“Oh. That’s good. Are you back together? My boyfriend’s sick.”
I blink. “Your boyfriend.”
She waves her hand. “One of them.”
I stare. “Aunt Susan.”
“What?” she says defensively. “He had a cold. Or a man flu. Hard to tell.”
“When was I going to meet this mystery man?” I ask.
“Well,” she hesitates. “I was going to introduce you, but then I met this other guy.”
I gasp. “Aunt Susan. Are you becoming a player?”
Her cheeks flush. “Absolutely not.”
I just look at her.
“…Okay, maybe a little,” she mutters.
I laugh despite myself, the sound surprising me. It feels good. Normal.
I drop onto the couch, suddenly exhausted.
“Christmas Eve,” I say. “What am I going to do?”
Susan turns serious instantly. “What do you mean?”
“Leo’s mom invited me,” I say quietly. “She literally said I’d be his Christmas gift.”
Susan grimaces. “Subtle.”
“I love him,” I admit, staring at the twinkle lights reflected in the window. “But I don’t know if I’m ready to step back into that world. The girls just got expelled. I finally get to experience Royal Oaks without… all of that hanging over me.”
I rub my arms. “I just want things to be normal for a second.”
She sits beside me.
“I know what you mean,” she says gently. “And whatever you decide is okay. Truly.”
Then she pauses. “But… he’s been hurting too, Jade. You weren’t the only one who got burned.”
Guilt twists in my chest.
“I’ve been so selfish,” I whisper.
She shakes her head. “No. You’ve been surviving. Big difference.”
I swallow. “Do you think I want to get back together with him?”
Susan considers me carefully. “I think you don’t know yet.”
I nod. “Yeah.”
She brightens suddenly. “We need to call Irene.”
Of course we do.
