Year of Mistaken Discoveries (18 page)

“On the upside, you didn’t tell her we were out cruising for hookers and dealing drugs. That’s bound to help the first impression.”

“Yeah. I’ve got a great ability to make a good first impression on adults. She can call my mom for a reference. My mom can tell her what a screwup I am.”

“You’re not a screwup. You saved me back there. Trust me, she would have killed me if she knew what I’d been up to. Makes you like Batman.”

He didn’t laugh or smile the way he usually did at our shared joke. I leaned forward and kissed him. “You helped me. I appreciate it.” He kissed me back, his mouth feeling almost hot where it touched me. He made me aware of how every inch of my body was connected to the rest. It was as if I could feel
the path the sensation of his touch traveled along my nerves. “I’ve got to go back in,” I whispered. I watched him go across the street. His car turned over slowly. I waved before going back inside.

Mom was waiting right next to the door. She turned and marched into the living room. I trailed after her. I wondered if this was how people on their way to the gallows felt. Mom pointed to the sofa, and I sank into the cushions while she walked back and forth in front of me.

“This isn’t like you. Lying. Skipping school.”

“I’ve never skipped before. Everyone skips school at least once.”

Mom stopped pacing. “Are you really giving the excuse that because everyone’s done it that makes it okay?”

When she put it that way, it didn’t sound so good. I thought about telling her what I’d really been doing. She would have been impressed with my creativity, but I’m guessing forging being a part of the Cancer Society wasn’t going to go over well. “It wasn’t Brody’s fault,” I said. At the very least, I didn’t want her to dislike him before she’d even gotten to know him.

“I know that. Unless you’re saying he kidnapped you, then this was your decision. I wish you’d told us you were dating someone.” She sighed. “Your dad is going to want to meet him.”

“Could you not tell him about this?” I rushed to explain before she said no. “Dad will decide he doesn’t like him before
he’s ever met him. You know how he can be. And I really like Brody. I don’t want Dad to hate him.”

Mom plopped down on the sofa next to me and kicked off her shoes. I could see she was tired. “I got scared when I came home to check on you and you weren’t here.”

“Did you think I ran off somewhere?”

“Ever since Nora died, I’ve been worried about you.” She turned her head so we were looking at each other. “More than usual mom worry.”

My throat felt tight. “I’d never hurt myself,” I said.

“This is a hard time for you. I know that. Senior year, lots of changes. The pressure of getting into Duke. You and Colton breaking up. Nora dying. I wish I could make it easier, but I can’t.”

“I’m going to be okay,” I told her.

“You’re more than okay.” She hugged me.

“I’m sorry I lied to you,” I said, my face buried in her shoulder.

“I’m sorry I gave your new boyfriend the ice-queen welcome. We’ll have to have him over during Christmas break and meet him properly.”

“I’d like that.”

“Now, I can’t ground you without your dad asking a bunch of questions, but over the holidays you’ll be volunteering to do a few extra chores around here. After Christmas we’ll consider the slate clean. Deal?”

“Deal.”

Mom heaved herself up from the sofa. “I’m glad we’ve got that cleared up. I’m putting you in charge of rustling up some pasta for dinner while I take a hot shower.” She reached out and pulled me up.

“Thanks,” I said.

“I don’t know about you, but I feel better. I don’t like when there are secrets between us.”

My stomach clenched. She had no idea how many secrets were still there.

chapter twenty-four

M
y mom made me see Mr. Bradshaw in the morning and admit I’d lied about being sick. He looked down at his notes and shook his head sadly as if I’d confessed to having a basement full of chopped-up toddlers instead of skipping a day of classes.

“You realize you could be suspended for this,” he said.

“I know.” I managed to avoid rolling my eyes. No way they would suspend me for skipping once.

“Tell you what I’m going to do. I’m going to give you detention for the next two days, plus I’m going to ask you to do another ten service hours when we’re back from break. Or if you’re feeling you want to work it off early, you can do something in the community over the holidays, but I want a signed note verifying the hours. A suspension would be on your record
and could impact your options. This way, this mistake doesn’t have to have long-term implications.”

