talked to mom since. I’ve been ignoring her. So she showed up at my apartment this morning, banging on the door like a mad woman, before eight o’clock, bitching about how I hadn’t RSVP’d for the wedding. I told her that I’m not planning on going to the wedding, and she freaked out.”
“Wait, what?” She sounds shocked.
“What?”
“You’re not planning on going to the wedding?”
“No, of course not. Not after mother and her awful new husband made me break up with Cameron.”
“Listen,” Madi says calmly. “First, it’s your tool-bag of an ex-boyfriend who actually broke up with you. He could have chosen no to listen to them, the way you did. And, second, you have to come to the wedding.”
“I do not,” I say, glaring at the phone as if she could see me.
“I can’t do this alone, Milly. Please. If you don’t want to do it for mom, that’s understandable. But do it for me. I can’t go through her wedding alone. You know she’ll be intolerable, and you can’t just make me face it all by myself.”
I chew on my lip as I deliberate. I really really don’t want to go to the wedding. But my strong, independent older sister is begging me to do it. She’s never asked me for help before—never admitted to any weakness or implied that there was something she couldn’t handle alone. And now she is practically begging. Besides, I completely understand her plea—our mother is hard to handle on any day, but on her wedding? She’ll probably be insufferable.
“Plus,” Madi says, “it will give you an opportunity to tell off that asshole ex-boyfriend for being his father’s sock puppet. I’ll even help, if you want.”
“I wouldn’t wish you on my worst enemy,” I say, smiling, but I’m actually considering it now. “Let me think about it.”
“That’s not a no,” she says. I can hear her smile through the phone.
“No,” I agree. “That’s not a no.”
Chapter Fourteen
Cameron
I t was only a dream , I tell myself as I work to control my breathing. I wipe my sweat-drenched face on the sheet before groping around for the light switch. Once the light is on, my anxiety recedes a little.
This dream had been more realistic than usual—more memory than a dream, really. There’d been no dragons to face, no fireballs. Just my dead squadron, screaming in pain as I watched them die, knowing it was all my fault.
Shaking my head, I climb out of bed. It’s nearly five o’clock, according to my phone, so there is no chance I’d be getting back to sleep. I groan at the realization, considering I hadn’t even fallen asleep in the first place until after two a.m. And today promises to be a long, tedious day.
The wedding. My father’s wedding. First, there will be a ceremony—“small and tasteful”—at City Hall. I’m expected to be there for that. I’m serving as my father’s witness. I don’t mind, I guess. Then, there will be a reception—large and extravagant, I’m sure—held at my father’s friend’s mansion in West Virginia. From the sound of it, half the city is expected to show up—a laundry list of politicians and military personnel. I’m absolutely dreading the reception. I’ve never been very extraverted—I’m not one for charming crowds or talking to strangers. And since my… incident… I’ve wanted to be around others less and less.
I can’t help but wonder if Milly will be there. The last time we spoke, she was extremely angry with her mother. I can’t imagine she will have gotten over it completely by now. But Sabrina seems sure Milly would be there—both for the ceremony and the reception. I’ll believe it when I see it.
I can’t decide if I want her to be there or not. The last time I saw her—the last image I have of her in my head—she was in tears. Because of me. That’s not how I like to imagine her, though. Generally when I think about her, in the shower or in my bed, it’s those images from our one night together. Sometimes I think
“Wait, what?” She sounds shocked.
“What?”
“You’re not planning on going to the wedding?”
“No, of course not. Not after mother and her awful new husband made me break up with Cameron.”
“Listen,” Madi says calmly. “First, it’s your tool-bag of an ex-boyfriend who actually broke up with you. He could have chosen no to listen to them, the way you did. And, second, you have to come to the wedding.”
“I do not,” I say, glaring at the phone as if she could see me.
“I can’t do this alone, Milly. Please. If you don’t want to do it for mom, that’s understandable. But do it for me. I can’t go through her wedding alone. You know she’ll be intolerable, and you can’t just make me face it all by myself.”
I chew on my lip as I deliberate. I really really don’t want to go to the wedding. But my strong, independent older sister is begging me to do it. She’s never asked me for help before—never admitted to any weakness or implied that there was something she couldn’t handle alone. And now she is practically begging. Besides, I completely understand her plea—our mother is hard to handle on any day, but on her wedding? She’ll probably be insufferable.
“Plus,” Madi says, “it will give you an opportunity to tell off that asshole ex-boyfriend for being his father’s sock puppet. I’ll even help, if you want.”
“I wouldn’t wish you on my worst enemy,” I say, smiling, but I’m actually considering it now. “Let me think about it.”
“That’s not a no,” she says. I can hear her smile through the phone.
“No,” I agree. “That’s not a no.”
Chapter Fourteen
Cameron
I t was only a dream , I tell myself as I work to control my breathing. I wipe my sweat-drenched face on the sheet before groping around for the light switch. Once the light is on, my anxiety recedes a little.
This dream had been more realistic than usual—more memory than a dream, really. There’d been no dragons to face, no fireballs. Just my dead squadron, screaming in pain as I watched them die, knowing it was all my fault.
Shaking my head, I climb out of bed. It’s nearly five o’clock, according to my phone, so there is no chance I’d be getting back to sleep. I groan at the realization, considering I hadn’t even fallen asleep in the first place until after two a.m. And today promises to be a long, tedious day.
The wedding. My father’s wedding. First, there will be a ceremony—“small and tasteful”—at City Hall. I’m expected to be there for that. I’m serving as my father’s witness. I don’t mind, I guess. Then, there will be a reception—large and extravagant, I’m sure—held at my father’s friend’s mansion in West Virginia. From the sound of it, half the city is expected to show up—a laundry list of politicians and military personnel. I’m absolutely dreading the reception. I’ve never been very extraverted—I’m not one for charming crowds or talking to strangers. And since my… incident… I’ve wanted to be around others less and less.
I can’t help but wonder if Milly will be there. The last time we spoke, she was extremely angry with her mother. I can’t imagine she will have gotten over it completely by now. But Sabrina seems sure Milly would be there—both for the ceremony and the reception. I’ll believe it when I see it.
I can’t decide if I want her to be there or not. The last time I saw her—the last image I have of her in my head—she was in tears. Because of me. That’s not how I like to imagine her, though. Generally when I think about her, in the shower or in my bed, it’s those images from our one night together. Sometimes I think
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