inspection, Mamie hustled me out to her car before I could change my mind. She insisted we shouldn’t call first, that my coming over should be a surprise to Ella.
“It’s a romantic gesture,” she said. We pulled up to a stop light. Mamie straightened out my collar, then picked lint off my jeans. “Besides, this way Ella can’t hang up on you.”
But she could slam the door in my face. Yeah, this was a good idea.
Mamie spent the rest of the drive telling me how to act and what to say. Some of her instructions were totally contradictory, like “be contrite” but “make sure she understands.” I was so confused by the time we pulled up in front of Ella’s house, I wasn’t sure what I would say beyond, “Hi. Sorry I acted like a dumbass.”
When I got out of the car, Mamie said, “Text me when you’re ready to come home.”
Before I could ask where she thought she was going, Mamie backed down the driveway and left me standing in front of Ella’s house. How was it possible that I ran with Army Special Forces but just spent the last hour getting bossed around, then abandoned, by my seventeen-year-old sister?
On the other hand, most of those same Green Berets lived in terror of Mamie Archer.
Knowing I looked like an idiot hanging out on Ella’s driveway for no good reason, I trudged to the front door. My palms were sweating like crazy when I rang the bell. What if she laughed at me? Or told me she never wanted to see my sorry butt again? This was wrong; I shouldn’t have come. I was about to text Mamie to tell her I was a chicken after all and to come get me when the lock on the front door was thrown back.
I had hoped Ella would answer, or at least her mom; Mrs. Mitchell was pretty nice. But no, a tall, thin blond with Ella’s green eyes stared at me, her nose twitching like she smelled something gross.
Alyssa was home from college. Great.
“Oh, it’s you,” she said.
“Um, hi Alyssa,” I said, desperately wishing I could tell her I’d saved her life last winter. Maybe she wouldn’t glare at me so much.
“What do you want?” Alyssa asked, not moving from the door. Her frown made her face look cold and snobby. It was a shame, really, because she was pretty when she smiled—which wasn’t very often.
I squirmed on the doormat, wondering how long I’d be raked over the coals by Ella’s big sister before I could gain an audience. I knew one thing for sure, though. Mamie was in for it for ditching me.
“Is Ella here?”
“That depends,” Alyssa said. “Why do you want to see her?”
My temper started to spark, so I forced myself to count to ten before answering. “To tell her I’m sorry for being a total ass at school today.”
Alyssa took a step back from the threshold, her eyes wide. She must not have expected me to be honest, but whatever. I’d sing show tunes if it got me inside.
She pulled the door all the way open, and there was Ella, standing next to her. Based on Ella’s expression, she’d heard the whole thing while hiding behind the door. I considered bolting into the night, but I knew I had to do this.
“Can I talk to you?” I shot a pointed look at Alyssa. “Alone?”
Ella nodded and came outside. Alyssa gave me a disapproving sniff before closing the door. It was a cool evening, but Ella didn’t have a jacket. Not wanting her to have an excuse to run off, I gave her mine and we sat on the porch swing. To my surprise, she didn’t glare at me like every other female had tonight. Instead, she looked sad.
And that was way, way worse.
Half-hesitating, I draped an arm across her shoulders. She sat stiff as a board, but didn’t shrug my arm away. I took some hope from that. Now I just had to pry the words from my throat. “I meant what I said; I’m sorry for how I acted. I was just a little keyed up today.”
Ella’s spine relaxed and she melted against my side. I kissed the top of her head, then we swung back and forth for a while, listening to the wind blow
“It’s a romantic gesture,” she said. We pulled up to a stop light. Mamie straightened out my collar, then picked lint off my jeans. “Besides, this way Ella can’t hang up on you.”
But she could slam the door in my face. Yeah, this was a good idea.
Mamie spent the rest of the drive telling me how to act and what to say. Some of her instructions were totally contradictory, like “be contrite” but “make sure she understands.” I was so confused by the time we pulled up in front of Ella’s house, I wasn’t sure what I would say beyond, “Hi. Sorry I acted like a dumbass.”
When I got out of the car, Mamie said, “Text me when you’re ready to come home.”
Before I could ask where she thought she was going, Mamie backed down the driveway and left me standing in front of Ella’s house. How was it possible that I ran with Army Special Forces but just spent the last hour getting bossed around, then abandoned, by my seventeen-year-old sister?
On the other hand, most of those same Green Berets lived in terror of Mamie Archer.
Knowing I looked like an idiot hanging out on Ella’s driveway for no good reason, I trudged to the front door. My palms were sweating like crazy when I rang the bell. What if she laughed at me? Or told me she never wanted to see my sorry butt again? This was wrong; I shouldn’t have come. I was about to text Mamie to tell her I was a chicken after all and to come get me when the lock on the front door was thrown back.
I had hoped Ella would answer, or at least her mom; Mrs. Mitchell was pretty nice. But no, a tall, thin blond with Ella’s green eyes stared at me, her nose twitching like she smelled something gross.
Alyssa was home from college. Great.
“Oh, it’s you,” she said.
“Um, hi Alyssa,” I said, desperately wishing I could tell her I’d saved her life last winter. Maybe she wouldn’t glare at me so much.
“What do you want?” Alyssa asked, not moving from the door. Her frown made her face look cold and snobby. It was a shame, really, because she was pretty when she smiled—which wasn’t very often.
I squirmed on the doormat, wondering how long I’d be raked over the coals by Ella’s big sister before I could gain an audience. I knew one thing for sure, though. Mamie was in for it for ditching me.
“Is Ella here?”
“That depends,” Alyssa said. “Why do you want to see her?”
My temper started to spark, so I forced myself to count to ten before answering. “To tell her I’m sorry for being a total ass at school today.”
Alyssa took a step back from the threshold, her eyes wide. She must not have expected me to be honest, but whatever. I’d sing show tunes if it got me inside.
She pulled the door all the way open, and there was Ella, standing next to her. Based on Ella’s expression, she’d heard the whole thing while hiding behind the door. I considered bolting into the night, but I knew I had to do this.
“Can I talk to you?” I shot a pointed look at Alyssa. “Alone?”
Ella nodded and came outside. Alyssa gave me a disapproving sniff before closing the door. It was a cool evening, but Ella didn’t have a jacket. Not wanting her to have an excuse to run off, I gave her mine and we sat on the porch swing. To my surprise, she didn’t glare at me like every other female had tonight. Instead, she looked sad.
And that was way, way worse.
Half-hesitating, I draped an arm across her shoulders. She sat stiff as a board, but didn’t shrug my arm away. I took some hope from that. Now I just had to pry the words from my throat. “I meant what I said; I’m sorry for how I acted. I was just a little keyed up today.”
Ella’s spine relaxed and she melted against my side. I kissed the top of her head, then we swung back and forth for a while, listening to the wind blow
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