"If you're brave enough to say goodbye, life will reward you with a new hello." – Paulo Coehlo
Lacey woke up the next morning to find her bed covered in pink and purple sequins. She was confused for a moment, but after clearing the cobwebs of sleep from her head and remembering everything that had happened the night before - good and bad - she finally concluded this had to be the work of Halen. She sat up and threw the covers off, sequins flying everywhere (this was going to be a crazy mess to clean up), putting her feet on the floor and padding to the door. She opened it and stepped out into the hallway, realizing only after the fact that she'd broken right through a homemade crepe paper banner.
A smile crept over her face. Her family was the best.
After leaving the bathroom, she made her way down the stairs to grab some coffee before taking a shower, and found Stuart and her mom in the kitchen. Stuart was flipping pancakes on the stove, and her mom was sitting at the kitchen table with her own cup of coffee.
"There she is, Miss America!" Ariel bounced out from around the corner, obviously in a much better mood than she was yesterday.
Lacey laughed. "You guys!" She walked over to the coffee pot, taking a mug out of the cabinet above.
"You were gorgeous," Halen gushed from her place next to Stuart, shaking out some rainbow sprinkles into pancake batter. "Me and Dad are making you sprinkle pancakes! And did you see your sequins?!"
"Oh yeah," Lacey grinned. "How could I miss them?"
"I put the banner over your door!" Ariel added excitedly.
Her mom smiled at her over her steaming cup. "You did great, Hon. And good recovery from your near-faint."
Lacey winced. "I was hoping it wasn't that noticeable."
Darlene shrugged. "I don't think it was to most people. I just notice these things because I'm your mom. It's my job."
"Aye, ye were a true princess," Stuart looked back at her. "Got in pretty late, did ye?"
Lacey took a deep breath. "Uh, yeah. The dance and all…"
"I thought I 'eard ye come in a' one point, an' a lad's voice. Supposin' 'twas Max. Did 'e stay long?" Stuart heaped more finished pancakes atop others on a serving plate.
"... Not really," she gave him a sidelong glance as she poured the steaming coffee into her mug.
"Ah, good. He surely needed t' be gettin' 'ome."
As Lacey sat down at the table, Stuart placed two of the pancakes on a plate and set them down in front of her, then brought over the syrup. "An' there's more where those came from, Dear."
Lacey smiled up at him. "Thanks, Stuart." She began to cut them up. "I think I'm still a little shocked, to be honest."
"I knew you were gonna get it," Davy suddenly appeared in the doorway, grinning sleepily, heading over for his own cup of coffee. "I knew of enough people voting for you, and I did plenty of campaigning on the downlow. Any payment for that, by chance?"
Lacey stuck her tongue out at him while her sisters giggled. "How about this? I'll buy you your next Push-Up when we're at a gas station together."
"Fair enough," Davy raised his eyebrows, coming over with his coffee. It still amused Lacey that her almost-brother reveled in those cheap, kiddish orange sherbet bars. "Hey, I also heard Max bargaining with the DJ to get your favorite song played."
Halen gasped. "He did? 'Eternal Flame'?!"
Lacey was quiet for a moment, not looking up from her pancakes when she finally spoke in what she hoped was a pleasant voice, "He did. Wasn't that sweet?"
"Mm… Max has his moments, I guess," Darlene spoke, finally taking a pancake from Stuart's stack.
Lacey wanted to change the subject as quickly as she could think of another one. There was no need to stir up drama by recounting the events of last night. She would eventually figure out a way to let her family know she and Max were officially over. It wasn't as though he dropped by the house very often anyway.
Just then, the phone rang, and relief surged through Lacey for being saved from talking more about Max. Halen, the unofficial family secretary, jumped up and grabbed it. Everyone else had stopped thinking about answering a long time ago when she was around.
"Hello?" she greeted politely, then paused. "Yes, she is! One moment, please." Halen put her hand over the mouthpiece. "Lacey? It's Adam."
Almost collectively, everyone at the table looked up, first at Halen, then at Lacey.
She took a deep breath. From the frying pan straight into the fire. But she stood and took the phone from a grinning Halen. "Hey."
