The Queen of Bright and Shiny Things (24 page)

I have never, ever been this happy. I’m terrified. I’m on fire with joy. I’m … alive, for what feels like the first time, ever. I’m not pretending anymore, hoping nobody notices that I’m the freak who doesn’t fit, who has darkness graven down to the bone.

A week before my aunt’s big holiday in Chicago, as promised, I talk to Lila about sleeping over. She cocks her head. “Seriously? Your aunt is going away for the weekend and you want to waste one of those nights at my place?”

“
Want
is a strong word,” I mumble. “But it’s one of the conditions to my getting even one night on my own.”

“She’s protective of you, huh?”

“Do
your
parents leave you home alone that long?”

“Ha, never. Maybe not even when I’m thirty. But they don’t
trust
me. It seems like you and your aunt get along pretty well. And you’re not the type to throw a wild party the minute she leaves.”

Lila doesn’t have all the facts. The reason my aunt doesn’t want to leave me alone so long has nothing to do with rapport or trust. But I don’t go into that.

“Will your parents mind?”

She shakes her head. “Not at all, they love you. My dad thinks it’s awesome that you have a plan, even if it’s a hippie goal. Which night were you thinking?”

“Saturday.”

Shane works that night, so we’ll have more time together if he sleeps over on Friday, like he did before. And though I’m not positive, I might be ready to do more than kiss. How much more, I’m not sure, but I’m scared and excited, my heart trembling like a butterfly at the idea. I remember how it felt to curl up in his arms.

Finally the week I’ve been looking forward to arrives, when my aunt’s going away with Joe. School and work seem like distractions from my ultimate goal: Friday night. Shane will arrive at my house at eight, and he’s bringing clothes for work the next day. As I ride my bike home that afternoon, I’ve got a hundred questions swirling in my head: what I should wear, if we should cook or order from Pizza the Action, but pizza isn’t very romantic. It’s chill, for when you’re hanging out with a bunch of people, but you’d never be, like,
Please, baby, take me out for a slice.

But when I get home, things are
so
not okay. My aunt is home from work early, which almost never happens. This makes me think she’s sick, and her depressed expression reinforces that impression. “What’s wrong?” I ask.

“Joe’s got strep,” she answers.

“Oh, shit.”

So obviously, the weekend she—and I—have been looking forward to isn’t going to happen. No trip to Chicago, no swanky hotel, no theater tickets, no champagne, and for me—worst of all—no overnight with Shane. This isn’t Joe’s fault, but I’m totally frustrated. Instead of a romantic weekend where I kinda planned to fool around with Shane, I get to cheer my aunt up.

“I need to call Lila and cancel our sleepover.”

“No, you don’t have to do that,” she protests.

“I want to. You shouldn’t sit around by yourself, feeling crappy. You need chocolate therapy and a bunch of girl movies. Strep is contagious, right? So you can’t even
see
Joe.”

“Don’t remind me.” She brightens. “Hey, maybe Lila wants to come over here instead?”

“I’ll ask. Let me drop my stuff in my room, change clothes, and call her.”

“No problem. Julia Stiles and Heath Ledger aren’t going anywhere.”

For the first time, I notice she’s watching
10 Things I Hate About You
, for probably the hundredth time; it’s her self-comfort I’m-so-depressed-I-hate-my-life movie. Mine is currently
Pitch Perfect
. But I like this one, too.

I rush to my room, close the door behind me, then text Shane.
Abort, abort! My aunt’s staying here this weekend.

Shane:
Shit.

Me:
I know, right?

Shane:
Do you still want me to come over?

Me:
No. She needs me to hang out with her this weekend. I’m sorry.

Shane:
It’s cool. Maybe I’ll call Jace.

Me:
You got his number? I thought you don’t play well with others.

Shane:
I’m trying.

This is where I wish I was brave enough to key
I love you.
But I’d never send it before saying it in person. I should tell him … at the right moment. And it’s too soon. How long have we actually been together? Maybe two months. That’s
definitely
too fast. I’ll scare him.

Me:
See you Monday. Miss you.

Shane:
You too, Princess.

Then I actually call Lila, so she knows it’s important. She picks up on the third ring. “This is retro. Why didn’t you text me?”

“Change of plans. You want to spend the weekend with us instead?”

