Warning: Hold on to your hearts, lovers. Someone's must break.
…
We Fall Between
…
Faith freaking Giancana is in the Keeler house! Needless to say, Payson is elated.
"I missed you."
"No, I missed you!" Faith gushes. When they finally separate, flour from Faith's apron (that says I kiss better than I cook) sticks to Payson's humane society t-shirt, but they're too preoccupied to notice. A little flour pales in comparison to Faith Giancana being in Colorado.
"So, do we still refer to you as a strawberry blonde?" Payson asks.
"Baby, I've colored my hair so many times I don't even remember my natural color," she confesses. Faith curls strands of her reddish brown hair around her fingers, silver nails glittering beneath the kitchen lights. "Finally you're home! Don't freak, but I'm feeding you!"
Payson laughs. "Since you're in my house shouldn't I be feeding you?"
"Oh, we are. Faith Giancana, you are too thin," Kim says, coming up beside the girls and running her hand down the back of Faith's head. She responds with a big smile and seeing their interaction reminds Payson of how cautious and timid Faith had been the first time she met the Keelers. Now Faith embraces Kim without shame or boundaries.
"My Gran says the same thing all the time, which is strange because I eat everything and anything," Faith admits. "Remember the buffet in Rio?"
"You mean you and Conrad and the rib eating competition?"
Everyone laughs. The image of Faith and Conrad with barbeque sauce smeared all over their lips and waving rib bones at each other is priceless.
"Not that I'm not happy to see you, because I am, but what are you doing here, Faith?"
"I wanted to surprise you so surprise!" Faith sways from side to side as if her body fails to contain her excitement. "Your mom picked me up from the airport. I know I probably should have called Nicky to come get me, but, I'm not exactly ready for that and I'm even less prepared to see Kelly. She isn't looking so hot, is she?"
Payson shakes her head no. She doesn't know if there's any more to say, especially in front of her parents. Mark clears his throat and busies himself, putting his expert finishing touches on dinner while Kim shares the girls' concern, an arm wrapped around each of them.
"Marty clued me in," Faith says. "He's about to have a nervous breakdown over Kelly. Nicky too. Then there's Austin whining, whining, whining, so I figured it's time. I kinda left New York in a hurry and my dad hasn't set me up with a place to stay yet so…"
"Faith, you are always welcomed in this house," Kim assures her.
"Merci," Faith says without even trying an accent, so very American, so very Faith to not care.
"And you need to share some of your adventure stories with us," Kim reminds her.
"Absolutely."
The front door opens and slams, followed by angry footsteps pounding up the stairs before another door slams. A quick headcount and they realize who it is—Becca. Kim immediately goes to check on her youngest. When she comes back, the table is set and Mark and the girls patiently wait to start dinner. Kim explains that Becca isn't feeling too well and won't be joining them. Payson knows exactly why.
Though all four of them worry about Becca, Faith proves to be a good distraction. She tells stories about her travels, how she got lost too many times to count, found herself involved in a number of miscommunications with foreigners (that she claims wasn't her fault), especially when it comes to public transit. Payson accuses her of fibbing when Faith tells them she joined a touring indie folk band of twenty-seven people (backup vocals and shakers) and followed a thespian troupe around for a few months after that.
"If not Sorrento and Capri, then Paris was probably my favorite. I definitely wanna go back," Faith says. "What I thought was strange, but also really great was how Paris isn't, like, romantic like it is in movies. At least to me it wasn't. When I was there, there weren't any lovey-dovey feelings, mimes and poodles everywhere. Architecturally, it's a beautiful city and the museums and the macarons. Org—heaven in your mouth."
It's an obvious save, but it's nice to know Faith is at least trying to censor.
"Je suis d'accord," Mark agrees in French with a surprisingly accurate-sounding accent.
It reminds Payson of the other day at the Rock when Mark decoded the French Faith included in her text.
"Okay, I need to know," Payson says, waving her fork as she talks. "Dad, where are you pulling this French from?"
"You didn't know?" Kim asks. "In college, your father spent a year studying abroad in France."
"You did?" Payson asks quizzically.
"You did!" Faith shouts excitedly.
Mark laughs. "I did."
Faith starts naming different spots in or around Paris and Mark tries hard to see which stand out for him. He says it feels like another lifetime when he didn't have a wife and two kids (and a Faith) and mortgage along with gymnastics careers to support. He seems so youthful and alive when he tells them about the time him and his fellow American friends would participate in prank wars and generally shamed their country. Sometimes Payson forgets her parents had lives before they became Mr. and Mrs. Keeler.
After dinner, Faith volunteers to do the dishes, happy to be earning her keep. Payson teases her about the first time they had dinner and how Faith was genuinely confused by the concept of not having maids to clean up after them. After hanging out for a bit longer and tasting the double-crusted apple pie Faith baked, everyone gets ready for bed.
"I'll admit, the pie was delicious," Payson says, "but the true test will be to see who stomachs it through the night."
"Hey, I'm a great baker. Gran taught me. Giancanas are winners. Genetic lottery, me think eth." Sitting on Payson's bed, Faith has her hair up high, wearing a black wifebeater with tie-dye pajama bottoms. On the bridge of her nose rests a pair of thick, boxy red reading glasses with slightly rounded edges. "Do you think we should check on Becca?"
"Not tonight. I think she needs some time to herself," Payson says, sitting in her matching pajama top and bottom with repeating yellow ducks. She told Faith about Conrad the second they were alone in her room. "Seeing you in the morning should be a nice surprise."
"I hope so. She's got great taste in boys; I'll give her that. Conrad is the sweetest, but still. Baby dolls and broken hearts, never pretty," Faith says sympathetically. "Speaking of, I want you to tell me the state of things, of everything. Don't leave out a single detail."
Payson sits back against the wooden headboard, fingers laced in her lap. She fills her in on everything that's happened since they last saw each other in October. She talks about her career and Austin and answers all of Faith's nagging questions.
"So what are Nicky and Kaylie like as a couple?"
"I don't know," Payson says. "It's weird, I guess."
"How so?"
"For one, they're still together, which is surprising in itself considering how often they fight. They never stay mad at each other, though. Whenever Kaylie forces him to hang out with us, he always seems so uncomfortable, but I just assume it's me and how much I know, which makes me uncomfortable. And we can't forget how every time Kaylie gushes about how great of a kisser Nicky is all I think is, obviously, because he apparently practiced a lot on Kelly."
Payson's face scrunches in displeasure while Faith erupts in loud, dorky laughs.
"God, I missed you," Faith says, as if she hasn't said it enough tonight alone. "See. That just goes to show why people need to expand their dating pool."
"I second that," Payson says. "So you haven't talked to Kelly yet?"
"Not since Rio."
Payson frowns, mouth cemented shut, much like how she'd been, helplessly standing by as Faith and Kelly verbally tore each other and their friendship apart.
"I, um, I've been sending her cute little texts, but she doesn't reply. I've left her annoying voicemails and she doesn't call back to tell me to shut up. The only time a girl is allowed to ignore her best friend is if she's having great sex with someone hot or she's dead. Something's wrong, Pace. It can't be just about Nicky anymore. Something else had to have happened. Feeling so disconnected makes me wanna cry."
"Crying already? Faith, you just got here."
