I understand they have to check. I’m glad they’re careful, really. And I get that it’s an unusual situation. But waiting while she brought up Kayley’s school record on her computer and checked I really was her legal guardian and allowed to take her out of school felt like it took a half hour.
Then Kayley was running towards me, five feet four of blonde curls and energy. Thank God she got my mom’s looks and not the pale skin and red hair I got from our dad. Unlike me, she fits right in in LA. She threw herself into my arms, talking at eighty-three miles an hour about Darren, the cute boy in her math class, and the band he’s formed.
And suddenly, life was bearable. It was as if I could breathe for the first time all day. I didn’t care about being late, or poor, or being trapped in this concrete hell. I squeezed her close, close enough that she rolled her eyes and muttered that I was embarrassing her.
As long as I had my sister, I was okay.
“C’mon,” I told her, my voice muffled by her hair. “We’ve got to go.” And I hauled on her hand, hurrying her towards the door.
“I claim music!”
I sighed. That was our rule: whoever said it first got to choose the music. That meant a half hour of listening to British punk rock from the eighties. Why couldn’t she be into boy bands like any other teenager? But I didn’t care too much. Even though I didn’t like pulling her out of school, even though the appointment was worrying me, it was good just to spend time together.
Minutes later, we were sitting in traffic with her babbling happily and me trying to figure out whether we’d make it on time. I don’t know if it’s because of the age gap, but we don’t really argue.Ever.Even before our folks died. I’ve always been the serious, studious one and she’s always been the fun-loving risk taker. We complement each other.
“I think I could be one of his dancers,” said Kayley. She had her feet up on the dash and was touching up her toenails. “Or at least a back-up dancer. But I think I need to go more...dark.”
“You arenotgetting anything pierced,” I said automatically.
“Maybe an eyebrow.”
“No!”
“Nose?”
“No!You’re perfect the way you are.”
She crossed her arms and mock-scowled at me. But shewasperfect. Smarter than me and more daring, too—not that that’s difficult. And bouncing with energy.
Well...until recently.
A month ago, I’d started to have to tumble her out of bed just to wake her up. At first, I’d figured it was just teenage moodiness, but then the school started to complain about her falling asleep duringlessons. Sometimes, like now, she seemed to be her old, energetic self, but sometimes she just seemed to slump. And the bruises. She would say they were from hockey at school, but lately it looked like she’d fallen down the stairs. When she’d started losing weight, I took her to the physician.Hormones,he’d said.Probably a thyroid issue.And he’d made us this appointment to have some tests run.
“Will it hurt?” asked Kayley.
“Nope,” I told her confidently. My stomach tightened at the thought of anyone stabbing her with a needle, but I didn’t want her to get scared.
“Liar,” she said.
Dammit.She always could see straight through me. How do other moms do it? Maybe it’s because we were sisters for so long before I moved into the mom role—we’re too connected for me to lie convincingly.
At the hospital, I filled out about a thousand forms and Kayley chattered away happily to the male nurse taking blood from her arm. At first, I thought she was doing it to distract herself. It was only when she mentioned for the third time that I was single that I realized she was trying to match make us.
“Stop that!” I muttered when he turned away.
“He’s cute!” she whispered back. “And he’s totally into you!”
“Kayley!” Hewascute, in a way. He had floppy blond hair and a nice smile—handsome in a sweet, unthreatening way. I could see why Kayley liked him. But he wasn’t like—
My face went hot. Had I really just nearly thoughthe’s not like Sean O’Harra?
“You need to get laid,” Kayley told me innocently…
...and just loud enough for the nurse to hear. He was grinning when he turned back to us. “All done,” he said, sticking a pad to the inside of Kayley’s elbow. “Keep pressure on that.”
“Thank you!” said Kayley, batting her eyelashes. “You’re so nice. Isn’t he nice, Louise?”
I towed her away, muttering my thanks to him. “You are in big trouble…”—how would mom have done it?—“young lady,” I told her unconvincingly.
