Chapter 17
SEVENTEEN
Orange Pekoe
Celeste
I wake up to my temples throbbing and my cell phone ringing so violently it falls off my side table and onto the floor.
My groan is comically loud. I’m not outrageously hung over and it could be worse, however after experiencing binge drinking on a few nights out in my first year, my tolerance has plummeted.
I hardly have time to be social in general these days so even those two sugary drinks went straight to my head.
I rub the dream crumbs from my eyes and stretch so deliciously I feel at least four cracks popping throughout my spine.
I take a deep breath and lean over my bed, my hand fumbling across the floor for my phone.
I pick it up and see Delaney’s name across the caller ID.
I’m not in the mood to hear Delaney’s twice louder than usual human voice through a speaker so I send her to voicemail and text her.
I’m awake. Head hurts. Text please, no calls. Dying.
OK Drama Queen. Ellie apologizes for last night.
Omg no, I hope Ellie is ok. It was nice meeting her finally, even if it was under less than ideal circumstances.
She said her and Dominic have too much drama between them to be civil.
Not that I want that level of drama, cuz wow lets talk about putting it all out there on the table, but a sibling to fight with would be nice.
That’s what you have me for betch. Don’t you ever forget it.
I smile at Delaney’s inclusion of me in her family as per usual and make my way from my bed to the bathroom, turning on the shower to a scalding temperature I’m sure only the demons of hell can bear. I hop in, plunging myself under the sizzling stream.
After thoroughly scrubbing the booze from my skin, hair, and teeth, I drape myself in the fluffiest robe I can find and pad down the stairs. The smell of fresh coffee and bacon fills my nose halfway down and I groan at the delectable scent.
I scurry into the kitchen to find Mom cooking away, in an equally fluffy robe and a pair of fuzzy cow slippers.
“Good morning, my sweet girl,” she says by way of greeting, putting her own tea down, handing me a steaming coffee, and placing a kiss on my forehead.
“Wow, your shampoo smells so good, is that strawberry?” she asks, returning to the bacon and eggs she has simmering in a pan.
I grab the creamer from the fridge and add a few dollops to my coffee and take an enormous gulp before answering.
“And vanilla. It’s not new, but it’s tried and true so I stick with it.” I shrug. I love how my Mom finds happiness in the smallest things.
“Well, it’s great. Never change, kid,” she says playfully, a spatula pointed at me.
I settle in at the kitchen table and pull my feet up underneath me, draping the ends of the long robe over my legs.
I sigh as I take another deep sip from my coffee.
The sun’s rays beam in through the window behind me, through the holographic film Mom put up earlier this year, spilling rainbows across the kitchen table.
I wiggle my fingers under the translucent colours, letting the dopamine fill my brain at the sight.
It was Mom’s idea to add this peel-and-stick to the window that creates these rainbows because, “Why decorate in grey when you can be bold with every other colour? Who is grey for?” To which I totally agree.
While our home will never be as eclectic and colourful as Delaney’s apartment, I think it has enough touches of Mom and me to make this our little sanctuary.
“So how did your date go last night?” Mom’s voice cuts through my cloudy head.
I blow out a long breath, not really sure how to answer.
“I guess it went okay, all things considered,” I mumble. Mom shoots me a quizzical look as she sets down our breakfast plates and begins eating across from me, splashes of purple and blue hues dance across her arms and face.
“Well, Delaney’s girlfriend Ellie, is actually Ellora, Dominic’s sister,” I say around a bite of bacon.
“Uh oh, I smell trouble.”
I snort a laugh. “Yeah, they are not on good terms. It got a little heated between the two of them and then Ellie and Delaney left.” I shrug because there’s not much more to it, at least on my end. Ellie and Dominic definitely have to have a conversation.
“And what about you and Dominic?” Mom asks delicately with eyebrows slightly raised.