"Can it, beautiful. Mark my words! This will be a tear-free visit so help me God!" Faith announces. "So since I've been out of touch and out of reach, I should be asking you about Kelly. Your mom told me about her surprise sleepover, but she didn't mention the pictures." Faith lowers her voice significantly. "You know what I'm talking about, right?"
"I saw, but my parents haven't. Thank God. If they did, my mom would probably try to have her locked up in a convent somewhere. I found out from Nicky, actually."
Faith's eyes widen in terror. "Nicky knew? He failed to mention that the last time we talked!"
"Kelly sort of told him indirectly and Nicky made Max Spencer take them down."
"That's my boy!" Faith cheers. "God, I want to bitch slap Kelly so bad! What was she thinking? Letting Flex do body shots off of her in public? Yuck! And it wasn't just one or two pics either. It was a series! We're talking moment-by-moment play-by-play! Him licking salt off of her and sucking tequila from her navel, lime wedge from her mouth and all! I mean, it sounds hot and it looked hot, but no less whore-ish! Not exactly the NGO's cup o' tea."
"I know, Faith. I saw." Payson shivers, recalling how empty it seemed. "How'd you find out?"
"The Maximalist. I wouldn't call us besties, but we've known each other a long time, through Nicky. Max is great with a camera so I browse his picture blog sometimes. It was the first thing I saw on the 'net when I got back. At least they're off now. Does Max still have them?"
"Max was supposed to give all his copies to Nicky, but I'm not sure."
"Hopefully. I could use a dozen."
Payson shoots her a look. "Why in the world would you want that?"
"Not for, like, creepy purposes! Pace! I'm thinking of printing them and shoving them in her face or blowing them up and taping them to the walls all Dexter-style during the intervention. By the way, yes, we are holding an amateur intervention and I expect you to be there with a tearjerker of a speech. Nicky's ass better be there too and with a new tat!"
"According to him, they're talking again, which is good, right?" Payson says, unsure. "You should have seen his face, Faith. Nicky said Kelly thought he was in on it with Max and they posted the pictures just so they could laugh at her."
"Deep down, Kel knows he'd never. She's just looking for any reason to push him away. As if Kaylie would let Nicky go to a party Kelly's at. I doubt the leash stretches that far," Faith says, bitterly. She regrets it instantly and it shows on her face. "Ugh, I didn't mean to say it like that. You know I don't blame Kaylie for any of this. I think she's cool, but she kinda make my life more complicated than it needs to be."
"I don't even want to talk about Kaylie right now." Payson's voice is more of a growl, still upset with Kaylie. Payson's change in demeanor spikes Faith's interest.
"Is everything okay between you and the besties?"
"Me, Emily and Lauren, yes, but Kaylie…not so much," Payson explains. "She knew, Faith. She knew about the pictures because Max is dating her new best friend and she just kept quiet about it and let things get worse. Who does that?"
"Max has a girlfriend? Really? Like, a living, breathing girl? Not a dude in drag?"
Payson hesitates. From the few minutes she spent around Max, he doesn't seem like the type of guy who has trouble getting female attention.
"Yeah, Maeve Benson. Austin thinks she has an eating disorder and the next time I see Kaylie, I'm going to tell her because that's what friends do."
"Max and Maeve?" Faith giggles. "Do they wear matching cardigans? I bet they do." Her giggles turn to uncontrollable laughter. "Okay, serious face. So Kaylie knew about the pics of Kelly and she didn't say anything to you and you called her out on it?"
"Right. Her biggest concern was that Nicky and Max were fighting over Kelly, completely disregarding how this can, oh, I don't know, ruin Kelly's career! I love Kaylie, I do, but she can be so selfish sometimes and it drives me insane! There are bigger things going on than her high school relationship and I doubt she even told Nicky she knows and Kaylie is all about being honest? It'll just end in another fight. I'm calling it right now."
"Wow, let it all out, Pace. Don't hold anything back," Faith teases. "Have you talked since?"
"Nope. And I don't intend to." Payson knows she's being stubborn, but she doesn't feel there's anything for her to apologize for. It's Kaylie's move to make.
Faith giggles. "I said that exact same thing about Nicky. Then one convo later and we're back to bestie status. Something tells me you and Kaylie will work out the same. Now, would you mind if I called Nicky? I'll probably crash at his place since Kelly's isn't exactly an option."
Payson approves and Faith reaches for Payson's phone, mumbling about being too lazy to grab hers across the room. Faith puts it on speaker so they both can listen to it ring. Faith anxiously drums her fingers against the bedspread as they wait for him to pick up. It's one of the few times Payson has seen Faith less than confident. There's something heartbreaking about how Faith went from never having to second-guess or sensor with Nicky to how she is now, riddled with anxiety over something as simple as a phone call.
"Hello?" Nicky sounds so sleepy. Faith becomes rigid, no longer flailing around like usual. "Payson?"
"Hola her—er—mah—mano largo tie—mhmm-something sin saber de ti!" Faith stutters through it, but ends on a high, squealing note. Payson smiles and shakes her head. Faith butchering foreign languages never gets old.
"…You just asked me if my dog has an UTI," Nicky flatly replies.
"Not!" Faith screams, so childlike, as if she's watching one of those kid shows sponsored by PBS. "I said, 'hello, brother, long time no hear from you'…at least I tried to. Right?"
"Close enough," Nicky says. "Faith. Are you…? What? What's going on?"
"I am fantastic-o, which is odd because usually I'm the worst with jetlag," Faith says, adjusting the way her glasses fit her face. "I guess I've given away my secret location. By the way, you're on speaker. Payson, say hi."
"Hi," Payson says awkwardly.
"Hi," Nicky says, sounding just as awkward in return. "Wait…you're in Boulder?"
"Yes!" Faith shouts. "The Keelers picked me up this afternoon!"
"Finally you decided to show," Nicky says. It strikes all of them that Faith (and to some extent Kelly) has been gone for so long. The deep, nagging need to reunite grows stronger. "So, um, can I come over?"
Faith's face lights up at the idea, wiping away any bit of apprehension she once had. "Nicky, will you climb the tree outside Payson's window and serenade us in the moonlight?"
"If you want me to," Nicky readily agrees. His voice swells with hope as if he's already halfway out his front door. "I'll work on my scales on the drive over."
"Sorry to be the killjoy, but no," Payson interrupts. "For one, there's no tree outside my window and, two, my parents love you, Nicky, but not that much."
"Point taken," Faith says slowly. "Change of plan, Nix. Ditch school and come pick me up tomorrow morning."
"Done," Nicky says without a moment's hesitation. "Sneaky, your timing couldn't have been better. There's so much we need to talk about. I don't even mind sacrificing my perfect attendance senior year."
"I love that you care about perfect attendance. Nix, you're such a nerd from outer space. Okay, tomorrow we need to gameplan about how to go about fixing FKN because, yeah, we need to do something. Nicky, it sounds serious. She's doing stupid things with stupid people and most importantly getting caught doing them! Marty even said she missed practice!Tell me you've got insider intel."
"Not really," Nicky says, though he makes it fairly obvious he wishes he did. "Her dad's in town and you know how Kelly gets about her parents."
"What to do about our Kelly-moo." Faith hums, synchronized with the way she taps her fingers. "Dr. Parker in Denver is not gonna work with my agenda. He hates me."
"Who could hate you?" Payson says with a bit of teasing sarcasm. Picking up on it, Faith lightly slaps her leg, followed by a wink.