“Oh, snap. What happened?”

I explain about Joe, strep, and how my aunt now has epic sad-face. “So now we’re gonna watch movies endlessly and eat chocolate. I can’t promise my aunt will shower. Hopefully by Sunday.”

“God, what would she do if he broke up with her?”

“I have
no
idea.”

And it kind of scares me because Aunt Gabby is my rock. Joe might have the power to break her heart, which makes me want to ride my bike across town and stand under his window yelling at him, even if he’s sick. I restrain the impulse like I always do.

But I have to defend her. My aunt isn’t the type to lose it over a guy. “She hasn’t taken a vacation in years. She’s just disappointed.”

“Yeah, I’d be bummed, too, especially if I bought new clothes to wear.”

“She did.”

“Then I get it. Hang on, let me ask my mom.”

I hear snippets of their conversation, then Lila comes back. “She wants to talk to your aunt to make sure it’s okay with her, and that the whole weekend isn’t too long.”

“And make sure we’ll be adequately supervised,” I guess.

“You know my mother so well.”

Moving down the hall as we talk, I gesture for my aunt to pause the movie. “Mrs. Tremaine wants to speak with you.”

“Oh. No problem.” I hand her the phone. “Yes? Okay, Lila.” Then a few seconds later, “Yes, this is Gabby. No, it’s no trouble at all. In fact, it was my idea. We’d love to have Lila over for a girls’ weekend. She’s so much fun, so great to be around.” Then she pauses, listening. “All right, drop her off around seven. Sounds fine. I can bring her home on Sunday. All handled,” she adds, returning my cell.

“You
are
a joy,” I tell Lila when she comes back.

“My mom thinks there’s an alien running my body now. The sad part is, I think she likes the parasite better than the old me.”

“You’re still you. See you later.”

I disconnect, put away my school stuff, and change clothes. Then I join my aunt for an orgy of sweets and feel-good movies. It turns out to be a really fun weekend, even more so after Lila arrives. By the time she leaves on Sunday, my aunt is in a better mood, and I’m not totally sorry things worked out like this. I mean, I wanted Shane here. But girl time was fun, too.

CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE

When I head to school on Monday, it’s a short week, only three days, since Thursday is Thanksgiving. I’m looking forward to the break. Green World is canceled for the holiday, and I don’t have to work on Thursday, obviously. Shane has the day off, too, but I haven’t invited him over yet. I should clear it at home first. So Monday night, after my shift at the Curly Q, I bring it up with Aunt Gabby. “I was wondering, is it okay if Shane spends Thanksgiving with us?”

“What about his family?”

“It’s just his dad … and he’s a truck driver. He can’t get time off, and they’ve scheduled him for a long haul this time.”

“That sucks.” I nod, hoping she doesn’t ask anything else about Shane’s father. “No grandparents nearby?”

I shake my head, though Shane hasn’t mentioned them. Maybe they’ve passed away? “We can’t leave him alone for the holidays.”

“I don’t mind, if he’s okay sleeping on the couch.”

So instead of a two-day weekend with Shane, unsupervised, I’m getting four days with my aunt in the house. I’ll take it. Impulsively I hug her. “You’re the best.”

“So you occasionally tell me,” she mumbles, smiling.

“Is Joe coming over?”

“Not this year. He’s driving to Missouri to see his folks … if he feels up to it.”

“Yeah, the demon strep. How’s he doing?”

“I haven’t seen him all week. He was off work for four days.”

“Well, I hope he feels better and has a good holiday.”

After eating a quick dinner, I head to my room, happy with how this worked out. Tuesday morning, I pounce on Shane at our locker.

He hugs me, looking startled. “Good news?”

“You’re coming home with me Wednesday. It’s cool with my aunt if you stay until Sunday.”

His eyes widen. “You didn’t—”

“I explained that your dad got stuck with an unexpected job and you’re at loose ends for Thanksgiving.” With my eyes, I warn him not to say anything else. If Dylan can’t make trouble for me, he might go after Shane. And he
does
have a secret he’s keeping.

I glance around, and sure enough, a member of Dylan’s crew is leaning against the lockers nearby. It’s not like I haven’t noticed his people watching me, but I spend all my time being good. They won’t catch me doing anything he can use.

He nods. “Should I bring anything?”

