Page 83 of The Rebel
“Volley wants to move in with Inspector Ollie and help him solve more mysteries,” Oliver rambled on.
Valencia broke away from me, sounding mortified. “What, Ollie! You’re stealing my cat?”
“No, he decides he wants to move in with me because I saved him. We become a team. Ollie and Volley.”
“I don’t think Paris will agree to that,” Valencia teased.
“Paris is away playing tennis all the time, so he doesn’t mind.”
“Volley couldn’t get himself down from the rafters so I don’t know how he’s going to help you solve any mysteries,” Valencia said.
“Volley has laser vision,” Ollie said. “He can see through walls.” The two of them carried on the conversation and by the time they were inside, Volley’s powers included extending claws and jumping over houses in a single bound.
Ollie repeated the real story of ordinary Volley, not the new improved super cat one, and Mom was relieved to hear he was safe and sound.
“Well, you’ll have to be on feeding duties from tomorrow,” Mom said.
“Huh?” Ollie looked confused.
“Valencia’s going away,” Mom said, smiling widely at Valencia whose eyes widened in mild horror. I could see her brain ticking away, wondering if she was being banished from our house. “No, it’s all good,” Mom said before I had a chance to reassure her, “you’re going to Europe.”
“What?” Valencia stared from Mom to me.
“Your mom rang and Paris is missing you badly, your Mom and Dad too. They want you with them as soon as possible. So you’re flying out tomorrow.”
“Tomorrow? On my own? What about school?”
Mom answered all of Valencia’s questions and showed her the flight details on the laptop. She appeared overwhelmed rather than excited, and with the time zone difference would have to wait until midnight to call her Mom and Dad.
“You’ll have to pack tonight,” Mom said. “And I’ll drive you to Falls Creek airport tomorrow morning.”
That was news to me, and the reality of Valencia leaving made me intervene. “Mom, I can drive her.”
Mom frowned at me like I’d lost my mind. “You have school.”
“A few missed classes won’t matter,” I said, exerting a take-charge attitude. “I’ll take her.”
And I spontaneously put my arm around Valencia’s waist. Well, she was going away for three weeks—I needed every moment with her!
Mom blinked, looked away and then back to us. Her mouth opened and closed wordlessly, a goldfish gulping for air. Finally she got some words out, “Am I missing something?”
Heat rises, right? Because I could feel a burn creeping up my neck, onto my cheeks, my face scorching like the center of the sun.
“Uh, um,” I muttered, scared to turn my red-hot face in Valencia’s direction.
“They were holding hands,” Ollie piped up in childish innocence, “when we were looking for Volley.”
“Yeah.” I was going to have to man up, own this. “Uh, um, Mom. Valencia and I are...” I didn’t know the right word for us because I still hadn’t taken her on a date. I cleared my throat, beginning again. “Um, Valencia and I...well, I like Valencia. A lot.”
“I like Jade a lot too,” Valencia chimed in and I bravely looked at her, comforted to see she was a spectacular shade of scarlet as well, the two of us impersonating bright red tomatoes.
“Ohhhhh,” Mom said, seeming to need a moment to comprehend what we were saying, the light in her eyes slow in coming, but then that point of realization, “Oh! Oh, I see.”
I nodded, Mom now looking a little embarrassed, but her lips twisted into a silly smirk. “So...when did this happen?”
Valencia and I smiled at each other. “Uh, maybe when we went to Gramma and Pops?” I said, and wanting to reassure Mom before she jumped to conclusions, quickly added, “We haven’t...been on a date yet.”
“I’m waiting for him to ask me,” Valencia said with a giggle.