"Well, if it makes you feel better, her mom hates me," Nicky pipes in.
"No, it doesn't make me feel better because her mom hates me more," Faith counters. The Parkers must be a different breed of people if not even Faith Giancana can charm them. "Whatever. We are Kelly's real family and we're going to be there for her no matter how much she resists and tells herself she doesn't need us. Oh! I'll bake a cake! Is it inappropriate to have cake at an intervention?"
"Probably," Payson says. "But I see what you're saying. It could be a pick-me-up incase something goes wrong. I doubt Kelly will go for it. She's crazy strict about her diet."
"Point." Faith hums as she thinks. "What about male strippers? That's my definition of pick-me-up and calorie count isn't an issue."
"I am not paying for male strippers, Faith." Nicky already assumes she'd stick him with the bill (which she would).
"Fine, cheap-o. I bet you tacos—fuck yeah, Nix, I can eat as many tacos as I want now! I bet you twenty food truck dollar tacos that I could talk hottie Hector into stripping for the intervention. I volunteer him as our hot, foreign pick-Kel-up."
"One problem, Hector's gone," Nicky says. "He moved to Albany and he's been since January. He left right after New Years, which you said you'd come back for, but you never did. You missed Christmas too."
"I know. I suck," Faith says. "But you suck too. What happened to meeting us in Rio to support Kelly? No hate or anything, Nix, but we could have really used you then. Maybe she would have been too preoccupied with hating you to end things with me."
The sadness in Faith's voice brings Payson to a bad place, of listening and watching Faith cry on the floor in a Texas bathroom and then again in Rio. Payson touches Faith's arm to let her know that she isn't alone just like all those other times.
"You, um, you never told me what happened in Rio," Nicky says. From the way Faith is already starting to crumble, she's in no condition to delve back into memories from Worlds. "For the record, we could have really used you here around the holidays too, Faye."
There's this loneliness that shadow Nicky's words, but the accusation aimed at Faith feels unnecessary, at least to Payson. He had Kaylie the whole time. Nicky shouldn't be playing this sad, lonely boy routine but it's in his voice.
"You're here now," he says. "Better late than never, I guess."
"Alright," Faith says, pulling herself back together. "I'll see you tomorrow morning."
"Nicky, if you show up early enough my mom will probably try to feed you," Payson says, doing her part in trying to ease the tense turn their conversation unexpectedly took.
"Looking forward to it already," Nicky says tenderly. "Night, Faye. Night, Payson."
"Farewell, mon ami," Faith says.
"Je t'aime ma chérie," he replies in such a crafted, precise accent.
"Nicky, you trilingual bastard!" Faith shouts. Payson has to remind her to be quieter. It wouldn't be surprising if Mark and Kim heard that one from the other end of the house. "I love you too, Nixon. Tomorrow is the first day of the rest of your Faith-infused life. Prep yo self."
The call ends and Faith turns onto her back, staring at the textured ceiling. She takes a deep, dramatic breath that makes her stomach sink all the way in and she slowly lets it out. Suddenly Faith starts squealing, flailing around, kicking her legs and shaking her arms. She can be such a spaz sometimes. Knowing Faith, she'd take that as a compliment.
"He sounded really happy that you're back," Payson says.
"He better be. I got him cool souvenirs. Oh, that reminds me! I have to give you Keelers your souvenirs once I dig them out of my suitcase." Faith sits up and crosses her ankles. "Cool souvenir talk aside, Nicky isn't the one I'm worried about. I'm just praying Kelly's over it, you know? Even Nicky thinks I abandoned him. I hear it in his voice every time we talk."
"He wasn't completely alone," Payson argues. She has to or it's going to bug her for the rest of the night. "He has Kaylie. She always breaks plans with us to hang out with him."
"But that's the worst, isn't it? Being surrounded by people, but still lonely," Faith says. "No, actually, I take it back. That sucks too, but before Kelly showed up here drunk, a clear cry for help, she didn't have anyone." Guilt surfaces. It isn't pretty. "It's not like I didn't want to come back, but I had to sort me out before I could even begin to tackle whatever is going on with Kel and whatever bomb Nicky is going to drop on me. You heard him, right? He wants to get something off his chest and guess who's gonna get it." Faith points to herself. "This chick."
"Nicky also said 'better late than never' and I agree. You're here now. Kelly will see that. It's all that matters." Payson isn't so sure if that last part is true or not. She can't give her friend certainty, but she can give her closeness and comfort—two of Faith's favorite things.
"Welcome home, Faith," Payson says quietly.
"Yeah," she says flatly. "Home sweet, terrifying home."
...
Emily can't help, but be a little disappointed.
Rodge does drugs. It shouldn't have come as such a surprise. More than half of Laguna's population has tasted some form of addiction at some point. Despite the strange connection she feels between them (and not necessarily a romantic one) Rodge is a stranger.
After Brian goes to sleep that night, Emily powers up the old Dell laptop they share and Googles cocaine. She worries her mom will suddenly walk in or Brian will find it in the browser history. Emily looks across the room and sees her brother asleep in his bed. She's turning seventeen, he just turned fifteen and they share a room. No privacy whatsoever.
Emily stays up later than she should and reads up on momentary effects of cocaine and the long-term problems. It's sad because Rodge is smart. He likes to read books and draw parallels between fiction and real life and he has potential. To find out he's careless enough to throw it all away for a fine white powder is devastating.
The next day at school Rodge doesn't show up to homeroom. While Marcus is disappointed, Emily is glad, too tired to confront him, especially after being glued to WebMD all night. Rodge isn't stupid so he probably saw straight through her flimsy library book excuse, which means things are going to be awkward. She doesn't have English in today's rotation and it may be one of her favorite classes, but Emily is more than happy.
"So how was your bike date?" Kaylie asks as they walk the halls later that day.
"It wasn't a date. It was actually really weird."
"Weird like he was a creep who still collects beanie babies or weird like awkward first date?"
"Weird like I thought he was one person, but it turns out I was wrong," Emily says. She's sure Kaylie hears the confliction in her voice and doesn't even try to hide it. "Forget it…"
"No," Kaylie says. "I know the feeling."
Curious, Emily tilts her head. "Are things still tense with Nicky?"
"Things are better. He apologized this morning so I don't know why I still feel like this. Sometimes I think it's just me and how messed up I am, but then other times I think it's him too and it makes me crazy to think he isn't trying hard enough and how it makes me look like I'm trying too hard." Kaylie snakes her arm through Emily's. "Boys suck."
"I agree." Emily cranes her neck to accommodate their height difference and presses the side of her head to Kaylie's. "So have you talked to Payson yet?"
"Nope."
"Kay…"
Suddenly, Kaylie reaches into her pocket and pulls out her phone. Emily plays lookout as Kaylie texts a reply. She can't help, but notice that Kaylie's texting Shauna Donovan. Emily swears she sees a "lol" in there.
"Since when are you and Shauna Donovan tight?"
"She's only the mother of my one and only niece," Kaylie replies. "She's actually really cool once you get to know her."
Emily laughs. "I almost forgot you missed Lauren's drunken post-Party for Peace rant about AJ and Shauna. Apparently, they had a run-in. Lo went on and on about how she doesn't even like AJ anymore and it isn't like AJ and Shauna are dating so she doesn't understand why Shauna is so threatened, blah, blah, where's my wine cooler, blah, blah."
