Page 55 of The Rebel
“Ollie said you’ve drawn some amazing pictures of Paris,” Dani said.
“I don’t know about amazing,” I said, “but yeah, I spent all winter break watching him play tennis, so there wasn’t much else I could do.” My attempt at a smile became more like a sneer.
“Ooh, art was always my favorite subject at school,” Dani said, giggling as she held up her work to admire it. “Maybe I can frame this?”
I smiled, but it made me wonder how she and Mom were such good friends. Mom was the least arty person in the world and Dani didn’t play tennis, which was Mom’s only reason for living. Maybe being a mom of boys was enough to bond two people.
“Here, why don’t you help me?” Dani said, gesturing me closer.
“Sure.” I moved across and we shared her laptop table, coloring in different sides of the intricate butterfly design.
Working closely together, our conversation flowed, and before I knew it I was opening up about Paris’s loss and how he was down on himself and wading through self doubt.
“That has to be tough for him,” Dani said. “He’s so fiercely competitive, but it’s part of the process, isn’t it? Learning to bounce back after a loss.”
“Yep,” I said. ”But he expects to win every match he plays. So do Mom and Dad.”
“Yes, it’s a lot of pressure,” Dani said, letting out an exasperated sigh before brightening. “But Paris has always had an uncanny drive to push himself, so I’m sure he won’t stay down for long.”
“I hope so,” I said, desperately hoping she was right. My heart still had a wretched ache with the thought of Paris’s whole tennis career falling at the first hurdle.
“And he’s lucky your Mom and Dad are there to support him,” Dani said.
“Yeah,” I conceded with a nod.
Dani drew in a wavering breath. “Your mom was a great support to...me. She’s a strong woman.”
The realization that Dani was referring to the time after her husband’s death hit me out of the blue and my throat seized as I felt the need to acknowledge it. I couldn’t recall having anything to say to Dani, or Jade or Oliver after Mr. Sinclair’s passing, probably hiding in Mom’s shadow, but it seemed now was the time.
“Oh, I’m sorry about...Mr. Sinclair,” I said, having a momentary blank on his name...Andy, Allan, Aldon?
Dani smiled, but her eyes instantly misted over. “Thanks, sweetie,” she said, squeezing my kneecap lightly.
I didn’t like how I’d inadvertently brought up sad memories and quickly changed the subject. “How come Jade decided to do a student exchange?”
“Ahhh, it was always his dream to go to England, experience the culture,” she said, seeming to relax. “You know he’s a Manchester City fan?”
“I’m learning,” I said, huffing out a laugh as she reached behind her and retrieved a small pillow, shaped like a jersey in the club colors of the soccer team.
“Alex was a mad supporter, now the boys are, especially Jade. And Jade always thought about doing a school exchange.” She paused, clearing her throat. “He didn’t want to leave us, but...I’m glad he went. And he loved every moment of it.”
Dang, I’d made Dani sentimental again. “Uh, sounds like he got to travel around a bit,” I said, hoping I could steer away from the sadness.
“Ooh, yes, he’s got quite the travel bug now. He’d love to see more of the world.”
“Hmmm, me too,” I said, unable to hide the hint of sarcasm. If my parents had been kind and caring, I would’ve been traveling the European circuit with Paris. “I’d like to go to Valencia one day. You know, seeing my parents did name me after the place,” I said.
Dani laughed. “Yeah, it sounds like they owe you a trip there. But I’m sure you’ll get there one day.”
“Only if Paris gets better on clay,” I said, having already looked up the tournament there. He lacked experience playing on clay courts and it was one of his plans moving forward to spend more time on the surface.
“Well, you never know,” Dani said, closing the coloring book. “I think we’ve done enough for one night. I think I’ll head off to bed now. Any plans for tomorrow?”
“I’m meeting my friends, so I’ll be away all day,” I said, though it occurred to me my phone hadn’t buzzed all night and I had no idea what the plans were yet.
“Oh. Okay. Well, have a fun day. Just text to let me know when you’ll be home. If you wouldn’t mind.”
“Sure,” I said, standing up to stretch. “Uh, Jade’s late?” I remarked in a subtle attempt at extracting information.
