A Million Other Excuses
After apologies were made, and bridges were rebuilt with the quad, the next month or so flies by. Almost every day is spent with at least one of them, but I have taken Maverick’s words to heart and haven’t let any of them kiss me. I haven’t even given them the opportunity to do so. I’d rather have them as friends than not at all.
Thanksgiving comes and goes just as it has every other year. The guys invited me to Lucas’ house and even extended it to Gramps too, which I find super sweet. There’s no guarantee to how many I have left with him, so I decline, and Gramps and I spend the day together. I even cook some of Nana’s favorite recipes. He doesn’t eat much, but I can tell that he at least appreciates that I take the time to do it. I see more smiles out of him that day than I have in a full year.
School doesn’t even suck as bad as normal either. Neither Derrik nor Stacey bother me in the least. I just have to fend off advances from Billy at least once a week. It’s not all bad, truly. The genuine attention is nice for a change. He just doesn’t do it for me. It might partially have something to do with there being no room left anywhere inside of me for him. Brain or heart.
Today is the first official day of winter break from school, and I’m more excited about sleeping in than anything. I should have known that the guys would have other plans. Around seven-thirty my phone starts going off. I let it go to voicemail the first time, but then it starts ringing again right after.
I swear under my breath as I dig it out of my jacket. Waiting until I’m back under the covers, I answer with a mumbled, “Hello.”
“Wakey wakey eggs and bakey,” Ryleigh’s voice calls out to me in a chipper tone that makes me want to throw my phone.
I grunt, “Dude it’s not even eight yet. You do realize that this is called vacation for a reason. That means that normal people sleep in.”
“Well, we aren’t exactly normal, are we?” she asks.
“Do I have to?” I whine.
She laughs, “Yep. We’re going shopping.”
“Oh. My. God. Ryleigh. You woke me up this early to go shopping?” I growl.
I hear her trying to contain her giggles, “Well yeah. We have to drive up to Riceville to the good stores. None of these around here have good snow stuff.”
Snow stuff? “Ryleigh, it never snows here. Why the F would we need snow shit?”
A gasp comes over the line, “The guys didn’t tell you?”
I’m wide awake now and sitting up in bed, “Tell me what Ry?”
“Oh, this is too great,” she says a little too gleefully. “Get up and get dressed. I’ll be there in thirty.”
It takes less than fifteen for me to get ready, and then I spend the other fifteen minutes nervously fidgeting and biting my nails while I wonder what she’s talking about. I do a double check in the mirror at least four times. My brown hair fans out from under Teagan’s hat that I’ve taken to wearing more often than not. The usual minimal makeup covers my face. A blue shirt that reads Prim Woods Football underneath my leather jacket, is the only new addition. Goose made me take it a few days after he expressed his disgust with the maroon one from my own school. It’s a little big, but I don’t like tight fitting clothes anyways, and it’s easy enough just to tuck into my pants without looking like white trash.
My phone pings, letting me know that Ryleigh is outside. I run and check on Gramps real quick and find him still asleep in bed. He’s been doing so good lately that it’s kind of given him a little life back as far as getting around. I leave him a note on the counter letting him know where I’ve gone and when I’ll be back. I put my number down at the bottom just in case. I always do lately.
Making sure that I have everything, I race out to the Jeep. It might not ever snow around here, but it still gets pretty cold, and I’m a fucking wimp when it comes to being cold.
The door has barely shut before I start grilling her, “Ok, now what am I supposed to know and why are we up at the ass crack of dawn to go shopping three hours away?”
She can hide her toothy grin all she wants, but I can still tell that she’s beyond herself with being the one to tell me, “Well, for the past two years, the guys have been taking a long trip to a ski lodge up in the mountains during Christmas break. Normally it’s just them, but this year Teagan asked me if I wanted to go. I said yes only if I could bring Eddie.”
“Sounds like fun,” I tell her matching her enthusiasm.
This time she lets out a loud laugh and I can’t help but to join in. “They’re probably going to kill me, but I can’t help it if they were supposed to talk to you and didn’t. You know you’re coming with us right?”
