Candid (True Images Series)

by Michelle Pennington

  I swiveled around on the couch to face her. “I’m not worried about it mom. You deserve to find someone who’s every bit as important to you as I am. I want you to. I won’t be here forever, you know, and you deserve to be really loved by someone. And to love them too.”

  “So, you wouldn’t mind if I felt that way about Alex?”

  “Honestly, Mom, I really hope you do. I want you to be happy.”

  “I am happy. I always have been. But you’re right. I could be happier.”

  “Well, now that it’s all out in the open, why don’t we have him over for dinner or something?”

  Her eyes narrowed at me, but I could tell she was amused. “This wouldn’t have anything to do with the fact that he thinks I should let you date Lee, does it?”

  “He does? Awesome. I always knew he was cool.”

  “I’ll bet. Hey, your cheeks look a little flushed.” She pressed her cool palm to them and then to my forehead. “I think you’re getting a fever. Come on, young lady. Let’s get you into bed. I think you’re getting sick.”

  I’d gradually been coming to the same conclusion, so I didn’t argue.

  Mom followed me to my room and tucked me in. My sheets were cold and I started to shiver again. I wish she’d just let me stay on the couch.

  “I’ll be back in a minute,” she said as she turned on the lamp next to my bed and switched off the overhead light.

  She came back in with a rice bag that she’d warmed up in the microwave. She tucked it in next to me under the covers and smoothed my wet hair up and over my pillow so that it didn’t lie against my neck and back anymore. “Call me if you need anything. I love you, sweetie.”

  I nodded my head. The warmth of the rice bag was easing me into the oblivion of sleep.

  My lamp clicked off and a moment later the door slowly closed on the light coming from the hall until it was gone and I could drift away.

  Chapter 16

  By the next morning, there was no doubt about it. I was sick. I had a pounding headache that refused to go completely away -no matter what kind of pain reliever I took. My fever rose and receded throughout the day, depending on when I’d last taken medicine. Body aches and chills confirmed my mom’s diagnosis. I had the flu.

  Since I couldn’t go anywhere anyway, I figured it didn’t much matter. My mom made me stay in bed all day. The only entertainment I had was working on my photos from the game the night before.

  If only I could have found my phone so that I could text Lee, I would have been somewhat content to wallow in my misery. I was pretty sure that I’d left it in Lee’s truck, so I wondered if he’d find a way to get it to me. I was supposed to go home with Marisol last night.

  Late in the afternoon, I finally convinced my mom to let me sit in the living room and watch TV. I was trying to decide between a game show and a soap opera – which was all that was on since we didn’t have cable – when the doorbell rang. I admit that I hoped it was Lee, but I wasn’t too disappointed when my mom let Marisol in.

  She came over and flopped casually onto the cushion by my feet. “Your mom said you’re sick. What’s up?”

  “I guess it’s the flu.”

  “Too bad. I guess I’d better not hang out for too long then.”

  “That’s probably a good idea.”

  “Oh, hey. I forgot. This is why I came over.”

  She handed me my phone and camera bag. Then, for my mom’s benefit, she said “I guess you forgot it in my car last night.”

  “Oh, thanks. I thought I must have.”

  My mom was standing nearby in the kitchen, but she called to us then and said, “Girls, I’ll be out in the studio. Marisol, don’t keep Sienna talking too long. She needs to rest if she’s going to get better.”

  Even when she was gone, Marisol still leaned closer and spoke almost under her breath. “It’s kind of a good thing you’re sick. See if you can manage to not get better too soon. Word has it that Jordan’s planning to kill you over that picture. Tyson broke up with her before the game yesterday.”

  “Well, she’ll have to wait her turn. This flu bug is already kicking my butt.”

  “Too bad you weren’t at the dance last night. There was drama all over the place. Julia Hatfield broke up with Caleb too, and before the dance was over, it was pretty clear to everyone that if Tyson and Katie weren’t already a couple, they would be before the weekend was over. Jordan didn’t stay at the dance long, but Caleb stayed till the bitter end. He sulked all night long and tried to start fights with any guy that even smiled at Julia. And of course, she was out to show him that she didn’t care that he’d cheated on her.”

