No, no, no,” he shook his head. “I meant what about you? How are you handling it?”
“I’m not,” I said, looking down. “But what choice do I have?”
“I’m sure it’s no consolation, but I’m not going anywhere. Your Dad and Jones are sticking around, and Fletcher and Georgia are still here. We’re not Bailey, but … we’ll do what we can to make up for her absence.”
I knew that was true. He’d never let me be alone, last night was proof of that. There wasn’t anything he wouldn’t do, no amount of miles he wouldn’t drive. He’d do everything he could to soften the blow of Bailey’s departure.
“Any chance you can give me a ride home after all this?” I asked, thinking of my sister. “She keeps taking off in our car, and I don’t want to walk home in these heels.”
He cracked a smile. “I think we can work something out.”
“Thanks.”
And we danced a little longer, a little slower, and Gabe held me tightly against him. I smiled as he rested his head against mine, humming to the song as I sank deeper into his arms. I felt closer to him with every breath he took, every subtle move of his chest. I fell in love with him all over again.
“There’s absolutely nothing repulsive about you,” he whispered, and I chuckled. “Nothing at all.”
Breaking Ties Page 18
