“I don’t know. I can’t see you burning down a school,” he says.
“You know, I did light Charlie on fire one time. It was an accident,” I say. “A bad incident of sparklers gone wrong. He jumped into the pool before he got hurt, so it was all good. There was also an incident one time with a flaming marshmallow, but I’ll spare you the details.”
“What? No,” he says. “Now you have to tell me.”
“Uh, fine,” I say, lifting my leg so he can see the small scar on my calf. “You can hardly see the scar now. It happened when I was twelve. Charlie still likes to laugh about it, but it hurt really bad. I had to stay in the hospital for a week because it got infected.”
“Wow. Remind me to stay away from you whenever you’re around fire,” Estaine says.
“Ha ha,” I say.
5pm.
I’m never bored with you.
While watching Smallville that afternoon, Estaine and I talk.
Well, talking is pretty much all we’ve done for the past two days, because, what else are you doing to do when you can’t leave the house?
“I’m excited for the weekend,” Estaine says. “For us northerners, it’s our last chance to go to the beach before it gets too cold.”
“I’m excited too. It’s going to be fun,” I say. “I’ve never been to The Hamptons before.”
“You’ll love it.”
“She’s not going,” Uncle Matty says, as he walks into the living room.
“Why not?” I ask. “That’s not fair.”
“It’s not a matter of being fair. It’s a matter of safety,” he says. “Right now, there is too much at risk and your life is not something I’m willing to risk.”
I want to be mad.
I want to yell at him.
But I understand. So, I can’t.
It’s still frustrating though.
“I’ll stay on campus,” I say, letting out a sigh. “I guess I’ll be here by myself, because everybody else is going off campus.”
“I will stay with you,” Estaine says.
“No,” I say. “Don’t. That would just make me feel bad for ruining your plans.”
“Seriously, I don’t mind,” he says. “I’d honestly rather spend the weekend with you, anyway.”
Staying on campus could spare me some potentially awkward moments with Brooks.
Brooks... what am I going to tell him? I can’t explain to him that I’m not really dating Estaine. I can’t explain to him everything that’s going on. I can’t even think of a lie that could convince him.
He is going to hate me and I can’t even blame him for it.
“Are you sure?” I ask Estaine, hating that I’m taking away the time he usually spends at the beach.
“Absolutely,” he says.
“It’ll be boring on campus.”
“I’m never bored with you.”
Uncle Matty stands up. “I think that is my cue to leave the two of you alone.”
I ignore him and turn towards Estaine.
“What about your party?” I ask.
He shrugs. “I wasn’t really in the mood to do it this year anyway. It was always my sister’s thing.”
My heart aches for him at the mention of his sister.
“What do you usually do for Labor Day?” he asks.
“Well, my school didn’t start until after Labor Day. Last year, Charlie and I were at Rick’s house in Hawaii,” I answer. “But we don’t always do that. I think the year before, the whole family went to Tahiti. Or maybe that was two years ago. I think we went to Greece one year.”
“And Rick is your stepdad, right?”
I nod. “Charlie’s dad.”
“You get along with him?”
“Yeah. I love Rick. I love my stepmom, Nora, too,” I say.
“Was it weird to get used to having a parent who isn’t your biological parent?” he asks.
“Nora was easy to get used to. I was fourteen when my dad married her. But I lived with my mom, so it wasn’t like I had to get used to living with her,” I say. “I had a harder time with Rick. I was ten. And I was used to it just being Mom and me. We moved into their house after the wedding, and getting used to living with two boys was hard. I hated it for about three months, but then one day I woke up and realized that somehow, Charlie and Rick had become family.”
“My parents are getting divorced,” Estaine says. “I haven’t told anybody because I don’t want to believe it, yet.”
I scoot closer to him, putting my arm around him. “Divorce sucks. I was four when my parents split up, but I remember it.”
“They used to be really happy. Before... River... I always looked up to their marriage. I wanted a love like that,” he says. “I just really wish she was alive. I don’t think they’d be getting divorced if she was, but even if they were, I could get through this with her here.”
My chest tightens.
I feel so bad for Estaine.
And I have no idea what to say to him. What do you say to somebody who is still mourning the loss of his sister, and is now about to lose the only stability in his life?
“I’m sorry. This probably all seems too trivial compared to what you’re going through,” he says.
“No. Seriously, nobody I love has died,” I say.
He’s quiet for a moment before he finally relaxes.
“You’re a good person, Phoenix,” Estaine says.