Niall
“Can you please get out of the car?”
Skylar crosses her arms and looks away.
“They’ve heard us. They already know we’re here.”
“Do you think I care?”
“At least give them a chance.”
“You told me it was a city!” she yells, glaring icily in my direction.
“It is a city.”
“We’re in the middle of fucking nowhere!”
“Don’t say that word.”
“Fine, we’re in the arse end…”
“Or that one. Please, not in front of your grandparents.”
She opens the passenger door suddenly, slamming it purposefully against my knee.
“Fuck!”
“Oh! Soyou’reallowed to say it?” She throws the door shut behind her, lifting her chin towards me, challengingly. “Good to know. It’s now my favouritefuckingword.”
“I’m already losing my patience, and we haven’t even stepped through the doorway yet.”
“You should’ve thought of that before you dragged me here!” She stamps her feet onto the gravel of their driveway.
“And you should’ve thought before throwing yourself out!”
It would appear that our mental ages are roughly the same right now.
“You’re here!” The front door opens behind us. “We didn’t hear you pull in.”
“Seriously?”
Skylar rolls her eyes and stomps towards my parents’ house, dragging her heels deliberately through the stones.
“Honey, you’re… You’re…” My mother tries, but I don’t think she can find an appropriate adjective to describe her once-adorable granddaughter. “So colourful.”
Wow. I couldn’t have done better, myself.
My mother wraps her arms around her affectionately, but the gesture isn’t mutual. Skylar stands there, stock-still, with her arms clamped rigidly to her sides and her head turned away. She isn’t a huge fan of public displays of affection – or private ones, to be honest – and she especially hates hugs. They’re off-limits.
“Granddad is inside, waiting for you.” My mother loosens her grip and smiles at my daughter. “He’s in the living room. Do you still remember where it is?”
“Sure,” Skylar mumbles, without making eye contact, before stepping past her and into the house.
“It’ll take some time,” she says, looking at me. She stretches her arms out and approaches me. “It’ll all be fine, you’ll see. You’re home now.”
My mother hugs me, and I let myself sink into her arms. I don’t have the same problem as Skylar – lately, hugs haven’t seemed long enough.
“We’re so happy to have you both here,” she says once again, as if all her reassurances on the phone weren’t enough.
