Georgia was like a steel trap. Nothing was getting out of her. Ginny had pried and wheedled after she came from the Bakers' house. She'd yelled and stormed. She'd hurled insults and said things she didn't necessarily mean. But Georgia didn't budge, and come Monday Ginny knew as much about her mysterious family as she did on the night of the party.
'We're not done talking about this,' Ginny had threatened as she left for school at the start of the day, ignoring her aunt Maddie and cousin Caleb who stood awkwardly in the kitchen.
'Do you promise?' Georgia had muttered sarcastically.
The giant stone had dropped on them just as Ginny was starting to feel comfortable in this town. She had friends. She'd settled in and decorated. She had a, well, not a boyfriend, but she had a Marcus. She was this close to that perfect, ideal life. And now Georgia-being-Georgia threatened it all. Why couldn't her mom just be normal?
She supposed at least this time if they moved it wouldn't be because of a guy.
Ginny daydreamed through her lessons, trying in vain to focus on Max's many words in between their shared classes, but her mind was back home. There was one silver lining amongst all of this – Ellen had not told Max about finding Ginny in Marcus' bed.
While Ginny was appreciative, she wasn't incredibly surprised. Ellen gave Ginny the distinct impression of having a plate that was already too full, and couldn't stand trying to add 'feud between twins' to it.
Ginny struggled through her haze all day, snapping into focus only for the brief moment in the morning where she and Marcus passed each other in the halls, locking eyes, but not daring to say a word.
Ginny followed Max after one of her classes, and barely noticed as Max hid behind her, an impressive feat given how much taller she was, while Sophie walked past. After Sophie was out of sight, Max whined and sat down.
'Oh no, I'm never going to be able to fix this.'
'God, can you talk about something else for five seconds?' Abby grumbled.
Oh, Abby's here? Ginny looked around. Oh, everybody was here. Max had been leading Ginny directly to a lunch table.
It's lunch?
'Abby, you're so mean in my time of need, how could you,' Max blubbered.
'Please, you'll be over Sophie by tomorrow and onto the next girl.'
'Abby!' Norah admonished. 'But Max, there is a certain truth there...you'll be okay.'
'Noooo, Sophie was speciallll,' and Max buried her head in her arms. She continued to speak, her voice muffled by her clothes. Abby and Norah pulled frustrated faces at one another as Max continued to act as if they could hear her.
'Ginny, you okay?'' Hunter was watching her from the other side of the table.
Ginny blinked, and fixed a happy expression to her face hastily.
'Yeah! Just brain dead.' She smiled at him, but his eyes remained tight.
Ginny focused on keeping that facade up for the rest of the day. Smile. Make eye contact. Laugh at Brodie's dumb joke. Write down a note in your book. Pretend you don't want to strangle your mother just a little and scream your voice away.
By the end of the day, Ginny was comfortable again in her mask, slipping right back into the role of the thing that looks like Ginny, but isn't Ginny.
Hunter caught up with her as she left school with Max and touched her on the shoulder.
'I was thinking,' he started, and he moved in front of them. He put up a pointer finger on each hand hesitantly, placing them together and drawing them outwards, preparing to pitch his idea. '3SB are practicing tonight at Brodie's. Wanna come watch?'
'Uh,' Ginny started. They were trying to be friends, so yes. But also, she wanted to go home and grill Georgia.
'Yes!' yelled Max, much too loudly for someone standing right next to them. She looked at Ginny with wide eyes and nodded at her encouragingly. Hunter's eyebrows went up a little at Max's enthusiasm.
Ginny looked at Max, and a seed of doubt planted in her belly. Oh, no. Not overly pushy Max.
Marcus walked past at that point, and Ginny couldn't help but look at him. She swallowed nervously.
She needed all of Max's approval she could get. Ginny smiled at Hunter.
'Yeah, that sounds fun. Do we go straight there?'
'I can take you in my car,' Hunter beamed, and he held out his hand, indicating that he wanted to hold Ginny's backpack for her.