"Hey!" Adam greeted enthusiastically. "Um… sorry to call so early, but I had to tell you, my mom's 'it'."
"Oh yeah?" Lacey smiled, wishing she could switch to the portable phone in the living room, or better yet, her own room, but it was too late for that.
"Yeah, she mentioned at breakfast just a little while ago that she'd made it five chapters into a book from her shelf and realized she'd read it before. Five chapters, can you believe it? And of course she blamed Dad after wondering if Lynn…you know, the housekeeper… had done it." He chuckled. "I told her about our little conspiracy. So apparently I win."
"You do!" Lacey laughed. "Still no news for me." She tried to be inconspicuous in front of her mom. "Okay, so we'll say I owe you something under five bucks. Anything you want."
She heard Davy behind her mutter quietly, "And all I get's a lousy Push-Up."
Adam laughed also, and she wondered if he was secretly amused that she was so cheap. "Okay, I'm going to hold you to it. Anyway, that's all, I just… well…" he trailed off for a moment, then continued, voice serious. "... wanted to be sure you were okay. After last night and all."
"I am. Just now having sprinkled pancakes for breakfast, matter of fact. I'm apparently Miss Universe around here for the day." She turned and winked at her waiting family.
"Nah, just this morning," her mom piped up. "Laundry's not going anywhere."
Adam chuckled, apparently hearing the comment. "Well I'm glad you had a good morning, at least. But I'll let you go. I hope it didn't make it weird for you that I called."
"No, no! Anytime you want to," Lacey smiled into the phone, realizing she totally meant it.
"Hey, one more thing," he jumped in quickly before goodbyes. "We're playing the Hornets next Friday, and I was wondering if you'd like to come?"
Lacey had to smirk, shaking her head. Now that Adam could say he'd taught her everything there was to know about hockey, he apparently felt she would naturally enjoy it as much as he did. "We'll see. If I don't have any better offers, you might find me there."
"Oh, that wasn't at all a reluctant answer," Adam laughed. "Okay, come just if you want. The team usually goes to Twin City Slice afterward, and everybody usually brings friends. So if you want to come with, consider yourself invited."
Lacey was taken aback for a moment. She knew she and Adam had probably considered one another unofficial friends for a little while now, but never before had they hung out quite so much. Not that they necessarily couldn't or shouldn't - after all, Max was no longer in the picture as far as she was concerned. But something in her held back, and she must have hesitated a little too long, because Adam cut in on her thoughts.
"That's just if you want to. I'm not trying to get you to do all this stuff, I just thought you might need some cheering up since, you know, the thing with Max. But please don't feel pressured."
"No, I… I just have to make sure I'm not already doing something. If I'm not, then maybe so. But either way, I want to thank you again for… everything." She hated having to be so guarded against her family's listening ears.
"Sure. It was nothing. I'm just glad I was able to help," Adam replied hurriedly. "Well I gotta go, Mom needs the phone. Maybe see you soon?"
"Yeah, you will. And congratulations on winning the prize," Lacey chuckled.
"Why thank you," she could tell Adam was still smiling. "Alright, talk later."
"Bye," Lacey finished and hung up the phone.
She closed her eyes for a moment and grimaced before turning back to her family who still stared from the table. Acting as though nothing was out of the ordinary, Lacey returned to the table to finish her pancakes.
"Why are you talking to Adam Banks so much?" Ariel asked, bluntly. "I mean I think he's really nice, but won't Max be mad?"
"Yeah, Kiddo, what's that all about?" her mom piped in, getting up for more coffee.
"Oh wow, that was Banks?" Davy's eyes nearly popped out of his head. "I'm with Ariel. Don't let Max know. I mean he won't hear it from me, but…"
Lacey finally took a deep breath, setting her fork down firmly. "It shouldn't matter to Max, because we're over."
There. She said it. So much for her breaking the news to everyone gently, but now that everyone in the room had heard her overly familiar conversation with Adam, it was bound to happen.
Stuart looked up as though he forgot where he was for a moment, and Halen gasped. "Really?!"
Ariel exchanged looks with Davy, then both of them looked at her just as Mom had turned around and stared at her from the coffee maker. "What?"
