Page 78 of Before We're More Than Friends
“I understand.” Mom nodded, her lip trembling. “I just thought that you guys missed him.”
I did miss Dad, and I knew Arielle did too, but the look we exchanged said everything for us. Neither one of us wanted to admit it. When he’d been taken away last week, a bunch of newsmen following the car he rode in, we hadn’t watched him leave. We’d barely said goodbye.
“We don’t have to see him right away,” Mom said. “But just think about it while you give yourselves time to heal.”
“Thank you,” we both murmured.
“But I do mean what I told you, Arielle,” Mom added. “I want you guys to understand my perspective on the situation. I know it’s not fair to you guys that I’ve been struggling with an addiction, but I want to try my best. It’s not going to happen overnight.” She looked at her watch. “I need to get ready for work. But please keep in mind everything I said.” She looked us in the eyes. “I know my words have been empty to you, but I do mean them.”
“I want to believe you,” I said, meaning the words with my entire heart.
“Me too,” Arielle said, finishing her bowl of fruit.
But I can’t. Both of our sentences ended with the same thought, I knew, but we couldn’t say it out loud. People thought twins could read each other’s minds, and to a certain extent, it was true.
We just knew each other like that.
Arielle didn’t hesitate to leave the kitchen once Mom had left, putting her dishes in the sink and running back upstairs. I wondered if she’d cry before putting on her full face of makeup. For the first time, my chest tightened with worry for her. I’d been worried about Dad, about Mom, about my friends, but never just her.
We display our pain differently. But it doesn’t take away from the fact that we’re both hurting.
“You can’t bethatdesperate for a lead singer.”
Hayden gave me his classic puppy eyes as he leaned against the lockers next to mine. “Who says I can’t? It’s just until the end of March.”
“Why didn’t you ask Arielle?” I asked, taking my lunch box out of my locker. “That sounds way more up her alley.”
“I’m the one who told him to ask you.” I jumped as Arielle opened her locker next to mine.
“What are you, a ninja?” I sighed. “Just because I always sing at sleepovers doesn’t mean I’d make a good lead singer for Oliver’s Garage Band.” Hayden, Oliver, Caleb, and Sienna had made a band in Oliver’s garage last summer andstilldidn’t have a name for it.
“But you’ll get paid for three gigs,” Arielle said in a pleading voice. “The only instrument I can play is a tambourine, and I’m for sure not lead singer quality.”
“Can you seriously not find someone else to play with you?” I asked Hayden.
“Did you not hear youget paid?” Arielle asked.
“I heard it.” As much as I worried about money now that we were only living off Mom’s income, there was no way I could be a lead singer. “Hayden, there are tons of people who can audition for your band.”
“Yeah, because who wants to join a band I’m in?” Hayden scoffed.
“Oliver’s in the band.”
He rolled his eyes. “Yeah, you and other girls for sure love that idea.”
My cheeks flushed. “I didn’t mean that I?—”
“Trust me, I know. You’ve moved on to different things.” He gave me a wink.
I blinked. “Um, are you implying yourself, because I’m not really sorry to say that I don’t feel the same way.”
He groaned. “Will you at least come on Saturday and help us brainstorm what the heck we’re going to do? If we can just win this competition?—”
“What makes you think we’d win?”
Hurt crossed his features. “Fine. Forget it.”
I frowned. “Wait, I didn’t mean?—”
