Chapter 35
I’ve never felt so relieved as I do when Nicky and Mara walk through the front door.
After Nicky finishes saying hello to Thisbe—who is so excited to see him that she pees a little bit—he stands and grips my
shoulders. “Look how big you’ve gotten since I’ve been away.”
I shake him off, but I’m grateful he didn’t come in with big puppy dog eyes, asking how I was doing.
Mara gives me a big hug and a kiss on the cheek before she looks around. “Okay, so show me this enormous couch I’ve heard
so much about.”
I laugh. “Follow me.”
The three of us—well, four, counting Thisbe—are in the den when Mom gets home with the groceries. She’s home earlier than
she said she’d be. She drops the bags without unpacking them and comes into the den.
Mara stands. “Hi, Ms. Hopper. It’s so nice to meet you. I’m Mara.”
“Call me Nina. Please.” Mom takes her hands and squeezes, then lets go. “I’m so glad to meet you! What an exciting surprise.
How do you feel about homemade pizza?”
Mara grins. “I’m a college student. I love pizza.”
Nicky and I catch each other’s eyes. Mom must be excited Mara’s here, because she usually saves her homemade pizza for birthdays
and other special occasions.
“Can I help you?” Mara asks.
“Only if you want to learn how to stretch and pull dough,” Mom says.
“How do I say no to that?” Mara asks, following her.
Once they’re gone, Nicky leans back and stretches his arms out across the back of the couch. “So what’s new in your world?”
“Oh, nothing,” I say.
He laughs.
“But also . . . I’m sorry,” I add. “I’ve been thinking about it. I should have said this to you before. I’m sorry if you felt
like you could never be honest with anyone. About our family, our past, about what happened between Mom and Dad. I don’t know.
I’m just sorry.”
“You want brutal honesty, Gus?” Nicky asks.
I’m not sure I do, but I nod. I want him to be able to say whatever it is he wants to say.
“It was a gift. It was hard living under your shadow back in LA. Here, suddenly I was more known than you. No offense. Just
with football, it felt like for a while, things revolved around me instead of you. And it was nice. Maybe that’s a dick thing
to say—”
“No. It’s not.”
“So I guess I need to say thank you.” He stretches one of his arms out even farther to ruffle my hair. I duck away, but he catches me and messes up my ponytail. “It’s not all bad, kid.”
I open my phone to check my texts with Luke. I think he’s supposed to be coming back on an early flight tomorrow, landing
around four-ish, but he hasn’t confirmed with me. In fact, he hasn’t texted me back in hours.
Once Mom releases Mara from dough throwing, Mara joins us back in the den. “So, Claire. How are things with Luke?”
I click off my phone and put it face down next to me. “New. But good. Really good.”
“New? Please,” Nicky says. “More like ten years in the making. Did I ever call that. It’s not easy being right all the time.”
“You’re insufferable,” I tell him.
“Actually, I called it,” Mara says. She turns to me. “It was obvious you guys were a thing when you visited. Or maybe not yet, but on the
precipice of being a thing.”
“Yeah, well. Everything else has kind of been a nightmare.”
“Have you and Evie still not talked?” Nicky asks. I still haven’t told him about Dad’s interview, and I’m not sure I will.
I shake my head. “This feels like something she might not get over.”
“No way,” Nicky says. “You two are freakishly codependent.”
I swallow, warding off tears. “She’s so mad, Nicky.”
“Have you tried to talk to her?” Mara asks. “To explain fully?”
“Yeah, but she said she wanted some space.”
“And you haven’t tried again?” Nicky asks.
“No. I wanted to honor her wishes.”
“I say this with love, but if I were you,” Mara says, “I would consider trying harder.”
About ten minutes before dinner is ready, Mara gets a text that Leon is in the hospital.
“Oh no!” I say. “What happened?”
“Sounds like he broke his arm. And maybe more? I can’t tell from what he’s saying. He was doing something stupid, I’m sure,”
she says, but she sounds worried. “He’s alone at the hospital. River’s visiting family, so they can’t go to be with him, and
he said no one else is picking up.”