"Right, Em, because I'm really upset I missed this week's episode of Drunken Rants with Lo," Kaylie says sarcastically. "Do you think she meant it? About not liking my brother anymore?"
"Who knows, you know?" Emily shrugs her shoulders. "But if Razor were here there's no doubt in my mind Lauren and him would have matching 'LID' tattoos on their foreheads. Why? Would it be so bad if she still had a thing for AJ?"
"All I know is AJ's in a good place in his life and Shauna keeps him in line. I'm not saying I'd be against it, but how would you feel about Lo dating your brother? I swear we make no dating each other's exes and brothers a rule."
"Don't be silly, Kay," Emily says. "Even if we did, rules are made for Lo to break."
"Oh, why must Lo be so Lo?" Kaylie muses. "Seriously, I've been avoiding the cheer squad since I was elected leader by default. The Colorado Classic is coming up and I've been so swamped with my family and Nicky that I don't even know where to start."
"I don't know anything remotely related to cheerleading. I fell asleep that time you made us watch Bring It On," Emily confesses. "Well, good luck."
"Thanks, Em. I'll take all the luck I can get."
The rest of the day goes by at a crawl. Work seems to stretch on longer than school. Emily mostly spends her time at the cash register, reading. She's ready to pass out once she gets home. Brian is the only one home, situated in front of their Brady Bunch era television set.
"Hey," she says softly. "I am exhausted."
Brian smiles sympathetically. "Want me to do your homework for you?"
Emily searches his face for any sign of a cruel joke. "Serious?"
"I finished mine hours ago. It's not a big deal. I just want to help out around here."
"You do enough by staying healthy and keeping up with your own schoolwork," Emily assures him, closing her eyes. "You're just a kid, Bry. Enjoy it."
"Emily, you're only sixteen. We're, like, a year apart right now."
"Yeah, but in April I'll be seventeen, which is practically eighteen and we'll be two years apart and balance will return to the universe once again." Emily's mind wanders towards the future and anxiety creeps up. "If you think about it, Bry, I haven't been a kid in a really long time."
Cocking his head to one side, Brian asks, "Do you wish you still were?"
"Kind of, but not really," Emily says. "I'm happy to help out around here and help mom whatever way I can. It isn't ideal, but it's what we have, right?"
"You know, Em, you're kinda my hero."
Emily hugs her brother, knowing she can't give him much more. She can't give him any of what he deserves, but she can let him know he isn't alone. Once they pull apart, Brian digs through his pockets and pulls out a folded piece of paper. "By the way, I went down to the Laundromat with mom the other day and she found this in your pocket."
"Thanks." Emily unfolds it and reads over the chicken scratch. "It's a poem, I think."
Emily reads it aloud, hoping Brian might know.
"It sounds familiar, but I'm not exactly an encyclopedia. A calculator, maybe." Brian turns to their laptop and types the first line into Google. It takes some time to load with the crappy Wi-Fi they steal from their neighbor. "Ha, I knew it. Emily Dickenson the Crazy."
"She wasn't crazy."
"She was a recluse, obsessed with death, and her work was an insane stream of consciousness," Brian argues. "On top of undiagnosed agoraphobia, she was a lesbian."
"You don't know that."
"She wrote passionate letters to other women. It says so right here!"
"It' was a different time back then," Emily argues. "The world didn't have all the gender norms and expectations it does now, all of which only started after women won the right to vote. And don't you forget it."
Before Brian can deliver his counter argument, the front door flies open and those traces of happiness fade. Without realizing it, they've been conditioned to expect the worst.
"Kids!" Chloe shouts. "I'm home early!"
"Is Bruce parking the car?" Emily asks. She's ready to leave the room, but Brian keeps her on the couch. She doesn't rip away from his hold, but says, "If he's here, I'll be in my room."
"Emily, come on!" Brian urges her. "You and mom have been dodging each other forever now. I'm sick of it."
"It isn't even that," Emily lies. "Like I said, I have homework."
"Bruce isn't here," Chloe says once she joins her children. She's still in her uniform from the diner, arms full with brown paper bags. Brian wheels over to give her a hand.
Doubtful, Emily remains rooted in place. "He isn't?"
"I told him I wanted to spend the rest of the day with my kids and he wasn't happy at first, but he gets it." Chloe sets her purse down and gladly hands the groceries over to her son. "See, Emily, Bruce can be a reasonable guy…when he wants to be."
"What did you bribe him with?"
"Emily," Brian says. "Can you just be happy they're trying?"
"I thought we could bake together," Chloe suggests. She clasps her hands and the large bracelets on her wrists clamor. She's so tired, bags beneath her eyes, begging for sleep, but Chloe slaps on the brightest smile she can, just for them. It's admirable, but still so sad.
"Sounds great, mom," Brian says. "Right, Em?"
"Sure."
Chloe pulls out the ingredients and, of course, it's instant box brownie mix. She searches their mostly empty cupboards for a pan while Brian drags Emily to the kitchen. While the oven preheats, they combine the ingredients. Brian and Chloe joke around like there's nothing wrong and it drives Emily to the brink of insanity.
"Are we really doing this?" Emily asks right after Chloe gives her son permission to lick the leftover batter off the spatula. "Are we really going to pretend that everything is perfect when it clearly isn't?"
"Dude," Brian says irritably. "What's your problem, Debbie Downer?"
"I'd rather be a Debbie Downer than live in your ridiculous fantasy world!"
"Just one day, Em!" Brian shouts. "Can't you just give us that?"
"Brian, calm down," Chloe says gently. "Here, you get the batter into the pan and into the oven. Let me talk to your sister. Em, come here."
Brian does as he's told and Emily does too. She follows Chloe over to their little dining table that fits four. Calmly, Chloe asks, "You think we can talk about this without screaming our heads off or one of us walking out?"
Emily doesn't say anything, staring down at her hands crossed on the table.
"Last time, I know we both said some things we aren't proud of—"
"I meant every word," Emily interjects.
"Okay then," Chloe says, her voice trailing off. "I know Bruce can be difficult…"
"Difficult?" Emily squeezes her hands into fists. "He smokes, he drinks, he's rude and the list just goes o. He treats all of us like we're beneath him, like we should be happy he's ruining our lives. Why do you even put up with him?"
"No one's perfect, Emily."
"Yeah, but no one has to be that far from perfect either."
"I love him," Chloe says. Emily refuses to accept that, staring at her hands. "I know to you it probably doesn't seem like it, but he loves me. If he didn't, why would he stick around?"
"Because he uses our money and eats our food. It's just easy for him."
"Emily, can you please try?" Chloe is so close to crying, Emily can't watch. "I'm begging you."
"I've been trying."
"Then can you trust that I know what I'm doing here?" Chloe asks. "I've talked to Bruce and we reset some ground rules. He isn't allowed over without me here, he's going to start spending father-son time with Brian and he's going to be civil. Emily, please. All I want is for everything to work out between all of us. I want us to be a family."
"Fine." Emily gives in despite every bit of her screaming this is going to end in disaster. Emily wants to be a fighter. She knows wrong from right, but for some reason it's so hard to follow through, especially when Chloe takes her fist, uncoils her fingers and gives her hand a squeeze. "But if he goes back on his promise, I am done giving that guy chances."
"Thank you. That's all I'm asking." Chloe goes over to Emily with open arms. She doesn't want to, but family is all about compromise. "I'm so sorry for how I reacted, Em. I promise things are going to be different. These last few days have been torture. No more, okay?"
