ELEVEN
Beginning to like life.
Scott.
And me.
With Cam.
Drinking coffee.
It’s so… normal. But it’s weird. It’s almost like I have the old Scott back. The non-alcoholic Scott. And I like it.
When we get back to the house, Scott goes to his room, so I take Camden to the guest room close to mine, and then I go to my own room. I sit at my laptop, wanting to see if Longerguy279 emailed me back. I’m excited when I see an email from him now.
From: Lonerguy279
To: Pinkstar737
Subject: Do you need a hug?
Dear Pinkstar737,
I wish I knew you in real life. You sound cute. I’m sorry that I shattered the super sexy image of me you had in your head… maybe you could still picture me like that. I think I like your fantasy better than my reality.
Good luck this weekend! I’m surprised you’re actually going to go help your stepbrother out after all the bad things he’s done to you. Maybe you are crazy for still caring about him, but he’s lucky to have you.
So… Cam… It sounds like things are getting serious between the two of you. Should I be worried that he is going to pull you out of the digital world? Will you forget all about me? :(
Sincerely,
Lonerguy279
I smile at the screen as I hit reply.
No matter how many friends I make, Longerguy279 will always be an important part of my life.
From: Pinkstar737
To: Longerguy279
Subject: Yes, I need a hug. Lots of hugs.
Dear Lonerguy279,
Should I send you a picture? I’m not cute. Like, at all. In fact, when I told my friends how I used to be a “girly girl” they laughed… because I don’t do cute. I’m the opposite, in fact. I don’t fix my hair. Ever. And I don’t comb it that often. And I don’t even own any makeup. So that should shatter any good image you have of me.
I hung out with my stepbrother earlier. Scott, Cam, and I went to get coffee. And it was pretty much epic. Scott was normal. And he reminded me of why I love him and why I put up with his craziness. He’s worth it. He really is. And I miss him. I wish he could be like that all the time.
Don’t worry about Cam. He’s just a friend. A super sexy friend… but still, just a friend. And even if I did have a boyfriend, I could never forget about you. Without you, I never would’ve made it through the last year and a half.
For the first time, I feel like I’m going to be okay. I’m going to make it through this. I’m not drowning. And as much as I HATE to admit it, Dr. Sanchez was right. College really is the best thing for me.
There is a knock on my door on my door.
“Come in,” I yell.
The door opens and Cam walks in. I quickly end my email.
Camden is standing at my door now, so I’ve got to go. BYE!
Sincerely,
Pinkstar737
“So, this is your room,” Camden says, walking around.
“Yep.”
“There aren’t any pictures,” he says.
“Nope.” After being hospitalized for three days with a panic attack after seeing a picture of Olivia, Dr. Sanchez told my mom it would be best to take the pictures down. I’m proud I can look at pictures now without freaking out too bad.
But Cam doesn’t need to know that.
“And your walls are white,” he says.
“Only because my mom wouldn’t let me paint them black,” I say.
He nods.
“Not what you expected?” I ask.
“No. Not at all.”
“They used to be hot pink, but as you know, I now hate the color pink,” I tell him. “Actually, I’ve hated a lot of things the past year and a half.”
“What about now?” he asks.
“I’m beginning to like life a little more,” I answer. “It’s taken a while.”
Cam sits beside me on the bed. “What are you doing?”
For some reason, having him sit on my bed feels weird. I don’t know why. He does in in my dorm room all the time, but this is my home. It’s a different space. And I feel like it’s wrong or something.
“I was emailing Longerguy279,” I answer, shutting my laptop.
“Right. The guy you’ve never met.”
“I don’t even know his name,” I tell him.
“What if he’s a creeper?” Cam asks.
“He’s not,” I answer. “My therapist set the whole thing up. I’m pretty sure he’s a client of hers. Like something bad happened to him too. So Dr. Sanchez set us up to talk to each other online. It has helped me through some really hard times. Literally, he is the only reason I have continued seeing my shrink.”
“Then I’m glad you found him,” he says.
“Me too.”
My door opens again and Scott walks inside.
“Sup?” he asks.
“Hello, you’re supposed to knock,” I tell him.
“Did Cam knock?” Scott asks, sitting on the other side of my bed.
“Actually, yes. He did,” I answer.
“Good,” Scott says.
I put my laptop onto the bed beside me. “What are you going to tell Stanley about your car?”
“He already knows,” Scott says. “It wasn’t my fault. Some seventeen-year old-girl was texting and driving and she hit my car. I got a concussion, so I had to go to the hospital, so Dad knows.”
“Wait,” I say. “But you asked me to come home this weekend so you could break the news to them.”
He shrugs. “I just wanted you to come home.”
“Why?”
“Because I missed my sister.”
I narrow my eyes. “I don’t believe you.”
“Fine. I’m transferring colleges,” he says.
“Transferring? You’ve been at FSU for a month. How can you already transfer?” I ask.
“My dad is Stanley Jacobson.”
Which is an explanation. Stanley can do anything he wants.
“But why do you want to transfer?” I ask. “Isn’t Florida, like, your dream?”
“It was,” Scott says. “Before. And I thought it still was, but I’m miserable there. Florida is a party school.”
“Hello, you’re Scott Jacobson. Your middle name is party,” I say. “I thought you’d love it there.”
“I quit drinking.”
“You quit?” I ask.