"Yeah. It's over. But I don't want to talk about it, so if we could please just-"
"What happened?" her mom inquired, completely ignoring what Lacey had just requested.
"Mom, I said I'd rather not talk about it, okay?" Lacey responded a little more defensively than she meant to. She took a sip of her now-cold coffee and kept her eyes trained on her pancakes. "We just… he… isn't the person I thought he was."
Davy snorted. "Well heck, I could have told you that. You oughta hear what he says about girls in the locker room."
Lacey flinched, sure that had included her. Or worse, hadn't included her.
"I mean, I never saw you lasting with that guy," Davy went on, "but I figured you'd learn after a while," he shrugged.
"Yeah, well let me also say thisone more time, and I don't expect to have to say it again," Lacey tacked on testily. "Adam and I Are. Just. Friends. So don't get ideas that there's something more between us, and no, that's not why Max and I broke up."
"But did Max know about it?" Halen cupped her chin while resting her elbows on the table, sitting as though she was a therapist.
"Okay, a'right," Stuart spoke up before Lacey had to answer. "The lass said she doesna want to talk aboot it, so she ought no' 'ave to. Let's change the subject."
No one said anything else to her about Max, but then, no one said much of anything at all until Ariel saved the day. "Did you see that dress the Homecoming Princess had on? Awful color," she wrinkled her nose.
"I liked it!" Halen argued. "It complimented her skin tone very well."
But Ariel never took fashion discussions that far. "Well I don't know about all that, but the color itself was just bad."
Lacey found herself able to breathe easier when the subject was changed to what the girls last night were wearing, the guys' cummerbunds, and the vice principals' plastic smile.
"I know one thing. Angela Lefler's still hot," Davy contributed, winking at Lacey..
Lacey was pleasantly surprised that her family left the Max topic alone for a little while, including Halen, who was notorious for prying.
The next week, Max avoided her at school, always ducking over to the opposite side of the hallway from her, sitting on the other side of the cafeteria, all the while never looking at her once. Hopefully that was that, and she would never have to speak to him again. Of course, that was too easy, and she knew it. Lacey waited patiently for the fallout.
Meanwhile, she did go to Adam's game against the Hornets, this time by herself. The twins had been caught between going to the game with her and going to Stuart's bowling league tournament, and they picked the tournament where they would have unlimited pizza and talk to a few of the cute sons of the bowlers. Lacey was secretly relieved to not have to babysit them all night.
She actually enjoyed the hockey game now that she knew what was happening out on the ice. Adam played a phenomenal game as he always did, strategically hitting the puck, as soon as it dropped, toward the best person to steer it into the Hornets' zone. Then he would join in the tireless effort of keeping the score in the Ducks' favor. It amazed Lacey that he and the others had enough energy to even make it to the locker room after all the constant skating and fighting for the upperhand on the rink.
She wasn't sure if Adam realized she was in the stands until after he scored his first goal and glanced toward her after letting go of the group's victory embrace. He discreetly skated toward the plexiglass and nodded, a gesture Lacey was pretty sure was meant for her. She waved excitedly, letting him know she was proud of the goal he'd just scored.
And, amazingly, she found herself after the game at Twin City Slice along with the other Ducks and a couple of the players' girlfriends. There was something about Adam's invitations she couldn't seem to say no to, so she succumbed and sat at the end of the long table with Adam on one side, Julie on the other, and Connie and Guy across from her. She'd been amazed to learn from Connie that she and Guy were dating, and had been since they were in middle school. That was pretty much a miracle as far as Lacey was concerned.
On the other side of Connie was Linda, Charlie Conway's girlfriend. Connie tried to be friendly and encourage Linda to talk, but the other girl seemed a little aloof and only wanted to be a part of Charlie's conversations, so finally Connie gave up with an eyeroll toward Julie and Lacey.
It didn't take very long for Lacey to become pretty comfortable, chatting easily with the other two girls while Adam was mostly focused on discussing the game with the guys sitting on the other side of him. Their separate conversations would surely convince folk they weren't a couple. Most of the team members who had snubbed her before continued to snub her now, but Lacey could sense a slight thawing from some of them.