'Ginny!'
Frowning, Ginny looked over Hunter's shoulder at her mom, who was waving impatiently in the car park. She didn't normally pick her up.
'What?'
'We gotta go. Now.'
Ginny eyed her mom's clothes. Normal. Certainly not picking-up-and-moving-to-a-new-city clothes.
'I'm sorry, Hunter,' Ginny said apologetically. Hunter shrugged.
'Well, hey, we're thinking about doing some more practice on Saturday morning, if you want.'
'I think I can do that.' She smiled at Hunter and Max, and waved goodbye.
As she by-passed Hunter and walked towards her mom, Ginny saw Marcus leaning against a pole looking at her in confusion. He glanced at Hunter behind her, and back at Ginny. His expression transformed into one of hurt, and he pushed off from the pole aggressively and stalked away from her. Ginny's heart plunged. She looked back over at Max, who was engaged in a conversation with Hunter. There was no way Ginny could quickly catch up to Marcus without tipping off Max.
Inhaling sharply, she walked over to Georgia, pulling her phone out and typing an urgent text.
G: That wasn't a date invite.
'Come on, Peach, I know you're angry at me, but get your butt in the car,' Georgia chastised, climbing in the car quickly.
'Why, do you need to introduce me to my twin sister that I was separated from at birth or something?' Ginny shoved her phone away and got in the car with as much attitude as one can muster for such a mundane act.
'No, I have to meet with Austin's principal.'
'What? Why?'
'He stabbed a kid in the hand.'
'What?'
o
o - o
o - o - o
o - o
o
Ginny seethed. Georgia had her metaphorical broom out and was continuing to sweep things under the rug. The secret family. Austin stabbing someone in the hand. With a pencil. Like John Wick.
She wanted to scream.
Ginny's brain was struggling to process; there were things that just weren't adding up. Georgia loved her and Austin. She knew this. But Austin had just exhibited some exceptionally violent behaviour for someone his age – and she refused to take him to therapy, for reasons that Ginny was pretty sure had more to do with Georgia than Austin. These two facts seemed at odds with one another.
Georgia had also lied about something critical – her family. For an important reason she had said, but now Ginny didn't know what was true and Georgia wasn't willing to explain anything further. What else had Georgia lied about?
Ginny felt words like selfish and immature floating around her mind as she pondered her mother.
She checked her phone again.
Still no response from Marcus.
Marcus was the only one who knew. Except for Ellen. And Ginny didn't feel like confiding in Ellen any further.
She could tell Max? Maybe. But Max was sad about Sophie and reluctant to talk about much else.
Abby?
She imagined how direct and flippant Abby's response might be. No.
Norah?
No, not even gentle Norah.
Dad?
She sighed, not ready to share with any of those options yet, and dared to double text Marcus.
G: Hey, we okay? I promise it wasn't a date.
Ginny went over to her bedroom window and looked over to Marcus'. It was dark over there. She looked back at her phone.
No response.
Ginny took a deep breath as the icy sensation of loneliness and isolation trickled down her scalp and into her belly. She glanced in habit over at her lighter, and dug her fingernails into her palm. She felt very alone.
She threw her phone on her bed and sat at her desk, pulling out a textbook, thinking of doing some study. The booked leered mockingly at her, as if it knew that even if Ginny mustered the effort to open it, she wouldn't retain a single word. Ginny's eyes were drawn back to her lighter, feeling that overwhelming buzzing anxiety in her gut, squashing her lungs and pricking her eyes.
She lurched upwards and rushed over to her phone, arms starting to tingle. Please.
Still no message.
Ginny gasped as the tears started, almost spontaneously, her lungs fighting against the stress holding them down. She turned and reached for her lighter, walking over and sitting against her door, locking out any potential intruder.
She pulled down her pants and held the flame to her burn mark, clenching her teeth as it scorched and healed her. She waited until a scream almost burst from her mouth.
Relief flooded over her, draping Ginny heavily. She was suddenly so tired. Life can just be...tiring.