Emily doesn't say anything, but she does place her hand on her mother's back as Chloe hugs her tight. They go back to baking, filling the apartment with some much needed warmth. While sharing about their day, Emily feels her phone buzz and finds a surprise text from Jody.
Em, our boy has surfaced! D won't tell me where he is but says he's alive. If you're ready n want his new #, hit me back. I know this isn't ideal, but u kno u need it. Hope yr ok. Love u.
After reading it over five times, Emily feels the knot in her stomach twist. Her heart speeds up and her hands go clammy. It hurts that he told Jody (and probably Razor) before her. Emily checks her inbox again, but there aren't any other messages. Instead of getting his number from Jody and calling him out herself, Emily tosses her phone away. She doesn't want to deal with Damon Young right now since he obviously doesn't want to deal with her.
Instead, Emily checks the phone Rodge gave her and there are twenty-five new texts—new orders. And so her descent into criminal things begins.
…
Never mind searching for who you are. Search for the person you aspire to be. -Robert Brault / Almost through the week. Hang in there! ;-)
"No way."
"Yes, way."
Max and Lauren spending time alone in the newsroom becomes a regular thing. The table between them is covered in printed photos and scattered Skittles. Lauren leans forward, engaged, and Max does the same. The yearbook meeting has ended, but instead of leaving, Lauren stayed. Not only is Max nice to look at, but also he's easy to talk to.
"You're telling me you've met Donatella Versace?"
"Yes, I have," he tries to convince her. "Milan fashion week, two years ago. My mom let me tag along for once. They're good friends. Yeah, that's what all the girls usually swoon over. They don't even listen to me when I say the best part was getting to shadow this photojournalist whose job and life I kinda want in the near future."
"That's awesome," Lauren says. "So what's Donatella freaking Versace like?"
Max laughs. Before he can go on with anecdotes from Italy, there's a knock at the door. Ike pops his head in and his presence brings a dose of reality into the room. It reminds Lauren who she is and who Max is and how they lose sight of that every time they're in here alone.
"Miss Lauren," Ike says. "You busy?"
"Not entirely up to me." Lauren kicks the question to Max with a nod. "Slave driver?"
"You can have a five minutes break," Max says. A joke. After all, they're off the clock and Lauren is here because she wants to be. Giving them some privacy, Max rolls his chair to the other end of the room and accesses the class computer.
"What's up, Benny?" Lauren asks.
Pulling up a chair at her side, Ike fakes a cough and does a horrible job. "I think I'm coming down with something. I need a doctor's note with a womanly touch."
"Let me see." Lauren snaps the slip of paper away from him and inspects it. Nice. Ike managed to score actual authentic-looking doctor notepaper. She'd ask how, but knows she'll regret it. "What should it be for?"
Ike looks at all the loose photos on the table in front of them. When he reaches for one, Lauren slaps his hand away. "Ow. Um, whatever gets me out of gym."
"Hmm, hemorrhoids?" Ike's discomfort makes Lauren laugh aloud.
"I was thinking more along the lines of asthma," Ike says. "Not that an imaginary case of hemorrhoids can make my sparkling reputation any worse, but it isn't very sexy either."
"Fine." Lauren scribbles on the slip of paper. This isn't the first doctor's note she's written to get Ike out of something. Writing these excuses have become second nature. "Here."
Ike snaps it out of her hand. "Thanks, mom!"
"As long as you eat all your vegetables and be less of a little bitch, sweetie," Lauren says, putting on the most mockingly maternal voice she can.
Walking backwards, towards the door, Ike shouts, "I'll do my best to make you proud!"
Lauren doesn't even try to mask how terribly amused she is. Ike has his moments.
Max, who'd been curiously watching, seems perplexed. "How does that work?"
Leaning back in her seat, Lauren counters with a question of her own. "I've been meaning to ask, how are you related to Nicky Russo and what the hell was that at the party?"
Max rolls his chair over to Lauren. Arms crossed, she gives him an expectant look as he tries to mentally find a starting point. Ike broke them out of their little yearbook bubble. Now things are back to being real. The distance between Royal and Reject restored.
"His dad is my mom's brother so that makes us first cousins," Max explains. "Why else do you think Nicky and Kelly Parker were in the yearbook after being here for not even a semester? I thought it'd be a funny little reminder of Tanner's Torture on Parker."
"So you know Kelly Parker then? Is that why you've been such a slave driver? Are you trying to punish me for it? Because, if you didn't catch the Livestream—"
"I did and no, I'm not punishing you for anything. I'm a slave driver because I actually care about the yearbook. I am not a fan of Kelly Parker. I may have even unintentionally started the 'I Hate Kelly Parker' anti-fansite. Off the record, I might even be the one who anonymously sends in embarrassing candid pictures of her."
"So was the trampoline comment about him and her?" Lauren asks, straight out and bold faced. She barely remembers anything after running into AJ and Shauna, but the Royals will gossip to anyone with ears and she knows the gist of what happened during I Never. Does that game ever end well? Do any games involving liquor?
Clearing his throat, Max says, "I was drunk and upset and shouldn't have brought it up. That's Nicky's business."
"Max, just tell me," Lauren orders. "If we're being real, I don't buy anything Nicky Russo is selling. These fights and reunions him and Kaylie have every other week are such bullshit. Kaylie is my best friend and if your asshole cousin is going to hurt her then I have a right to know so I can warn her or at least watch for warning signs since she's too 'in love' to see."
"It's none—wait, did you just say Kaylie's in love with Nicky? Really?"
"Duh. I'm sure she's never actually said it to him because that'd be a Kaylie freak out rant I'd remember, but why else would she try so hard with him? If you couldn't already tell I'm still iffy on their whole relationship. And don't think about feeding any of this to the rumor mill because Kaylie knows. I'm going to look out for her. It's what besties do."
"Funny." Max pushes off from the table and rolls across the room in his swivel chair. "Judging by how much time she spends with my girlfriend and how much time you spend with Ike the Dyke I'd think otherwise. Why are we even talking about this when I asked about Ike first?"
"It's gym," Lauren says. "Any excuse can get you out of stupid dodge ball. I could have written that he has an ingrown toenail and he would have been benched. Knowing Ike, they'll probably be happy to bench him. He isn't exactly Sporty Spice."
"Ginger then?"
Lauren laughs. Max Spencer knows the Spice Girls.
"And that's not what I meant," Max says. "I meant that friendship. You, Lauren Tanner, being actual friends with Ike, how do you have anything in common?"
"We don't," Lauren says. In her head, she adds, besides junkie moms. "Ike doesn't defy me so I keep him around. From what I've seen, Maeve's dating you for the same reason."
"Ouch, that one really hurt," he says sarcastically. "You know, you can leave if you want. I just need to proofread the clubs pages. It's my last yearbook. I'll be damned if it isn't perfect."
He dismisses her so Lauren doesn't argue. She grabs her bag and is about to leave when she stops, something else on her mind. "Max, can I ask you something personal?"
"Like?"
"When did you start thinking about college?"
"Never. I'm not college material," Max says. "That's why I'm the odd man out during family functions. Nicky, of course, is going to college and going to be a doctor. That's all my grandpa talks about while I sit in the corner with my camera. My grandpa, he's old-school Italian. He always gives me this speech about how he didn't come to this country and work this hard so I can take pictures, but whatever. I'm doing what I want and I love photography."
