Page 67 of Reaching Avery
Chapter Eighteen
Avery
“So, let me get this straight,” Declan said, giving me the sarcastic look he was known for. “You want me to go with you on your date with some guy?”
We’d just walked through the front door to a quiet house. Mom must’ve been still sleeping, because her car was in the driveway. The musky smell hit me, and I crinkled my nose. No matter how long we’d lived there, the smell never got better. After a while, it wasn’t as noticeable, but after having been gone all day and then walking back into the stuffy air, the smell returned full-force.
“It’s not a date,” I denied, feeling my cheeks heat. I didn’tthinkit was anyway. “He’s not justsome guyeither. He’s my friend.”
“The friend you have a crush on, though,” he pressed and his grin turned taunting. “The gay friend… who is obviously into you. Sounds like a date to me.”
“Look, asshat, do you wanna go or don’t you?”
“I don’t know.” He shrugged “I’ll think about it.”
“Think fast, then,” I said, rolling my eyes. “Because he’ll be here around five to pick me up.”
“Who’s picking you up, bug?” Mom asked, walking around the corner and yawning. Her dark hair was in a messy bun and she was still in last night’s makeup, probably having been too exhausted to wash it off.
“A friend from school.” I went into the kitchen and neared the coffee pot. It was a piece of crap that often leaked, but it worked some days. I started a pot of fresh coffee before turning around. “His name’s Maverick.”
I hadn’t told her about Mav yet. Mainly because I hadn’t known how to describe him, and once she heard he was popular, I knew she’d get all Mama Bear. The popular kids had always been pretty nasty to me, so she was about as untrusting as I was in that sense.
“Thank you for making coffee,” she said, putting her hands on my shoulders before giving me a hug. She knew I didn’t like unexpected invasions of my personal space. “You still friends with Ben? When will I get to meet him?”
There was the guilt again. I’d like to say I hadn’t introduced them because the timing hadn’t been right, but the truth was, I didn’t want Ben to see where I lived. He’d seen the outside of my house, but seeing the inside was different. His house was nice, and his parents were so well put together.
“Soon,” I answered, gently pulling out of her hold.
“Your hair’s getting so long, bug,” she said, running her fingers through it before letting me step back more. “Let me know when you want a trim.”
Ever since we were little, she’d always cut mine and Declan’s hair. I’d never actually been inside of an actual salon, but it was okay. She didn’t do a bad job. It got easier when I decided I wanted to let it grow out like my idol, the lead singer of Black Veil Brides. I even did my makeup kind of like him. And when he chopped all of his hair off, I still kept mine long.
I liked it. It was great for when I wanted to hide behind it.
“Oh.” Mom’s face lit up. “I have a surprise for you two. Wait here.”
As she did an excited happy dance down the hall, Declan and I stared after her. Mom was always trying to do nice things for us with what she could afford. I knew she felt guilty for the life we had, but I’d never held it against her.
One day I hoped to have enough money to give us all a better life. I’d applied at several places in Port Haven, but without a phone, it was hard to ever hear back from them, and without reliable transportation, most wrote me off before I’d even turned in the application.
It was like an endless cycle of me always coming in last place, no matter what I did.
“Okay…” Mom poked her head around the corner. Some of her bangs slipped from the bun and fell across her brow. “The weather is gettin’ colder, and I don’t want my boys freezing. So…”
She stepped out and held up coats. They were nice, not the cheap ones she got from second hand clothing stores that had holes in them. She handed one to Declan and the other to me.
“I hope you like them,” she said, lifting her hands to her mouth.
Declan’s looked like one of those preppy boy coats; the kind from like American Eagle or places like it. And mine was a freaking leather coat, very reminiscent of the one my idol wore. I was pretty sure it was fake leather—no way could we afford a real one—but it was heavy, looked awesome with the studs and pockets, and would definitely keep me warm through the winter.
Declan leapt forward and threw his arms around Mom, nearly knocking her small body over. “Thank you! I love it.”
I stood back, holding my coat over my arm, and waited. Once Declan stepped away, I approached and gave her a hug too. Mine wasn’t as enthusiastic as my hyper younger brother, but it didn’t mean I wasn’t as happy.
I just had a hard time expressing strong emotion.
“You’re amazing, Mom. Thank you.” I rested my head on the side of hers and held her, noticing how skinny she was. I got my smaller build from her, but she was becoming way too thin. Probably all the stress from her job.
