Chapter 23
Chapter
Twenty-Three
ABBY
The Accident
Twelve years earlier
“Happy Anniversary!” I skipped through the front door, tossing my backpack on the couch and kicking off my shoes.
My father followed close behind, squeezing my shoulder and planting a kiss to my temple. “I’m so proud of you, sweetheart. I knew you could do it.”
I beamed up at him before joining Mom in the kitchen. She was perched at the counter, dicing up fresh fruit. I wrinkled my nose with distaste at the cantaloupe.
Mom smiled. “Thank you, honey. Although, I think your wake-up call this morning got the point across.” She smirked. “I’ll be picking confetti out of my hair for days.”
I giggled at the memory. Ryan and I always woke our parents up with a confetti surprise on their anniversary. “Ask me what I did today,” I demanded playfully, bopping up and down in my knee-high socks and clapping my hands together. My ponytail bounced in a similar rhythm.
“You aced your history exam?”
“Lord, no.”
My mother raised an eyebrow but let it go. “You charmed your way out of detention?”
“What makes you think I had detention?” I asked, jutting out my bottom lip.
“Your brother tells me everything.”
I groaned. “Once again, no.” Taking a step backward, I waved my arms around like I was unveiling a dramatic showcase. “Your favorite child is now a licensed driver.”
I grinned brightly, unable to hold back a giddy squeal.
Mom set the knife down and swiped her hands along her checkered yellow apron. She faced me with a look of glowing pride. “Oh, Abigail, that’s fantastic. I knew you could do it.”
“So, basically, this is me not subtly asking you for a car.”
Mom shook her head, planting her fists against her hips. “You waste no time, do you?”
“Ryan has a car. It’s only fair.” I puckered my lips and sent her a look that screamed, give in to my innocent request, for I am full of adorable bewitchery.
I watched my mother’s eyes narrow with consideration, her house slipper tapping against the marble flooring. Her hair was pulled up with her favorite silver barrette and a plum lipstick kissed her mouth. Mom had perfected the look of stylish yet comfortable housewife.
“Please?” I added. Parents loved that word.
Mom exhaled as she turned back to the chopped cantaloupe and began tossing pieces into a plastic bowl. “Your father and I will discuss it over dinner tonight. Your grades could be better,” she replied.
I pouted. “Grades, schmades. At least I’m not failing.”
“Not exactly a promising life motto, Abigail.”
“School is dumb.” I twirled around in a circle, watching as my skirt—that was probably two inches too short—skimmed my thighs.
A thought crossed my mind and I perked up, glancing back over at my mother.
“Oh, I know! Can I drive you and Dad to dinner tonight? I’m super excited to be behind the wheel. ”
“I don’t know, honey. I thought you had plans with Jordan tonight? Wasn’t there a movie you wanted to see?”
“His parents are making him tutor his little brother,” I said with a huff. “It’s fine, though. I’ll TiVo the Buffy series finale and gorge on cupcakes, instead. Pretty please?”
Mom glanced across the living room to Dad’s office. “Rod? Can you come here?”
My father exited his study and ambled up to the kitchen island with his hands in his khaki pockets. “Let me guess. You want to go to the mall and need money.”
I considered the suggestion, my interest piqued.
“Wait, I know. You want a car.”
“Well, yes,” Mom chuckled, popping a Tupperware lid on the fruit bowl. “She also wants to be our chauffeur for the evening.”
I grabbed my flip phone off the table and waved it in front of them. “You can call me when you’re ready to be picked up. I promise I’ll keep the ringer on.”
My parents gazed at each other across the island as they debated the proposal.
There was a look of raw love there, and I couldn’t help but wish for that someday.
Mom and Dad weren’t just a wealthy power couple—they were truly, helplessly in love.
Everyone knew that. It was in their careful touches, their flirtatious banter, and their longing looks of adoration.
It was in the way they worked together as a team and sat ridiculously close to each other on the couch during movie nights.
It was in their “good mornings” and “good nights.” They never went to bed angry, and they never left the house without saying “I love you.”
I hoped I could say the same for Jordan and me in twenty years.
“I don’t see why not,” Dad replied, rubbing a hand along the shadow of bristles on his chin. “What do you think, hon?”
Mom finally conceded. “I suppose. Our dinner reservations are at seven p.m.”
“Yay!” I jumped in place, eager to get on the road. Most of my friends were already driving, and so was Jordan. “Well, I’ll be in my room pretending to do homework but secretly talking to my boyfriend.” I held up the cell phone to drive the point home. “Ciao!”