There was something about Adam's presence that had a calming, soothing effect on her. She wasn't sure if it was his serene personality or the fact that he seemed to genuinely enjoy being around her as well. A couple of times over the next few weeks in November, he dropped by the cat shelter to check on the kittens, whom he was slowly getting to know, and to chat a bit. Adam wasn't ordinarily a big talker, but he and Lacey seemed to always find a topic to share conversation about, and he was very tender with the cats.
Then slowly, something started to happen. Lacey knew that even though a friendship was all she and Adam shared, her heart was beginning to do all the things one's heart does when beginning to develop "extra" feelings. Much to her chagrin.
No way, she cautioned herself. No more hockey players, and definitely not after Max.
But she was having to remind herself of that more and more over the next few weeks each time she saw Adam smile, laugh at something she said, or smash it on the ice. Any time he said goodbye or that he'd see her "later" without specifying exactly when, a little tendril of sadness snaked its way around her heart. She tried to remind herself time and time again that a guy could just be nice without being boyfriend material.
Which Adam certainly wasn't, at least not for her. He had money, affluence, and a dauntless focus on the NHL. This guy wasn't for her. But she could secretly enjoy her mounting affection, even if it would break her heart in the end. Why she would even risk that she wasn't sure, but she couldn't just stop the feelings from forming and she was certainly not willing to drop her blossoming friendship with him just because of that.
Meanwhile, she noticed that his playing style against Max during the Ducks' next game against the Rockets was a good deal more aggressive than it had previously been. Not that he necessarily did anything to land him in the penalty box, but he was relentless in chasing after Lacey's ex with more zeal than before. And Max could unfortunately tell. At one point he cross-checked Adam so hard into the boards that Adam needed a moment to recover. Lacey wanted to strangle Max, of course not for the first time, and had to refrain from cheering when he was led into the box for what he had done.
But Adam was undaunted. When Max was released to play again, Adam resumed his aggressive mission to get the puck from him at all cost.
Lacey wondered if all this was because of her, and felt guilty that she was flattered by Adam's efforts. It felt, in a way, like he was defending her honor after the Homecoming debacle. But her thoughts quickly turned serious as she could tell the hard playing was taking a toll on him. That night after he showered and changed into his street clothes, she could tell every joint he had was hurting.
It was the night before Thanksgiving as she and Adam chatted on the phone that she couldn't resist asking the brave question: "Have you been playing harder against Max on purpose?"
Adam paused. "Sure. I mean, I guess I have."
Lacey bit her lip, then proceeded. "Is it because you want to get him back for what he did on Homecoming night?"
"Absolutely." The answer came from Adam with no hesitation. "No one treats a girl that way. Not even him, for all his ego."
"But I can tell it's hurting you," she cautioned, trying not to fully lecture him. "Adam, your arthritis-"
"They still don't know for sure that's what I've got" he cut in.
"Well, whatever it is, it's causing you pain. And you really need to be as gentle on your body as you can be," she said.
"I'm managing, Lacey. Don't worry about me, alright?"
She sighed. "I guess I've got to trust you sometime. But I have to ask. What happened to your rule of not carrying personal stuff onto the ice?"
"Well, sometimes you gotta bend rules," Adam answered matter-of-factly. "I really try not to make it personal out there, but sometimes when you know certain things about a guy, you just can't turn a blind eye."
Lacey smiled, staring at the ceiling of her room where she kept her favorite Weezer poster. "What are you doing for Thanksgiving tomorrow?"
"Grandma Laura's come up from Florida with Pablo," he sighed. "Guy always thinks he can waltz in, pat my dad on the shoulder like they're old friends, and sit at the head of the table. Drives me crazy. But hey, at least my Grandpa Greg will be there. He's awesome."
"Wait, then who's Pablo?" Lazy's brow furrowed as she examined her growing nails.
"Pablo is Grandma Laura's third husband. She's Dad's mom, the one who lives in Florida? Grandpa Greg is my mom's dad from Albany."
For Lacey, who had no grandparents at all, this sounded like it could get pretty confusing. "Okay then," she chuckled. "Good luck with all that."
