Page 72 of Rebound
“Will someone please explain?” I ask. “Why are you worried about Roman’s personality? He’s...nice.”
Dad looks at me sharply. “Why did you hesitate? Has he said something?”
“No, he’s nice. To me. Roman doesn’t believe in being nice to people for the sake of being nice,” I say. “He’s perfectly polite, but he believes that niceness, trust, and loyalty are all things which need to be earned rather than given freely because society expects it.”
“That’s a very pragmatic point of view,” Gran says.
Jules raises her hand. “As someone who’s been to therapy, it can also be a trauma induced point of view. People suck, and because they’re family or people you know doesn’t mean they deserve your blind trust.”
I think back to the last Falcons game. Roman’s parents were there, but he didn’t even greet them, didn’t even glance their way, as if he didn’t care. Come to think of it, they didn’t seem to care, either.
“Asher Maddox has always had a chip on his shoulder,” Dad says. “He believed he deserved a lot more than he got. He’s never been happy with what he has, and he’s always been controlling to the point of madness. That’s not a family I want you married into.”
“Let’s have dinner before it gets cold and then we can discuss this further,” Mom says with a sigh.
One by one, they file out of the living room and walk to the dining room. I get my phone out of my pocket and text Roman to let him know my family took the news of our marriage incredibly well.
It’s kind of a lie, but I’m not about to tell him all the discussion surrounding his parents. He doesn’t reply, but that’s not a problem. I put my phone back and go join my family for dinner, mentally preparing myself to learn a lot of unpleasant details about my husband’s parents.
TWENTY-FOUR
LAVINIA
Halloween is my second favorite holiday after Christmas. And yes, I’m aware of the haters who say Halloween isn’t a holiday because you still have to work and go to school. It doesn’t matter. Halloween is a holiday and I love to celebrate it.
As Halloween enthusiasts, Jules and I go to Salem whenever we have the chance. As fate would have it, we’re both in Boston and that means it's time to head to Salem.
Jules and I spent a lot of time as kids wishing for our powers to manifest. It was right after a school trip to Salem where we learned all about witches and the witch trials.
It’s incredibly fucked how scared men are of women in power and it’s even more fucked how easy it is for men to manipulate people against women. Fuck the patriarchy. A man must have figured out that the only way to achieve world peace is to have women be in charge and that’s why they can’t let us be in power.
“If our powers manifested now, what would they be?” Jules asks from the driver’s side.
We’re stuck on the highway, so the normal thirty minute drive is taking upwards of an hour. The GPS showed there was an accident earlier, but we haven’t even hit that section of the highway yet.
I chew on my straw, thinking about it. “I’d love the power to stop time, or erase people’s memories, or maybe control one of the elements.”
“I’d want to be invisible, or have the power to freeze things, or have the power to set things on fire,” Jules says.
“I love that you’re on the opposite ends with your powers.”
“Well, if it’s not the ice age, it’s the apocalypse. You know what power I don’t want?”
“Mind reading,” we say at the same time.
“I don’t know how Edward Cullen did it,” Jules says, shaking her head.
“Clearly the man never had to sit in Boston traffic or be surrounded by hockey fans.”
“Exactly. Given all the insane shit people are willing to say without a second thought, I hesitate to think what it is that they’re not saying. I don’t need a direct line to that.”
My phone chimes with an incoming text and I shuffle around in my purse for it, hoping it’s Roman. We haven’t had a proper conversation in four days, which is coincidentally how long we’ve been married. Pulling it out, I see a voice note from Drew. My heart plummets.
“It’s Drew,” I tell Jules. She wrinkles her nose in distaste and it makes me laugh. It’s interesting how much they despise each other for two people who are literally going to be in my life forever. I play his message.
“I listened to the latest episode of your podcast. Since when do you say ya’ll?” He sounds like he’s cringing hard.
I press the record button. “Ya’ll is okay.”
