Page 8 of A Lesson in Deceit
She dipped her head down to kiss the top of my braids, whispering, “Maybe I’m making all this fuss because I’m going to miss you.”
I could feel my tears wanting to make an appearance again. Without my dad, she wouldn’t have anyone here to calm her down whenever she broke down sporadically throughout the day.
Halfway through my freshman year of high school, she decided to go back to school and get a degree in computer science. She worked as a data engineer which kept her plenty busy, but if I knew anything about my mom, she would find a way to do her work, while still finding time to fret over me. Thewoman had even offered to pay for an apartment close to home so I could still have what I wanted, but I needed to be as involved in this school as possible. I couldn’t tell her that though, so letting her assume I wanted to get the full college experience was how I’d played it. She was pretty good friends with Marianne’s mom, so she could get her out of the house more often, but I knew it wouldn’t be the same.
I hated lying to her; I hated lying to anyone. She had fallen prey to whatever the police and the school was telling her. I couldn’t make myself just accept their words without validating my own theories. I reallywasgoing to get an education, so thathadto count for something…right?
Our tender moment was shattered when I heard my mom yelp and pull away from me, looking down at the floor. Paws padded on the kitchen floor and the sound of a thunderous tail hitting the cabinet doors on the kitchen island had me giggling. My mom placed her hand on her chest, shaking her head at Beau, my two-year-old pitbull. His grey coat still shined from the bath I’d wrestled him into yesterday.
“Heis another reason I wish you would reconsider.” She narrowed her eyes at the dog, who simply looked up at her with his big innocent eyes.
“I would if I could, but do not pretend like he hasn’t brought a smile to your face on multiple occasions.” I raised an eyebrow at her. She huffed, bending down and petting my furry companion on the head.
Beau had ultimately found me. I had decided to take a walk alone after the funeral, continuously assuring River and my mom that I was alright and wound up collecting a walking buddy. He had scared me half to death when he’d come from a bush, seemingly unscathed and pretty well taken care of. He had curled his body around my legs and panted, lifting his big head up for me to pet. I’d called River to come get me, receiving awide-eyed look when he’d pulled up and saw a dog sitting next to me on the curb.
We’d taken him to a vet, quickly learning that he wasn’t chipped. I went home and made a deal with my mom that if no one claimed him in two weeks, then he was mine. Those two weeks were filled with Beau climbing in my bed while I cried, falling asleep in my lap while I read, and greeting both me and mom with the most enthusiastic response whenever we came home.
I bent down next to her, scratching Beau behind his ear. “You gonna take good care of her, buddy?”
He tilted his head as if he was telling me something without words. He did a little hop and licked my face, almost knocking me over. A knock sounded at the door, gaining a sharp bark from the medium-sized dog between us.
I wiped my hand down my shorts, heading towards the front door. I pulled it open, smiling when I saw River and Grayson standing there. My boyfriend gave me a hug, kissing the side of my face before moving to greet my mom. I looked around Grayson’s tall frame to see a midsize SUV parked outside.
Grayson followed my eyes, chuckling. “Your boyfriend thought it would be a good idea for me to borrow my parent’s car instead of my sedan to take you.” He stepped inside, taking a look at the minimal amount of luggage I had. “Hmph, River strikes again.”
I shook my head, narrowing my eyes at my boyfriend. “I would have happily taken the train.” I’d taken the Caltrain plenty of times, seeing as it had stops at all the places I was familiar with. I had liked using it ever since the first time I’d ridden it with my dad. I’d even gotten lost on it one time, on purpose, which got me grounded for a week for giving my mom a heart attack.
River rolled his eyes from his place on the floor, happily scratching Beau’s belly. “That’s a joke, right? It would take over an hour, maybe more to just get to the city alone. How about you put all that saved up money to use and put a down payment on a car? Or you know what? Just come live with me.”
I heard my mom cluck her tongue causing me to let out a long sigh. “Driving is a nightmare here, at least for me and I don’t know…you ever think I might enjoy public transportation?”
In unison they all looked at me and said, “No.”
I was about to protest when I felt arms around me, pulling me into a hug. Grayson’s voice settled near my ear, whispering, “River continues to borrow Asher’s car because he believes that he can do all things with just his motorcycle.”
I wanted to shake my head remembering the story River had told me about how a year or so before we met, he had sold his car in favor of the motorcycle he currently owned. River in a motorcycle helmet did things to my insides that I’d never felt before, but that didn’t mean I thought the idea was very smart. His brother’s car was nice whenever he borrowed it, but Asher was the type that wanted it back in pristine condition, which meant that after he picked me up when I’d found Beau, we’d gotten the car vacuumed and thoroughly cleaned.
“I heard that, dickhead,” River scoffed, walking over to us.
I giggled, always feeling this comforting warmth when Grayson Ypulong was around. I pulled away from him, keeping my hands on his forearms that weren’t as covered in tattoos as River’s, but they were getting there. His skin had gotten some sun over the summer, so his olive complexion looked more tan than usual. Unlike River, Grayson’s multitude of tattoos all meant something special to him, especially the ones that had to do with his family, regardless of how and when he got them. From what I’d witnessed he was close with his parents, and they only ever treated River and I like damn near royalty every timeGrayson would drag us out for his family dinners. “I didn’t know you were coming. River didn’t mention it.”
Grayson shrugged, running a hand through his dark hair that ended right at his earlobes. The strands looked so soft and shiny; I had to stop myself from reaching up to touch them myself. His eyes were almond shaped, turning up slightly at the corners and were the darkest brown I’d ever seen. “River told me you were moving into the dorms today, and I like to be helpful.” He winked at me. “Also, you know you’re my favorite if I had to choose between the two of you.” He reached for my sides, his fingers finding the spots that tickled.
I batted him away, catching my breath from my laughing fit. My eyes immediately found the one tattoo on his arm that I had been present for. He’d decided on a random Tuesday night to get hislola’sname tattooed in loopy cursive on his bicep. That was the same night I discoveredlolameans grandma in Tagalog. Every so often, he would throw words I didn’t know into sentences, so he could give me a tiny language lesson. It was kind of our thing.
“Can you get the bags?” River delegated, pointing to my luggage.
Grayson winked at me again, pulling out his keys and pressing a button to open up the trunk to the SUV. He pocketed his keys and pointed his fingers at the luggage. Black shadows escaped his fingertips, whipping around and wrapping around my bags. The tendrils lifted and hauled them towards the closed front door. Grayson pointed his other hand at the door, letting more black ropes release themselves so that they could turn the doorknob.
We all watched as his shadows worked, effortlessly placing my bags into the trunk. Beau waited patiently by the door, keeping an eye on the black wisps that slammed the trunk closed and then disappeared as if they were never there.
“Show off,” River muttered, playfully slamming his shoulder into Grayson’s. I heard my mom chuckle from where she stood off to the side.
“You ready? We leave now and we should be able to make it there to get you settled in and off to the orientation assembly.” Grayson explained, hooking his thumb over his shoulder.
“Orientation assembly?” I asked, wrinkling my nose.
Both boys nodded. Grayson waved me off. “You’ll see when you get there.”