  Marisol’s words all came at a rush and it took a minute for my brain to sort out everything she’d said. “Sounds like you had fun.”

  “It was awesome. Even though Will would pretty much only dance the slow dances with me. But, that was enough for me.”

  “Must be nice.”

  “What?”

  “Getting to date the guy you like.”

  Sympathy flashed across her face. “I’m sorry, chica. Want me to talk about something else?”

  “It doesn’t matter. I’ll think about it anyway. And now I have a whole month where the only time I’ll get to see him is at school.”

  “I know. That’s so harsh. It’s kind of amazing, you know – the way he’s so determined to, like, be your guy even though you can’t do anything fun.”

  “Just being in the same room together is fun. But yeah, he’s amazing. This would be easier if he wasn’t.”

  “Well, if it’ll make you feel better, you have some messages to read. I’m going to get out of here. I have to get to practice.”

  “On a Saturday?”

  “Yeah. We have tournaments starting in just a few weeks. The boys have it worse than we do. They have two practices on Saturdays. One for conditioning and one for running plays and scrimmaging.”

  “Sounds brutal. I think I’ll lie here and go to sleep.”

  But I didn’t sleep until I’d checked my messages. There were some from several friends of mine, including Marisol. The only message I responded to, however, was Lee’s. I let him know I was sick and hoped for a quick response. I didn’t get one, and fell asleep waiting.

  Saturday dragged into Sunday. The minutes limped along like an old lady with one shoe on. I finally heard back from Lee, and we texted back and forth. Then Sunday evening he said he had a surprise for me. He refused to tell me what it was, so I had to wait. The waiting made me kind of cranky because it made time pass even more slowly. It was worth it, though.

  The living room clock had just ticked over to 6:12 when the doorbell rang. My mom was just as surprised as I was when she saw Lee’s mom standing on the porch in a grey silk gown and a red evening coat.

  She was holding a big silver soup pot in front over her with potholders over each handle. Steam escaped from beneath the lid and curled it’s way over to me. It smelled good enough to make me hungry. I hadn’t eaten much of anything since yesterday.

  “Well, hello,” my mom said to Mrs. Franklin, surprise coloring her voice. “Will you please come in?”

  “Oh, thank you. So sorry to drop by like this on you. I know you weren’t expecting us, but Lee wanted it to be a surprise. “

  At the word “us” I perked up considerably and desperately wished that I’d brushed my teeth recently. Recently as in at least once since I’d gotten sick. I gave up on my hopes to see Lee, however, when Lee’s dad followed her into the room, dressed in a tux and looking very distinguished and out of place in our living room.

  “Well it certainly is a surprise,” my mom was saying. “How nice of you to come by.” She was trying her best to sound welcoming, but to me she just sounded kind of stunned.

  Mrs. Franklin walked straight into the kitchen like she’d been there a dozen times and sat the pot down on the stove. “It wasn’t any problem. Grant and I are on our way to a benefit dinner for the hospital, but we wanted to drop this off
first. It’s still plenty hot, so you shouldn’t have to warm it up if you’d like to eat now.”

  “Oh? What…what is it?”

  “Oh dear, I’m such a scatter-brain. It’s some of my homemade chicken soup. I made it from scratch – even the broth. There’s nothing like real chicken broth and fresh vegetables and herbs to make the perfect chicken soup. Lee loves it and asked me to make some for Sienna. Grant, where’s the rest of the stuff?”

  Mr. Franklin had been standing quietly nearby, holding a paper grocery bag and refraining from glancing at the clock too often. “It’s right here, dear. Where would you like it, Ms. Whitfield?”

  My mom didn’t have time to answer before Mrs. Franklin was clearing a place for it on the counter. We hadn’t been expecting any company so there were bills, art supplies, and various bottles of medicine for me cluttering the counter. She moved them away like she saw a messy kitchen every day and didn’t know any different. She didn’t even hesitate to move a smelly mason jar filled with grey clouded mineral spirits and the paint brushes that had been left to soak in it.