They talked for a few more minutes before Lacey became tired, and, able to tell it in her voice, Adam let her go after wishing her a Happy Thanksgiving.
Ready to roll over and go to sleep, Lacey was jarred by a knock at the door. "Yeah? Come in," she called, surprised to see her mom appear after turning the knob.
"Hey. Can I come in for a minute?"
"Sure," Lacey sat up, now wide awake. Her mom rarely visited her room for serious conversations, but she could tell now she was in for a big one. And hopefully not about what she was afraid it was.
"Was that Adam again?" Her mom sat down on the bed beside her.
"Yes," Lacey answered defensively. "Mom, why is everybody so interested in this?"
"Because Lacey, I just want to make sure you've really thought about this," Darlene replied firmly. "I think you're falling for this boy. And you know it's not in your best interest, right?"
Lacey stared at her mom for a minute, feeling her ears grow hot. "Yes, Mom, I know. But Adam's way too wrapped up in hockey to start a relationship with anybody, let alone me. Don't forget, he's seen my crazy."
Her mom nodded. "Yeah, I know. And it's good he's taking it in stride. But if you're going to date somebody this soon after Max, don't you think it needs to be just a nice, normal boy from school? Not a hockey player, and especially not a wealthy one who thinks he could be the next Gretzky. I just don't want you to get hurt, Kiddo."
Mom's answer cooled Lacey's frustration some. Her mom was rarely this candid and serious, and if she was being honest with herself, she'd admit that she appreciated it - alot.
"Mom, I see why you're worried. Really. But you've got to trust me. I'm not after Adam in that way. I know it would probably never work out. It's just…" she trailed off, not sure how much to say and how much to keep to herself.
But her mom finished her sentence. "It's just that you like him."
Lacey sighed. "He… he makes me feel safe. Like, emotionally. Do you know I've barely pulled or bitten in the last couple weeks? And he's a super great guy. I mean, he's the opposite of Max in every way, and I know he's probably too sophisticated for us, but it's so refreshing just to be able to have a decent conversation with someone. That's all."
Her mom nodded. "Alright, that's fair. Let me ask you this, though. Does he like you?"
Lacey shook her head. "I don't think so. I mean, to be honest, I wouldn't be able to tell if he did. Adam's got a pretty good poker face, and since I've not seen him with a girlfriend, I don't really know how he'd act if he was into a girl."
"You don't know?" her mom raised her eyebrows. "Well let me give you the answer: he'd want her to be at his hockey games. He'd take her to Twin City Slice with his friends, and he would go visit her at her job. That's what it would look like. And he's done all those things. Right?"
Lacey rolled her eyes. "He's just a good, loyal friend, Mom."
Her mother regarded her quietly for a moment, then nodded, standing up. "All I'm saying is, be careful."
"I will be." Lacey turned her head then, brain buzzing as she just wanted the confusing conversation to be over.
Lacey might have known it would happen eventually. But she somehow had talked herself into believing it wouldn't.
Thanksgiving had never been a particularly big holiday for the Primmers. Her mom usually ordered a turkey and fixings from a nearby grocery store in lieu of cooking, and they sat in front of the TV watching football with Stuart as they ate. But this year, Darlene had something different on her mind.
"I found some autumn china at the Dollar Tree - can you believe it? That's what we're using this year. At the table. With my old goblets I got at my wedding shower when I married your dad."
Lacey flinched. Why didn't Mom know by now that mentioning her dad around her was a huge mistake? She reached up underneath her hair to finger a small strand, willing herself not to pull.
As snow came down in sheets outside the townhouse window and she and the twins watched Macy's Thanksgiving Parade on the TV, Lacey's mom spread out a tablecloth on the dinner table and worked on some sophisticated place settings. Stuart's usually cheerful personality was dampered slightly by the fact that it was Davy's mom's turn to have him over the holiday, but Lacey could tell he was trying for the sake of everyone else to keep his spirits up.
Her mom even went through the trouble to put the takeout in serving dishes, so Lacey almost felt like she was having Thanksgiving at a totally different house. But it was nice.
Just as they were sitting down to eat, however, the doorbell rang. Ariel, ever nosy, jumped up first and made a dash for the door.
