Untouched (Bay Falls High, #1)(4)

And I stood there with a cup of horrible tasting coffee and nothing to offer the world.

“She stole my mother’s ring.”

I rolled my eyes and turned to face Claire.

“What?”

“She stole my mother’s ring. And I was so angry I threw you both out. She took side jobs where I couldn’t help her. And it was always my fault. I was the one who set her up with your… well, the guy who made you.”

“He’s called the sperm donor,” I said.

Claire laughed. “Tinsley, I’m sorry. There was nothing else I could do. I really didn’t come here to talk about that. To talk about the past.”

“So then why are you here?”

“To give you a chance to get away from this,” Claire said. “I mean, without being too harsh, you have nowhere else to go.”

“To go? As in me going with you? Where?”

“With me,” Claire said. “You can finish your last year and have an actual home. A big home. More rooms than you can possibly imagine. Your mother will be in rehab. And she’ll be better off knowing you’re safe and sound. You can have anything you want, Tinsley. House, clothes, car, money.”

“For free?”

“You deserve a break for once,” Claire said. “If your mother wants to live on the streets and put that junk in her arms, that’s up to her. But you… I don’t want that for you.”

“So where were you my entire life then?” I asked.

“I don’t think that matters right now,” Claire said. “Just look at the moment in front of you, Tinsley. Hey. Who do you think convinced your mother to name you Tinsley? Seriously, she was going to call you Tinsel. She wanted you to be called Tinsel Cringle Claire Ditkiss.”

My eyes opened wide. “What?”

“Yeah. Think about that name for a second.”

And here I thought Tinsley Jane Ditkiss was bad.

“Do it for your mother,” Claire said. “I know you’ve done a lot for her. But this is something easy. She’ll be where she belongs. And she’ll get better.”

“Can I get some decent coffee at least?” I asked.

Claire walked toward me and took the coffee she bought out of my hand. She threw it out and slowly put her sunglasses back on her face.

“I’ll buy a cup of coffee that costs more than all the clothes you’re wearing right now.”





I turned on the light switch and nothing happened. I did it eight more times as though the power would magically turn on. I hurried into the kitchen to find the stove and microwave both without power. No green, neon numbers telling me the time.

My next step was the wall that attached our apartment to Harriet’s.

I put my ear to the wall and shut my eyes, whispering a prayer to myself that I would hear nothing. Meaning Harriet had no power either. Meaning the entire building lost power. And that it wasn’t just-I heard a voice and then the boomer laughter of an audience. It was followed by Harriet’s throaty smoker’s laugh.

Great.

Mom overdoses, almost dies, and now there’s no electricity in the apartment.

My eyes looked at the stack of bills on the table and I refused to look. I didn’t want to know what other kind of bullshit hell Mom had waiting for me.

And that’s what it was now.

It was me.

It was all on me.

There was a soft knock at the door.

“What now?” I whispered as I put my head back.

I opened the door and saw Claire standing there.

“No power, right?”

“What are you doing here?”

“Your mother and I stayed in touch,” she said. “She was always behind on things.”

“So you’re the rich land lady who stayed in touch with my mother but never did anything to help?”

“I helped more than you know, Tinsley. And there was nothing I could do for you because she wouldn’t let me. I offered to take you several times. But now you’re old enough to make your own decisions. Right?”

“That’s right. I’m an adult.”

Claire grinned. “Of course you are. So now you have to figure out how to pay back what’s owed on the electric. They’re going to want a massive security deposit now, too. Just in case this happens again. And without power…”

“I get it,” I said. “I’m an adult because of my age but to you and the rest of the world I’m a stupid teenager, right?”

“Not even close,” Claire said. “You’re more grown up than your mother.”

“So why did you follow me here?”

“I can’t sleep tonight knowing you’re in this place without power.”

“You’re rich. Fix it.”

“If that’s what you want, I’ll make a call right now,” Claire said.

“Good,” I said.

“Or you could have a bedroom the size of this apartment. A chef to cook you real meals. In-ground pool with a waterfall. I mean… the normal stuff.”

“This isn’t a joke,” I said.

“I’m not saying it is. I owe this to you, Tinsley. And to your mother, I suppose.”

“So I just go with you?”