My mouth hangs open in shock before I sputter, “I can’t, Ry. I’ve got work and Gramps and…”
“And a million other excuses,” she finishes for me. “That aren’t going to work. You said that Gramps is doing better. Plus, it’s only for three days and I hope you’re not mad, but I talked to Charles. He’s already given you the time off. I told him it was for a surprise and not to tell you.” For the first time, she looks a little guilty.
“I’m not mad,” I say honestly. “I just can’t afford to go. I don’t have clothes or jackets or whatever else I would need.”
She looks at me like I’ve grown two heads, “Why do you think we’re going shopping? I may have eavesdropped at little on the guys talking and they were trying to figure out the best way to drop the bomb on you about getting stuff. They knew you’d be difficult in letting any of them pay for anything, so I figured I’d help.” I open my mouth to tell her that I just can’t when she says, “Please don’t tell me no, Kendall. I couldn’t decide what to get you for Christmas anyways, so this is like the two birds with one stone thing.”
Trying to choose the best phrasing I can think of, I say, “It’s really nice of you guys to think of me and all, but won’t your parents be pissed that you’d be spending their money on me?”
I’m relieved that she doesn’t seem pissed, “It’s my money we’re spending actually. I didn’t tell you before, but Teagan and I both have this trust fund thing that we’re allocated money from every month. My brother, believe it or not, is a wiz with numbers. He’s got us both invested in a few things that turn a profit every month on top of that. I still use dad’s money sometimes. I stopped for a little while about a year ago, but he got upset about it. Something about not providing enough for his children or some crazy bullshit. That’s why I still swipe his credit card from time to time. If that’s what it takes for him to feel better, then screw it.”
I take a few minutes to absorb what she’s told me, “Will you let me pay you back?”
She shakes her head no and I can’t say that I’m surprised, “Let me do it as a Christmas gift if you must. Please.”
After a pause, I finally nod my head. Who can say no to her pleading like that. She just about jumps out of her seat and it makes me laugh. The music cuts off suddenly and her Bluetooth lets her know there’s a call coming through. Yes, I finally understand the purpose, and how to work it for the most part.
Ryleigh cuts her eyes over to me, makes a shh motion with her hand, and grins as she sing song answers, “Heellllooo.”
Teagan’s voice comes across the speaker and makes it sound like he’s in the car with us, “Hey sis, have you talked to Kendall? I was thinking about riding over there today, but I haven’t been able to get her to answer.”
“Shit,” I say without thinking, automatically going on the search for my cell.
“Kendall?” he asks curiously.
Ryleigh rolls her eyes and smiles as I mouth ‘sorry.’ “Yeah, it’s me. Sorry. We had the radio going and I didn’t hear my phone.”
“It’s cool,” he says. “What are you ladies up to today?”
We look at each other in question, and I answer, “Ummm, shopping.”
There’s rustling on his end of the line like he’s moving around, “You guys heading over to the square? We can meet up for lunch if you want.”
“Actually,” Ryleigh starts and then runs her words together really fast, “We’re going to Riceville.”
She makes an uh oh face at me, and I try to fight the laugh in my chest. It takes a few seconds before Teagan finally answers, “Sprout, what did you do?”
“Nothing. We’re just going shopping like Kendall said,” she smiles.
“Yeah right. Because I believe that for a second,” he says into the phone. “Knew we should have waited until the last second to tell you.”
Jumping on the defensive, she sasses, “We are leaving in a week and Kendall has nothing to wear up there. Besides, she’s my best friend and I tell her everything.”
Wow. I knew we were good friends, but her words almost bring a tear to my eyes.
He sighs, and I can tell he’s smiling when he says, “Whatever, sprout. So, you’re in, Kendall?”
Ry’s face turns red at his drop of the dreaded nickname yet again, so I save him, “I need to talk to Gramps about it, but I don’t think Ryleigh’s taking no for answer.”
“We aren’t either,” Goose says.
They must already be together in the Rover, because Maverick says, “We’re going to meet you guys up there in Riceville.”
“So much for a girls’ shopping day,” Ry says in fake dramatics.
“Well, you should have waited on us to talk to Kendall and then you could have had your girls’ day,” he chastises.
She makes a face toward the hood of the Jeep, “Whatever.”
I laugh, and she ends the call.
I’m not getting a lecture again, so I unlock my phone and text a quick goodbye in the group chat and laugh again as I hit send.