“Joanne is my mom’s partner,” I said evenly.
There was the expected look of confusion from the older woman as she tried to grasp the meaning behind my words.
“Life partner,” I added, figuring I might as well just rip the band aid right off. There were still five days of holiday and I wanted to know where I stood with this family.
“Oh!” Realization lit the woman’s face right up. “I see.”
“It’s the twenty first century, Mom,” Adam muttered from across the table. He folded his arms and rested them on the table as he leaned over. “Get with the times.”
Mrs. Chaves’ face flushed. “No, no, I’m with it.” She looked at me, her eyes wide with a slight hint of alarm. “Really. We do not discriminate. Right, Donald?”
From behind the stove, Mr. Chaves raised a spatula bearing hand and waved, his attention focused on whatever he was making. It didn’t have a scent so he could have just been boiling water for all I knew.
“We had a receptionist who was gay,” she went on hurriedly. “We had to let her go, but not because she was gay! She was very nice—”
“When she wasn’t sniffing the laughing gas,” Mr. Chaves chimed in with a hint of impatience.
“Which of course had nothing to do with the fact that she preferred a different lifestyle!”
I wanted to laugh, but Mrs. Chaves looked so distraught that I was afraid I might offend her or worse.
“Mom, relax.” Adam laughed.
But if anything, his mom got even more agitated as she eyed me worriedly. Was she afraid I might flip out and kill everyone?
“I just really don’t want you to think we’re one of those people,” she said to me.
I offered her a smile. “It’s fine. Mom and Joanne have been together for a year, I’ve heard it all. But they’re happy and so am I.”
Some of the tension loosened from her shoulders and she smiled. “I spoke to your mother on the phone when we were making arrangements to bring you with us and then again when we picked you up. She seemed very nice.”
“She is,” I said without hesitation. “She’s great.”
Mrs. Chaves’s smile widened. “So where’s your father?”
“Can someone grab me some plates?” Mr. Chaves called to the room at large.
Adam got up to do it.
“My dad lives on Smithson Street, over Mr. Wung’s Chinese restaurant,” I said.
Mrs. Chaves beamed. “I love their dumplings!”
Adam returned, but rather than regain his seat next to Kenny, he dropped his lean frame into the chair next to me. I stiffened, suddenly all too aware of him, of his heat and scent. It hadn’t been such a problem when we had a whole table between us, but when there was nothing but air separating me from him … I couldn’t think straight. Mrs. Chaves asked me several more questions, but I’d become tongue tied and fidgety. I wanted to ask him to move, but there was no way to do that without raising suspicion so I sat stiffly in my seat and suffered in silence.
“Get out of my seat, loser!” Nessie ambled into the room, looking worn out and exhausted despite the fact that she slept the entire night without so much as twitching.
Adam only further inclined his lean body, stretching out his legs under the table and folding his arms behind his head. “You snooze, you lose.”
Nessie marched up behind him. She jabbed her hands onto her hips and shouted, “Mom!”
Mrs. Chaves sighed. “Can’t you just take the other seat, Vanessa?”
“But that’s my seat!” Nessie exclaimed. “I always sit there.”
“Well, maybe it’s time for a change,” her mother decided. “It’s only for one day. My goodness, Vanessa! You’re not a child.”
Cheeks stained a dark red, Nessie stomped around the table and threw herself into the chair next to Kenny. “This isn’t fair. You never tell Adam to do anything.”
“Because I’m awesome,” Adam replied, earning a scowl from his mother and a death glare from his sister.
“That isn’t true, Vanessa,” Mrs. Chaves said impatiently.
“Isn’t it?” Nessie slapped her hands down on the table. “You treat him like he can do no wrong while I’m always getting shit.”
“Language!” Mr. Chaves barked, scooping something from a frying pan into a bowl—the same bowl Adam had helped me put away the other morning. I felt heat creep into my cheeks and had to quickly look away.
