Baby Doll(3)
Wes had lost his temper and told her he was far from okay. His father had been arrested for driving under the influence. He tried to pretend it didn’t matter.
“I don’t know why I’m surprised. I should be used to him acting like an *. It’s stupid. I don’t want to ruin the night. C’mon, we’re gonna miss the previews.” Lily had grabbed him before he could get out of the truck.
“I don’t care about the previews. And it’s not stupid. Tell me what’s going on.” An expression of gratitude flickered across Wes’s face. “Really?”
Lily had nodded. No movie in Hollywood could compete with that moment. They sat in his pickup as Wes explained that his father’s drinking had only gotten worse once Wes’s mother had died. He was trying to keep the bills paid, make sure his father didn’t miss work, but it was wearing on him. But he didn’t just want to talk about himself. He’d asked Lily about her life, listening as she talked about Abby and how close they were and how she was so worried that their parents were planning to divorce. They were so busy talking they missed the movie, and Lily had nearly missed curfew. She couldn’t believe it. She’d only ever felt this comfortable with Abby. Just when Lily thought the evening couldn’t get any more perfect, Wes leaned over and kissed her. Before long, Lily’s life became one spectacular day after another.
Lily kept running, adjusting Sky in her arms, but she couldn’t stop thinking about that spectacular year she’d spent with Wes. Of course, that Tuesday in September had been as far from spectacular as one could get. In fact, the day had been totally shitty. She was still on crutches after spraining her ankle at her first track meet. She’d stayed up late talking to Wes on the phone and had forgotten to study for a chem pop quiz. She knew that she’d completely bombed it. Lily hobbled over to Abby’s locker, prepared to vent about how she’d screwed up her GPA. Abby didn’t bother hiding her annoyance.
“Where’s my black sweater? You said you put it back in my locker,” Abby said.
“I did. You had it on last week after practice.”
“No. I didn’t. You lost my favorite f*cking sweater, didn’t you? I knew you would.”
Lily had adamantly denied losing the sweater. But Abby didn’t believe her. She’d called Lily a liar. Face red, lips thinned to slivers and pursed in a way that always annoyed Lily, Abby had glared back at her. A fight had been inevitable.
“You’re such a f*ckup,” Abby said.
“Right… and you’re sooooo perfect, aren’t you?” Lily retorted. She hated how Abby acted like she was the Second Coming just because she was six minutes older.
“Whatever. You’re never borrowing anything of mine again.”
“Abby, seriously… I didn’t lose it.”
“You can never accept when you’re wrong. I swear, you’re such a selfish bitch. Life would be so much easier without you.”
Abby had stormed off. Lily knew Abby would take the car because it was her day to drive, but she didn’t care. She’d rather get a ride with Wes or call her parents than listen to her sister’s stupid tirade about a sweater that Lily knew she’d given back.
The things they said to each other might have sounded awful to an outsider, but that was how twins fight. Their arguments meant nothing. One minute they would be trading vicious insults; the next, they were curled up on the sofa in the family room, examining each other’s Facebook pages and making plans for the weekend. Any other night, Lily would have come home and flopped onto the couch beside Abby, the entire fight forgotten. How could she have known that day would be the last time they’d see each other? She could never have predicted what lay ahead. No one could.
Lily’s arms were aching now. She rearranged Sky, kissing her and whispering encouraging words. Lily was careful to stay off the main road, ducking anytime headlights grew near. They needed to get warm soon or they’d be risking hypothermia. Lily had no idea how long they’d been running, but they had to be close. She rounded the bend and suddenly gasped. There it was—the WELCOME TO CRESTED GLEN sign. For years, Lily had hated that sign. She hated what it meant—being stuck in suburbia for another day. She’d wanted skyscrapers and the frantic pace of a big city. She wanted coffee shops and hookah bars and tiny pubs where hipster bartenders served endless pints of Guinness. She’d dreamt of seeing off-Broadway plays and thrift shopping. She’d imagined finding a career she loved. She’d envisioned living in a loft in the West Village, with Abby, the two of them exploring New York City together. “The Riser Twins Take on Manhattan” was their childhood dream, the two of them making vision boards and daydreaming about decorating their loft space. Crested Glen was the opposite of New York. It was, Lily used to joke, where dreams went to die. She’d never imagined feeling such joy at being back here. But seeing that sign, that spectacular sign, meant they’d almost made it home. She picked up the pace, whispering to Sky that everything was going to be okay. Keep going, Lily thought. Just keep going.
CHAPTER TWO
RICK
Don’t be a *, Rick told himself as he navigated the snowy back roads. Don’t let the stress get to you. Stress made people careless, and Rick couldn’t afford to be careless. Between his classes, his wife, and his girls, he’d overextended himself these last few months. But he could handle it. He simply needed to manage his time better.