That's far from the answer Lauren expected. "So you do all this extracurricular stuff just because?"
"Seems so."
"What's your plan for after graduation?"
"My mom has a friend in the fashion world who's a big name photographer. I've shadowed him for a few shoots a couple summers ago and he's willing to apprentice me full time in the fall. It looks like I'm moving to New York."
"What about Maeve?" Lauren asks. "I heard she's moving to LA to model."
"We haven't talked about the future much," Max says. It comes as a surprise because Max and Maeve are that couple that supposedly has everything figured out. Apparently that isn't so. "If you feed this to the, what'd you call it? The rumor mill? I'll lie and deny, but, honestly, I don't see things lasting past the summer."
His little confession is shocking at first, but the more Lauren thinks about it, not at all.
"Want my advice? Tell her now rather than later," Lauren says. "Waiting for the day right before you take off is just going to make things worse."
"And ruin senior year for everyone? No thank you." Max is conflicted to the point where Lauren might actually feel sorry for Maeve Benson. The girl has no idea she's getting a broken heart to go along with her diploma at graduation. Max laughs. "Way to go, Max. I sure know how to make a conversation about me. Why'd you ask? Are you thinking about college?"
"I have no clue what I want to do with my life or what I want to study, but I do want to go to college," Lauren explains. "I've been thinking about Southern California, but CU Boulder is always an option."
"Something tells me you'd fit in wherever you decide to go. From what I saw at your party, you've already got an in with the CU crowd. And if you go down to SoCal you have the whole Valley Girl thing going for you."
"Shut up," Lauren says, resisting the urge to slap his arm. The last thing she wants is for things to feel flirty again. "I guess that's my cue to leave."
"Wait," Max calls out to her. "I hear extra curricular activities help. They always talk about wanting well-rounded students. If you're good maybe I'll pass the yearbook torch your way."
"Yeah right," Lauren says. "You're the only one in yearbook who actually talks to me."
"You aren't bad. You know, when you retract the claws. If you can rule the cheer squad with an iron fist, you'd do great in here. The yearbook staff could use that. Think about it. Like I said, you have an interesting eye for things." Lauren goes to the door, but Max stops her again. "Oh, and, before you leave, you're going to the Valentine's Day dance, right?"
"Love-Fuck? V-Card Dance?" Lauren actually laughs. What a stupid question.
"I'll take that as a no?"
"Duh."
"Sorry, but you kind of have to," Max says. "Not to dance, but to take pictures. I need some shots for the newspaper and final edits for the yearbook need to be shipped off ASAP. Half our staff is on the dance committee so I need people on the floor, taking pictures and that including you, photoslave."
Lauren is not happy, closer to dumbstruck. "Are you kidding?"
"Do I need to take it up with Matsui?" Max says, more of a warning than a threat.
"Aren't we past blackmailing me into doing this?" Lauren sighs, sliding her fingers up and down the strap of her bag as she pretends to think about it. "Whatever. Just don't expect good pictures and I am not staying the entire time."
"Thank you, photoslave," Max says. "Who knows? Maybe I'll save you a dance."
"Because I bet your girlfriend would love."
Lauren gives him a look that's clearly a warning before she leaves the room.
It's a little scary how yearbook has become her new cheerleading and she's fine with not being in charge. It almost feels like this little break from cheerleading could easily turn into a break-up, but for what? Yearbook full-time? Lauren shakes away such a stupid thought.
When Lauren gets home from school, Steve is in the living room, pacing with his phone to his ear. Falling back against the couch, Lauren simultaneously texts Razor while surfing the channels in search of anything that'll serve as quality procrastination.
Halfway through the most recent episode of Real Housewives: Palm Springs, Steve comes to sit next to her. Lauren quickly exits out of the conversation she's having with Razor about which housewives would win in a fight. Steve rests his feet on the coffee table (where stupid kids did lines of coke last weekend) and tosses his phone away, disgusted.
"Hey, daddy," Lauren says gently. "What's going on?"
"Chicago needs me again." Steve looks so tired and so much older than the image of him in her head. It's frightening what the real world can do to a person. "It's a mess out there."
Lauren frowns, crushed. "But you just got back."
"That's what I tried to tell Jamison. Everything was fine when I left, but now, we just closed a major corporate deal and the CEO lands himself in the hospital, intensive care. Everyone is freaking out." Steve appears just as crushed as his daughter. "I need to go back."
"Should I pour you a drink?" Lauren asks. It'd distract her and him.
"You can help by staying away from my liquor cabinet. Thank you very much," Steve says, peeking open a suspicious eye at her. She automatically plays innocent. "But like I told you the other day, I didn't hear anything negative from Darby or Matsui and I'm proud. You can stay home alone without needing parental supervision. I'd rather be here for you, but…"
"Business calls. I get it," Lauren says. "So you trust me again?"
"I never stopped trusting you, Lauren, but if you need to hear it, yes. I do."
"Good, because there's something I want to talk to you about…" Lauren sits up and close to her dad. "I personally think it's early, but apparently everyone else is saying junior year is the time to start thinking about the future, specifically college."
Steve's eyes grow big. "College?"
"College."
"To tell you the truth, I always thought I'd have to force you kicking and screaming to even consider higher education. But you're telling me you've actually been thinking about college?" he asks, to which Lauren nods resolutely.
Once it registers in his head, Steve smiles like Lauren hasn't seen since her golden years of gymnastics. She can tell he's proud of her and in turn, Lauren feels proud of herself. She can really see herself getting use to this.
…
By Monday the Cruz Castle mostly clears out and nothing makes Kaylie sadder.
Alex is long gone. Shauna flew back to Palm Springs, having to get back to work. Leo leaves tomorrow morning, spending his last day cleaning out his old room and hanging out with old friends. It surprises everyone when AJ decides to stick around and keeps Amelia with him, giving Shauna a little time to herself after such a mentally and physically draining weekend.
After a morning of watching Ronnie cook them a feast and AJ freaking out over it, reluctant to eat anything or let Amelia eat anything for the fear of food poisoning, Kaylie goes to school with Maeve and Max as usual. The second Maeve's convertible pulls into her spot, Kaylie spots Nicky waiting with a bouquet of flowers.
Nicky Russo is pulling a grand, romantic gesture? Is she still asleep and dreaming? Possibly.
"Hi," Kaylie says unsurely, getting out of the car. "Nicky, what are you doing here?"
"I was in the neighborhood," Nicky says with his most charming smile. He holds up the bouquet, fresh and vibrant, red cup-shaped tulips with long green stems. Kaylie takes them, feeling the plastic they're wrapped in, hearing it crinkle. Her eyes inspect every perfect pedal and she knows this is real.
Smiling coyly, Kaylie asks, "You were in the neighborhood?"
His smile fades, replaced with apprehension. He shouldn't have to feel bad about anything he has to say to her unless he did something that's going to hurt her. Kaylie holds her breath at the thought alone.
"The truth is…" Nicky rakes his fingers through his dark hair. "Um, Faith is in town. She spent the night at Payson's. I came to pick her up and had breakfast with the Keelers so, yes, I was literally in the neighborhood."
"Faith put you up to apologizing, didn't she? Aw, how romantic, cousin," Max says from the sideline. Maeve smacks him hard in the stomach, making Max stifle a groan. She scolds him in hushed whispers and Max ignores her, irritable.
