good for my queasy stomach), while glaring at the back of the waitress’s head, the one who spent the last twenty minutes flirting with my dad, auditioning for the role of my new mommy.
“I don’t think I’m cut out for it,” he says, sipping his chardonnay and looking at me.
“That’s exactly what Mom says,” I tell him, as he sets down his glass and smiles.
“Speaking of, are you ready to face the music?” he asks, eyebrows raised.
“Do I have to?” I hold my breath.
“No. But I think you should.”
I took at him for a moment, and then I just nod, dragging my french fry through a puddle of ketchup, knowing he’s right.
The second we get back to the apartment, Easton calls. I guess he wanted to make peace with my dad, make sure he’s not fired, and say good-bye to me (yes, in that order). And after my dad gave him a lecture so severe it left me with my mouth hanging open in shock, he handed me the phone, and promptly left the room.
“Hey,” I say, plopping onto the couch, kicking off my shoes, and resting my bare feet on the coffee table.
“So, your dad seems pretty upset,” he says, sounding kind of scared and nervous, and not at all like the overconfident guy from last night.
“Yeah, well.” I just shrug, and gaze at my pedicure that’s in desperate need of revision.
”Okay, well, I just wanted to say that it was really cool meeting you.”
“Yeah, you too,” I say, feeling relieved that he’s not completely turned-off and grossed-out by the whole puking fiasco.
“So, when do you think you’ll be back?” he asks.
“No idea,” I tell him. “Probably not ‘til summer though.”
“Okay, well, next time you’re in the city, you should definitely look me up,” he says, sounding cool and casual, and maybe, just maybe, even a little bit hopeful.
And after I agree to “definitely” do that, I lean against the cushions, close my eyes, and replay my incredible week in New York. It’s like, in the course of just five days, I grew closer to my dad, hung out in the coolest city in the world, added some crucial pieces to my wardrobe, knocked five items off of my “virgin list,” and (most important of all) survived my first romance-hook up quickie boyfriend pretty much unscathed.
And even though all of those things originally had me longing to stay, I now know that because of them, I’m finally ready to go.
Ten
Jeez, you’d think I’d been gone a month the way my mom and Autumn hugged me at the airport. Though to be honest, I actually kind of missed them, too. And the first thing I do when we get back home is head for my room, then I freeze in the doorway, dropping my bag in shock, when I see how everything has changed. And I don’t mean that I’ve been gone so long that I now see everything in a fresh, new light kind of changed. I mean that, literally,
everything has changed.
There are new dressers, new beds, new sheets, there’s even these cool new curtains that surround each of our beds, so that Autumn and I can share a room without having to constantly look at each other.
“So what do you think?” my mom asks, as Autumn stands beside her, smiling.
“I love it!” I gaze all around, touching the soft cotton curtain, and running my hand over my cool, new dresser drawers. Then I look at them, and they’re so excited about the fact thatI’m excited, that it makes me feel horrible for running away like that. “I’m sorry I ran off,” I say. “I just-”
But my mom raises her hand and shakes her head, sign language for “it’s my turn to talk.” “Believe me, I’ve thought long and hard about this, Winter, and while I realize you’re growing up and that we may not always see eye to eye, I’m afraid I can’t just let this one go. You know there are consequences to your actions.”
I stare at her, my stomach heading south while I wonder what she could possibly have in mind.
Damn, I knew all the hugs and furniture were too good to be true.
“I
“I don’t think I’m cut out for it,” he says, sipping his chardonnay and looking at me.
“That’s exactly what Mom says,” I tell him, as he sets down his glass and smiles.
“Speaking of, are you ready to face the music?” he asks, eyebrows raised.
“Do I have to?” I hold my breath.
“No. But I think you should.”
I took at him for a moment, and then I just nod, dragging my french fry through a puddle of ketchup, knowing he’s right.
The second we get back to the apartment, Easton calls. I guess he wanted to make peace with my dad, make sure he’s not fired, and say good-bye to me (yes, in that order). And after my dad gave him a lecture so severe it left me with my mouth hanging open in shock, he handed me the phone, and promptly left the room.
“Hey,” I say, plopping onto the couch, kicking off my shoes, and resting my bare feet on the coffee table.
“So, your dad seems pretty upset,” he says, sounding kind of scared and nervous, and not at all like the overconfident guy from last night.
“Yeah, well.” I just shrug, and gaze at my pedicure that’s in desperate need of revision.
”Okay, well, I just wanted to say that it was really cool meeting you.”
“Yeah, you too,” I say, feeling relieved that he’s not completely turned-off and grossed-out by the whole puking fiasco.
“So, when do you think you’ll be back?” he asks.
“No idea,” I tell him. “Probably not ‘til summer though.”
“Okay, well, next time you’re in the city, you should definitely look me up,” he says, sounding cool and casual, and maybe, just maybe, even a little bit hopeful.
And after I agree to “definitely” do that, I lean against the cushions, close my eyes, and replay my incredible week in New York. It’s like, in the course of just five days, I grew closer to my dad, hung out in the coolest city in the world, added some crucial pieces to my wardrobe, knocked five items off of my “virgin list,” and (most important of all) survived my first romance-hook up quickie boyfriend pretty much unscathed.
And even though all of those things originally had me longing to stay, I now know that because of them, I’m finally ready to go.
Ten
Jeez, you’d think I’d been gone a month the way my mom and Autumn hugged me at the airport. Though to be honest, I actually kind of missed them, too. And the first thing I do when we get back home is head for my room, then I freeze in the doorway, dropping my bag in shock, when I see how everything has changed. And I don’t mean that I’ve been gone so long that I now see everything in a fresh, new light kind of changed. I mean that, literally,
everything has changed.
There are new dressers, new beds, new sheets, there’s even these cool new curtains that surround each of our beds, so that Autumn and I can share a room without having to constantly look at each other.
“So what do you think?” my mom asks, as Autumn stands beside her, smiling.
“I love it!” I gaze all around, touching the soft cotton curtain, and running my hand over my cool, new dresser drawers. Then I look at them, and they’re so excited about the fact thatI’m excited, that it makes me feel horrible for running away like that. “I’m sorry I ran off,” I say. “I just-”
But my mom raises her hand and shakes her head, sign language for “it’s my turn to talk.” “Believe me, I’ve thought long and hard about this, Winter, and while I realize you’re growing up and that we may not always see eye to eye, I’m afraid I can’t just let this one go. You know there are consequences to your actions.”
I stare at her, my stomach heading south while I wonder what she could possibly have in mind.
Damn, I knew all the hugs and furniture were too good to be true.
“I
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