How awful it felt to think that was the last time my father would wake up there to have breakfast with us—we wouldn’t seehim coming home tired from work in the evenings, smiling, and pulling a chocolate bar out of his coat for us.
Divorce sucked.
“OK, guys, I really should go,” he said after loading the dishwasher.
As he said that, we heard doors opening and closing upstairs, and a few minutes later, my mother came down in a pair of jeans and a white knit sweater, with knee-high boots and her blond hair pulled back like a ballerina’s. She looked gorgeous.
“I’m headed out,” my father said after glancing over at her.
“No need to rush,” she responded, dropping her bag on the kitchen table. “You got everything you need for the trip?”
“Yeah, everything’s ready,” Dad said, walking over to my brother, who stood up on his chair and hugged him tight. Cameron burst into tears, and Dad whispered something into his ear, but it didn’t seem to do much good, he just held on tighter. Dad carried him to the front door and set him down. I wouldn’t cry again, I told myself. I needed to be strong for Dad, for Cameron…
“Love you, Dad,” I said, wrapping my arms around him again.
“I love you too, princess,” he said, kissing my forehead and turning to Mom. She picked up Cameron, and the look on her face was strange.
“Take care of yourself,” Dad said, “and take care of them.” He gave her a soft kiss on the cheek. I was surprised to see her eyes begin to water. Maybe she did have human feelings?
“Let…” she began, then paused. “Let Kamila know when you get there.” I guess she realized she could no longer ask much more from him. Once my father walked out that door, their lives would separate, and they’d both have to start over from zero.
Dad went to his car, and, with tears in our eyes, the three of us watched him go. My brother was sobbing uncontrollably whileI managed to keep a grip. A single tear rolled down Mom’s cheek, which she wiped away as soon as she felt it.
“Let’s go inside, it’s cold,” she said, pulling Cam along with her.
I stayed in the doorway, watching Dad’s car disappear and wondering when life, or karma, had decided to turn against me so sharply.
I had just enough time to splash some water on my face before my alarm went off. I had completely forgotten that Taylor and I had made plans to go to the library together. I told Mom I was headed out to study and walked outside to meet Taylor in front of his house. Imagine my surprise when I found not him there but Maggie. With Thiago.
“Hey, Kami,” she said cheerfully before I could turn back without making a spectacle. Who the hell was she to call me Kami? Were we supposed to be friends or something? As far as I remembered, we hadn’t parted on the best of terms after our little meeting to discuss how the other kids were beating up on my brother.
I forced a smile as I watched Thiago and his…girlfriend? Hearing my name, he froze, his expression half-surprised, half-frightened. I mean, shit, it hadn’t even been twelve hours since I’d had his dick in my mouth. “Hey there, neighbor,” he said distantly. I had to give it to him: he had a talent for acting like there was nothing going on. To make matters worse, he grabbed Maggie around the waist and kissed her so hard it turned my stomach. I thought I was going to vomit.
“Is Taylor home?” I asked, wishing I could sink into the ground and vanish.
Thiago scowled. “He’s busy cleaning up all the shit his friends left behind after the party. Why, are you here to help him?”
Fuck. I’d forgotten all about that. “Yeah,” I said abruptly. “Can I go in?”
“Mi casa es tu casa,” he said, throwing an arm over Maggie’s shoulders.
I walked straight past them, wishing I could shove him on the way. In the living room, I opened my eyes wide with horror. “Jeeeesus…”
I saw Taylor in the kitchen doorway with an enormous plastic bag. “Hey, love,” he said, looking stressed.
“Taylor, this house is a wreck.”
“My mom’s going to kill me.” He came over to give me a kiss.
“Can I help you?” I asked.
“I’d be deeply grateful.”
We started picking up as Thiago came back in and plopped down on the sofa with Maggie. They put on a movie and started making out while we cleaned up. They couldn’t keep their hands to themselves, touching each other as if we didn’t even exist. Watching Thiago nibble her ear, kiss her neck, stick his tongue in her mouth, and glance over at me to see if I was watching… I couldn’t handle it.
“You know, youcouldhelp us out,” I hissed, frowning at him until he pulled away from his girlfriend.
“Excuse me?” he said, and in a perverse way, I could tell he was enjoying this. “I could do what now?” He raised his hand to his ear as if he were hard of hearing.