"What? I'm just being honest," Nicky says. "Honesty is romantic, right?"
"Very. Surprising coming from you," Maeve says. "We'll leave you two alone now. Don't screw it up, Nicky." She grabs the strap of Max's camera hanging around his neck and drags him away, disregarding his request for her to let him say hi to Faith. Maeve refuses and Max obeys.
"I hope you like the flowers," Nicky says, once they're alone.
Narrowing her eyes suspiciously, Kaylie asks, "Did Faith pick these out too?"
"No. I did all on my own. I even made her wait in the car. If I let her pick, you'd know it. I probably would have ended up paying for three-dozen overpriced roses. I figured we don't need all that. Too showy and cheesy. These are more subtle, but still beautiful." Nicky keeps his eyes on Kaylie all throughout his explanation. "Kaylie, now that we've both had time to cool down, I thought we could talk about what happened?"
Kaylie nods, leaning back against the trunk of Maeve's car.
"Kaylie, that night, I wasn't drinking enough to bring out obnoxiously drunk Barcelona Nicky, but I did have a few. Not that it's an excuse, because it's not, but that mixed with Max drinking and causing trouble, things didn't play out how I would have wanted."
"I get that. What happened, that was far from how I wanted the night to end," Kaylie says. "And maybe I overreacted. You're right. We've both had other people in our lives before we started dating and that isn't something we can change. I just wish I could have found out from you and not Max, especially in a room of all my friends."
"Me too."
"And I'm sorry if Faith and Kelly are always the first to come to mind. It's just that they're such a big part of your life and I can't help, but be a little…jealous," Kaylie confesses. She feels her face heating up and tries her hardest to not acknowledge it. "And I can't believe I'm admitting this to you."
Nicky knits his brows in confusion. "Jealous of what?"
"Come on, Nicky." Kaylie lightly kicks at his sneakers with her hot pink running shoes. "Faith Giancana is cute and sweet and interesting and she knows you better than anyone else…but you're right! What's there to be jealous of?"
Nicky nods, and at least he can pick up on sarcasm. He takes her hand in his.
"Kaylie, I'm telling you right now that you don't have anything to worry about and I'm sorry you thought you did. Faith's my best friend, but you're my girlfriend. I wouldn't do that to you, Princess, not ever and not for anyone."
Kaylie lays the bouquet of flowers on the trunk of Maeve's car and encircles Nicky's neck. She feels the effort in his hug and how he means everything he's saying. Maybe this latest fight was enough to make him see how close they come to losing each other with every argument.
"You aren't mad at me anymore, are you?" Nicky asks with his lips nearly touching her neck.
"No. Staying mad at you is not something I'm good at." Kaylie steadiest herself with hands on his shoulders and kisses him. "You should probably go. You're going to be late for school."
"I'm taking a Mental Health Day," Nicky says. It should've been obvious by how he's wearing his favorite royal blue hoodie and dark jeans instead of his hideous prep school uniform. "Faith and I are going to Elitch Gardens to ride roller coasters and so you know, we're probably going to see Kelly before that."
"Oh," Kaylie says, surprised. "Okay."
"You don't sound too happy about that."
"Honestly, I'm not," she says, "but I'm happy you told me."
"Again, Kaylie, nothing to worry about." Nicky hugs her and kisses her again. "I'll call you tonight, but it might be a little later than usual. It's probably going to be an all-day thing and it's a rule that we turn off our phones when we go, but don't worry. I will call you."
"I—I believe you."
"Oh, and I know it kind of goes without saying," he says, lacing his fingers with hers, "but I thought I'd ask…will you go to the Valentine's dance with me? Or, well, since it's your school, will you take me to your Valentine's Day dance?"
Kaylie laughs at how adorably awkward he is and nods before kissing him again. After saying goodbye, Kaylie watches Nicky go across the parking lot to where he parked. The windows are tinted and it's a good distance away so Kaylie can't make out who else is in there. Kaylie watches the black SUV disappear before she goes to class, eager to show off the tulips.
While she's in school all day, getting harassed by cheerleaders about the choreography (that Kaylie is yet to choreograph), Kaylie keeps thinking about Nicky reunited with Faith and probably Kelly. This all seems so random. Nicky doesn't skip school and he shouldn't be, especially this close to graduation, but he will always drop everything to accommodate Faith.
They did have a good talk in the parking lot. All it takes is one look at the tulips in her locker to make her smile and miss him. Sometimes Kaylie thinks these concerns and doubts she has are all in her head. If she keeps going on like this she'll probably drive herself insane.
The other thing driving her crazy is her shaky friendship with Payson. There have been a number of times where Kaylie reached for her phone, intending to call Payson and ask if they can talk, but Kaylie already knows Payson is going to defend Kelly Parker to the bitter end. Kaylie is expected to lie and say she understands Payson's friendship with the Denver Death Eater when really she doesn't.
After school, Kaylie has cheer practice, another confrontation she isn't looking forward to. Kaylie approaches the gym, focused and determined, but the whole practice turns out to be a disaster. Right when she walks in, Kaylie is swarmed by cheerleaders with complaints about the lack of choreography, the music choices and deciding who goes where and who's doing what. It's too much. Lauren usually tells everyone what to do and they do it without question. Kaylie tries to delegate while keeping everyone happy and it isn't turning out how she'd like.
"They're driving me crazy!" Kaylie flops onto her bed with a groan while Maeve sits at the foot, looking through one of Ronnie's gossip magazines she found in the living room.
"Because you have to repeat yourself a million times and decode all the 'likes' in random parts of their speech," Maeve teases. Her friend isn't doing a good job of making her feel better.
"Maeve, they aren't stupid."
"They, like, aren't, like?"
"Stop," Kaylie warns, sitting up. "Lauren usually bosses them around and they mindlessly listen because she's a badass former gymnast and I just look cute, smile and flip around."
"Kaylie, you're one of the sweetest people I know. Sickeningly sweet, even."
"You meant that as a compliment, right?"
"Absolutely," Maeve says. "Don't try to be Lauren. Be you. Everyone actually likes you. I'm sure they're happy to be liberated. Remind me, how did two juniors become co-captains?"
"The Morgan Wolf incident," Kaylie explains. "She would've been captain if she didn't piss off Lauren and then, you know."
"That poor bitch." Maeve is sympathetic for maybe a second, but then forgets all about it and says, "So are you ready to go shopping for the V-Day dance?"
"Yeah, let's go." Though Kaylie has a number of options in her closet, nothing sounds better than retail therapy. She reaches for her purse when there's a knock on the door.
It opens a second later and Kaylie is certain she hears Maeve literally gasp. AJ is in the doorway with only a towel wrapped around his waist. His dark hair is wet, slicked back, and his chiseled, tan body glistens with water. The last time Kaylie saw Maeve look at a boy this way was the night they had a Twilight marathon and Jacob took his shirt off in New Moon.
"Hello there, Mr. Wet and Gorgeous," Maeve says with a purr to her voice.
"Hey." AJ smirks and stands a little taller, his chest puffed out, eyeing Maeve. Kaylie swears she's going to be sick. "I don't think I've seen you around before…"
"I wouldn't expect you to. I was a sophomore when you were a senior at Taft and I sure as hell didn't look like this," Maeve says confidently, outlining her hourglass figure with her hands. "Where has Kaylie been hiding you from me?"