I tuck my head down and fill my mouth with food so I don’t have to talk about it. Whatever it is. I wave a hand dismissively and swallow. “Oh, we had fun. I had a couple drinks, so he drove me home last night and walked back to his place.”
“That was very kind of him, assuming he wasn’t drinking and driving.” A look that could only be described as “protective mother” settles on Mom’s face.
“No, no, he only had one beer and he’s a pretty big guy. He was totally fine to drive,” I reassure her.
“Okay,” she says calmly, mama bear settling back into the cave. “Other than that, did you have fun?”
“Yeah, it was nice to meet Ellie other than the unexpected family drama. Dominic and I…” I trail off not sure where I’m going with that.
We’re what? Happy together? Mistaken for a couple? Went through a couple shitty instances and still ended up smiling at each other like idiots by the end of the night?
I scrub my hands over my face and pull my hair into a big bun atop my head.
“Honey, if you like him, why not give him a chance, you know, romantically?” Mom asks lightly, finishing her plate and adding another slice of bacon to mine. I chew on it dramatically.
“It wouldn’t work, Mom. I have The List for a reason, and Dom doesn’t…I don’t know. Saying he doesn’t cut it seems so ruthless when he is a good person and I genuinely like hanging out with him. But standards of the experiment, you know?” I wince at my own words. I don’t even like how I sound.
Mom sighs so loud I’m sure it wakes up the neighbours’ dog Pongo and we’ll hear him yapping any second now. I roll my eyes at her.
“Honey, throw the list out the fucking window.”
“Mom!” I gasp. She rarely swears so hearing it now is jarring so early in the morning.
“Seriously, Celeste. This list will get you nowhere. Not in any experiment or in real life. No one will meet every expectation, and that’s okay.
No one is perfect. Just like you wouldn’t want your partner to expect you to be perfect, you can’t ask that of them.
You might miss out on something wonderful because, what? His GPA isn’t high enough for you?”
Mom’s words have a sharp unintentional sting to them that brings heat to my cheeks. I feel like a little girl, scribbling my dreams across my notebook and being caught by the teacher and told they’ll never happen.
“But standards are good. My list isn’t total crap. Attractive, thoughtful, honest, financially stable, smart, has goals, and supports me in my journey? Loyalty? How is that wrong?” I demand, my voice rising a fraction.
I move from the table, frustrated energy zipping through my limbs.
Mom and I rarely fight, there’s been no space for it with what we’ve gone through together.
It’s hard to fight over petty shit when you’re in and out of hospitals and being treated for cancer year after year.
I turn to the kitchen sink and dunk my plate and mug into the water, mindlessly scrubbing until I feel Mom’s hands on my shoulders.
“My sweet girl, I didn’t mean to upset you and for that I’m sorry.
You’re right.” She spins me around gently to face her.
“Standards are important and for you? You deserve the very best.” Her smile for me is soft and warm and I release the breath I didn’t realize I’d been holding.
“But honey, we’re human. Sometimes you have to take a chance. ”
She kisses my forehead again and pulls me in for a deep hug. I relax in her hold, feeling her warmth surround me. Mom is more than just my rock, she is my mountain. Standing strong and tall, never wavering in her protection of me in every way that she could.
“Love you, Mom,” I say into her shoulder.
“Love you too, my sunshine. Always have, always will.” She squeezes me a little harder and I laugh, pulling out of her embrace.
“Just give people a chance, sometimes it’s all worth it.
Now go get dressed before you flash the neighbours.
” She gently pushes me off toward the stairs and takes over the dishes.
I pull on leggings and a comfy hoodie before chugging a glass of water from my nightstand.
I have a full day of tutoring as some students are prepping for the upcoming semester starting in the fall.
I open my laptop to look over my schedule and notice two things.
One, the document I have open to answer that medical school application question that I have yet to complete, and two, an unexpected text.
Jude ”The Hair”
Hey Celly, had a great chat with you the other day. Let’s meet for dinner later.