everything. “I have one boyfriend. One.”
“Who lives with a houseful of hoodlums,” she said, emerging with a half-empty jar of peanut butter.
“They’re not hoodlums,” I said with a sigh, leaning back against the counter.
“Don’t you sigh at me!” she shouted, opening and slamming a drawer. “How am I supposed to know what they are or what they’re not? You’re never here! You never introduce your friends to me. I’ve barely said two words to this boy, and now he has you forgetting to go grocery shopping. You have responsibilities around here, Katrina. I can’t do everything myself.” Her body seemed to shake as she spread peanut butter on a cracker. It splintered between her fingers and she flung it into the sink, then reached for another. “Do you even realize that I’ve spent twenty long hours at the hospital? Is it so much to ask that there be milk for my coffee and something to eat other than this crap?”
Tears stung my eyes as she shoved a cracker into her mouth. “I’m sorry. I—”
“Forget it,” she said with her mouth full, gathering everything up in her arms and storming past me. “I’m taking this up to my room.”
“Mom, wait,” I said, my voice cracking. “We can go to the supermarket now. We can still make something. We can get burgers. Or I can make that fried chicken you like?”
She paused at the bottom of the steps, and her head fell forward. For a split second I felt hope. She was going to say yes. We were going to have a normal night. We could buy those biscuits that come in the blue sleeve and maybe even make a salad. Then I would tell her about my first day of school and how shocked I was to be asked back into honors English. Maybe I’d even tell her about Charlie. And Zadie, too, of course. The idea of me, having potential new friends might make her feel better about Ty.
“It’s too late,” she said. “I’m tired.” She looked over her shoulder at me, and I could see the red veins shot through her eyes. “Go make it for your boyfriend.”
Then she stomped up the stairs and slammed her door. I gripped the countertop, a hole where my heart used to be. Two tears slipped down my cheeks, and I let them fall to the linoleum floor.
I didn’t need this. I hadn’t done anything wrong. Well, I’d done one thing wrong, but I’d offered to fix it, and she hadn’t even considered it. Slowly I walked to the bottom of the stairs and glared up at her closed door. Clearly she didn’t want to be around me. Well, that was fine. I would text Ty, then go hang out at the library with Mrs. Pauley until he could pick me up. At least Mrs. Pauley would be happy about my honors English placement. In fact, I didn’t know why I hadn’t thought to go there sooner.
I stomped up to my room, grabbed two pairs of jeans, two T-shirts, and my sneakers, and shoved them into an old Gap bag. On my way back downstairs I grabbed my backpack and then stormed out of the house, making sure to slam the door as hard as I could behind me.
CHAPTER TWELVE
Charlie
“Well, Elaina, you’re never going to believe it,” my father said, dropping his work stuff near the door. We walked past piles of unpacked boxes and bare walls toward the kitchen at the back of the house. The scent of my mother’s favorite beef stew made my stomach grumble.
“What’s that?” my mother asked, smiling as she looked up from the vegetables she was chopping. Her blond hair was pulled back in a messy ponytail, and she wore her favorite red sweater and no makeup. I could tell she’d been unpacking most of the day by the amount of stuff laid out on the counter—pots and pans and ceramic plates, our cow-shaped cookie jar, and about a dozen wooden spoons. “Charlie!” she said, seeing me. “How was your first day?”
I opened my mouth to reply, but my dad cut me off.
“Charlie here made the cross-country team!” my dad crowed, already reaching for the phone on the kitchen counter.
My mom stopped
“Who lives with a houseful of hoodlums,” she said, emerging with a half-empty jar of peanut butter.
“They’re not hoodlums,” I said with a sigh, leaning back against the counter.
“Don’t you sigh at me!” she shouted, opening and slamming a drawer. “How am I supposed to know what they are or what they’re not? You’re never here! You never introduce your friends to me. I’ve barely said two words to this boy, and now he has you forgetting to go grocery shopping. You have responsibilities around here, Katrina. I can’t do everything myself.” Her body seemed to shake as she spread peanut butter on a cracker. It splintered between her fingers and she flung it into the sink, then reached for another. “Do you even realize that I’ve spent twenty long hours at the hospital? Is it so much to ask that there be milk for my coffee and something to eat other than this crap?”
Tears stung my eyes as she shoved a cracker into her mouth. “I’m sorry. I—”
“Forget it,” she said with her mouth full, gathering everything up in her arms and storming past me. “I’m taking this up to my room.”
“Mom, wait,” I said, my voice cracking. “We can go to the supermarket now. We can still make something. We can get burgers. Or I can make that fried chicken you like?”
She paused at the bottom of the steps, and her head fell forward. For a split second I felt hope. She was going to say yes. We were going to have a normal night. We could buy those biscuits that come in the blue sleeve and maybe even make a salad. Then I would tell her about my first day of school and how shocked I was to be asked back into honors English. Maybe I’d even tell her about Charlie. And Zadie, too, of course. The idea of me, having potential new friends might make her feel better about Ty.
“It’s too late,” she said. “I’m tired.” She looked over her shoulder at me, and I could see the red veins shot through her eyes. “Go make it for your boyfriend.”
Then she stomped up the stairs and slammed her door. I gripped the countertop, a hole where my heart used to be. Two tears slipped down my cheeks, and I let them fall to the linoleum floor.
I didn’t need this. I hadn’t done anything wrong. Well, I’d done one thing wrong, but I’d offered to fix it, and she hadn’t even considered it. Slowly I walked to the bottom of the stairs and glared up at her closed door. Clearly she didn’t want to be around me. Well, that was fine. I would text Ty, then go hang out at the library with Mrs. Pauley until he could pick me up. At least Mrs. Pauley would be happy about my honors English placement. In fact, I didn’t know why I hadn’t thought to go there sooner.
I stomped up to my room, grabbed two pairs of jeans, two T-shirts, and my sneakers, and shoved them into an old Gap bag. On my way back downstairs I grabbed my backpack and then stormed out of the house, making sure to slam the door as hard as I could behind me.
CHAPTER TWELVE
Charlie
“Well, Elaina, you’re never going to believe it,” my father said, dropping his work stuff near the door. We walked past piles of unpacked boxes and bare walls toward the kitchen at the back of the house. The scent of my mother’s favorite beef stew made my stomach grumble.
“What’s that?” my mother asked, smiling as she looked up from the vegetables she was chopping. Her blond hair was pulled back in a messy ponytail, and she wore her favorite red sweater and no makeup. I could tell she’d been unpacking most of the day by the amount of stuff laid out on the counter—pots and pans and ceramic plates, our cow-shaped cookie jar, and about a dozen wooden spoons. “Charlie!” she said, seeing me. “How was your first day?”
I opened my mouth to reply, but my dad cut me off.
“Charlie here made the cross-country team!” my dad crowed, already reaching for the phone on the kitchen counter.
My mom stopped
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