The implication dangles there, that she’s shamelessly digging for money. My mouth compresses into a flat line. Mom digs her nails into the arm of the couch.
“Yes, you’ve certainly got me pegged,” Kendall says. “But actually, I think I’m going to head out. I told my friends I wouldmeet them for breakfast in the morning.” She stands. “It was nice to meet you both.”
“You don’t have to go, dear,” my mom says, but she makes no move to stop Kendall. “We would love to chat with you a little longer.”
“You can stay,” I tell her, hoping she sees how I would rather have her here than my parents. Kendall smiles politely, but it’s brittle. What started as fun has lost its luster in the face of my parents’ clear condescension. I walk with her to the door and turn to them. “Excuse us a minute.”
I step outside and follow her to the driveway where her car is parked.
“Don’t leave,” I say. “I’ll get rid of them.”
She blinks rapidly again. I’ve seen her cry only once, back when we were seniors, and this is closer than I’ve ever seen her again. Damn it.
“It won’t matter to them if I get through med school or make millions of dollars. My status won’t change. I’m just . . . nothing to them.”
“Kendall.” I plant my hand on her car door before she can turn and open it. “I’m sorry. Again. For how they made you feel.”
She wipes a hand over her eyes. They look clear again, like she’s willed her tears back. “At least you were more blatant in your scorn. I hate that passive aggressive bullshit.” She takes a deep breath. “It’s okay, though. I’m just going to go.”
I take my hand off her car when I see her resolve. “It’s not okay. But I promise I’m going to have a talk with them. And I still want to see you again.”
She nods, then lets me give her a quick kiss before she gets in her car to drive off. My steps gain speed and force as I walk back into my house. I slam the door behind me.
My mother startles and lays a hand on her chest. “Goodness!”
“What the hell was that?” I plant my hands on my hips, my eyes flicking back and forth between them.
“Language, son,” my dad says.
“Ah, yes. Since we have the sort of value system where it’s not okay to curse, but it is okay to look down on someone we think is inferior.”
“Inferior? I never said that.” My mom fluffs her hair again. I get a whiff of her floral perfume, something she buys from a department store in Lexington.
“You didn’t have to!” I shout. “It’s written all over your faces. Both of you.”
“I think you aren’t being fair,” my dad says.
“We were just surprised,” Mom says. “I can’t imagine what you have in common. I don’t even think her family went to church.”
“Oh, good God.” I swipe a hand down my face. I haven’t sat down yet. I’m too amped up. “I can’t do this with you. For the record, yes, I have things in common with a fellow future physician from my own hometown. And it’s a fucking wonder she’ll even talk to me.”
My mom flinches at my swearing. “What do you mean?”
“I made her life a living hell in high school. I was her bully. And the fact she’ll give me the time of day is a miracle.She’stoo good forme.”
“It can’t have been that bad,” my dad says. “You weren’t a bad kid.”
“No?” I cross my arms over my chest and stare at them. “I was awful. I took things out of her locker. Picked on her.”
My dad waves that off. “That sounds like teenager stuff.”
“I took her winter clothes once in gym class, and she had to go home in the cold in shorts. I don’t even know if she had other warm pants. I think I wanted to see if she would cry, and she finally did. Around the time we graduated. I taunted herabout how her dad wasn’t around, right after I took her phone from her hands and went through her text messages.”
Dad blanches.
“I called her cruel names. Made fun of how she looked. So yeah, I was terrible to her. Beyond terrible.”
“Grant.” My dad looks at me like I might be a stranger, and honestly, I feel like one. I’ve never seen this degree of emotion on his face. “Why would you do those things?”
