I smile back, seeing a little resemblance between us, around the eyes. “Yeah. I think it’s okay.”
“Good.” He bumps my shoulder playfully with his. We gather our food and head back to the table where Hunter and Artemis are bickering.
“Kayla, can I sleep over at your apartment tonight?” Artemis asks me hurriedly, like she’s expecting to be interrupted.
“Don’t feel like you have to say yes,” Hunter says, rolling his eyes. “I already told her you might need your space.”
“That would be fun,” I turn to Artie. “As long as it’s okay with…”Your dad? Our dad? Kendall?I still don’t know what to call him sometimes, but I look toward him for approval.
“That’s fine by me. A little sisterly bonding would probably be a good idea.”
Artie’s excited squeals are enough to lighten the mood again, and we dig into the food, laughing as Hunter tells us a story about his new roommate’s sleepwalking habit. Kendall fills us in on exciting happenings at EdTechU, including an expansion overseas.
“Kayla, I wanted to invite you to the Reed Tech Gala in LA at the end of the month. It’s a fancy black-tie event showcasing the year’s best of the best in technology,” Kendall says. “All expenses paid, including a plane and a dress for you and Ashlie.”
“Ashlie’s going? My friend Ashlie?”
“Only if you are.” Hunter smirks. “She said she’d be your date if I could convince you to come.” Since when does Hunter know something about Ashlie before I do? I know they talk occasionally, Ashlie’s let on to that much. But the way he so casually slid that in there, like they talk every day, makes me wonder how much my best friend has been keeping from me.
“Yeah, and Dad and Russell are getting an award. Chase should be there too,” Artemis chimes in, cheeks stuffed with pizza. Her eyes widen as she watches the smile fall from my face.
I clear my throat, reaching for my glass of water. Hunter and Kendall glance at each other.
Kendall sighs, “Come on Artie-girl, let’s go check out thejukebox and have a little chat…” He stands and holds his hand out to Artemis.
Hunter waits until they’re out of earshot before saying, “Look, I’ve tried to stay out of this, but as your big brother?—”
“You’re only three months older, Hunter. We’re basically twins,” I say, rolling my eyes and sitting back in the booth.
“Still older. And since I’m older, and therefore,wiser…” He flashes a smart-ass grin, looking right into my eyes. “I think maybe you should talk to him.”
“About what? There’s nothing to talk about. Is this why you want me to go to that gala? Because Chase will be there?”
“Naw, Dad really wants you to go. He’s ready to charter an entire plane just to get you there and back, and heisreceiving an award. It’s usually a pretty fun night. I just think talking to Chase wouldn’t be the worst thing in the world. Maybe get a little closure for both of you. By the time the gala rolls around, it’ll be, what? Two months? Emotions have cooled and heads have cleared…”
“Closure? Everything wasclosedthe second he kissed Maggie.” I shake my head as the image threatens to creep back into my mind.
“That’s not how it happened, though. Maggie’s a master manipulator, and Chase wouldn’t hurt you?—”
“I’m not talking about this, Hunter!” Folding my arms over my chest, I scowl at him. “It’s over.”
“Damn, okay. Touché. Just…promise me you’ll think about coming. For Dad. You don’t have to say yes right away…butthere will be swag bags.” Hunter waggles his eyebrows in what I assume is an attempt to add some humor to his request.
A smile edges its way onto my face. “Fine, I’ll think about it. The gala part, not the Chase part.”
“That’s all I ask,” he says, throwing his hands up in the air.
Pressing my thumb and pointer finger into my eyebrows, I try to soothe the sudden headache settling there. I’ve done a good jobof zapping Chase from my thoughts, sticking him on a shelf in the back of my mind and diving right back into the distracted campus life I had before the summer. While I try not to think about Chase much, there are still those sneaky little quiet moments where a memory creeps into my mind. I shake them as soon as they come, but they still come, and probably will for a while since I love him too. I shake the thought from my head.
Lovedhim. Past tense.
It took everything I had to walk away from Chase that day on his porch, especially after seeing the sadness in his eyes, but I had to do it. I had to stand up for myself, even just to prove that I could.
Artie chatters a milea minute the moment she enters my studio apartment. She hasn’t stopped smiling since she got here, bouncing as she sits on my worn beige-colored couch in her fuzzy pajamas. Right now, she’s telling me about her new teacher, a young Black woman with curly hair just like hers, and it’s hard not to smile back at her excitement. She’s different than I was at her age—happier, more naive. I was a serious and practical child, while she’s free to play around and be a kid.
“So, Artie, what should we do first? I’ve got movies and snacks. Or we could make cookies. Play with makeup?”
“Ooh, makeup! I’m not very good at it though…” Her shoulders droop as she looks down at her knees. She has these moments of self-consciousness that seem out of place for a ten-year-old, like someone has sprinkled morsels of doubt throughout her adolescent psyche that spill out whenever she’s feeling a little too confident.
