Page 53 of My Life with the Walter Boys
“No,” I said and yawned, “but I’d like a kiss.”
“Go to sleep, silly,” he said before quickly pecking me on the cheek.
“Night, Alex,” I told him as he turned off the light.
“Night, Jackie,” he responded and shut my door.
***
I quickly learned that Mr. and Mrs. Walter were not afraid to punish me. The next morning I woke up to a wicked hangover and Katherine sitting on the edge of my bed.
“How are you feeling, Jackie?” she asked, offering me a Tylenol and a glass of water.
“Um, I’ve been better,” I replied, slowly pushing myself up. My head was pounding, but I was more uncomfortable with the fact that Katherine was smiling at me.
“I don’t doubt,” she said with a knowing look as I popped the medicine into my mouth. “But school starts in two hours, so you need to get ready.”
“Thanks,” I said, nodding my head nervously as she stood up. Katherine should be yelling at me, not helping me nurse my headache.
“Of course, dear,” she said, crossing my room. She dropped the bomb when she reached the door. “Oh, and, Jackie, honey? You and Cole are both grounded. Three weeks.”
It meant we were restricted to the house with the exception of school, no watching TV or playing video games, and absolutely no friends. Truthfully I didn’t mind that much, as I figured it would give me time to refocus my priorities. My real punishment was the guilt. I could feel it in my lungs and chest, and in the heat of my blush. Something about skipping school with Cole had been so fun, so…liberating. For a few hours, I’d forgotten about my family and what Mary had said. That thought alone was terrifying.
How could I possibly have forgotten feelings that were so painful that they felt like a permanent scar? Although spending time with Cole gave me this new, thrilling feeling I couldn’t quite explain, I never wanted to forget again. My family was the force that drove me forward. I needed to refocus my attention on grades and my Princeton application.
The ride to school was awful. Every bump the truck hit was a hammer to my temple, but it wasn’t just the pain that was bothering me. Most of the guys weren’t angry that Cole stranded them yesterday after school, as they evidently were used to it. Isaac was bummed that Cole didn’t invite him along, but when I told him how long we were grounded for, he changed his mind. Alex, however, was avoiding me. He didn’t say a word to me during the drive, and when we got to school, he rushed inside without waiting for me. I knew he was mad, but he would have to face me in anatomy.
When I walked into class, Alex was sitting in our usual spot, his face blank as he stared straight ahead. I took a deep breath before crossing the room, and when I sat down, he didn’t move or acknowledge my presence. Up close I noticed that his skin was pale and glistening—maybe he was nervous about getting our test back?
“So,” I said after an awkward silence. “How long are you going to ignore me?”
His lips pursed, but he didn’t say anything.
“Okay, fine,” I said, scooping my stuff up into my arms. “If you’re going to be like that, I’ll sit somewhere else.”
“I can’t believe you skipped school with him,” he said.
“It wasn’t like I planned on it, Alex. It just happened.”
“That’s kind of hard to believe coming from Ms. I Need a Schedule for Every Second of My Life.”
Okay, I was so done with this damn sibling rivalry war or whatever it was. “Alex, I know you have issues with Cole, but don’t take it out on me. You can’t expect me to never talk to him, and he was only trying to cheer me up.”
“There’s a difference between talking to him and getting drunk with him!”
“You know what, Alex?” I snapped, sick of how unfair he was being. “Maybe if your damn ex wasn’t such a bitch, I wouldn’t have ended up in that situation to begin with.” The words tumbled of my mouth out before I realized I didn’t want him to know about my confrontation with Mary.
“What?”
“Nothing. Never mind.”
“No, I want to know what she said to you.”
“Well, I don’t want to talk about it, so just forget it.”
Alex looked like he was going to argue, but then Mr. Piper appeared at the front of the room.
“Who’s ready to see their grades?” he called cheerfully. Everyone groaned.