“Did you ever consider the possibility that maybe you would get special treatment as well once you’ve proven that you deserve it?” Mr. Chaves said to Nessie. “You could start by not getting detention slips like it’s going out of fashion.”
“It’s winter holidays, what does that have to do with Adam taking my chair?”
“I can move,” I volunteered, already halfway to my feet.
“No!” Adam dropped a hand down over the one I’d placed on the table. “There’s a lesson being taught here,” he said and gave me a wink when I stared at him in confusion.
I felt my face burn hot and quickly jerked my hand out from under his, barely resisting the urge to cradle it against my chest. It was also a task not glancing around to see if anyone else had noticed, but I did and cringed when my gaze caught Kenny’s. He smirked in a way that spoke volumes as he tucked his phone into his pocket and folded his arms over his chest. He had one leg up, the knee balanced on the table edge as he leaned back in his chair. His mussed hair of platinum gleamed in the early morning light. His dark eyes glinted with a knowing gleam that only further amplified my horror.
Distressed, my gaze darted to Nessie, dread curdling in the back of my throat like sour milk. Had she noticed? She must have if Kenny had. What about Mr. and Mrs. Chaves? It was a small relief to find everyone’s attention directed away from Adam and me. Mr. Chaves was beating something in a steel bowl and Mrs. Chaves was pointedly ignoring her daughter’s venomous glower by flipping through her catalog. I gingerly lowered myself back into my chair, feeling nearly faint.
“I touched your hand.” Adam leaned ever so slightly to whisper into my ear. “I didn’t … well, do anything I really wanted. Now that would have gotten us into a bit of trouble.”
The burn was nearly physical as it shot through me, starting from my very core at the dark intent in his remark. My heart sky rocketed and I shot the others another quick glance before turning my head to him.
“You have to stop doing that.”
His dark eyebrow arched. “What’s that? Daydream? I can’t say I can help that. I’ve always had a very vivid imagination.”
Rivers of fire seared through my veins and I had to drop my lashes to shield what little sense I had remaining from the hunger in his eyes.
“Touching me,” I said, the words barely a whisper.
There was a moment of pause where I thought maybe he was actually considering it. But he was watching me with a brilliant grin on his face when I dared myself to glance up.
“All right,” he said very calmly, shocking me. “I will if you will.”
I opened my mouth to ask him what he meant when Nessie’s growl split the silence.
“It’s not fair!”
Mr. Chaves shrugged indifferently. “Life isn’t fair.”
Crimson splotches marred Nessie’s face as she glowered at her father with a bitter rage that seemed to poison the room. Her blue eyes were narrowed into thin strips as the muscle along her jaw danced. Then, in a move I never saw coming, she lunged forward, seized my wrist and dragged me to my feet. The chair nearly upended as I was heaved physically away from the table.
“Hey!”
My protest was ignored as I was dragged forcibly from the kitchen, through the sitting area and out the front door in nothing but a t-shirt and jeans. Thankfully I’d had the foresight to wear my shoes or I probably would have shoved Nessie into a snow bank and run back inside.
“What are you doing?” I demanded as we practically ran around the side of the house towards the back.
“I
can’t stand to be in there another second!” she shouted. “I need air.”
“We could have opened a window…” My foot slipped on bit of ice and I stumbled. “Will you slow down? I kind of need my arm.”
She did, much to my surprise. Snow shimmered as it fell from the cloudy heavens. It clung to our hair and clothes, melting and making us damp. I shivered and wrapped my arms around myself. We stopped at the side of the house. Nessie slumped against the wall and dropped her head back. Snowflakes landed on her flushed cheeks and glittered on her eyelashes.
“I hate him.”
Had it not been for the plume of breath that whispered past her lips, I would never have known she’d spoken.
“You don’t mean that,” I said.
She opened her eyes and turned her head in my direction. “Yes, I do. He’s an ass. You see the way he treats me, like I’m not good enough to be in his family. Just because I’m not as smart as they are and don’t care about school he think I’m an idiot. I just can’t take it anymore. You’re so lucky your mom and Joanne are so cool.”
