Best Friends Don't Kiss(8)

“Oh yeah, I think I heard Mom talking about that the other day. I—”

“Hold the phone.” I cut her off before she can continue, my spidey senses officially engaged. “How does Mom know about this?

“I think she ran into someone you went to high school with or something,” she answers. “Why?”

Oh, you’ve got to be kidding me…

“Em, I gotta go,” I say and don’t waste any time ending the call and dialing another—more pressing—number. No offense to my sister, but I have a serious bone to pick with our mother, and justified homicide is the kind of scheduled event that really can’t wait.

I tap my fancy-booted toe and grind my teeth while the phone rings, and when she doesn’t answer her cell, I give my parents’ house phone a try.

Fifteen seconds later, my mom’s voice fills my ears.

“Hey, honey! Did you change your mind about the cute lawyer? I have his num—”

No time for pleasantries about the usual auctioning off of my flesh, I stop her before she can even get started. “Why did I get an invitation in the mail to my high school reunion? And why does it seem like someone has volunteered me to help plan it?”

“A high school reunion? How fun! I never went to any of my reunions, you know. I was too busy raising you girls—” I know instantly by the way she’s hem-hawing around, she’s the culprit.

“Mom,” I interrupt. “Why on earth would you say I would help plan this thing?”

“Who is that, Rose?” Aunt Poppy’s voice chimes in from the background.

“Shh,” my mom hushes her and clears a nervous titter from her throat. “Ava, honey, I ran into Callie not too long ago, and she seemed so excited to catch up with you. I know you’re busy down there in New York, but I also know you’re going to be up here for your sister’s wedding and—”

“And, what?”

“Well…”

“Mom.”

“Well…we got to talking, and she said she was hoping to have a few people help her plan the big reunion, and I guess I kind of…sort of…maybe told her you’d be able to help a little.”

I can’t even speak, my throat is so tight.

“It’s a good thing, honey! Think of all the friends you’ll get to see. I really wish I’d gone to my reunions. They’re a milestone—”

“You’re joking, right?” I toss back. I know it’s rude not to let her finish, but the beating of my heart has tripled in speed, and if I don’t find a way to get out of this soon, it’ll give up the fight, I know it.

“Mom, for the love of everything, tell me you’re joking.”

“Ava—”

“High school for you was very different from high school for me, Mom. You know that.”

I wait for her to plead her case or apologize or something, but all she gives me is the raspy exhale of air.

“Rose Lucie, I know you’re still there. I can hear your heavy breathing on the phone.”

“I don’t breathe that loud,” she retorts through a sniffle, and I groan. God. Why does she always have to cry when I get up the nerve to tell even an ounce of the truth?

I try to gentle my voice as I explain all the things she should already remember. “My high school experience wasn’t all sunshine and freaking pom-poms, Mom. Callie Camden was an absolute wench to me. I already keep in contact with the people I want to keep in contact with. I don’t need to see anyone else.”

She sniffles again, and I close my eyes and tap my closed fist against my forehead.

“It’s just such a shame you and Callie stopped being friends when you went to high school. You girls used to be so close when you were young.”

“We stopped being close because Callie stopped treating me like a human, Mom. In fact, she was pretty much a mega bitch to everyone.”

“Ava, language.”

“Oh no, don’t try to avoid this conversation by pulling the language card on me, Mommy Dearest. You just volunteered me to help Jackie the Ripper plan a high school reunion.”

“Ava!” My mother bursts into laughter at my words. “Jackie the Ripper? That’s taking it a little far, don’t you think?”

“Nope,” I respond, popping the p. “In my opinion, referring to Callie as Jack the Ripper’s nonexistent twin sister is me being nice about it.”

“Aw, honey, I’m sorry,” she finally apologizes. “I just thought it was such perfect timing since the reunion is the day after Christmas and you’re going to be in Vermont for the holidays and Kate’s wedding. And Callie seemed so interested in seeing you. I just thought maybe you girls could use this as a chance to move on from all that ugliness. I’m really sorry if I’ve upset you. I would never try to do that.”

My shoulders sag at the sincerity in my mom’s voice. Obviously, I don’t want my mom to feel bad—I just want her not to volunteer me for shit I don’t want to do.

But I’m a mere apple, right under the tree. Rose Lucie is the biggest people-pleasing woman you’ll ever meet in your whole life, and in the lottery of genetics, I won that chromosome jackpot handily.

Knowing she can’t help herself any more than I can, I raise my white flag in record-breaking time.