| |
––––––––
Sunlight streamed through the curtains and hit my eyes. Traces of my dreams hung around a moment before breaking up and disappearing like smoke. Except for being about a black cat with glowing eyes, I couldn’t remember anything. I laughed. The cat from last night had invaded my dreams. I pulled my comforter higher to block the light. But it was no use. Not able to go back to sleep, I stretched and rolled to look at the clock.
Noon? But I never slept in.
My stomach clenched. Something must be wrong. Dad should have been here to pick me up already.
It’s a good thing I had done all my chores because Mom wouldn’t let me go if they weren’t. If I wasn’t ready to go, it’d be one more thing for them to fight about.
Yanking my comforter over the pillow, I smoothed out the lumps. I shoved my feet in my slippers and hurried to the bathroom.
Showered, changed, and hair curling from the steam, I ran down the stairs. Mom sat at the kitchen table with papers strewn all over.
Her eyes looked tired above her smile. “I wondered how long you’d sleep.”
“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to sleep so late.” My stomach growled. I’d have to eat before I did anything. “When is Dad supposed to be here?” I needed to know how fast I had to move.
The hurt in Mom’s eyes said it all. “Angela.”
“Don’t.” He wasn’t coming, but I didn’t want to hear her say it. No wonder she let me sleep in.
I tore up the stairs, leaped onto the bed, and buried my head in the pillow.
Not even a minute later, I heard Mom’s footsteps along the hall. “Honey.”
“Leave me alone.” I didn’t want to hear whatever lame excuse Dad had given her for not wanting to spend time with me.
She tapped on the door before opening it.
Lifting my head, I glared at Mom as she crept into the room. “Is this what I’m supposed to deal with because of the divorce?” I turned to face the wall. “Yeah. I’ll work on making sure I don’t care anymore.”
“Angela, sweetie, I’m so sorry.” The bed creaked as she sat on the edge and rubbed my back. “Your dad cares about you—”
“Yeah, right. He cares so much he can’t bother to spend time with me. The only one he cares about is Holly. I hate her.”
Mom took a deep breath. “Ange, something unavoidable came up.”
The anger burning in the pit of my stomach swelled. “Don’t lie to me. I don’t fit in his new life with Holly-the-homewrecker and he doesn’t want the hassle.” Tears brimming, I faced her. “Please, just leave me alone.”
Her forehead wrinkled and frown deepened, but she stood and left the room.
I flopped onto my back and stared at the ceiling. I should get used to being forgotten by Dad. Who could blame him for not wanting me around?
When Dad and I spent time together, I was a living reminder to his new wife Holly that she wasn’t the first love of Dad’s life. And I never made any attempt to get along with her. She tried to be nice to me, but only because she wanted to make Dad think she was perfect. So I did my best to be a pain in her side because she ruined my life.
The scene I had caused the last time I had been with them rolled in my head.
I stuffed my history book into the backpack and zipped it up. Before grabbing the handle, I took a look around my sometime bedroom to see whether I had forgotten anything. I sneered. Talk about the least inviting place. Holly had decorated it for me.
Off-white walls, standard issue floral curtains and matching bedspread, the room could have been designed for a hotel. It certainly wasn’t something a nearly teenaged girl wanted. No personality at all. Boring.
So, yeah, it wasn’t my bedroom at my dad’s, it was the guest room and I just happened to be the one who occupied it most frequently.
Despite having all my things, I stood in the middle of the room, stuck. I wanted to spend the last few minutes of the weekend with Dad, but Holly would be there. We couldn’t even go out to his workshop and build stuff like we used to without her interrupting us.
“Angela?”
I cringed. Just the sound of her mousy voice sent shudders through me.
The door creaked open and Holly poked her head through the opening. “Do you have all your things? I thought we could leave a little early and stop somewhere along the way for a bite to eat. Your pick.”
“What’s the matter? Did the Internet run out of tasty recipes you can fail at in under thirty minutes?”
The flush creeped up her throat into her face until it glowed a bright red. “I ... I meant it as a treat since we don’t ever go out to eat as a family.”
Family. The word sucker-punched me in the gut. Family is what I used to have before she came along. “Fine. Let’s go to Famous Dave’s for a burger.”
I wanted to go to the Italian place over on 3rd Street, but Mom, Dad, and I had been there too often as a family, and it felt wrong.
“But I thought we might—” Holly’s lips pinched tight at my glare.
I held back a laugh. Dave’s was only famous in the mind of the owner, Dave. But it was the perfect place for Holly, who detested burgers, and wouldn’t find a single salad on the menu. If we were going to eat as a family, she’d have to sacrifice her precious waistline.
Although, by the looks of it, she may have been secretly hitting the burgers. Her oh-so-petite frame wasn’t quite so petite any more. What had she been doing to pack on the pounds?
I swung the backpack over my shoulder and strode toward the door. Dad stood in the den sneaking in a few minutes watching football before we left.
“Game good?”
“Hey, Pumpkin.” He put his arm across my shoulders.
Before he had a chance to bore me about the game, Holly grabbed the remote and turned off the set. Then she put her arms around us both, and bowed her head.
“Let’s pray. Dear Heavenly Father, I ask ...”
What the—
I broke from her embrace. “I’m going to the car.” It was all I could do to keep from yelling at her.
I didn’t want her to touch me, let alone hug me. And in prayer? If I needed to pray, I’d do it one on one with God. When I reached the car, I opened the back door, threw my backpack in, slid in after it, and slammed the door.
A few minutes later, Dad and Holly followed me out. Holly dabbed her eyes with a tissue, then blew her nose.
After getting in the car, Dad turned and gazed at me, his eyes boring into mine, the pain in them pinning me to the back seat. “You ready?”
I gave him a curt nod and he turned away as if he couldn’t bear to look at me for another second. Heaviness settled in my heart as he started the car.
Holly’s periodic sniffs were the only sound on our way to Dave’s. Did she have to be such a dramatic diva? But if I said anything, Dad would be even more annoyed.
So much for going out to eat as a treat.
The aroma of frying burgers and onions greeted us when Dad opened the door at Famous Dave’s. I told him what I wanted to eat and sat in a booth next to the window. Holly followed and slid into the booth on the opposite side of the table. She cupped her hand over her mouth and nose and her face paled to the point where it took on a slightly green tinge. Our eyes met and hers welled with tears. I stared out the window. Can this visit just be over already?
If I had to keep staring out the window to avoid Holly’s suffocating sorrow, I’d get a crick in my neck. And it wasn’t like anything interesting was happening. Cars zoomed by on the road and an old guy walking his dog stopped every few steps to let his dog sniff stuff and then pee on it. Gross.
When Dad carried the food to the table, he put my burger down in front of me with a bang and sat next to Holly.
He wouldn’t speak to me. He was upset, but it wasn’t my fault. I jabbed a french fry in ketchup and shoved it in my mouth. I glanced at Holly.
She pressed her lips together and her chin trembled.
For goodness sake. Not tears again.
She dashed the tear away as it fell and Dad patted her hand.
How did I get to be the bad guy in all this? It wasn’t fair. I refused to look at Dad. I didn’t want to see the disappointment on his face. How did Holly do it? She was the one who should apologize. I never asked for her to hug me. Besides, group hugs were for sporting events. I wolfed my food down as fast as I could. I wanted to go home.