It was true. I was lucky and I knew it. But it wasn’t the time to agree. Instead, I replied, “You’re lucky as well. Your mom is really nice.”
Nessie snorted. “Only when he’s not around. She never stands up to him. He just pushes everyone around and she lets him. I honestly thought I was adopted for the longest time. I still would except there are disturbing videos of me being born.”
“You also have the shape of your mother’s face,” I added.
She scoffed, rolling her eyes. “Exactly. I always hoped my real parents would come and take me away from this hell. No one ever came.” The sadness in her voice wrenched something inside me and I found myself reaching towards her. My hand rested lightly on her arm.
“They love you, Nes.”
“No they don’t!” She twisted her arm away from me. Anger raged behind her eyes. “You don’t treat people you love like that.”
“They want you to succeed—”
Her teeth glinted in a snarl. “It figures that you would take their side. You’ve always been such a goody-goody. Maybe they should adopt you and just toss me away.”
I sighed, releasing a cloud of breath between us. “You’re being dramatic, Nessie.”
“More like realistic,” she muttered. The snow beneath her sneakers crunched as she adjusted her weight. She shouldered off the wall and stood huddled before me, small and vulnerable. Her bottom lip trembled and I wasn’t sure if it was because she was cold or if it was emotions. “You have no idea what it’s like being part of a family who’s good at everything and you’re good at nothing. Yet they expect you to be. They think just because you have their genes, you should be smart and athletic and talented. It’s like it doesn’t make sense to them how I am nothing like them.” She sniffled and used the sleeve of her shirt to wipe beneath her nose. “You’re the only person who understands me, Kia. You never expect me to be anything I’m not.” Tears tickled down her cheeks. “You’re my only family.” Her voice broke. “I don’t know what I would do if I didn’t have you.”
I pulled her into my arms, guilt a heavy wave rushing over me. Her soft weeping cut into me and I felt like the lowest form of slime imaginable.
I shut my eyes and prayed to whatever holy being was out there that I would do whatever they asked if they could just tell me what to do. I was completely lost.
When I opened my eyes, I wasn’t nearly as surprised as I should have been to find Adam standing a few feet away, two coats clutched in his hands. His blue eyes met mine over Nessie’s shoulder and I felt my heart break all over again, but this time for me and what I would never have because I could never pick him.
He must have realized the same because something I couldn’t put a name to flickered behind his eyes. His mouth opened, determination and anger etched into the hard slash of his jaw. I knew what he would say even before it could reach his tongue. I gave an almost imperceptible shake of my head, telling him without words that it would be futile.
My heart and soul may have wanted him, but my loyalties went to the person who needed me most.
Chapter VI
Adam
I love my sister. I love my sister.
It had become a mantra, a broken record inside my head, repeating itself until it was burned into my brain. But I didn’t like her very much at that moment no matter how hard I tried.
She sat on the floor of the sitting room with the TV on to some stupid reality show while she painted her toenails. Kia sat beside her with her arms around her knees, her head tipped towards the screen. There were pink Styrofoam things stuffed between her small toes, separating them. Van had helped paint each nail a soft, baby pink that normally did nothing for me, but seemed especially endearing on Kia. Vanessa’s nails were painted a disturbing, radioactive green. It must have been because she’d been all excited about how it glowed in the dark.
Neither mentioned the incident that morning and no one pushed for an explanation. Kia and Van had returned, finished breakfast, helped clean and then parked themselves in front of the TV to do their nails. I was pretty sure I was the only one who felt like something in the air had changed irrevocable, not just between me and Kia, but also between me and Van, although she wouldn’t know it. I doubted she would care if she had. I was sure she’d probably even be happy that I was miserable.
