I punched a nearby tree as Madison’s taillights turned the corner headed for the highway.It was not how the night was supposed to go down. When I found out Hunter had invited Tracy to the party, I figured a little harmless flirting would make Lily realize our kiss wasn’t stupid at all. Tracy was the biggest flirt around. Part of the reason I never hooked up with her. She would already have her sights set on someone new before we even finished.
When my dad asked me to grab folding chairs, Tracy offered to help. I didn’t think anything of it until she shut the lights off and closed the door.
Before I could stop her, she pushed me onto the bed and mounted me like I was some kind of prized stallion. I guess in her eyes I was. She’d been through most of the star athletes in our school in the past three years, but our relationship never jumped the line past flirting.
I was in the process of getting Tracy off me when Lily walked in. Tracy had taken the moment before to demonstrate the awesomeness of her new assets. So what Lily saw was a half-naked girl on my lap and not my attempt to remove said girl from her perch.
“What was that?” Hunter asked from my side.
“Nothing, man. A misunderstanding.”
“I’ve never seen Madison so pissed.”
Truth. The girl was like a rabid pit bull. Normally, she was more like a fluffy lap dog.
“Everything is messed up.”
“I thought you were going to tell Lily how you feel about her tonight?”
Hunter had been privy to my crush on Lily since he was sworn in as best friend material freshman year. It was part of the reason he pushed the whole dare so hard. He wanted to give me a fighting chance. But he also gave me a deadline for telling her or he would out me.
End of summer.
“I was until Tracy happened.”
Hunter glanced over his shoulder where most of the partygoers had gone upstairs. Everyone except Tracy. She stood on the porch arms still crossed tightly against her chest.
“I told you flirting with her was a bad idea. Girl is like a hyena when she wants something. Nearly broke my dick last year at homecoming.”
I groaned, tipping my head back. I royally screwed up. After the years of back and forth I was fairly certain Lily would never forgive me. I wouldn’t be surprised if she made her mom move to get away from me.
“So what now?” I asked Hunter. It wasn’t as if he was the king of relationships, but he was my best friend. I needed best friend advice.
“Now, we go back to the party. You’re up here three more days. Let Lily cool down before you try to talk to her. It’s not like you don’t know where she lives.”
“She might set fire to my house or something to get me to move.”
Hunter chuckled and slung an arm over my shoulder. “Nah, I would be more worried about Tracy doing that.”
Tracy gave me the evil eye as we approached the house. I wouldn’t put it past her either.
Sensing I wasn’t in the mood to deal with her, Hunter transferred his arm to her, pulling her in close to whisper something in her ear. Whatever it was made her laugh and drew her manic gaze to him.
Can’t beat a loyal best friend.
“Where did Lily go?” my dad asked the second I stepped inside. “I asked her to get the chairs that apparently you couldn’t handle grabbing. Next thing I knew, I heard she left. I promised her mom I would look after her. She isn’t going to like her leaving at night.”
“I don’t know. I caught her and Madison as they were packing up their stuff but they wouldn’t tell me why.” Good thing my dad didn’t know me well enough to catch my lie. In fact, most of our conversations included lies. On both ends.
“Maybe boy trouble,” Hunter added as he led Tracy into the kitchen.
I scowled at him. Way too close to the truth for comfort.
“Well, I should call her mom, let her know she’s headed back.”
“No,” I blurted out. Ms. Holladay would figure out something was off the second my dad mentioned boys. “I’ll call her.”
My dad nodded before someone called for him upstairs. With a pat on the shoulder he left.
I didn’t know what the hell I was going to tell her mom, but I pulled out my phone anyway and dialed. After three rings, she answered. I was really hoping it would go to voice mail.
“Parker?”
“Hey, Ms. Holladay. I just wanted to let you know Lily and Madison are headed home.”
I could hear shuffling in the background. Sounded like papers. She was known to work late especially during the summer when most people bought houses. “What happened? Is she sick or something?”