The smell of his cologne was giving me a headache. “Thanks. I appreciate it.”

“I trust this isn’t going to happen again,” he said. “I know when you’re a senior it can seem like you’ve earned the right to blow off some steam. Get a little wild and crazy.” He waved his hands in the air above his head. “Trust me, I could tell you stories about what I got up to at your age.”

“No. It won’t happen again.” I didn’t mention his wild, misspent youth. The last thing I needed was him giving me details I’d need bleach to get out of my brain.

He chuckled. “It’s not that I don’t like seeing more of you, but it shouldn’t be under these circumstances. Next time I see you in here, I hope it’s because we’re celebrating some good college admission news.”

I forced myself to smile. Bradshaw couldn’t be creepier if he tried. There was no nice way for me to say that if I could avoid seeing him ever again, it would be just fine with me.

He shook his finger at me. “Now, don’t go telling everyone I let you off easy. I’d have all of them in here asking for special treatment.”

“I sure won’t.”

“I do have one piece of good news for you.” He pointed his pen at his lap. “Want to guess what I have here?”

Ew.

Bradshaw pulled out a piece of paper from under the desk. “Duke called yesterday. They’ve scheduled your interview.”

I wanted to lunge over his desk and grab the sheet out of his hand. “When?”

“First Monday after the holidays. Duke has an alumni member, a Ms. Fierera, who will come here to the school to meet with you. It will be about an hour.” Bradshaw held out his hand. “Now, it’s meant to be casual. A chance for you to tell them all about you in more detail than an application has room for. Let them get to know the real Avery. You’ll also have a chance to ask any questions you have about the school. Your parents went there, so you likely don’t have many, but you can ask a few strategic things.”

“Like?”

“Like, are there any service clubs on campus? Something that shows you plan to give back right from the get-go, that kind of thing. If you like, we’ll do a dry run tomorrow. I could meet with you during your homeroom period, put you through your paces.”

“Wow. Thanks, but I’ll probably practice with my parents.”

Bradshaw looked depressed. If practicing college interviews with students was the highlight of his job, he should really get some career counseling and consider his other options.

I leaned forward. “Is there any way Brody and I could do our senior presentation the same day the Duke representative is
here? It’s really coming together, and I think it could be exactly what I need to kick my application up a notch.”

“Are you sure that’s not going to put too much pressure on you?”

I shook my head and tried to look calm and collected.

Bradshaw flipped open his day planner and tapped his pen on the page while he made his usual guppy face, his lips pooching in and out. “We’ve got a few presentations already planned for that day. I don’t have you and Brody scheduled until the last week of talks. I thought you might need the extra time since you started late.”

“We’ve been working like crazy on it. It’s looking great. If we do a bit more over Christmas break, I know we can be ready.”

Bradshaw’s lips pursed in and out like he was kissing an imaginary friend. Fishman lives. I held my breath.

“If you feel ready, we’ll make it happen. As long as you’re sure. You can always discuss the project. You don’t have to do a formal presentation.”

“I know. I want to do the talk. I think it’s going to be exactly what I need to get into Duke.”

Bradshaw clapped his hands onto the desktop. “Well then, we’ve got a plan.”

• • •

Shannon and Lydia were waiting for me in the library.

“How’d it go?” Lydia looked nervous, as if she thought
Bradshaw might have been giving me news of a terminal illness.

“It went okay. I got two detentions and extra service hours.” I sat down at their table.

Shannon smiled. “Not bad. Could have been way worse.”

“I also got some good news.” I paused to make sure I had their full attention. “Duke’s scheduled my interview.”

Shannon high-fived me over the table.

“You’ll ace it,” Lydia said. “I’m telling you, once they meet you, they’ll offer you a spot right then and there.”

I wanted to believe her. This was going to be my chance. If I didn’t nail the interview, I knew what would happen. I wouldn’t get in. I had a good application, good grades, good volunteer experience, and a good essay. The problem was, good wasn’t going to cut it. If I did a great job with the presentation, showed how I found my birth mom, it would be the kind of story that would hit home. It would make me stand out. It would take me from good to great. And I was close. Really close.

