Chapter 32
CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO
Tyler had invited Anna and Bea over for dinner, to let Meg and Luke have a night on their own, for a change. Now, his kitchen smelled like takeout Thai food and the kind of comfortable chaos of four people eating while dealing with paperwork
Bea had commandeered most of the table with course catalogs, registration forms, and what appeared to be a color-coded schedule planning system that would make Meg proud. She held a pencil between her teeth while studying two different elective options.
“AP Art History or Photography?” she asked the table at large. “I can’t take both because they’re the same period, but I want both.”
“Photography,” Tyler said immediately, refilling everyone’s water glasses. “Art history you can learn from books. Photography you need to practice.”
“But AP Art History looks good for college applications,” Anna pointed out, stealing a spring roll from Bea’s plate. “And the teacher, Mrs. Melbon, is supposed to be amazing.”
Stella looked up from her pad thai, curious. “What’s AP Art History?”
“Advanced Placement,” Bea explained. “College-level course for high school students. You take a big exam at the end and if you pass, you can get college credit.”
“That sounds brilliant,” Stella said. “We don’t have anything like that back home. Just regular classes and then you sit for your HSC at the end.”
“HSC?” Anna asked.
“Higher School Certificate. Like your final exams, but everything depends on them. Your whole university admission.” Stella twirled noodles around her fork. “Your system sounds way more fun. More choices, more ways to explore things.”
"Joey's been doing his own planning too," Tyler said. "Getting ready for his technical school transition this year."
"Right, his scholarship program," Bea said. "He's so excited about it."
Tyler turned to Stella. “You could probably test into some advanced classes yourself,” he said. “When you get back to—”
He stopped mid-sentence, the words hanging there.
Stella looked up, meeting his eyes with sudden awareness. “When I get back to Australia,” she said quietly.
The table went completely still. Even Anna’s fork paused midway to her mouth.
“What? When?” Bea asked, her voice very small. “When do you go back?”
Stella’s cheeks flushed slightly. “In about three weeks. I’m supposed to fly back for Year 12. Mum’s already got me enrolled and everything.”
The silence that followed was deafening. Tyler felt like someone had punched him in the stomach, but he couldn’t quite figure out why. Of course, Stella was going back to Australia. That had always been the plan. She was here for the summer. A visit. Temporary.
So why did hearing her say it out loud feel like watching their whole summer experiment fall apart?
“You can’t,” Bea said, her voice rising with panic. “You can’t leave now.”
“Bea—” Anna started.
“No, seriously, you can’t!” Bea turned to Stella, her eyes wide with teenage desperation. “I just got a cousin! We were going to do senior year together! I had our whole schedule planned out!”
Stella blinked. “You did?”
“Of course I did! I’ve been thinking about showing you around school, introducing you to people...” Bea’s voice trailed off as reality hit. “But you’re leaving.”
Tyler found his voice, though it came out slightly rough.
“I know we’re completely crazy,” he said, gesturing vaguely at the chaos of their dinner table, the takeout containers, Anna’s paint-stained fingers, Bea’s elaborate school planning system.
“Living with us probably feels like being trapped in a reality show that never got cancelled.”
“Don’t be dramatic, Dad,” Stella said, but her eyes were soft.
“I’m not being dramatic. We turn every meal into a family crisis. Anna reorganizes furniture without warning. I take pictures of everything, including your breakfast. Bea plans your entire future without asking.” Tyler ran his hands through his hair. “You’ve probably been counting down the days.”
“Actually,” Stella said, picking at her pad thai, “I haven’t been counting anything. Which is weird for me, because I usually count everything.”
Anna leaned forward. “What do you mean?”
“I mean, I knew I was supposed to go back. It’s what Mum and I planned. But I wasn’t... I wasn’t looking forward to leaving.” She met Tyler’s eyes. “This is the longest I’ve ever been anywhere besides home. And it’s been...”
“Chaotic?” Anna suggested.
“Completely mental,” Stella agreed. “But good mental. Like, family mental instead of just... empty mental.”
Bea sat up straighter. “So stay.”
“It’s not that simple—“
“Why not?” Bea pressed. “You could finish school here. We could take all the same classes. You could go to college here.”
“Bea, slow down,” Anna said gently. “This is huge. Stella would be changing her whole life plan.”
“But what if staying here IS her life plan?” Bea argued. “What if this is where she belongs?”
Tyler had a hard time getting the words out. “Do you? Feel like you belong here?”
Stella looked around the table—at Tyler’s worried face, at Bea’s obvious devastation, at Anna who was clearly trying to figure out how to support everyone at once. At the takeout containers and school forms and the general chaotic warmth of people who’d somehow become essential.
“Yeah,” she said quietly. “I do. Which is terrifying, by the way.”
“Why terrifying?” Tyler asked.
Stella’s smile was wry. “Because I’ve never belonged anywhere before. And also because you lot would probably implode without me.”
Anna laughed despite the tension. “That’s... probably accurate.”
“Definitely accurate,” Bea said. “Remember the health inspection? Stella basically saved the entire restaurant.”
“And Tyler’s been taking better photos since I started pointing out his terrible angles,” Stella added with a grin.
“My angles are not terrible,” Tyler protested.
“Dad, yesterday you tried to photograph Bernie from below. He looked like a very grumpy mountain.”
Tyler paused, considering this. “That’s... actually fair.”
“Plus,” Stella continued, “someone needs to keep Anna from turning the dining room into a sculpture garden again.”
“That was one time!” Anna protested.
“It was last week, Anna.”
Bea was practically bouncing in her seat. “So you’ll stay? We could go look at the school tomorrow, check out the photography lab—“
“I didn’t say I was staying,” Stella said quickly. “I said I feel like I belong here. Those are different things.”
The table deflated slightly.
"I'd have to talk to Mum," Stella continued. "About school transfers, and visas, and completely changing everything we planned."
She looked around at their faces, then focused on Tyler. "She might hate the idea."
A pause, then quietly, "Dad? What do you think? Do you want me to stay?"
Tyler felt his throat tighten. "More than anything," he said, his voice rough. "But only if it's what you want. Not because we need you to keep us organized, not because Bea's already planned your entire senior year—because you want to be here."
“Are you happy here?” Anna asked gently.
Stella thought about it, twirling noodles around her fork. “Yeah. Really happy. Which is weird because you’re all completely insane and I should probably be running for the airport.”
“But you’re not,” Bea said hopefully.
“But I’m not,” Stella agreed. “I’m sitting here eating Thai food and considering completely upending my life because you idiots have somehow convinced me that family chaos is better than being sensible and organized.”
“We’re a bad influence,” Tyler said solemnly.
“The worst,” Stella confirmed. “It’s brilliant.”
“So, you’ll think about it?” Anna asked gently. “Really think about it?”
Stella nodded slowly. “Yeah. I’ll think about it. But no pressure or anything,” she added with a pointed look around the table.
“No pressure,” Bea said immediately, then paused. “But if you do stay, we’re definitely taking Photography together. And maybe we could work for the school newspaper. And—“
“Bea,” Anna warned.
“Right. No pressure.” Bea grinned. “Just mild enthusiasm and detailed planning.”
“Mental,” Stella said, but she was smiling.
“The best kind of mental,” Tyler said, and meant it completely.