  Unpacking the bag, she handed mom a loaf of French bread, a bag of oranges, and a box of chamomile tea. Leaving my mom to sort these out, she then carried the bag over to me and said, “Here you go, Sienna. Lee wanted you to have this.”

  I sat up from my pile of pillows and accepted the bag from her. I reached inside and pulled out a plush Sherpa throw blanket. It was deep brown and looked very luxurious. “Oh my gosh! It’s so soft,” I said, running my hands over the blanket.”

  “Well, let’s tuck it in around you, shall we?” Mrs. Franklin untied the grosgrain ribbon that held it and shook it out. She tucked it in around me and it was even more gloriously comfortable than I’d thought it could be – instantly warm and just the right weight.

  Apparently, I didn’t need to say anything for Mrs. Franklin to know I liked it. “There now. Lee will be glad to know you’re using it. Now, just promise me you’ll eat some soup, and we’ll get out of here.”

  “I promise,” I told her, sitting up again.

  “Good. Now get better and we’ll hope to see you again soon.” She left as quickly as she’d come, like a whirlwind, pulling her husband along behind her.

  When my mom had shut the door behind them, she stood looking at it for a few seconds before she turned back to me. She started to laugh, and I couldn’t help laughing along with her.

  “Well, at least I won’t have to warm up canned soup for you again. I just wonder what she thinks we’ll do with enough soup to feed an army.”

  “I don’t know, but she’s so nice.”

  “Very. And a little overwhelming. But very sweet.”

  Just like her son, I thought, snuggling closer into my blanket.

  *****

  Monday came and I was starting to get better, though I’d started coughing a little. My mom said I needed another day to rest and wouldn’t let me go to school. It was probably the first time ever that I hated having to stay home sick. I wouldn’t get to see Lee. Of course, I would also not have to worry about running into Jordan or Caleb.

  Lee texted me while he was at lunch and asked if I wanted anything out of my locker. I knew I had a history test at the end of the week, so I sent him my combination. He said he’d get it to me even though he’d have to send it with somebody that my mom would let in the door. I could feel his frustration through his text though he didn’t mention it.

  That night, my cough got worse and a heaviness settled on my lungs. I had a hard time breathing and coughing was painful. Tuesday, I felt so weak and sore from coughing that I didn’t feel like going anywhere. My fever had come back too. Unfortunately, my mom dragged me out from under my blanket, stuffed me in her car, and took me to the doctor. My flu had turned into bronchitis.

  And so the week went by. I lay on the couch with a humidifier inches from my head, a drugstore worth of meds in my system, and nothing to do but think about how miserable I was.

  The homework that Marisol and Parker had brought over sat untouched on the coffee table in front of me. I occasionally considered working on it but always drifted back to sleep. I kept Lee’s blanket wrapped around me constantly because it made me feel close to him somehow.

  When the blanket wasn’t enough, I got out the picture of us that I’d so carefully kept hidden from my mom. I kept it with me while she was gone to work, and put it away again before she got home, knowing she would get really steamed if she saw it – no matter how sick I was. This worked until Friday.

  My cough had finally eased up enough to let me sleep better, and I was so exhausted that I slept longer than I’d meant to. I didn’t wake up until my mom was home, leaning over to check on me. I roused myself from the drowsy world I’d been lost to all afternoon, and panicked when I remembered I hadn’t put the picture away.

  “Are you looking for this?” my mom asked.

  I was doomed. “Uh, yeah?” I glanced at the clock, surprised she was home and saw that it was already after five. I must have been out hard.

  “Do you want to explain this for me?”

  “It’s just a picture, Mom. We took it that day we did the photo shoot. We all took pictures like this. You saw them.”

  “I never saw this one, and it’s pretty obvious why. You knew I wouldn’t like it.”

  “What’s the big deal? It’s just a pose like the others.”

