The Space In Between(40)

“Mom, do we really have to talk about this?” Andrea barked at her mom. That stone wall I had spent the past few weeks breaking down with Andrea was slowly rebuilding itself.
“Andrea Mae, I am just saying. It’s different, that’s all.” Betty truly appeared shocked by her daughter’s sharp tongue. I felt sorry for the both of them; they dealt with their feelings differently. Betty spoke, and Andrea didn’t.
“I’m so sorry.” I made sure my eyes locked with Andrea’s—to let her know she wasn’t sitting at this table alone with her past. She had both Ladasha and me there now. “I’m so, so sorry.”
Her eyes softened and she bit her bottom lip. “Thank you.” If we were going to be friends, I planned to protect her as best I could.
Time for a change of subjects. “So this Christmas party, it’s a big deal?”
My cousin’s face lit up. “Huge! And this year’s theme is Pride and Prejudice Christmas. So a group of my and Eric’s friends are taking dance lessons. Oh my gosh.” Her eyes lit up as she turned to me, Andrea and Ladasha. “You three have to do it!”
“Oh no. I’m not a dancer, but I’ll take photos.” I grinned but knew she wouldn’t let me off the hook that easily.
“No! No you have to! We are having a rehearsal tomorrow afternoon. You have to come!”
Well, I guess I had to come.
“Andrea, eat something,” Betty whispered. The whisper wasn’t quiet enough to keep everyone from hearing.
“Mom, give her space,” Eric requested. Watching him step up for his sister gave me a quick idea of the type of person he was. He was perfect for my cousin. A good guy.
“Well, I was speaking to Ms. Jacobson a few days ago as we were working on costumes for the party and she mentioned something that bothered me.”
This couldn’t be good.
“She said she read an article about how young people who lose someone feel as if they’ve lost themselves, too. And sometimes turn to alcohol or drugs or such things. Ms. Rivers also said life in New York City can been tough with its fast pace. And you show up here looking extremely skinny and…”
The sad thing was, she really meant well. Andrea slipped lower into her seat and her eyes narrowed as she studied her plate in front of her. “Are you asking me if I’m a drug addict?”
Betty’s eyes widened as if her worst nightmare had come to life, “It’s just that they said…”
“Betty.” Walter, Andrea’s dad, stepped in to ease the conversation. He was a quiet man, but only spoke up when truly needed. Yet I feared it was too late to put out this fire.
Andrea hissed at her mom. “Ms. Rivers and Ms. Jacobson spread rumors that I was drinking when the car accident happened. Ms. Rivers and Ms. Jacobson called you a bitch behind your back at last year’s Christmas party. Ms. Rivers and Ms. Jacobson can kiss my skinny ass!”
“Andrea Mae!” her mother hollered.
Andrea stood from her chair and slammed it against the table. “Home, sweet home.”
With that, she disappeared to her bedroom. Ladasha was quick to follow behind her. I wanted to run to her. I wanted to tell her it would all be all right, but I knew I couldn’t. So I remained seated. I felt for her because it seemed to me Ms. Jacobson and Ms. Rivers were the paparazzi of the small town of Wisconsin, baking up lies to keep them busy.
Michelle tried her best to keep a smile on her face. Everyone was quite shaken by the events that had occurred, yet my cousin kept on with her happiness.
“Who wants dessert?”


Chapter Twenty-Five

LESS THAN TWO hours. I had been home less than two hours and I had already had enough family time. I sent Ladasha away, telling her I was fine and needed some rest. Before I could let out my first breath of relief, there was someone knocking at the door. I didn’t feel like talking to anyone. What didn’t they understand about that? “Come in.”
When the door opened I released a sigh when I saw Daddy standing there. He was holding one of his craft airplanes in his hand and dangled it in the air as he made animated airplane noises. He walked over and landed the aircraft on the dresser before sitting next to me and patting my leg. “How you doing, kiddo?”
“I’m fine.”
“Today was interesting, eh? She doesn't mean any harm.” He was justifying Mom’s actions. Of course he was; he always backed her up, even when she was outside her mind.
“I've only been here for a few hours and she's already driving me up the wall, Daddy. I don’t know how much I can take.”
He chuckled. “She can be a handful at times.”
Eyebrow raised, I smirked. “At times?”
Lifting the model airplane off the dresser, Daddy studied it and grinned. “I always get my hands in crazy projects.”
“You’re talented.”
“I'm wacky. A few weeks ago, I built my own snow blower machine, and as I was using it on the sidewalk, the engine exploded, knocking over the neighbor's mailbox.”
“Ms. Kathy's dog-shaped mailbox?”
He nodded. “A paw went flying down the street. Your mother told me to stop with my projects. That I was wasting time, and she hated how the town laughed at me. That same afternoon, she brought me a model airplane kit, saying she saw it and thought of me. Anders, she just wants to protect us from...”
“The world,” I finished for him.
He placed the airplane into my hands and stood up to walk towards the door. Mom entered the doorframe with blankets in her arms. “I thought I would bring you extra blankets before we head home. This house seems a bit drafty.”