I heard my parents’ simultaneous sighs as I bounded up the stairs. When I paused to look over my shoulder, I saw them exchange a sweet kiss from across the island.
I smiled.
“Are you serious?” I threw a piece of popcorn at the television screen, brimming with frustration. “This is what I’ve been waiting all season for?”
Ryan glanced up from his computer with little interest. “Did your Billy Idol wannabe die?”
I chucked another handful of popcorn over my shoulder, nailing Ryan in the back of the head.
“My hopes and dreams were just destroyed. Pulverized.” I shook my head, completely heartbroken.
“She finally confesses her love, because let’s face it, we all know she loves him, and Spike goes, ‘No, you don’t.
But thanks for saying it.’ What. The. Hell.
The entire show is ruined and I’ve wasted seven years of my life. ”
“You’re so dramatic,” Ryan said, clicking away on his keyboard.
“And you’re boring. What are you even doing over there? Picking up girls in chat rooms?” I twisted around on the couch to spy on him.
“Writing an essay on annoying little sisters.”
“Wow. Good one.” My eyes rolled up as my cell phone began to ring. I quickly snatched it off the couch cushion beside me, catching Mom’s phone number flash across the screen. “Hey, Mom! Ready for my services?”
“We’re ready, sweetie,” Mom replied on the other line. “Be careful driving. It just started to rain.”
I jumped off the couch and slipped into my sneakers before eyeing Ryan’s car keys dangling from the coat rack. My pulse revved as I bit down on my bottom lip. “Hey, Ryan? How much do you love me?”
“As much as I love root canals,” he deadpanned, his eyes still glued to his computer screen.
I wrinkled my nose and crossed my arms. “Can I please take the Firebird to pick up Mom and Dad? Someone from school might see me, and I’ll die if I show up in the minivan.”
My brother spun around in his rolling chair and narrowed his eyes at me. “No way.”
“Ugh, why?”
“I get nothing out of this act of kindness.”
“Duh. That’s why it’s called an ‘act of kindness.’ You’re not supposed to expect anything in return.”
Ryan leaned back with a sigh, matching my stance of crossed arms and irritated eyes. “Fine. Do my chores for a week and you’ve got yourself a deal.”
“A week? That’s hardly fair. Besides, you have to clean the downstairs toilet, and I’m going to vomit just thinking about it.”
“Cool. Have fun with the minivan.” Ryan turned back around to face the computer.
Groaning, I tapped my foot in the entryway, weighing my options. I could probably talk my way out of cleaning the toilet. Best case scenario, I could fake having mono for the week and get out of all my chores. “Okay. Deal.”
Ryan spun back around, folding his hands in his lap. “If you get a scratch on it, you’re dead.”
“I won’t. You’re the best.” I grabbed the keys and gave my brother a wave goodbye. “Love you!”
“Love you less.”
We exchanged a smile, and I booked it out the front door. Pulling my jean jacket over my head to block the rainfall, I tried to dodge deep puddles on my trek over to Ryan’s red Firebird in the driveway.
“Score,” I whispered to myself, a smile blooming.
It was a short drive to the Italian restaurant just outside of town.
I gripped the steering wheel with white knuckles, sitting up as tall as I could and fumbling with the windshield wipers.
I accidentally turned on the high beams, successfully pissing off a line of cars driving in the opposite direction.
When they honked at me, I nearly hit the ceiling.
“Crap,” I muttered as my frantic fingers played with the different knobs and buttons.
Somehow, I made it to the restaurant in one piece and pulled up to the front doors. Mom and Dad were huddled up beneath the awning with grins stretched on their faces. Mom opened the passenger’s side door and Dad slid into the backseat.
“Your transportation has arrived,” I declared in a theatrical voice.
“I have to say, it’s pretty neat seeing my baby girl behind the wheel,” my father noted, slamming his door shut.
“I have to say, I agree,” I teased. I put the car in drive and pressed the accelerator. “Did you guys have fun?”
“Oh, it was wonderful,” Mom gushed. “If I give you any piece of advice, it’s to never stop dating your husband. And to floss daily, of course.”
“You’re such a mom,” I said through a giggle, pulling out onto the main drag and turning the windshield wipers up. I glanced over at my mother as we cruised along the dimly lit stretch of road. “Did you guys talk about getting me a car?”
“Eyes on the road, honey,” Mom gently scolded. “And yes, we did discuss it. We want to see how you do on your final exams before we make a decision.”
Yuck.
That meant studying hard and doing Ryan’s chores for the week. Mono was sounding appealing.