Page 35 of Nerdy or Nice
Gwen
My turn?If I were a different kind of person, I'd be tempted to play dumb or maybe claim that everything was just peachy on the home front. But after everything Drake had just shared withme, it seemed incredibly unfair to not do the same in return.
I gave a resigned sigh. "Okay, the thing is, you know how you said that your mom's a little wild?"
"Yeah?"
"Well, that's my mom, too. But to give her credit, shedidstick around, so that's something, right?"
"I guess," Drake said, looking like he wasn't so sure. "When you say wild, what do you mean?"
"It's not like she's terrible or anything. It's just that she's a real party girl, and she datesa lot. And every once in a while, she brings these guys back home – not that she doesn't have the right. It's just that sometimes it's kind of weird having some stranger lounging around in his underwear."
Drake frowned. "What kind of underwear?"
I let out an awkward laugh. "I don't mean thongs if that's what you're wondering."
"So whatdoyou mean?"
I considered what I'd seen over the years. "Boxers, pajama bottoms…" I winced. "There was this Speedo guy, but technically that was just a swimsuit, so…" At Drake's dark look, I didn't bother finishing the sentence.
In a carefully neutral voice, he asked, "You got a swimming pool?"
"No. But we've got this patio for sunbathing and a few lawn chairs, so I guess that's close enough for some people."
"And your dad?"
I gave a dismissive wave of my hand. "He's not really a factor. They've been divorced forever, over twenty years now." I grimaced. "She's been married three times since. And that doesn't even count all of the broken engagements."
"How many?"
"It's hard to say. I mean, there's not always a ring, so…" Once again, I didn't bother finishing.
Drake asked, "So it's just you and your mom?"
I shook my head. "No. I've got a couple of sisters. Technically they're half-sisters because we all have different dads, but they're full sisters to me. And they'rereallygreat – well, most of the time, anyway. I mean, like you said, that's family right?"
"And these areyoungersisters?"
"Yeah, how'd you know?"
"Lucky guess." And then, at something in my expression, he added, "When you said it, you looked a little worried, so I figured you must be the oldest."
"Yup, that's me." I rolled my eyes. "Older than my mom, at least in some ways."
"And all of you are still living at home?"
I gave it some thought. "Actually, I'd call it more of a transition period."
"How so?" he asked.
"Well, take Justine for starters. She's a sophomore at Valley University, and she's been staying in the dorms, but if money gets tight – which it always does – she'll probably need to move back home again and commute."
"Howlongof a commute?" Drake asked.
"Almost an hour. But the drive is only part of the problem. The real problem is the thing with my mom. You know how you said that your grandpa's place got a little too crazy? It's like that atmyhouse, too, but the craziness is mostly on the inside." Of course, it wasn't terribly uncommon for the craziness to spill out onto the front lawn, but that hardly seemed worth mentioning.
Drake asked, "What about now? Is she home for the Christmas break?"
