“Yeah, but—” Selena was still munching popcorn on my bed and dropping the occasional kernel on the bedspread. “That’s it? No warning? No conversation? I just come home and find that you guys have moved all her stuff into my room?”
“When you go out despite being grounded, yeah, pretty much.” She kissed my cheek. “Don’t you girls stay up too late.”
I gaped at her retreating back, then turned to my sister. “This is part of your big dream to make it as a singer? Moving back home and sharing a room with your little sister?”
Her response was monotone. “Yeah, Dana. It’s a real fairy-tale kind of moment for me—can you try not to ruin it?”
I let my knees buckle as I groaned up at the ceiling. “Come on. What did you think was going to happen? They’d be happy, excited, offer to pay for your apartment in Nashville?”
Selena didn’t say anything.
“No way. They don’t let people that dumb into college.”
Flicking off the TV, Selena moved to sit on the corner of my bed. “Hey, I’m good. And despite what they—” she pointed down to where we could hear Mom and Dad’s muffled conversation “—think about Gavin, he knows his stuff and he’s not playing me. If you guys would listen to me sing my own music, you’d see that.”
“Fine, but why now? What is so urgent that you can’t get your degree first? You’d have a good shot of them supporting you then—better than good.”
Selena pulled up her legs. “I’m ready. Singing and writing—I’m good at this, and I don’t want to waste more of my life and tuition on something I’m never going to pursue.” Her eyes were glassy. “I don’t want to be or do anything else—why should I have to wait?”
I joined her on the bed and placed a gentle hand on her shoulder, since she looked ready to cry. In the most understanding voice possible, I said, “But what if you’re really crummy and everyone in Nashville hates you?”
She burst out laughing, all trace of impending tears gone. “I forgot how much I hated sharing a room with you.”
In that same soothing voice, I said, “I didn’t.”
She laughed again. “This is just temporary. I am going to Nashville. Maybe not right away, but I am going.”
I sighed. “Good, because sharing a room was bad enough when we were little. Wouldn’t you rather have the futon in the office?”
“Seriously? Mom and Dad are in there constantly. And besides, your bed is huge.”
“Yeah, but I like to do cheer routines in my sleep. What if I accidentally reindeer-kick you in the head in the middle of the night?”
“What if I shave your eyebrows off while you sleep? We’re both taking a risk here.”
I half laughed. “Fine, but if you sleep with gum in your mouth and it gets stuck in my hair and I have to get a girl mullet, Mom won’t be able to save you again.”
“That was such a bad look on you, but deal!” she said, leaning back when I semijokingly reached for her throat. “No gum, I promise.”
“And you can’t be a slob.”
“How would you even notice?” She wrinkled her nose as she glanced around the room.
“Everything is exactly where I want it. Here.” I toed the bottom drawer of my dresser. “You can have this one, and I’ll make some room for you in my closet.”
She offered me the popcorn bowl. “Thanks, Dana. And it’s only for a little while. I have to get a job and start saving. That’s the condition Mom and Dad set for me staying here. If I’m not going to school, I have to work and pay rent.”
“Those bastards.”
“Ha ha. It’s not a lot of rent, but it’ll take longer before I have enough to get to Nashville and find a little place. Gavin thinks I have a good shot, and I can get a job once I’m there until…” She raised her shoulders and grinned.
“Yeah, so Gavin.” We both scooted until we were leaning against my headboard. Selena had never been the type to get excited over a guy. She’d had boyfriends, some for longer than others, but they were never the center of her universe. I was already getting the impression that Gavin was different.
Selena grabbed my arms. “You are going to love him. He’s really funny and so talented. And he’s got these eyes.” She fell sideways on the bed with a bounce. “You’ll die. I still do every time.” She sat up just as suddenly. “And he really likes me—likes me, likes me. We’re talking about the future and things I’ve never wanted to seriously talk about with another guy.”
“Wow, Sel. I had no idea.” I couldn’t help but feel hurt that she’d kept all that from me. She had a serious guy that she had serious guy feelings for and hadn’t told me. I’d told her everything about Nick, and I’d only ever had lukewarm feelings for him. And if the circumstances had been different, I’d have called her after that first night with Chase and spilled too.
“I don’t get why you waited to tell us about singing and Gavin,” I said. “Why not ease us into a new boyfriend and make this radical life shift…less radical?”