“A few months ago,” he answers. “As it turns out, I wasn’t as addicted to the alcohol as much as I was to the attention I got from doing it.”
“Huh,” I say. “Why didn’t you tell me?”
“In case I couldn’t quit. I didn’t want you to be disappointed in me,” Scott says.
Cam, who has remained quiet, shifts. I can tell he’s uncomfortable, but I’ve waited for a year and a half for Scott to say this to me. I think he knows that.
“I could never be disappointed in you for trying. Trying is all I’ve wanted you to do the last year and a half,” I say. “To be honest, I wish you would’ve come to me a long time ago. I would’ve helped you.”
“How could I come to you when you had everything going on with you?” he asks. “Plus, you referred to me as your step monster.”
“Sorry about that,” I say, feeling guilty for it.
Scott is right.
I haven’t tried to help him, like, at all.
“I’ve missed my best friend,” I say.
“Me?” he asks.
I nod.
“Me too,” he says, then stands up. “I’m at my quota for cute family moments for the day.”
I just smile.
Because, seriously.
I’m so happy right now.
“You’re my favorite stepbrother, you know that, right?”
“I’m your only stepbrother.”
“Exactly. Which means you’re also my least favorite. Congratulations,” I say.
“Seeing as how I am your big brother, I can’t approve of Cam being in your room.”
Camden stands up, prepared to leave.
“He doesn’t have to go,” I tell Scott. “Cam is my friend. He hangs out in my dorm room all the time.”
“It’s different in your dorm room.”
“How is it different?” I ask.
“Do you have a roommate?”
I nod.
“That’s how it’s different,” Scott says. “If you want to hang out, do it downstairs.”
“Fine,” I say, then stand up.
Scott looks at his phone. “Your mom is home anyway.”
I look at my phone to see I got her arrival text too. I guess she still likes to send texts instead of walking to my room. Our house is big, but not big enough that she can’t walk to my room. Seriously.
“Come with?” I ask Scott.
He shakes his head. “You two are on your own. I’ve been hanging out with your mother all week. If she asks to take another selfie with me, my head might just explode.”
Ugh.
So it’s one of those weeks.
Let’s just hope she doesn’t want to take a selfie with Cam.
…
“Isla, oh my gosh, you look so cute,” Mom says as we come down the stairs. “Did you do something different with your hair?”
“Ugh,” I hold my hair with my hand, “nope—oh, wait! My roommate, Zoe, is super into watching beauty gurus on YouTube. She put this apple cider vinegar and baking soda mix on my hair. She swears by it. I let her because sometimes it’s better to just give in and not fight it.”
My mom claps her hands, like it’s the best things she’s ever heard. “I must try it,” she says, then looks at Cam like she’s noticing him for the first time. “Who is this? Your boyfriend?”
I roll my eyes. “Mom, I told you about him. This is my friend, Camden. Cam, this is my mom, Stephanie Jacobson.”
“Nice to meet you,” Cam tells my mom.
Mom looks at him. “Are you her boyfriend?”
“Mom! He’s my friend!” I yell, mostly because I’m mortified. My face is hot, and I’m sure it’s bright red.
“I’m just saying, he’s quite handsome,” Mom says.
Cam laughs nervously, like he doesn’t know how to respond.
“You need a filter for your mouth,” I tell Mom. “Don’t make it awkward.”
“Right. Sorry,” Mom says, then looks at Cam. “So why aren’t you dating my daughter? Don’t you think she’s pretty?”
“Ugh…,” Cam says awkwardly.
“Mom, please.”
“Sorry,” she says. “Did I tell you that we got a new chef to cook? No more takeout. My trainer convinced me that us eating like that was bad.”
“Cool,” I say. “Does your chef make sushi?”
“She is a vegan chef,” Mom says. “I’m vegan now. It’s all the rage. You know Beyoncé is vegan.”
Mom loves diet fads. All of them. So I know this one won’t last long.
“Awesome, Mom. Sounds great.”
Her phone goes off, and she pulls it out, going into her own world. I take my chance to escape. Cam, when he sees I’m walking quickly towards the stairs, comes after me. Most likely, he doesn’t want to be left alone with my mother. I can’t blame him.
When we get upstairs, Cam stops in the hallway outside of my room.
“Your mom is…”
I cut him off. “Weird. I know.”
“I was going to say nice, but yeah, I suppose weird is a good word,” he says.
I laugh. “Sorry that my mom checked you out and basically begged you to be my boyfriend.”
He doesn’t respond, he just puts his hands in his pockets awkwardly.
My phone goes off with a text from my mom.
Mom: It was nice meeting your boyfriend. Dinner is in thirty minutes. No sweatpants! I’m serious. It’s a formal dinner. Your father is having a client over.
“Great,” I say to my phone.
“What is it?”
“Dinner in thirty minutes. Apparently Stanley, my stepdad, is having some client over. So it’s going to be completely awkward,” I say. “Plus, hello, vegan food.”
My phone goes off again.
Scott: Me. You. (And I suppose your friend too). Outside. Ten minutes. Trust me, you do not want to stay here and eat your mom’s food.
Scott: If you don’t believe me—GLUTEN FREE PIZZA WITH NO CHEESE AND MEAT. How is it even considered pizza?
Me: I’m SO IN!
“We’re breaking out of jail,” I tell Cam, showing him the text from Scott.
Camden laughs.
And just like that, Scott is my best friend again.
I missed him a lot.