“You should have told me. Is Dad here?” I peek behind her.
“No, he’s working. Are you going to introduce me?” She finally looks at me with wide eyes.
“Oh, um, sorry.”
“Waylynn,” she chastises me softly.
“This is Memphis, Oswald, and Bates.” I point to each in turn while I’m still sitting, but I have my crutches at the ready, I’m just not sure for what.
“Your classmate and his brother, the TA?” she says slowly. I almost regret telling her anything about them, but this might be worse if I hadn’t.
“Yeah, and Bates, their friend—our friend.” Gosh, this is weird. I wish I had some warning.
Mom introduces herself. “Hello, I’m Cordelia.” Her eyes are taking in everything. I’m sure she can tell I don’t have a bra on and we’re all in comfy clothes. She probably already knows they spent the night here.
I pull myself up. “Let me get you something to drink.” I need to get her out of this room and away from all three of them so I can talk to her alone for a second.
“That sounds wonderful.” She pretends to smile. Her face falls when she actually looks at me. I don’t know if it’s because I’m in short sleep shorts or due to the air cast on my foot. “I thought it was just a sprain.” Well, that answers that.
“It is. I only have these for a few more days. I might not even need them anymore,” I answer dismissively.
“You didn’t mention crutches.” She keeps up as I leave the room. Her heels click along the hallway behind me. Once I make it to the kitchen, I reach into the fridge and give her a water bottle. “Are you seeing that boy? Dating him?” she whispers.
“Oswald?” I hedge because I’m not sure what I should say.
“He was the one next to you, right? He’s very handsome. They are all very handsome.” She frowns.
“Yes.”
“Yes, you’re seeing him?” Her head pulls back.
I nod. “Kind of.”
“Kind of? What does that mean? Are you not official?”
“Um…”
“Waylynn.”
“We haven’t really talked about it yet.” That’s partly the truth. It’s all been more implied with him. Memphis is more direct.
She watches me for a few seconds, scrutinizing me. “Why are they all here?”
“We went to see Bates play last night, and it was late, so they stayed over,” I confess. I’m nineteen and in college, so I don’t need to hide that, but then why am I so nervous?
“They stayed over? All of them?” Her eyes are wide, but her brows don’t even move. “See Bates play what? Is he in a band? Waylynn, are these boys taking advantage of you?”
“No, they are not,” I hiss, afraid they might hear her. She clicks her tongue like I’m being foolish. “They took care of me when I hurt my foot, befriended me when I was alone at school, and helped when I lost power.”
“What did they expect in return?” She crosses her arms over her chest.
“Nothing, they don’t even let me pay for my lunch.”
Her lips curl as if she thinks I’m being naïve. “And there’s nothing else they want, not even Oswald?”
“Mom, stop,” I tell her with a conviction I rarely use. “They are real friends.” She knows the kids I hung around with at home were friends more out of obligation and association than anything else. “They didn’t even know I had money when they started talking to me.”
“If you say so.” She leans back a little, sinking into her pose, but her disapproving mien doesn’t waver.
