“I love eating breakfast out. Think of it as a cushion so my bad news has a soft landing.” I push off the counter and take a slow step toward the door.
“I mean, if you’re sure.” She follows, hesitant.
“I am.” I hold the doorframe lightly, waiting for her answer.
“Then sure. Breakfast sounds good.” She tucks a loose strand of copper hair behind her ear, revealing two gold earrings I hadn’t noticed she was wearing.
“Can I pick you up at eight?”
“I have to drop the girls off, so nine?”
“Fair. It’s a date.” The words slip out before I can stop them.
Her mouth opens wide.
“Sorry, I didn’t mean it like that.” Didn’t you, though? You did, but clearly, she didn’t.
“That’s, um, okay.” She gives a small, awkward smile.
I pull the door open, stepping through onto the porch. “See you tomorrow, Holden.”
“See you tomorrow, Natalie.” She closes the door behind me, and I drive to the hospital with a smile on my face that will be really hard to erase.
19
CALL US MOMMY, NOW
How Do I Do This? By Kelsea Ballerini
Natalie
“Areyou excited about your trip today?” I ask Bella about the water park she’s attending with her summer camp. I would have given a lot to experience things like that as a teenager, but my parents didn’t let me. They were so worried I would do drugs or get pregnant before marriage, they kept me on a tight leash. I still found ways around their strict rules, though—case and point with the sweet girl sitting in the back seat.
“Meh.”
“Oh no.” I lower the volume.
“Mom, don’t start. It’s fine.”
“What’s wrong? You were so excited before.”
She stays silent.
“Bella?”
She sighs, throwing her head back. “I swear, if you make a big deal out of this, I’m never telling you anything again.”
Okay, Natalie, act cool. Remember how much you wish your parents had an open mind when you were her age. Don’t freak out.
“I don’t want people to see me in a bathing suit.”
Well, that’s not what I was expecting. “Elaborate, please.”
“Well, Rowenna and Tina were both talking about how good they looked in their bathing suits and all this other stuff, and then they were making fun of girls without boobs or butts like them and how they look like boys…and, well, I don’t have either of those things. I look like a little boy with long hair.”
Oh, sweets. “First of all, no, you don’t. You look like a girl, which is what you are. Everyone develops and grows at a different rate, so what if you don’t have boobs yet? Bras are overrated, trust me.”
“Easy for you to say. You’re beautiful, and you have, like, the best body. I’m cut like Dad, all straight lines and no curves in sight.”
