Page 254 of Finding Us

“Yeah, I thought you saw them earlier.”

“No, I didn’t even look over here.” She hugs me. “Thank you. They’re beautiful. They’re the same color as the ones we had at our wedding.”

“That’s why I picked them.” My phone starts ringing and Lilly’s picture lights up the screen. It’s the photo of her from the wedding. She’s wearing her flower girl dress and tilting her head as she smiles. It’s my favorite picture of her from that day.

My dad got Lilly a new phone so now she calls me whenever she wants. I didn’t ask him how he got Katherine to agree to it but I’m guessing my blackmail had something to do with it. She’d never want those videos to be released.

I hand the phone to Jade. “Your sister, and fellow princess, is calling you.”

Jade laughs and puts the phone on speaker. “Hi, Lilly. It’s Jade.”

“Happy birthday! Did you like my present?”

“Um.” Jade’s looking at me, confused.

“She didn’t open it yet,” I tell Lilly as I hand Jade the small box.

“Hi, Garret!” Lilly yells it. “I had my swim lesson yesterday.”

“What did you work on?”

“Going faster! I’m getting really fast.”

Lilly’s been taking lessons a few times a week for months now. The teacher comes to the house. My dad said Lilly takes it very seriously and practices all the time in the indoor pool. I love that she’s getting into swimming like that. It’s good for her and I know she does it because she’s trying to be like me.

Katherine doesn’t approve of Lilly’s swim lessons. She thinks little girls should take ballet lessons, not be interested in sports. And I know Katherine hates that Lilly wants to follow in my footsteps and be on a swim team someday.

“Lilly, I love your present.” Jade opened the box. Inside is a picture Lilly drew. My dad had it framed. The picture is of Jade and Lilly at the wedding. Jade’s in her wedding dress, holding her flowers and standing in front of the ocean. Lilly’s next to her, holding her flower basket. She colored her fingernails bright pink. Katherine didn’t know about the painted nails thing so I’m sure she yelled at my dad about it when she saw the picture.

“That’s the day you became my sister.”

“I know,” Jade says. “That was a really good day.”

“Are you having a birthday party?”

Jade looks at me. “We’re going out to dinner, so it’s kind of like a party.”

Does she really think we’re only having dinner? Wow. I guess I’m good at hiding stuff.

“We’re having a princess breakfast right now,” I tell Lilly. “Jade even has a tiara. I’ll send you a picture.”

“You get to be a princess?” Lilly asks.

“Just for breakfast,” Jade says.

“Honey, say goodbye.” I hear my dad’s voice in the background. “You have to get to school.”

“I have to go. Bye, Jade. Bye, Garret. I miss you.”

“Bye.” Jade and I say it at the same time.

Lilly is doing much better at school. She’s making friends and having more play dates. She doesn’t hang out with crazy Jackie anymore but she does still do stuff with that Max kid, or bow-tie boy as I like to call him. If he ever makes a move on my sister, I’m going to strangle him with that bow tie.

“She only has a half day today,” my dad says. “Just the afternoon. Anyway, Happy Birthday, Jade.”

“Thank you.”

“Did Garret give you the gift I sent?”

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