Shameless(88)

My parents even look moderately sympathetic when I talk about Brady.

I’m exhausted from last night. My mom made me whip up an ungodly number of tamales for the family visiting tonight. I finally doze off but a knock on my bedroom door jars me awake. I’m guessing my pity party is coming to an end because Tori rips off my comforter and jumps on my bed.

“What the hell?” I glare.

“You can’t lie in bed all day, loser. It’s New Year’s Eve. Get the f*ck up. We’re going to par-tay like we’re hoochies in a Prince video.”

I smile pleasantly until she smiles back, and then I yank the comforter out of her grip and burrow deeper. “How do you even know who Prince is?”

“Mom’s been watching old episodes of I Love The 80s on YouTube.” She sits on me like the slug that she is.

“Tor, we need to establish boundaries,” I grunt under her weight.

She snorts. “So does that mean you won’t give me Brady’s number? You know, if I wanted to call him and show him a good time?” Then my little sister starts grinding on me.

I whip the blanket off my head and shoot her the dirtiest look I can muster. She laughs harder.

She holds up her hands. “Kidding. God, you should see your face!” But then she stops laughing. “Your eyes are kind of puffy.” She kisses my forehead and whispers, “I’m sorry you look like shit for the holidays.”

“You were such a sweet baby. What happened?”

“You adore me. Admit it.” Then she tucks herself under the blanket and spoons me.

We lie there and listen to the festivities in the other room.

“So you love this Brady guy, huh?”

I sigh. “Yes.”

“Enough to have his babies and live on a farm and go all Laura Ingalls Wilder?”

“The chick from Little House on the Prairie?” I mull that over. “They didn’t have running water. So I’d say yes, but I need indoor plumbing.”

She snickers. “Please tell me Brady is hotter than Almanzo. He was kind of douchey.”

“It was that awful haircut.”

“Hmm. Yeah.” She snuggles closer and sticks her cold nose in my neck. “So if Brady were to show up on a horse, all white knight and shit, you’d forgive him for letting you go?”

Another deep sigh leaves me. “There’s nothing to forgive.”

“So you’re not mad at him?”

“God, no. I just wish things were different. That he didn’t have to go back to Boston. But I knew what I was getting into. He was always honest with me.”

“It still sucks hairy balls, though.”

“Yeah. It does.”

We spoon in silence, and I have to admit it’s nice having my sister comfort me. Makes the ache in my chest a little less acute. Less like I’m getting sliced repeatedly and more like I’m bleeding out from one gaping wound.

After a few minutes, she crawls out and declares that it’s time to stop moping. “Mom says dinner is on at seven. You should shower too because you kinda stink.”

When I don’t move, she drags my comforter off my body. “Shower,” she demands. “Now!”

As I drag my listless body out of bed, I mumble, “Geez, you’re bossy.”

The smile on her face is priceless. “Learned from the best, homie.”





59





Katherine





I glance down at my jeans and flannel and then look around. Everyone is dressed up today, and the house is packed. Someone must have brought some firecrackers because I don’t remember the last time this many people came over.

“Why are y’all wearing ties?” I ask my uncles as I hug them one by one.

Tío Chuey glances at my mom and then back to me and shrugs. “Just came from Mass. You shoulda come too, my little heathen.”

“You went to church for New Year’s Eve service? I thought you only did Christmas?”

“Nah, I do all the major holidays. The cute ladies host a big potluck after.” He waggles his eyebrows.

Ew.

I pat his big belly. “Looks like you’ve been indulging.”

“You know it!”

I laugh and kiss his chubby cheek. I’m greeting the rest of my relatives when my uncle herds me toward the end of the extended dining room table and then calls out to my parents.

“Sit,” my mom barks, pointing to me and then the place setting in front of me.

Tori saunters over and pulls out my chair. Leaning over to her, I whisper, “Is it my imagination or is everyone acting weird?”

“Our family is weird. You just never realized it.” Then she pretends to fellate a celery stick, but nobody seems to notice that my sex-obsessed little sister is being a total pervert.

Slouching in the chair, I wait for the rest of the family to grab a seat and for my mom to give the go-ahead to pass around the casserole dishes that fill the table. Except everyone keeps standing. And staring. At me.

Why do I feel like I’m in the middle of a Twilight Zone episode?

My mom moves next to my dad, who clears his throat. “It’s real good to have everyone here today. Margie and I are blessed y’all could make it.”