“So nice. We’re going to the movies next weekend.”
“But you’re only fourteen!” Dad protests.
“They’re going with a group of friends,” Mom jumps in.
“I had a girlfriend at fourteen,” Ties says.
“But—”
Fenna cuts Dad off. “Do not come at me with a gender bias.”
He sighs. “You’re all just growing up too fast.”
Everyone is quiet for a beat, maybe lost in a memory when things were different, but then the oven beeps and pulls us back to the present.
We bring the food to the table. It’s familiar but so different—a different table, a different home. Everything is new and modern, nothing like the antiques my mom loves to collect and refinish. It’s also missing personal touches, like pictures on the walls. I make a promise to try harder once exams are done.
“You can bring Flip the next time we have family dinner,”Mom suggests as she passes me the cheesy sour cream and onion potato puffs.
“And Fenna can bring her boyfriend,” Ties chimes in, grinning evilly.
“And you can bring Jordan, since you’re always studying with them,” Fenna tosses back at him.
His cheeks flush. “We’re working on a robotics project together.”
“We’ll have to plan around the playoff schedule, but we can figure something out,” I agree, distracting everyone from my brother.
“That sounds great.” Mom is all smiles again.
Everything is normal, but it’s not. Maybe because nothing has really changed. My mom is still keeping her feelings to herself, and my dad still works too much. I love them, but I don’t want to be them.
Flip and I are nothing like my parents. And I never want us to be.
CHAPTER 43
TALLY
“That dress is stunning.” Fee is stretched out on my bed next to pillow Flip.
Cammie gives two thumbs-up from the floor beside her. “You look like you stepped straight out of a fairy tale.”
“Great. That’s what I’m going for.” It’s a week post family dinner and it’s been intense. Final projects are coming due. Exams around the corner. Our showcase right after. Flip decided I needed a stress break, so he planned a night out and sent a dress. I slip my feet into my heels. There’s a slit up my right leg and the neckline plunges. This dress hugs my curves, while still being gauzy.
My phone buzzes.
Flip
How does the dress fit?
Tally
Like a glove.
It’s perfect.
I strike a pose in front of the mirror, making sure my bare leg is on display, and send it to him.
Flip