I tried to tell myself that I didn’t blame her, that I deserved it after the incident with Taylor. I had no right to ask anything of Van, especially when it came to her friends, but this wasn’t that. Kia wasn’t a mistake. I hadn’t set out to deliberately fall for her best friend. I hadn’t even known until it was too late. Not that Van would see it that way. No amount of explaining would change her mind. She was annoyingly stubborn like that. Dad didn’t know it, but she got that from him. They’d both probably hit me if I ever mentioned such a thing, both so adamant to butt heads. Neither would ever admit that the real victims here were Mom and me. True, Van believed it to be her, so unfairly treated by her family, when in reality she had no idea how lucky she was. She never had to wake up at four, head to swimming, then school for eight, then hockey straight after until seven, only to go home and study until late into the night to maintain that grade point average. And that was only day one. No. Van woke up barely in time to catch the bus, breezed her way through classes, if she ever bothered to show up, then went up and did nothing all day. Yeah she got scolded and reprimanded, but she wasn’t pushed and drilled into the ground to always win, to be the best. She had no idea how much I hated it. How much I would give anything to trade places with her for just one day. Now she had Kia, the one person who made me feel normal, the one person who didn’t expect me to be good at everything. She wanted me for me and I wasn’t even allowed that. It was like some freaking curse.
“Dude.” Kenny elbowed me. “You listening?”
I pushed myself higher on the sofa, a little embarrassed to realize I’d been sliding down it for the last little while and was practically on the floor.
“What?”
Kenny followed my line of vision and squinted. “Are you watching The Bachelorette?”
I frowned, glance darted to the TV. “The what?” I had no idea what was happening on screen. Some blonde was standing in a room full of men with a rose in her hand. “No!” I said sharply, looking away, as though by watching I was committing some kind of man crime.
Kenny snorted, but wisely kept his thoughts to himself. “So are you going to tell me what the matter is?”
I scoffed at him, adjusting my weight uncomfortably in my seat. “What makes you think something’s the matter?”
The look he gave me was one of the driest I’d ever seen in my life. It practically oozed sardonic amusement. “Seriously? Okay.” He hefted himself higher and leaned his lanky body in my direction, resting an elbow on the cushion between us. “Aside from the fact that you’ve been chewing the crap out of your nails, you’ve been sitting glaring a
t space like it stole your favorite underpants.”
“I don’t have favorite underpants,” I muttered.
Kenny raised a brow. “Really? I have several. I even named them.”
I snorted, feeling my lips twitch. “You’re such a loser.”
He grinned. “So are you going to tell me? Or are you going to make me guess?”
“It’s Van,” I said, unable to suppress the grudge in my tone.
Kenny’s eyebrow lifted. “Yeah? What she do?”
I told him. Kenny was the only person who knew about Halloween, about the masquerade party and Kia. He was the only person I trusted. Plus, he was my best friend. He hadn’t been much help on the matter, but it had been nice venting to someone about the mystery girl haunting my every waking and dreaming hour. His solution had been to throw myself at the mercy of Kia and let her fill the gaping hole Marie had left behind. That was before the mystery had been solved.
The whole situation was total and utter bullshit. The moment I’d laid eyes on her standing behind the register at Taco-Taco, her cheeks flushed to the tips of her ears and her nose bunched in a grimace, I’d been captivated. How was I to know she would literally keep tripping into my life after that? And every time she did, I was pulled a little deeper in her web, a web she had no idea she was weaving around me. Agreeing to attend Claudia’s party had been the result of too much Red Bull, homework and not enough sleep. There was never anything to suggest that by going I would twist my world upside down.
“Your sister has some serious sharing issues,” Kenny remarked when I finished.
“Yeah well, I can’t blame her for that. Not really, not after what I did.”
Kenny shrugged his skinny shoulders. “But still. I mean, you apologized, right?”
“I did everything short of slitting my own throat, although I’m sure that would make her feel better.”
He slapped my shoulder sympathetically. “Sorry, man. I can’t let you do that. You know how hard it is to get people to like me.”
Revealing Kia (The Lost Girl Series, Book 2) Page 7