Shannon pushed me. “Stop it. I can see you obsessing right in front of my eyes.”

“I know. I promise I’ll stop obsessing as soon as I get in.” I held up my hand like I was taking a vow. “And when that happens, I am going to throw a party like you won’t believe.”

“No need to wait. Karl’s parents are letting him throw a holiday party this Thursday. Kick off the Christmas break
with style. This way we can all get together before people take off on vacation.” Shannon threw her hand over her head dramatically. “Can someone tell me why my grandparents have to live in Minnesota? Why can’t they live someplace like Southern California or New York City? They’re old and retired. Why are they living in the snow capital of the middle of nowhere? They could live anyplace in the world. I can’t speak for all of my family, but I’d visit way more often if they lived someplace better.”

“It’s Christmas. It’s supposed to be about family being together, not about where you’re getting together,” Lydia said.

“Thank you, Ghost of Christmas Future, I’ll keep that in mind.” Shannon tossed a piece of crumpled paper over the table at Lydia, who giggled.

“Karl’s party sounds fun,” I said.

“We were thinking you should invite Brody,” Shannon said. She held up one perfectly painted pink fingernail to stop me from interrupting her. “Do not tell me how he’s just your partner for the senior project. Do you think we didn’t notice he skipped yesterday too?”

“We weren’t together,” I said. There was no way they would believe me, even though it was the truth.

Shannon rolled her eyes. “Whatever, Pinocchio. We all know you two have hooked up.”

“Just because he’s not part of our crowd doesn’t mean we wouldn’t like him,” Lydia said. She was chewing on her lower
lip, which she always did when she was anxious. “If you like him, we’ll like him.”

“I shouldn’t have called him weird. I was out of line,” Shannon said.

I pictured Karl’s basement decorated for the holidays with a tree in the corner, complete with winking lights. His mom would bring down trays and trays of food and ignore the fact that the music was up so loud. The guys would huddle around the obscenely large TV screen down there, watching the sports channel while the rest of us talked about how we shouldn’t eat cookies and then eat them anyway. I couldn’t even picture Brody in that environment. It was great that they were making an effort, but it wasn’t going to work. Brody would feel awkward, and I’d feel this huge pressure to try and make it work even though I already knew it wouldn’t. There wasn’t anything wrong with either set of my friends, but they didn’t mix. It was like peaches and gravy: both good food items, but they shouldn’t be mixed together.

“He’d love to come, but I know he’s got some family thing that night. I think his dad’s coming to town.” The lie was out of my mouth before I even thought it through. Maybe with all the lying I was doing lately it was getting to be second nature. I reached over and gave Lydia a one-armed hug. “You guys are awesome for inviting him.”

“It’s true our awesomeness knows no bounds,” Shannon added.

“Here’s to the best Christmas ever,” Lydia declared.

“Easy to say—you’re not going to Minnesota,” Shannon shot back.

We laughed. I felt the band of tension that seemed to follow me around loosen. Things were falling into place. Everything was going to work.

chapter twenty-five

O
ne of the greatest tragedies in the history of mankind was the creation of the Christmas sweater. Karl’s mom loved them. She was also a big fan of those sweatshirts that have the airbrushed kitten pictures on them. Karl’s mom is a great cook, but she wasn’t going to win any fashion awards.

“Avery!” She wrapped me in a huge hug. This year’s sweater had a Santa on it with a giant Rudolph. Rudolph had a giant red stone for his nose that seemed to be exactly in the same place where her nipple would be. It made the whole thing even more odd. Karl’s mom peeled my coat off as if I was in elementary school, coming in from recess.

I passed her a plate of pumpkin bread. “My mom made this for you.”

“Aren’t you a darling?” She hugged me again. I thought of
pointing out that I hadn’t done anything other than carry the bread over, but knew it wasn’t worth it. “Everyone’s downstairs.”

The music was loud and the room already felt too warm. Most of the basketball team had shown up, and they were in a huge debate as to exactly what was wrong with the Detroit Lions franchise and why they’d blown it again this year.

Lydia leaped up when she saw me. “You made it!”

Shannon cried out over the room, “Behold, the survivor of detention and future Duke student!”