Stuart's brow furrowed. "Who coul' that be?"
A moment later, none other than Max was led into the kitchen by an eye-rolling Ariel.
"Hey! What's doin'?" he inquired enthusiastically, coming over and giving Lacey a forehead kiss. "My old man's in a mood, so I thought I'd just come over here. That okay?" He took off his scarf and coat and draped them across the back of Lacey's chair.
Lacey was speechless. What the hell was he doing here? Did he seriously think that after what he did three weeks ago, he could just show up and pretend nothing had happened?
Her mom looked none too happy and she didn't even know the specifics of the breakup. But she was apparently trying not to be overtly rude. "Well, come on in, then." She stood up and grabbed a paper plate, apparently unwilling to spend a Dollar Tree china plate on Max, and pulled over a stool from the corner of the kitchen.
"Thanks Ms. P." Max wedged himself between Lacey and Halen, causing them both to have to shift over awkwardly. "So how's it goin?"
Stuart could always be counted upon to be polite. "Ah, 'tis well! Nice t' 'ave fresh snow on Thanksgivin', no?"
Max loaded his plate up, shrugging. "Yeah, I guess. I think the same thing happened last year, though."
Lacey just wanted to turn around and deck him.
"So I 'eard from Davy tha' ye played a good game t'other night against the Jets. Scored a right many goals. Congratulations," Stuart passed the yeast rolls.
"Yeah, thanks. We're gunning for the championship, which'll probably be against the Ducks again. Those suckers just don't quit. But I sure pity them this year."
"Aye. That lad Banks is a force t'be reckoned wi', no?" Stuart continued the conversation, having no idea what a loaded topic this was.
Max snorted. "Banks is losing his touch. I mean, you can tell he's fighting it, going at me all hard and stuff. But he's compensating for something. No way is that guy gonna make the NHL. His playing is pretty sloppy these days."
Lacey pressed her lips together, trying not to speak for fear of what might come out of her mouth and ruin her mom's nice Thanksgiving dinner. But she squeezed the napkin hard.
Max turned back to his food and began to eat again, glancing over at her occasionally.
Everyone else could probably feel the tension too, as after a few minutes of silence, Stuart stood up and left the room. Lacey wondered for a moment if the mood had upset him.
But the reason he left soon became clear. "'ey. I think I 'ear somethin," she heard him call from the living room. "Tis comin' closer. Anybody else 'ear it?"
Ariel and Halen paused their eating and looked up at Lacey, who couldn't suppress her smile.
"Oh God, not now, Stuart," her mom rolled her eyes. But it was too late.
Suddenly the dramatic intro chords of "Poison Arrow" by ABC sounded throughout the house.
"A'right, Lesses! Let's see some dancin'!" Stuart called in.
Quick as lightning, the twins jumped up, giggling, and ran into the living room, followed by Lacey. The girls' enthusiasm any time there was a Stuart Dance Party was infectious.
"What the-?" Max questioned behind her.
Stuart grabbed Lacey's hands as soon as she entered the living room and began twirling her to the beat of the synth pop. She laughed. "This isn't a twirl song, Stuart!"
Ariel and Halen were leaning in, singing into one another's faces:
"Who broke my heart? You did! You did!
You think you're smart? Stupid! Stupid!
Shoot that poison arrow to my heart!"
They danced around in no specific style, jumping up onto the couch and grabbing remote controls and the cordless phone to use as microphones. Lacey giggled at their antics while dancing with Stuart.
At one point she happened to spot Max in the doorway, staring at them all with a furrowed brow.
"Stuart Dance Party," Lacey laughed breathlessly after it was all over. "He springs them on us sometimes."
"Ugh, I feel like I'm gonna hurl," Ariel winced.
"I guess you do!" Lacey's mom called from the kitchen. "Dancing in the middle of dinner and all…"
Stuart's actions blessedly lightened up the tone of the rest of the meal, but Max remained quiet despite having filled his plate twice more. After the pumpkin pie her mom had bought frozen from Publix, Max stood. "Thanks Ms. P, that was awesome. Lacey, walk out with me?"
