Chapter 28
”You went to your first party ever and left 15 minutes after you got there to take care of a drunk classmate?” Mom pauses, then continues ”Then, you bring that drunk classmate here instead of to her house, and now she’s sleeping in your bed, and you’re making her breakfast?” Mom stares at me as she sips her coffee from a barstool opposite of me.
”You left out the part where I came home with my boyfriend to an empty apartment which made getting her in here unnoticed easier,” I say as I scoop eggs onto a plate where an already warm tortilla and some sausage lay. Kate seemed pleased with her Taco Bell last night, leading me to infer a breakfast taco would be just the key. ”Want to fill in the gap of why you got home past curfew?”
”I was out” Mom grins, leading me to believe she was on a date. ”Besides, we aren’t talking about me. Should I be worried about you? So far this year the only people from school I‘ve met are your boyfriend and a girl who got drunk at a party. I mean, I am glad that you chose to come here, and Ben is great, but I’m still worried about your social life.”
”I don’t know. I have Ben, and I’m friendly with the kids in journalism. I”m just not really interested in hanging out with the other kids outside of school. From what little I saw at the party, I don’t think I have much in common with them. Plus, I have Sarah Mae and you. How many friends does one person really need?”
”As long as you are okay. And the drunk girl?” Mom motions to my door.
”Her name is Kate. We have a couple classes together. Well, her and her twin. I’m not really sure what happened to her before Ben and I got there. She was fine earlier at school.” I put all the breakfast items on a tray, grabbing some Tylenol from the medicine cabinet.
Mom gets up to refill her coffee cup. ”I trust you to make good choices, Mia, just be careful who you surround yourself with.”
”I will. According to her sister, this isn’t typical. Something happened.” I reassure her.
”Okay. Take Drunkella her breakfast. I’m going to head downstairs to give you girls some space. Come get me if you need me.”
”Thanks.” Mom gives me a hug and a kiss on the forehead then heads out. I go into my room to wake Kate. At the sound of the door, a very disheveled Kate groans. “I don’t care what time it is Bella, I will murder you.”
”Not Bella,” I come closer to the bed. Kate attempts to sit up unsuccessfully then takes in her surroundings.
”Bedelia.” Her voice is hoarse. ”It’s coming back to me. Are we in a library?” She sits up and looks around the room.
”No, this is my room. Ben and I brought you back here last night. Bella asked me to. You were… a lot.” I set the tray down.
”Thanks.” she repositions herself and stares at the tray. Her face goes a little green. ”I don’t think I can eat this.”
”It’s okay, but maybe try some of the water.” I sit on the edge of the bed as she nods and takes a tentative sip. ”Do you want to talk about it?”
”About what Bedelia? My lack of ability to hold my liquor. Thought that was pretty clear.” She says evasively.
”I know we haven’t known each other long, but that wasn’t it. I won’t push, but if you want to talk about it, I’m here.” I offer. Kate sighs and for a long minute pauses.
”I guess you already have one twin’s secret. You might as well have the other.” She takes a long draw of her water. ”You aren’t the only one who saw something you shouldn’t Friday.” She closes her eyes. ”I saw my dad with his receptionist.”
I try to still my face but shock hits me. ”When you say you saw them?”
”I walked in on them mid-act, Amelia, and apparently there isn’t enough alcohol in the world that can burn that image from my brain.”
”Does Bella know?”
”No, and I can’t tell her. It would break her. My parents make a huge deal about being the perfect Christian family unit. Bella is so worried about disappointing them, but my dad is just a huge hypocrite.” Anger. That is the emotion in her voice.
”What happened after you... you know?”
”My dad chased me down and made me swear not to tell my mom. Promised me anything I want. A car. A summer trip to Europe. Like it’s that easy, just to buy me. I don’t want this secret, and going to Paris won’t change that.” She shakes her head.
”What are you going to do?” I ask.
”I don’t know. Part of me wants to tell my mom. She deserves to know. I just don’t want to be the reason our world blows up.” Tears start to slip from her eyes.
”You aren’t, though. The reason your world will blow up. Your dad is. It isn’t fair for him to make you lie for him.” I want her to believe me. I’m angry for her, and a little grateful I don’t have a dad to put me in a situation like this.
”I hate him, Amelia.” Her face looks like a little kid. Innocent. Small. Too small to handle the burden she has been saddled with.
”That’s fair.”
”You know, you are a pretty good friend. I’m sorry Lisa gave you such a tough time at the beginning of the year.” She says wiping her eyes.
”That’s what Lisa said yesterday. It’s okay. All of you are going through a lot.” I say in attempt at consoling her.
”That we are, but it doesn’t make anything that we have done okay. Lisa bullying you, me getting drunk. It’s no way to handle things. You really are a good person Bedelia and a good friend.” Kate says. “I should head out. Bella is probably losing it.”
”I can drive you.” I offer.
”Thanks, Bedelia. For everything.”
”Anytime.” I respond “But maybe next time we hang out, we skip the drinking.”
“I like that plan.”
I go downstairs to let Mom know I’m driving Kate home. I gave her a few details about Kate’s situation. I don’t think it counts as breaking Kate’s trust. Mom said I could let her know she is welcome to stay if she needs to. I knew something had upset Kate, but I never imagined it was the magnitude it was.
Kate was talkative on the way to her house. I think mostly just to calm her nerves. When we got to her house, Bella was outside waiting, worry on her face. I told Kate to call if she needed to talk or if her and Bella wanted to crash at our house after she talked with her mom. She promised she would.
I call Ben as I’m leaving. He was more than happy to come meet me at a coffee shop around the corner. He had a lot of questions, but I told him I couldn’t break Kate’s trust. He only pouted up until I promised him a makeup date. We decided to have a movie night in. I love how Ben has managed to fit into my life so well. It’s getting to the point that it’s hard to imagine doing things without him. The thought scares me.