“You should go back,” I say decisively.
“We can eat first,” Mara says, but I can tell she wants to go be with her friend.
But both Mom and I insist, and I can tell she’s relieved. Mom wraps them up a metric ton of pizza in aluminum foil, enough
to share with Leon, too.
Before they leave, Nicky comes and puts his hands on my shoulders. “Gus, you sure you’re good?”
I nod. I wish they could stay the night, but I think a hospital stay trumps an identity crisis.
Mara gives me a tight squeeze of a hug and then kisses me on the cheek. “Come visit again whenever you need a break.”
“Thanks for coming all this way,” I say.
After they leave, Mom and I sit down at the dining table, since it’s all set, even though the two of us usually just eat at the kitchen island. We’re only about five minutes into eating when the doorbell rings.
Mom looks up from her plate, surprised. “Are you expecting someone?”
“No.” I push back from the table. I’d be lying if my heart didn’t skip a beat, hoping it might be Evie. “But I’ll get it.”
I hurry to the front door. It’s not Evie, it’s Todd.
He’s standing there with an enormous bouquet of red roses. They must have cost a fortune.
“Hi, Todd,” I force myself to say.
“Claire.” He nods, saying it in a way that’s kind of like, this is a little awkward, but I’m going to rise above it all. Mom said they haven’t talked since Sunday, and she wasn’t sure what was going to happen between them. “Is your mother home?”
“Yeah. We’re in the middle of dinner, but come on in.”
“Todd,” Mom says. “What are you doing here?”
“I thought I would make a grand romantic gesture, but I’m starting to think my timing wasn’t great. Obviously, you’re in the
middle of something. I can go.”
“No, don’t be silly,” Mom says, getting up. “Stay! I made pizza. Let me get you a plate.”
“Pizza does sound good. Especially your pizza. Here, these need to be unwrapped and put in water.” He hands her the bouquet
as she goes into the kitchen.
For a moment it’s just me and Todd in the dining room. I focus on my pizza. The butternut squash and fried sage is delicious.
“So, Claire. Tough week?”
“Something like that.”
Mom comes back in with a plate of pizza for Todd.
“Thanks, honey,” he says. “This looks amazing.”
“Speaking of a tough week,” I say as Mom sits down, “can I skip again tomorrow?”
“I think you should go,” Mom says. “It’s Friday. After tomorrow you’ll have the whole weekend.”
“You’ve been skipping school?” Todd asks.
“I mean, not skipping. Mom’s been calling me out.”
“You know,” Todd says, “I had almost perfect attendance in high school. I remember my parents even made me go when I had walking
pneumonia my junior year.”
“That’s actually sad,” I say.
“It wasn’t sad. It was a great lesson about work ethic. About the importance of showing up. My parents knew leniency wasn’t going to build my character. Showing more toughness in this situation could help you in the long
run, Claire.”
That’s it. I basically throw my slice of pizza back down onto my plate. “For once, can you just butt out? Why does me not
going to school for a couple of days have anything to do with you? Why do you even care?”
Todd looks shocked at my outburst. “Why do I care? I care because it matters how your mother raises you. It matters—”
“When Nicky lived here, you never gave him any shit. About anything. You only offered him internships and complimented him on his hot girlfriends. I’m a better student than he is. I have way less absences than he did. So why are you like this with me?”
My heart is beating so fast, but I’m glad to be sticking up for myself. And it feels . . . amazing. I only wish Nicky had
been here to witness it.
Mom is staring at me in shock.
“I can see I’m persona non grata tonight.” Todd bunches up his napkin and tosses it on the table before he pushes back in
his chair. “I’ll go.”
Neither me nor Mom says anything.
Todd lets out a little laugh. “Unbelievable.”
When he leaves the room, I look at Mom. “Aren’t you going to walk him out?”
“No.” She reaches out across the table and takes my hand. “I’m going to stay right here with you.”