Page 16 of Paper Hearts

“Um, yeah, well…” I try to play it cool, but I start batting my eyelashes so quickly he probably thinks I have something stuck in them. “Myles. He’s nine.” I’m horrible at telling lies.

Mom grins and gives Dad another beer, her hands on his shoulders. “Oh, Justin, what have we created?” Mom knows what I’m doing. It’s how she worked him to go shopping last week with Aunt Leslie.

Dad tips his head back and smiles up at Mom and I think maybe he might say yes. His eyes are soft. “And the older one?” Dad puts his beer down and glances at me, his hard brown eyes narrowing. “The one I saw holding your hand as he helped you out of the boat I said I didn’t want you on.”

My heart sinks. I never get away with anything.

“Oh, uh.” I pause and clear my throat, nervously trying to think of a lie that kills off Ender and I don’t have to mention him. It doesn’t come fast enough because my dad’s expecting an answer. “Well, that’s Ender. Arya’s older brother.” There’s no sense in lying now. “He’s fifteen.”

Dad nods and takes another drink of his beer. “Not happening, Hadleigh.”

“Dad! Please!” I stomp my foot. “I’m not hanging out with him. Arya’s my friend,” I defend in a sputter of words. He isn’t listening to me anymore. Once Justin Hayes makes up his mind, there’s no changing it. Unless of course it’s my mom. He always listens to her.

“They’re nice kids, Justin,” Mom tells him, not completely confident in her own words. It’s not that she wants to either, but she knows my dad’s grip on us is too tight. It’s exactly why Brenna ran away so much and why Harper called him an asshole last week. To his face.

I wait for their decision as they stare at one another.

“Please,” I beg, going in for the kill but keeping my tone soft, unlike Hazel when she wants something. Now if I was more like Becca, I’d resort to screaming and crying. I think they give in to her to shut her up.

“I’ll think about it,” Dad grumbles. He’s only doing this to appease me for the moment.

But for now, this is a starting point.

* * *

To my surprise,an hour later, I’m heading over to the James home for my first sleepover. Dad said yes. Can you freaking believe it? It wasn’t the easiest sale either. I annoyed the crap out of him by playing my music as loud as I could in my room. After an hour, he wanted to get rid of me.

Anticipation gnaws at me and my stomach rolls as my mom and I make our way next door.

“They have a beautiful house,” Mom notes, looking over the gigantic black home. “What do their parents do for a living?”

“I don’t know.” And I don’t. The house looks like most of the homes on the lake, just bigger. Everything inside it is extravagant and expensive. They even have a movie room with a popcorn and slushy machine.

Arya is sitting on the porch reading a book I gave her, only she’s still on the first page, and Ender and Myles are tossing strawberries at her, trying to distract her. Arya throws the book at them. “I’m going to shove those strawberries up your butthole!”

Mom laughs beside me but doesn’t say anything.

My eyes slide to Ender. He’s still wearing board shorts, but he has a straw cowboy hat on and cowboy boots, leaning casually into the railing. The last slivers of sunlight are on his body, and I stare. Holy smokes. Tightness surfaces in my throat and I fight the urge to keep staring at him. Why does he have to be so freaking hot? My cheeks burn staring at him.

I flick my eyes away as he and Myles takeoff up the driveway and into the trees. For what, I have no idea, but I assume boy stuff.

Lana opens the door, smiling at us. “Oh, hey, Hads. I hear you’re spending the night.” Lana, she looks exactly like Arya. She holds her hand out to my mom. “I’m Lana. Nice to finally meet you. Melanie, right?”

“Yes, ma’am.” She shakes Lana’s hand. “Nice to meet you.” Mom places her hand on my shoulder. “If you need anything, we’re next door. You can send her home if she becomes a handful.”

Lana smiles but her attention is behind her in the house. “She’ll have fun. We have a movie room with a slushy machine. I doubt they leave it.”

My mom chuckles, as if she knows what happens in dark movie rooms with unattended teenagers. I don’t though, and I’m dying to find out.

I push Mom’s hand away from my shoulder, ready for freedom and dark movie theaters, and step toward Arya who’s eating the strawberries the boys were throwing at her. I’m practically shoving my mom off the porch. Excitement is practically buzzing through me in electric waves. With my bag and notebook in hand, I move away from my mom another step and motion for her to leave. “Bye.”

Mom hugs me, refusing to let me get away. “Be good.”

Wiggling from her arms, I lean against the side of the house where Arya is now standing, nodding, trying to appear relaxed, thinking about Ender and the smile he gave me before he left. “I will,” I tell Mom. “I promise.”

“I know you will, Hadi.” Mom kisses my forehead.

When my mom is gone, Arya widens her eyes, as if she can’t believe we actually pulled it off. “What should we do?” I ask, smiling at her. “Watch a movie?”

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