Ginny hid her lighter back in its little pot and re-fastened her pants. She looked at her phone again – still no message – but she was too tired for it to really get to her now.
Ginny crawled into bed and fell gratefully into sleep.
o
o - o
o - o - o
o - o
o
Ginny was surprised when Abby had given Ginny the chance to confide in her. Abby was brusque, but she also had a knack for getting straight to the point. And now she handed an opportunity to her on a silver platter.
Austin had a therapy appointment with one Dr. Darmody tomorrow. With the one minor speed bump that Georgia would have to give consent due to his age. After her shift at Blue Farm where Abby had apprised her of the appointment, Ginny had texted Abby to confirm the time and the phone number for the office, saying she would try get Georgia to come around and cancel the appointment if not.
Ginny took a deep breath. If Georgia could lie, so could she.
She hit dial.
'Wellsbury Therapy, this is Stacy. How can I help you?'
Ginny summoned her best impression of her mother. It might not fool someone from Alabama, but she thought it might trick the average Wellsbury inhabitant.
'Hi there, my name is Georgia Miller, my son Austin has an appointment with Dr. Darmody tomorrow afternoon. I was just wondering, you see I work in the mayor's office and I've had an engagement for that pop up tomorrow and I'm no longer going to be able to make it to take him there. I was just wondering, is it okay if my daughter drops him off and checks him in?'
The friendly receptionist asked Ginny some questions to confirm her identification. Ginny was prepared, she'd written out Austin's date of birth and social security, and other details to have handy in case they needed them.
'Okay, so that seems fine. The only thing is that we would need you to sign a document consenting to Austin's appointment tomorrow, just as he's under twelve years old. Is there a best email address I can send that to you? You'll need to sign it and send it back, and all will be fine.'
Ginny balked. She didn't have access to her mom's email. She recovered quickly.
'Yes, that's not a problem. It's gmiller '
'Perfect! I'll send that off to you in the next couple of minutes. Just make sure it's sent back to the original address before the appointment tomorrow.'
'Thanks so much, you're a doll.' Ginny hung up, wincing. Was that too much?
Ginny pulled up her inbox, and grinned as the email rolled in. She was suddenly very thankful that her nickname coincided with her mother's initials. Ginny printed off the form, anxiously biting at her nails. She signed it with a flourish, took a photo and sent it back.
Part one of the great therapy caper was done.
Hunter had been enlisted for part two; he had agreed to pick up Ginny and Austin in his car and take them there.
Ginny clicked on her messages, and re-read Marcus' last one for the tenth time.
G: That wasn't a date invite.
G: Hey, we okay? I promise it wasn't a date.
M: Okay
Ginny didn't know enough about Marcus' texting to know if that was an okay-okay, or a that's-definitely-not-okay okay. She bit her bottom lip, and then her eyes widened as Max sent a text. She raced downstairs, yelling for Georgia.
'Mom! Max says our garden's on fire!'
'A fire?' came Georgia's voice from the kitchen.
They ran as one outside.
'My garden!'
'It's on fire,' Max pointed out helpfully from behind the safety of the garden fence.
'What the hell happened?' Georgia ran to the hose.
'Austin!' Ginny said, seeing him and Caleb running around
'Hey, you stop right there!' Georgia called out, starting to spray down the flames.
'Mom, the kid's starting fires! I know a therapist he can go to,' Ginny tried. Surely this, surely flames ten feet from her house would make her see reason. Maybe she wouldn't need to sneak him to therapy at all.
'What? No!'
Flames put out, Georgia moved on to scolding the kids.
Ginny scoffed, in complete disbelief. Georgia was being selfish, and Ginny filled with anger. She turned to Max.
"Can I go to your house?'
The girls crossed over the road and hid in Max's bedroom. Ginny sent off a message to her dad.
G: I miss you
After discussing Sophie once again, Ginny excused herself to go to the bathroom, closing Max's door behind her. She looked over at Marcus' door – open. She peered inside – empty.
