Odd Girl In
Page 16
“Ashley?” my brother, pink-cheeked but pleased, pushed his way toward her. “What are you doing here?”
Ashley pointed to Nick. “Your brother told me …” She reached out to Parker and touched a short patch of hair. “How did this happen?”
Parker put his hand on hers. “We needed something to start the fire with.” He shrugged and grinned sheepishly. “And it’s only hair.”
With a dramatic gasp and a lower lip quiver, Ashley threw her arms around Parker and kissed him.
“Aw,” said Emily.
“Ew,” said Nick and I.
A half hour later, Ms. Success presented my brothers and me with our championship check. We waved to the cheering crowd while Dad, beaming proudly, stood behind us.
As I felt the strength and comfort of my family’s presence, I realized that I’d been handling the situation with Mom all wrong. I’d accused Emily of being self-absorbed, but when it came to my long-lost parent, I acted as if my attempts to reconnect with her only affected me. I couldn’t ignore the feelings of my brothers or Dad anymore. Whatever problems we faced, we had to face them as a family.
Later, when the crowd dispersed and we were walking back to the car, I grabbed Dad’s hand in one of mine and faced my brothers.
“What’s up, Alex?” asked Nick.
After a deep, calming breath, I looked each member of my family in the eye. “We need to have another talk about Mom.”