A Very Merry Superhero Wedding (Adventures of Lewis and Clarke) by Kitty Bucholtz Page A
Authors: Kitty Bucholtz
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about it for a moment. It was the sort of fun, carefree activity she should be enjoying two days before her wedding. “If you don’t mind,” she started to say, and then she started crying.
“Oh, Tori,” Hayley said in the exact right tone of voice. She came over and wrapped Tori in a big hug. “What’s wrong, sweetie?”
Tori tried to talk, but she couldn’t. Images from her nightmare scuttered through her head. She shivered and hugged Hayley harder.
It took a minute for her to get hold of herself enough to tell Hayley about her nightmare. She couldn’t say any more. She didn’t want to tell he r wh y she sometimes dreamed she was a monster. There were some secrets she kept close, even from Hayley, her best friend since elementary school.
It was only Dixie’s lies and shaming that kept the truth of the shrink and meds from Hayley when she lived with Tori’s family during their senior year of high school. The last thing Tori needed now was for Hayley to decide she was a freak and no longer worthy of friendship.
Hayley looked around and pulled a paper towel off the roll. She handed it to Tori and pushed her into a kitchen chair. Then she got another paper towel, wet it with warm water, and handed that to Tori as well.
“I’m sure this is perfectly normal nerves,” Hayley assured her. “Remember how Sarah cried before she got married? And Margie told us that funny story of how she cried so hard the night before, she still had hiccups the next day at the wedding?”
Tori nodded and tried to chuckle. It came out more like a grunt. She gently wiped her face with the wet paper towel. That felt better.
“It was just a bad dream,” Hayley continued. “Let me guess. You had a fight with your mom yesterday, and you ate way , wa y too much at both parents’ houses.”
Tori nodded.
Hayley got up and put some water in the electric kettle. “I told Bull to get you one of these for a wedding present,” she said with a smile. She turned it on and rummaged through the tea canister. “Then I told him if they were on sale, he could get me one for Christmas. I love this thing.”
Tori smiled at her friend and patted her face with the dry paper towel. Hayley always made things seem not so bad. Of course, Tori’s troubles weren’t nearly as awful as the things Hayley had gone through, but Hayley hardly ever talked about her past and rarely complained.
Usually Tori did the same, but it seemed like everyone was stressing her out. “No hot chocolate?” she asked. It occurred to her that Hayley was heating water not milk.
Hayley turned, hand on hip, and raised her eyebrows. “You really think you need more sugar in your system right now?”
Tori giggled for real this time. Ah, that felt better.
“Aunt Flo said some terrible things yesterday and Mom didn’t stop her.”
Hayley shook her head and muttered something under her breath.
“Not just about me, but Lexie, too. Even about my cousin, Jessie.”
The kettle button popped and Hayley poured hot water into both mugs. Then she covered each mug with a small plate.
“If I’d been there, I’m sure she wouldn’t have left me out.” Hayley pulled two eggs from the fridge, and got out a frying pan.
Tori raised an eyebrow wryly and nodded. Hayley became one of the family in more ways than one when she came to live with them. Aunt Flo had decided she was fair game, too.
Hayley cut holes in the middle of two pieces of bread, buttered both sides, and lay them in the frying pan. She cracked an egg into each hole, then checked the tea.
“I’m not really hungry,” Tori said. All the bad dreams and crying had made her feel a little sick to her stomach. That reminded her of the queasy feeling she had arguing with her mom. She got up and took the mug of English Breakfast tea, and doctored it with milk and honey before sitting back down at the table.
“Your long silence is making me uncomfortable,” she told Hayley.
“Sorry.” Hayley sent her a quick
“Oh, Tori,” Hayley said in the exact right tone of voice. She came over and wrapped Tori in a big hug. “What’s wrong, sweetie?”
Tori tried to talk, but she couldn’t. Images from her nightmare scuttered through her head. She shivered and hugged Hayley harder.
It took a minute for her to get hold of herself enough to tell Hayley about her nightmare. She couldn’t say any more. She didn’t want to tell he r wh y she sometimes dreamed she was a monster. There were some secrets she kept close, even from Hayley, her best friend since elementary school.
It was only Dixie’s lies and shaming that kept the truth of the shrink and meds from Hayley when she lived with Tori’s family during their senior year of high school. The last thing Tori needed now was for Hayley to decide she was a freak and no longer worthy of friendship.
Hayley looked around and pulled a paper towel off the roll. She handed it to Tori and pushed her into a kitchen chair. Then she got another paper towel, wet it with warm water, and handed that to Tori as well.
“I’m sure this is perfectly normal nerves,” Hayley assured her. “Remember how Sarah cried before she got married? And Margie told us that funny story of how she cried so hard the night before, she still had hiccups the next day at the wedding?”
Tori nodded and tried to chuckle. It came out more like a grunt. She gently wiped her face with the wet paper towel. That felt better.
“It was just a bad dream,” Hayley continued. “Let me guess. You had a fight with your mom yesterday, and you ate way , wa y too much at both parents’ houses.”
Tori nodded.
Hayley got up and put some water in the electric kettle. “I told Bull to get you one of these for a wedding present,” she said with a smile. She turned it on and rummaged through the tea canister. “Then I told him if they were on sale, he could get me one for Christmas. I love this thing.”
Tori smiled at her friend and patted her face with the dry paper towel. Hayley always made things seem not so bad. Of course, Tori’s troubles weren’t nearly as awful as the things Hayley had gone through, but Hayley hardly ever talked about her past and rarely complained.
Usually Tori did the same, but it seemed like everyone was stressing her out. “No hot chocolate?” she asked. It occurred to her that Hayley was heating water not milk.
Hayley turned, hand on hip, and raised her eyebrows. “You really think you need more sugar in your system right now?”
Tori giggled for real this time. Ah, that felt better.
“Aunt Flo said some terrible things yesterday and Mom didn’t stop her.”
Hayley shook her head and muttered something under her breath.
“Not just about me, but Lexie, too. Even about my cousin, Jessie.”
The kettle button popped and Hayley poured hot water into both mugs. Then she covered each mug with a small plate.
“If I’d been there, I’m sure she wouldn’t have left me out.” Hayley pulled two eggs from the fridge, and got out a frying pan.
Tori raised an eyebrow wryly and nodded. Hayley became one of the family in more ways than one when she came to live with them. Aunt Flo had decided she was fair game, too.
Hayley cut holes in the middle of two pieces of bread, buttered both sides, and lay them in the frying pan. She cracked an egg into each hole, then checked the tea.
“I’m not really hungry,” Tori said. All the bad dreams and crying had made her feel a little sick to her stomach. That reminded her of the queasy feeling she had arguing with her mom. She got up and took the mug of English Breakfast tea, and doctored it with milk and honey before sitting back down at the table.
“Your long silence is making me uncomfortable,” she told Hayley.
“Sorry.” Hayley sent her a quick
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