Chapter 10
Chapter Ten
“This is…” Mom counted the guests in the lobby one by one, her pointer finger bouncing through the crowd. “Wow. It’s everyone.”
“Everyone?” I tempered my excitement, but the question came out more like a squeak. “I told you people’d be interested.”
“Max is gonna be the belle of the ball,” Dad said. “I’ll get the car situated for our little caravan.”
Mom and Dad kissed, and I had a good feeling about them this time. Dad had been home for months already, and they barely fought.
I toyed with the wildflowers I’d picked for Max—my tradition for any of his art events. He would receive an extra-large bunch this evening since it was his first high school showcase.
“This is a very sweet thing,” my mom said, wrapping an arm around my shoulder and planting a kiss on my temple. “I’m glad you mentioned it.”
I couldn’t change his parents’ minds, and neither could my mom. Buncha damn fools, she’d muttered after talking with them on the phone. I didn’t understand why Max’s mom and dad were so negative with him, especially when he was clearly not born to be a lawyer.
“Max is a good friend,” Mom said.
“Yeah.”
“Just a friend?”
“Mom.”
I’d had crushes, but with Max, it was different. Max knew me better than anyone, and what we had was steadfast and reliable. Dating would turn all that reliability into dramatic fights and pain, like my parents. And even if what I felt for Max was a crush, I wouldn’t complicate our friendship.
“Just checking,” Mom said, hands lifted in resignation. “It wouldn’t be the worst thing in the world, would it?”
“I’m with Will.”
“Not Bradley?”
“That was like two weeks ago.”
“Right. So, Will.” My mom hip checked me. “What’s he up to tonight?”
I faltered. Honestly, I hadn’t asked Will about his plans. This night was for Max. Not that Max and Will couldn’t hang out, but I liked keeping my romantic relationships and my friendship with Max separate. After all, boys would come and go. Max was my friend. He was forever.