Chapter 64 – Clover
Chapter Sixty-Four
Clover
I don’t know what surprises me more, the fact that mom left Los Angeles, or the quiet, middle-of-nowhere town she decided to move us to in Rhode Island.
I’ve never heard of Newport and I’m almost too afraid to ask my mom how she got the money to buy a large beach house in the Northeast after the divorce.
I don’t want to spoil her good mood or ruin my first encounter with Lil’ Cee in months.
My mom drives me home, talking about her new BMW and its features the entire drive home.
“Is dad still out on the West Coast?”
My dad barely answers my texts anymore and he mostly sends me motivational quotes about entrepreneurship or the stock market in response to my questions.
Calling him would be worse than calling my mom… especially now that I have a boyfriend. Especially because that boyfriend’s white, which my dad would definitely have a problem with.
“Girl, fuck your lame ass daddy. You know he’s with a stripper now? She’s only five years older than you. If he touched you, we could take his ass to court and get you a nice pair of titties.”
“Mom. That never happened…”
He’s my dad. I hate that she talks about him like that. We have a complicated relationship, but I still miss him and he never abused me the way she’s suggesting. I don’t know how she could talk so casually about that either. It’s not funny and it’s not something that I would lie about.
“You’ll love this place, Clover. The house is enormous. I got myself a pool, a tennis court out back… It’s incredible!”
“Is Lil’ Cee going to school out here?”
“Honey, I’m homeschooling him. He has to focus on the channel if he wants to make it big as a rapper.”
“He wants to be a rapper?”
I remember my introverted brother telling me he wanted to be a professional gamer last time I saw him, so I find this potential change of heart surprising more than anything.
My mom shrugs. “Don’t trip,” she says. “He’s got what it takes for stardom.
I don’t know what you plan on doing with your life. ”
“I don’t know,” I mutter, pulling out my phone. I have a text from Thomas, which temporarily takes me away from this misery. I can’t wait to get to the house so I can see the new car my mom got me and spend time with Cee. He’s the only reason I’m here.
Thomas: I miss you.
Me: I miss you too.
Thomas: I should be spending the holiday with you.
I don’t know what to say to him. I tune out my mom continuing her conversation (with herself) about the newest bags Louis Vuitton released for the holiday season. She’s hinting at Christmas gifts she wants me to get her, but I don’t know how she expects me to afford Louis Vuitton anything.
I consider my response to Thomas for a few more minutes and finally text back.
Me: I wish we ran away together
Thomas: We still can.
There’s totally a part of him that’s crazy enough to do it and that makes me smile. The thought of sleeping in Thomas’ arms again is much preferable to sleeping in a new bedroom in a house I’ve never been in before. We moved all the time when I was a kid and I always hated it.
Me: I bet you won’t.
Thomas: I bet I’ll find you on the streets of…?
I didn’t know where my mom would drive me from the Logan airport in Boston until I got here.
Me: Rhode Island. Newport, specifically.
Thomas: Hmm…
I wonder if he’s booking flights, but before I can come up with a flirty or sassy response, my mom takes a sharp right turn and my cellphone almost flies out of my hands.
“Sorry,” she says. “We’re almost there.”
Within a few seconds, she turns down a private drive and we approach an enormous beach house, way bigger than the place we had out in Los Angeles. Holy crap. This must have cost a pretty penny.
“Look at my new house! Come on, let’s go!”
I’m more excited about seeing Cee than seeing the house, but I give my mom as big of a Hollywood smile as I can muster, and follow her to the front door. She uses her thumbprint to unlock the door and then loudly calls my brother’s name.
Chaos-Shooter Robinson races down the stairs and when my brother sees me standing in the doorway, he screams excitedly and runs towards me.
I’m frozen in place. He looks so different.
He looks so grown up. All the time I spent away from him hits me hard and Cee nearly knocks the wind out of me as he wraps me in a big hug.
I wrap my arms around my brother and hold him close to me. He smells like Axe deodorant and teenage boy. I don’t want to stop holding him and seeing him again brings back so much hurt. Our family isn’t the same anymore and he’s been coping with it all alone…
“I missed you,” he says. “I missed you so much.”
“How’ve you been?”
“Crazy,” he whispers. “She’s driving me crazy.”
I giggle and swing my brother around a little. What’s new? Mom’s always driving us crazy. I set Cee down and he reaches for his phone.
“I don’t get the internet on here,” he says. “She won’t give me the password. Sorry I couldn’t text.”
“Stop your bitching,” my mom snaps. “I’m going to lie down upstairs. Chaos, show Clover her bedroom and y’all don’t stay up too late. I need my beauty sleep tonight. Clover? We have breakfast in the morning.”
“I’m going to the studio in the morning,” I tell her.
“What?”
“There has to be a dance studio around here somewhere. I’m going to find somewhere to stay in shape.”
My mom rolls her eyes. “Whatever. Skip breakfast. As long as you make it for the dinner video. You owe me five.”
I grit my teeth and try not to start an argument.
“Sure. Whatever.”
Chaos struggles with my luggage.
“I can show you upstairs, sis. C’mon.”
This is it. My new home for Christmas… I’m happy to see Chaos, but it just doesn’t feel like home. It doesn’t feel like it should. Thomas is right – I feel like we should be together. I miss him. It’s only a few weeks, right? We can make it that far… We promised.
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