  “Just a pose. Ok, sure. Like I can’t see the way you’re looking at each other. There’s so much… well, dang it!... passion between you it scares me to death. I knew you liked each other, but I had no idea it had gone this far.”

  “It hasn’t gone anywhere. You won’t let it.”

  “And you want me to believe, after looking at this, that you guys haven’t been physical with each other?”

  “No! We haven’t been. And you’re right, we want to. Oh, not in the way you’re afraid of. But yeah, we want to touch and hold hands and kiss each other. What is so wrong with that?”

  “Nothing, if it stops there. But it doesn’t Sienna! That’s how you got here.”

  “It doesn’t have to be like that, Mom. You know what? He kissed me that day, after we took that picture. I liked it so much it made my bones melt. But you know what? We decided to stop and do things your way so you’d trust us. We haven’t kissed again and that was weeks ago. And believe me, it hasn’t been because we haven’t wanted to. But we have something called willpower, and Lee has more than his fair share of it if you ask me.”

  “Well you know what? I don’t trust the will power of a couple of hormonal teenagers. So, I’ll tell you what. You aren’t grounded anymore.”

  That did surprise me. It didn’t make any sense at all. “What?”

  “You heard me. You aren’t grounded anymore. You can go hang out with friends. You can have friends over here. But not Lee. You will not see him outside of school. And you’re going to have to find someone else to spot for you at the games too if you want to keep taking pictures.”

  If a vise had clamped on my heart, it wouldn’t have been any more painful. “But why, Mom? Why would you do that! We haven’t done anything wrong.”

  “I want to keep it that way. Your feelings are way too involved here and I don’t want you to get hurt.”

  “You’re hurting me – something Lee would never do. You don’t know him, Mom.”

  “I know everything I need to know. This conversation is over, Sienna.”

  My mom left me then, disappearing into her room. She didn’t care that I was sobbing my guts out, or that she’d just ruined everything for me. Anger consumed me, and I had only one thought: to see Lee.

  I didn’t give myself time to consider the consequences of my actions. Besides what else could she do? In minutes, I’d thrown on some clothes, grabbed my coat and her car keys, and was out the door.

  It was hard to drive with my eyes flooded with tears, so I made a determined effort to control them. I didn’t pay much attention to anything so it was a miracl
e I didn’t run any red lights or speed past a cop doing radar. I made it to Lee’s house faster than I should have and was ringing the doorbell before I’d had time to wonder if he’d even be home.

  Lee’s mom answered the door, and she took one look at my face and pulled me inside. She didn’t say anything, just led me to the couch and said, “Do you want to see Lee?”

  I nodded, grateful she understood. Truthfully I was feeling really awkward and embarrassed about coming over here almost hysterical.

  “He just got home from practice. I’ll go see if he’s out of the shower yet.”

  She disappeared up the stairs and less than a minute later, Lee came down them two at a time. His mom hadn’t come back, for which I was supremely thankful.

  “Sienna, what is it?” he asked coming over to me, his face taut with concern.

  He looked so good, his hair wet and spikey from the shower and a plain white t-shirt contrasting with his dark good looks. I’d wanted to see him for so long, it was almost painful now that I was. When I flung myself into his arms, he received me willingly and held me close. I began crying again, clinging to him and unable to say anything.

  “Sienna, please, can you tell me what’s wrong? You’re scaring me to death. Is your mom ok?”

  I realized then how tragic I must seem. Well, it was tragic to me. “She’s fine, except that she’s totally freaked out on me. She found that picture and we had a fight. Lee, she says I can’t see you anymore!”

  “Wait, we aren’t seeing each other. I mean, we aren’t dating or anything. What do you mean?”

  “I mean that I can’t be around you at all, except at school when she can’t do anything about it. I’m not grounded anymore. I just can’t be with you, ever. As in permanently.”

  “Over a picture? I hate to say this, Sienna, but your Mom is crazy.”

  “I know. What are we going to do about it?”

  “I don’t know yet. But she can’t keep us apart completely. There’s lunch, and the two hours we have together at school. And the games.”