“You’re right, you were. Thanks, I mean it.” I pause to see what else she’s going to say, but after too long an awkward silence, I speak up. “So, I’m gonna go take a shower. Thanks again. Guess I’ll see ya around?”
She smiles and walks to the door, but there’s still a defensive air coming off her. “Yeah, Evan, I’ll see ya around.”
I stay in the shower for way too long, trying to assess the situation. Nothing happened. Kaitlyn was just being a good friend. We agreed not to tell Laney and upset her over nothing. It’s all gonna be okay.
Yup, everything will be fine.
Chapter Seventeen
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HOME BITTERSWEET HOME
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Laney
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Leaving ball on Monday, my phone rings and I know it’s Evan before I answer.
“Well hello, stranger.”
“Baby girl, how are you? I missed you.”
I tell him I’m good, I’ve missed him, too. He explains how he lost his phone and just got a new one today. All I want to do is ask him about the picture I saw. I want to tell him how bad it hurt me, how disgusting it was, but I don’t. Evan needs to enjoy college, be free, and have fun...whatever that means to him.
That doesn’t mean I can’t test the water though, and see if he’ll tell me on his own. “So, how was your weekend?”
“Okay, I guess, had speed camp mostly, hung out for a while Saturday night, nothing much. What’d you do?”
Nope, he’s not going to tell me. The irony is not wasted on me. What took us years to build, a strong foundation that withstood any element, has just suffered its first crack. It took a fraction of the time.
“I did the Hall Crawl Friday night, it pretty much sucked. Saturday I swung a while then hung out and Sunday I did laundry.” All true.
We make plans to meet at home for the long Labor Day weekend coming up. I may be upset over the picture, but there’s no way I’m passing up a chance to see him. He’s still my best friend in the whole world, and I miss him.
Bennett calls during my drive home Friday night begging me to come back a day early and go out with her. Apparently something called “The K” will be “kickin’” because of the long weekend. Tate can’t make it, but she “reaaallllyyyy” wants to go. She’s working on our fake IDs right now.
I told her I’ll see. I’m not sure when Evan’s heading back, and I’m not leaving one minute before he does. Also, I have yet to go to a college party, and I’ve never heard of “The K,” so I’m a bit hesitant. I tell her I’d call her the next day or so.
I get home before Evan since I have a way shorter drive, so I have lots of time to get settled in and catch up with my Dad. He’s such a good man. I’ve never understood why he never dated after my mother took off. Once I asked him if he was lonely and he had a simple answer: “Now how could I be lonely when I have you? I already have the most beautiful, wonderful girl in the world.”
He loved my mother with all he was. He tried to ignore for so long how she’d simply “checked out” on us long before she actually left, but I’d known for a while that she wasn’t in the room even when she was sitting right beside me. I couldn’t believe she’d actually left, I didn’t know moms actually did that, but she did. We haven’t heard from her since, and we’ve never left that house, so she simply doesn’t want to talk to us, cause we damn sure aren’t hard to find.
Since that day, it’s been just me and Dad; every meal, every holiday, just us. His parents are both gone and I have no idea about her parents; they, too, are ghosts. He got me into playing ball, something he knew well and could relate to me with. He taught me how to fish, how to cook simple things, and how to be strong and self-sufficient. I may have been burned by my mother, but between my father, Evan, and even Parker, I’m set. I struck gold with the men in my life.
After we ate the spaghetti I made, he headed off for guitar night, aka old men sitting in a shed drinking beer. One may pick up a guitar and strum at some point, ergo “guitar night.” He didn’t need to skip it just because I was home, Evan will be here soon.
While I wait, I make up a meatloaf and a pot of chili for Dad. He can freeze them both and they’ll last him at least a week of good eating. Then I wash all his bedding and clean the bathrooms, things he would never think of. I’ve gotta take care of my Daddy.
Finally, around ten, Evan appears at my door. I jump into his arms, wrapping my arms around his neck and smashing my face into his neck, ugly snapshots forgotten. God, I missed him so much.
He catches me and laughs, running his hands up and down my back. “I missed you, too, princess.” He kisses my hair and sighs.
I pull him to the couch; I just want to hold him. We stay there for hours, it’s as though my cheek can’t leave his chest and his hands never leave some part of me. It would be so much harder to leave him this time, now that I know how bad it can actually be and what he does while he’s gone. I wonder if he feels it, too.
Chapter Eighteen
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REMEDY
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EVAN