“No. My dad decided to throw a party. It’s just not her scene.”
“Oh. It’s odd she would drive all the way back home tonight.”
Yeah, because I blew her off then threw a girl in her face. But I couldn’t tell her mom that. Ms. Holladay had been a surrogate mom for most of my life even when Lily stopped talking to me. I didn’t want to lose that relationship or have the ire of another Holladay woman.
“Yeah, I wanted you to know. Just in case.”
“Well thank you, Parker. I’ll give her a call.”
My heart stuttered in my chest. I could only hope she didn’t tell her mom the truth. Knowing their relationship, she probably would. “Okay… Well, good night.”
“Night.”
I hung up the phone and tapped it to my forehead. Lily had three days until I came home. Three days to tell her mom everything that happened or to come up with her own plan to shut me out of her life forever. Judging from the look she gave me as she got into the car that was her exact plan.
Bass from the stereo rattled the walls. People laughed. Balls cracked against each other on the pool table, but I couldn’t concentrate. Normally I loved to lose myself in a party. Shut out the world and all the responsibilities my dad piled on me. After the crap night I had, all I wanted to do was lock myself in my room and go to bed.
Not that sleep would have come. My racing mind made sure of it.
I found myself standing on the threshold of Lily’s room. The same room she always used when we were kids. The bed was made I noticed. She was always that weirdo who made the bed right after getting up. Said it started your day with something productive. As weird as it was, I liked that about her.
With a stuttered breath, I stepped inside and reached for the closet door on the right. I slid it open and took in the many boxes filled with photos that once adorned the walls. My dad stored them during the remodel, and neither one of us had gotten around to putting them back up. For me it was hard to see both my mom and Lily everywhere. Even though I avoided the lake house. For my dad, I think he just wanted to move on. Not forget, which is why he kept the photos, but attempt to continue with his life.
He even dated a few women over the years, but nothing stuck. There was a high chance that had more to do with me. Several of the meetings hadn’t gone well. My dad may have been looking for his next wife, but I sure as shit wasn’t looking for another mom. The women didn’t get that.
I pulled out the top box and sat down with it resting at my feet. For some reason my hands shook as I flipped open the flaps. The first picture on top was one of Lily and me at Christmas. We sat next to the tree in matching pajamas. Ones with snowmen all over them. My mom loved giving everyone matching pajamas and having a race to see who could put them on fastest. Winner got to be Santa and pass out the presents. Lily won that year. Her Santa hat sat low on her forehead, threatening to fall into her eyes. I had my arm wrapped around her shoulder and Lily was looking up at me with the biggest grin on her face.
We had just turned ten with her birthday in October and mine in September. Fourth grade and thick as thieves. Most of the time our parents couldn’t separate us and on more than one occasion we had sleepovers during the week. Since we were right next door it made it easier, but it didn’t stop our parents from making a big deal about it. School nights or something like that.
I let the photo drop to my lap and reached for another. Lily and I held hands at the beach. We couldn’t have been older than five. In the distance my mom did a cartwheel in the surf. My dad must have taken it. Judging by the slightly blurred edges, I was almost certain. He was never very good with the camera.
Our lives were practically intertwined. I spent the next hour going through the photos, remembering the good times before everything broke. A few times someone from the party stopped in to see where I went. Eventually I locked the door.
My dad never came, and I figured on some level he must know what was going on with me. At least I hoped. Our relationship hadn’t been the same since he started the renovation without asking me. He wiped away my mom, tossing her in the closet instead of dealing with the pain. He focused all his energy on my swimming to the point where I couldn’t stand it anymore. Or him.
But he was still my dad.
I lay on the floor surrounded by snapshots of my life. One way or another I would get my life back. Starting with the girl who stole my heart the day she nearly knocked out her teeth on a hill that was way too steep for bikes. All because she couldn’t turn down a dare.