"Yes, I have been hiding him from you for obvious reasons," Kaylie says. "Why do you think I've been meeting you out in the driveway in the mornings? Maeve, you seem to remember my brother, AJ, the loser one. AJ, this is my friend, Maeve. Oh and quick question, why aren't you wearing clothes?"
"I just got out of the shower and I didn't know we had company."
"Oh, don't put clothes on just because of me!" Maeve says. "By all means, a body that great deserves to be flaunted. That's my motto."
"Okay. Ew. Stop looking at each other. Sorry, but it this isn't happening ever. Maeve, you have a boyfriend and he has a baby and Shauna Donovan."
Maeve's eyes go wide. "You married the girl you got knocked up in high school?"
"I would if she'd say yes," AJ jokes.
With the strap of her purse over her shoulder, Kaylie grabs Maeve's wrist and drags her past AJ out the door. Before descending the stairs, as an afterthought, Kaylie asks, "Did you need something, AJ?"
"Do you know where Ronnie's at?"
"Cooking class."
"Again?"
"I guess. I don't know." Kaylie never devotes much thought to the reasons Ronnie gives for being away or how often she uses the same ones over again. "Why are you looking for her anyways?"
"Do you know Mrs. Winchester's number? I'm supposed to be taking Amelia out for dinner with the country club ladies and Amelia hasn't woken up from her nap yet. You know how she goes angry baboon when you wake her up so I wanted to tell Head Country Club Lady we might be a little late."
"Country Club Ladies? Is that like an upscale Denver strip club?" Maeve asks.
"No," AJ says. "They're literally country club ladies—old, preppy, judgmental ladies, but damn, I wish we were going to a strip club. Anyways, they're interested in the organization and if we collaborate on an event then it looks like I'll be hanging out in Boulder for a little longer."
"No argument here," Maeve says. Her eyes rake over AJ like she's mentally licking his abs so Kaylie grabs Maeve by the arm and shows her to the stairs.
"AJ, go put clothes on," Kaylie says sharply. He really isn't helping, not even trying to cover up. "No, I don't know Mrs. Winchester's number and we're going out so bye."
"Wait, that's your red convertible out front?"
Maeve halts at the top of the stairs. She takes every opportunity to talk about her car. Really, her and Lauren aren't that different. "Candy apple red metallic, '70 Buick Electra. She's all mine. My grandpa had her restored, re-vamped and left her to me."
"Not bad," AJ says. "I would love to get behind the wheel."
"Play your cards right and the opportunity might present itself."
"Okay, I'm still right here and still don't approve," Kaylie says, waving her hands around in frustration. It's enough that there's something going on between her brother and Lauren, but now Maeve? "May, let's go. AJ, I'll be back later."
"Bye," Maeve says, waving her Miss America wave and wearing a matching smile.
Halfway down the stairs, Kaylie asks, "Maeve, do you flirt with all my family members just to creep me out?"
"Kaylie, it's not my fault everyone in your family is really hot!" Maeve stops at the family photo in the hallway, inspecting it. "Next on my list is your other brother and then your dad. And you might want to commit this to memory. I'll expect it in your maid of honor speech when I marry into your family. One of three ways."
Kaylie rolls her eyes and pulls the front door open. She's ready to walk out, but then nearly runs into a stranger with a familiar face. He looks just as surprised as she does, a fist poised as if he was right about to knock. Kaylie recognizes him immediately, but not as quickly as Maeve who gasps louder than she did upstairs.
"Oh, my God! You're Damon Young. Do you know you're freaking Damon Young?"
Kaylie narrows her eyes. "What are you doing here?"
"Hi. I know this is crazy and inappropriate and unprofessional coming to your house unannounced, but I really need to speak with Ronnie Cruz about Sheppard Records and my career," Damon says, as if he rehearsed this a million times. "I know rule number one is not to go bugging the bosses off the clock, but I hope you'll understand that this record deal and my music mean everything to me."
"She's not home," Kaylie says flatly. "Do you not know who I am?"
"Well, I just assumed you're Ronnie's daughter?" Damon says, clueless.
"Yeah," Kaylie says. "I'm also Emily's best friend. You know, Emily Kmetko, your girlfriend or, well, ex-girlfriend, right? After you got your manager to break up with her for you. What kind of person does that?"
"Oh snap," Maeve says. "Even Joe Jonas had the decency to text Taylor Swift himself. And I thought break-up via text was horrible. Your manager, really?"
Damon blinks. "Wait, who are you again?"
"Kaylie Cruz."
"And I'm Maeve Benson," she says, a little flirty. "I love your single almost as much as I love hearing that you're single."
"Even though she isn't single," Kaylie says, trying to keep her taller friend behind her. "Does Emily know you're in town?"
"No, and you can't tell her," Damon says quickly. He backs away, down the front steps, finally understanding how big of a mistake he just made. "This was an amazingly bad idea. I'll, um, call Ronnie's office tomorrow morning. I'm sorry to bother you. You just need to forget you ever saw me."
"Deal," Maeve says, "but only if I can get your autograph."
"Maeve!"
"You're right," Maeve agrees. "A picture too."
"Anything. Just, please don't tell Emily."
Damon stops where he is, two steps down so the girls appear taller than him. He looks her straight in the eyes and Kaylie is taken aback for a second. She loses her train of thought, instead pondering how someone's eyes can be that intense a shade of blue. If Hot Boy Mind Control is a real thing, Kaylie swears he's using it on her right now.
"Please?" Damon takes a step up, closer to the girls. "I think we can agree it'd be best if she heard it from me first and not anyone else."
Kaylie thinks of her most recent situation with Nicky. Damon is lucky he said the right thing at the right time.
"How long are you going to be in town?" Kaylie quietly asks.
"I don't know."
"I'll give you till the end of the week—Friday," Kaylie says. "Then I'm telling her."
"Alright," he agrees. "I'll take your picture, but you can't post it anywhere until after Friday."
"Sounds like we have ourselves an agreement!" Maeve claps her hands excitedly.
Damon's pouty lips curl in a smile and it's too easy to imagine a mob of screaming girls swooning at the sight of it. Maeve shoves her phone to Kaylie, drapes her arms around Damon and pops her foot for the picture. Damon is clearly uncomfortable and Kaylie secretly enjoys it. Maeve offers to take one of Kaylie with Damon, but she declines. Payson is already upset with her over silly pictures. The last thing she needs is Emily upset with her too.
"Tisk. Tisk. Kaylie-cakes. You just made up with your boyfriend and already you're eyefucking your friend's ex. Apparently, your sweetness is deceptive."
Kaylie 's eyes go from Damon getting into his car and driving off to Maeve laughing. "Wow. Hot guys everywhere I look at the Cruz casa. I'm officially hanging out here more often."
Maeve tries different Instagram filters on her picture with the up-and-coming artist, leaving Kaylie to get lost in the memory of Damon Young's impossibly haunting blue eyes.
…
Authors' Note: So, we were talking about Emily's officially confirmed absence from the Final 8 and though Em got annoying and manic towards the end, surprisingly enough this made both of us a little sad. Maybe it's just for consistency's sake and how we like things full circle. Anyways, does anyone know if KP is coming back? We won't even bother asking about Nicky…
HAPPY HALLOWEEN WEEKEND, y'all! Hope you're all killin' it and lookin' fine doin' it!
Review.
#WeFab #LLD2 #LLDforever
