The Queen of Bright and Shiny Things(64)

“My mom thinks there’s an alien running my body now. The sad part is, I think she likes the parasite better than the old me.”

“You’re still you. See you later.”

I disconnect, put away my school stuff, and change clothes. Then I join my aunt for an orgy of sweets and feel-good movies. It turns out to be a really fun weekend, even more so after Lila arrives. By the time she leaves on Sunday, my aunt is in a better mood, and I’m not totally sorry things worked out like this. I mean, I wanted Shane here. But girl time was fun, too.





CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE

When I head to school on Monday, it’s a short week, only three days, since Thursday is Thanksgiving. I’m looking forward to the break. Green World is canceled for the holiday, and I don’t have to work on Thursday, obviously. Shane has the day off, too, but I haven’t invited him over yet. I should clear it at home first. So Monday night, after my shift at the Curly Q, I bring it up with Aunt Gabby. “I was wondering, is it okay if Shane spends Thanksgiving with us?”

“What about his family?”

“It’s just his dad … and he’s a truck driver. He can’t get time off, and they’ve scheduled him for a long haul this time.”


“That sucks.” I nod, hoping she doesn’t ask anything else about Shane’s father. “No grandparents nearby?”

I shake my head, though Shane hasn’t mentioned them. Maybe they’ve passed away? “We can’t leave him alone for the holidays.”

“I don’t mind, if he’s okay sleeping on the couch.”

So instead of a two-day weekend with Shane, unsupervised, I’m getting four days with my aunt in the house. I’ll take it. Impulsively I hug her. “You’re the best.”

“So you occasionally tell me,” she mumbles, smiling.

“Is Joe coming over?”

“Not this year. He’s driving to Missouri to see his folks … if he feels up to it.”

“Yeah, the demon strep. How’s he doing?”

“I haven’t seen him all week. He was off work for four days.”

“Well, I hope he feels better and has a good holiday.”

After eating a quick dinner, I head to my room, happy with how this worked out. Tuesday morning, I pounce on Shane at our locker.

He hugs me, looking startled. “Good news?”

“You’re coming home with me Wednesday. It’s cool with my aunt if you stay until Sunday.”

His eyes widen. “You didn’t—”

“I explained that your dad got stuck with an unexpected job and you’re at loose ends for Thanksgiving.” With my eyes, I warn him not to say anything else. If Dylan can’t make trouble for me, he might go after Shane. And he does have a secret he’s keeping.

I glance around, and sure enough, a member of Dylan’s crew is leaning against the lockers nearby. It’s not like I haven’t noticed his people watching me, but I spend all my time being good. They won’t catch me doing anything he can use.

He nods. “Should I bring anything?”

“Nah, we’ll handle it. Hope you like Tofurky.”

“I can honestly say I have no idea.”

“Don’t worry, there will be plenty of other trimmings. Cornbread dressing, sweet potato casserole, green beans and mushrooms, fruit salad, fresh yeast rolls, pumpkin pie, and homemade vanilla bean ice cream.”

“Wow. Sounds like you guys go all out. I … haven’t had that in a while.”

“Before I came to live with my aunt, me either.” That’s more than I usually tell anyone about my time with my bio-mom, but I want Shane to know I understand, at least somewhat.

“Thanks, Sage. This will be awesome.”

People push past us, reminding me I need to get to class. There’s still Tuesday and Wednesday before the fun begins. I’m nervous thinking about having him at my house—what if I do something embarrassing or he catches me going into the bathroom with bed head and morning breath—but I’m excited, too. Shane squeezes me before letting go, just as the bell rings, and we run in opposite directions. I slide into my chair just in time.

I wish I could say the time races like white-water rapids, but it’s more like honey in cold weather. But the clock hands can’t actually run backward, so eventually, it’s Wednesday afternoon. Shane and I head out to the bike rack, but I draw up short.

The tires on my bike have been slashed. I get the message loud and clear. If Dylan can’t ruin me socially, he can hurt me in other ways. There are no security cameras, so it would be my word against his, and he occupies a higher social echelon. Plus, Principal Warick’s banging his mom, so he has reason to keep Dylan happy. That means he’s practically untouchable.

“Well, that was a dick move right before Thanksgiving. It’ll be days before you can get that fixed.”

“Yeah,” I say quietly.

I’m sure that was the point—to make me feel helpless and crippled. And it upsets me because it works. I would love to let Shadow Sage answer this challenge. I could escalate so fast, it would make Dylan’s head spin. I imagine slipping a cotton cord into his gas tank, then lighting it up. The flame would burn inward, like a fuse, until it caught the fuel inside. That would make a really satisfying explosion. I’m enjoying the thought when Shane’s hand wraps around mine.