The Way to Game the Walk of Shame(74)

28

{Taylor}


“So did you and Evan really break up?”

Kimmy poked her head in my room, looking even tinier than usual in an oversize purple sweater. Her dark hair stuck out of the side of her ponytail, making her head look oddly shaped. She’d done her own hair this morning. At least she got an A for effort. I turned away from the bookcase, dropped the dust rag on the ground, and sat on the bed. “What are you doing? I thought you went to the store with Mom.”

“She had too many errands to run, so I told her I’ll just stay at home with you.” Without an invitation, she came into my room and leaped on my bed, making me bounce a few times.

I didn’t mind. I was happy for her company. Any company, really. I had talked to Carly a few times over the weekend, but she was always busy with something. And she said she could only take my moping in small doses. She promised to be back to lend a sympathetic ear tomorrow at school, but not a day sooner.

When Kimmy leaned her head toward me, I tugged at the pink scrunchie on her head and combed my fingers through her curly locks. Separating her hair in three sections, I braided it, concentrating on keeping each section even.

She fiddled with the strands on my quilt. “So did you? Mom told Dad that you did, but I didn’t believe her.”

My hands paused at the nape of her neck. “Yeah. I did.”

“Oh.”

The room got quiet as she rocked back and forth on the bed, waiting for me to finish. I took my time tucking in each of the strands that tried to escape until the braid was perfectly trailing down the center of her back. I finished the braid and tied off the end.

She scratched the bottom of her chin with the end of her braid. “Was it his fault?”

“No, not really. It was—we couldn’t—” How was I supposed to explain our relationship to a nine-year-old? Heck, I didn’t understand why we couldn’t be together. I mean, I knew the reasons, but I couldn’t help thinking they were stupid now. I was stupid. “It’s complicated.”

“Did you want to break up?”

“No,” I admitted, unable to lie to her.

Her lips puckered into a pout. “Then it has to be his fault.”

I couldn’t argue with that logic. “Maybe.”

She leaned back against my chest and let me hug her. “Taylor?”

“Yeah?”

“I miss him. He was nice. I don’t think any other guys would let me put makeup on them.”

I laid my chin on the top of her soft head and closed my eyes. “I miss him, too.”

After Kimmy left to watch TV, I finished rearranging my bookcase by genre and favorite authors and dove into the closet next. I’d already divided the clothes that I would bring to college, the ones I’d leave behind, and the ones I’d give to charity, but there was no harm in double-checking. Maybe there was something I was missing. Something I’d need in the future.

And that’s why I was partially buried in T-shirts and sweaters when Dad came in with a plateful of cookies. “Do you want to take a break for a minute?”

“Sure.” I carefully maneuvered around the piles and came over to sit with him on the bed. “Do you have—” Without waiting for me to finish, he slipped two extra plates from beneath the plate of cookies and handed one to me with a grin. “Thanks, Dad.”

“No problem. Wouldn’t want any crumbs to fall on your immaculate carpet, now would we?” he asked, leaning backward against my pillow. “Who taught you to be so clean?”

I stifled a laugh. He was such a dork sometimes. “That would be you. Remember? As soon as you married Mom, you taught me that organization and structured plans were the key to happiness.”

“Yeah, I forget how brilliant I am sometimes.”

I laughed and was about to pop the cookie into my mouth when I realized that it was homemade. “Uh, where did this come from? Did Mom bake?” I asked, sniffing the cookie. It looked safe enough. And it was my favorite—oatmeal chocolate chip.

Dad grabbed one for himself and set it on his plate. “Good god, no. Do you hear the smoke detectors buzzing? I think someone gave a whole basketful to your mom. She didn’t tell me who, though.”

With a sigh of relief, I took a huge bite. It was delicious. Sweet and chewy. Within a minute, I had inhaled two more. I swear, I didn’t even need to chew. I just blinked, and they were gone.

Chocolate really is the key to happiness. I was feeling better already, although the sugar crash would probably get me later. The cookies did make me feel kind of wistful. They reminded of the desserts Evan’s mom used to make for me. And of course, that made me think of Evan, and bam! We were right back where we started.

Dad had a major sweet tooth, so I was surprised that he only ate two of the cookies. He dusted his hands over the plate before setting it aside on my nightstand. “So, are you ready to leave the ol’ nest?”

I rolled my eyes and laughed. “Graduation’s not for a while, Dad. And I’m not moving until the end of July. Believe me, there’s plenty of time.”

“It’s one month, three weeks, and two days until graduation. I have a feeling time is going to fly by.” Dad jabbed his thumb at the overflowing chaos on the floor. “Why are you packing so early if there’s still ‘plenty of time’? Are you that anxious to leave?”