Lacey stood, feeling all guns blazing in her gut as she put on her scarf and coat, pulling the fur-lined hood up over her head before following him outside. This wasn't going to be pretty, but it was going to be crystal clear.
"Babe," Max took a deep breath once they were outside. "Listen, I'm sorry about Homecoming. I've had weeks to think about this, and I'm good with no sex for now. Not even at prom, and I won't… I won't push this time. Promise."
Lacey felt her vision turn sideways in sheer anger at his presumption, so she tried closing her eyes for a moment to invite calm into her voice. But she lost the battle, and the words came out shaky. "Max, you could have killed us both. Do you know how you were driving? And do you remember the awful things you said to me?"
"Well… yeah, I think I do, but Babe, I didn't mean-"
"Don't call me that. Don't you dare." Lacey had to work to keep her voice low, not willing to be heard in the house. "It's time for you to listen to me. I was so scared I had to have you dump me out on the side of the road. At midnight. In the worst part of town. Do you know I had no money except for a couple of quarters and might have had to walk? And you still haven't even asked me how I made it home. I had to call my parents collect."
It wasn't a lie. She did call collect, just no one had answered and she'd ended up resorting to a Plan B. But Max didn't need to know that.
He stayed quiet as she had requested, but she could see his lips growing white from being pressed together so hard.
"So, no. There's not a 'next time' for us. We're done. And I can't believe you had the balls to show up at my house acting like nothing ever happened. Max… leave. Now. And don't even think about coming back here."
Max stared at her for several long seconds, completely still, a dead calm taking over his eyes. It would have unsettled Lacey had her mom and Stuart not been right inside the door.
"Okay," he finally replied in a steely voice. "If that's what you want, it's over. But with all your issues, Lacey? Good luck finding anybody else. Unless you want to give Banks a go, since you've pretty well taken up with him and all. Don't think I don't know how much time you've spent with him since Homecoming." He snorted. "I mean, heck, you were never that excited about hockey when we were together. Now I hear you're out there cheering in the stands at Eden Hall games, not able to keep your eyes off him." He sneered. "You're obsessed."
Lacey shook her head slowly. "If anybody's obsessed with Banks, it's you, Max. You can't stand to have any competition, can you?"
With that, she turned to go back into the house, wiping angry tears. But Max wasn't quite done yet. "Yeah, go ahead and walk away. That's okay. I've got a line of girls at school waiting for me, and you know it. So just gimme my ring back, and we're done."
Lacey paused, a smile spreading across her face as she turned around. "Your ring? Oh, I'm sorry, I forgot to tell you. If you want it back, drive back to that old A&P parking lot. You know, the one you left me at? I dropped it somewhere in front of the shitty pay phone I had to use. If it's still there, that is. I wouldn't be surprised if it wasn't picked up and pawned off already. Have a Happy Thanksgiving, Max."
Lacey slammed the door against the boy's dumbfounded expression and made her way back into the dining room, trying to look nonplussed, but everyone was quiet as she took her seat again and stared down at her plate.
"Lacey?" Stuart spoke gently. "Did it no' go well?"
After swallowing hard, she finally spoke. "He had some kind of nerve showing up here." Lacey clenched her fists hard and tried to keep them firmly planted on the table to keep from reaching up and jerking out lock after lock of her hair. "I was hoping he'd just go away."
Awkward silence pervaded as her mom and sisters looked as though ttrying to figure out what to say. Then she heard the sound of chair legs scraping linoleum as Stuart got up and came around and put his hands on her shoulders.
It wasn't at all that she was devastated about her and Max being officially, unequivocally over, but the fact that he pointed out all her "issues", essentially calling her someone she hoped never to be again. It hurt down to her bones to remember the frightened girl she was, and why she had become that. Worse yet, she worried Max was right: that girl never left.
Lacey stood up and fell into Stuart's arms, hot tears spilling down her cheeks.
"'Ah, 'e's joos' a fallin' leaf, Lass. They're a dime a dozen. You'll recover an' find a more fittin' lad. I joos' know it."
She held onto Stuart tightly - the only man she dared to consider a real father, and the only man who had ever thought her to be good enough just like she was.