“Nah, we’ll handle it. Hope you like Tofurky.”

“I can honestly say I have no idea.”

“Don’t worry, there will be plenty of other trimmings. Cornbread dressing, sweet potato casserole, green beans and mushrooms, fruit salad, fresh yeast rolls, pumpkin pie, and homemade vanilla bean ice cream.”

“Wow. Sounds like you guys go all out. I … haven’t had that in a while.”

“Before I came to live with my aunt, me either.” That’s more than I usually tell anyone about my time with my bio-mom, but I want Shane to know I understand, at least somewhat.

“Thanks, Sage. This will be awesome.”

People push past us, reminding me I need to get to class. There’s still Tuesday and Wednesday before the fun begins. I’m nervous thinking about having him at my house—what if I do something embarrassing or he catches me going into the bathroom with bed head and morning breath—but I’m excited, too. Shane squeezes me before letting go, just as the bell rings, and we run in opposite directions. I slide into my chair just in time.

I wish I could say the time races like white-water rapids, but it’s more like honey in cold weather. But the clock hands can’t actually run backward, so eventually, it’s Wednesday afternoon. Shane and I head out to the bike rack, but I draw up short.

The tires on my bike have been slashed. I get the message loud and clear. If Dylan can’t ruin me socially, he can hurt me in other ways. There are no security cameras, so it would be my word against his, and he occupies a higher social echelon. Plus, Principal Warick’s banging his mom, so he has reason to keep Dylan happy. That means he’s practically untouchable.

“Well, that was a dick move right before Thanksgiving. It’ll be days before you can get that fixed.”

“Yeah,” I say quietly.

I’m sure that was the point—to make me feel helpless and crippled. And it upsets me because it works. I would
love
to let Shadow Sage answer this challenge. I could escalate so fast, it would make Dylan’s head spin. I imagine slipping a cotton cord into his gas tank, then lighting it up. The flame would burn inward, like a fuse, until it caught the fuel inside. That would make a really satisfying explosion. I’m enjoying the thought when Shane’s hand wraps around mine.

“Don’t just leave it here. Some asshole might make it worse over the weekend.”

His touch recalls me to the person I’ve chosen to be. So instead of doing something horrible, I unlock my bike and push it home on the shredded tires. A quick check in the shed tells me that I don’t have the supplies to fix this myself. I’ll have to take it to the repair shop, and it’ll take a chunk out of my college fund.

Shane grabs the basket and starts attaching it to his bike, distracting me from thoughts of revenge. “What’re you doing?”

“I’ll handle the shopping. It’s the least I can do.”

Since I’m barely keeping my shit together, I don’t argue. I dart inside to get the grocery money from the coffee can in the cupboard, then I hand over the list and he’s off. Long after he’s gone, I sit in the shed, staring at my shredded tires. It’s just a bike, right? It’s not like Dylan hurt me. A little voice whispers,
You don’t have to blow up his truck. You could hit him in a quieter, deeper way.
Right now, I’m restraining the urge, but only just. It takes all my self-control to bury the desire to wreck him and pin on a smile by the time Shane gets back.

*   *   *

Late Thursday, after my aunt has retired in a food coma, Shane and I are curled up together on the couch. He’s got an arm around my shoulders and I’m leaning against his chest. I’m sleepy, but not tired, and I’m 100 percent reluctant to end what has been the most perfect Thanksgiving ever. I’ve buried my anger beneath food and the sweetness of spending time with my favorite people.

Lazily I flip through the brand-new memories: Shane helping us cook, him scarfing down our traditional feast, and then us breaking out the artificial tree. It’s kind of ridiculous but Aunt Gabby always puts up our god-awful white Christmas tree after we eat Thanksgiving dinner. Now it’s twinkling behind us, throwing interesting shadows on the walls. We could be watching a movie, but I turned on the radio instead.

“This was … a phenomenal day,” he whispers.

It’s raining now, just a gentle patter, and I bet it’s chilly outside, but snuggled up against Shane, I can’t imagine ever being cold. “I’m glad you had fun. I know our traditions are a little weird. My aunt doesn’t believe in killing trees, so we’ve had this kitschy fake one forever. It grows on you.”

“No, I liked it. All of it. But especially this part.” He pulls me a little closer, so he can kiss my temple, and the tenderness of the gesture curls my toes.