She sighed and decided she may as well actually go to the bathroom. As she came back out, Marcus was just coming back up the stairs.
He paused when he saw Ginny. He looked away uncomfortably.
Ginny glanced at Max's door, and pulled Marcus away from it.
'I don't like Hunter,' she whispered. 'It wasn't a date, he was just asking if I wanted to watch his band practice.'
Marcus stared at her as if she were stupid.
'And why do you think he did that?' he whispered back.
Ginny frowned reproachfully.
'Because we're trying to be friends.'
'Friends? He wants his friend to sit and watch him and his band muck around? That's a bad friend. Or it's a guy who wants his cute friend to watch him strut around with a guitar.'
'Okay, so just to be clear, if Hunter is trying to make a move on me, you're getting mad at me, not Hunter?'
'You're the one accepting that ponytail's moves.'
'I was going to go as a friend.'
'Well, maybe I'll hang out with my friend Padma.'
Ginny blinked, and physically blanched away from him, as if she needed to see him from further back to take in the audacity.
'See?' Marcus said, his eyes boring into hers uncomfortably.
Ginny was hearing hurt and rejection. But all she felt from Marcus was anger and barbs.
'You're the one that doesn't do girlfriends. So let's just assume that Hunter does still like me, but maybe if I had a boyfriend he wouldn't have asked me. Did you think about that?'
Ginny stared back at him, and Marcus looked away.
'You'd have to tell your friends.' He said it off-hand, to his shoulder. He hid his voice as much as he could, but he couldn't hide it from Ginny. She heard the note of tension, and sadness.
He looked back at Ginny, and she was surprised to see tears welling in his eyes.
'You think I haven't noticed?' he said, gesturing at Max's door. Ginny turned to look, still closed. 'You want me, you want to be with me, but not as much as you want to be friends with the bro squad. So what if I don't do girlfriends? You aren't willing to even be seen with me in case it messes up MANG.' He practically spat the word at her.
Ginny took a step back, looking down at her wrists. His words shot through her like an arrow. She recognised the truth of it, and thought of how desperate she was to please Max, how she'd agreed to go on a first date with Hunter at her keen insistence. She remembered watching Marcus' angry and hurt form retreating at school, not going after him because Max might see. Hidden kisses in Marcus' room, whispers in the halls, charged eye contact as they passed at school.
Ginny swallowed.
He was right.
She looked up at him. Her heart ached. He seemed small and withdrawn; she saw him wounded and needing, damaged from hiding themselves in the shadows of Ginny's fear. He loved her; Ginny knew it once more as he wiped his eyes and gazed at the floor. And she had returned that by placing him tidily in a cupboard, only to take him out when it was convenient.
Ginny had been selfish. Ginny had been like her mother, placing her own comfort above the feelings and well-being of those she loved.
Ginny placed a gentle hand on Marcus' face, and lifted his eyes to hers. He was so vulnerable. She held Marcus Baker in the palm of her hand, an honour and a privilege she hadn't appreciated. She leaned up to him, reading the permission in his eyes, and kissed him so gently. He brought their foreheads together when they parted.
Ginny trembled as she steeled herself, inhaling his scent. She conjured him up in her mind, an amalgamation of the feeling of his smile, the comfort of his arms, the thrill of his touch, the safety of his presence and the easing of her mind. She took a shuddering breath.
'I'm sorry,' she whispered. 'I love you.'
Marcus drew back suddenly to look at her, and she saw it again – he loved her. He took a deliberate breath. And then another.
Ginny couldn't resist, she leaned in for another kiss and stole the words away. His lips may have not have made the sounds just yet, but they imprinted the meaning on her lips, and on her skin as he kissed her cheek and jaw.
He tried again when they pulled back.
'I love you,' he said, quiet and intense.
They smiled shyly at one another. Ginny squeezed his hand as a goodbye and walked back to Max's room.
She had a very short to-do list.
Tell Max about her and Marcus.
Get Austin to therapy.