Becca straightened, gave me this searching look, then smiled. It was watery around the edges, but sincere. “Sounds great. I apparently need better friends.”
Meeting broke up at that point, with Becca going home with her mom. I paused in the lobby area outside of the principal’s office to talk to Jon and Donovan. “Thanks for the backup.”
“Of course.” Jon put a hand on my shoulder, and yeah, he got it. I could see the history in his lines of moments he’dlived through that were just like this. “This is why I told you, unless necessary, just keep it all to yourself. That said, Abby, you made the right call here. Safeguarding the innocent always takes precedent. Becca really would have been in trouble if she’d stayed with that guy any longer. He’s prone to violence, too, which isn’t good.”
“I just couldn’t let her be cheated on.”
“Yup, good call. Do me a favor, though, next time you have a situation like this on your hands, give Donovan a text first. A heads-up so we know if we need to come to you.”
Oh. Yeah, that would have been smart. Duh. “Got it, will do that from now on.”
Donovan looked at us both and then offered, “Why don’t I check you two out and you also have a mental health day? I think you’re too rattled to really pay attention in class anyway.”
Hopeful, I asked, “Can we get ice cream too? I feel like I need sugar.”
“Ha, yeah sure, let’s go get ice cream.”
School would be Gossip Central tomorrow, and my phone’d likely blow up tonight, but meh. It was fine, I could handle it. Right now, I had my girlfriend, two mentors, and the promise of ice cream. I’d live in the moment for a while.
All in the Family
Nerves stretched out like cotton candy, I kept reminding myself to breathe, to borrow trouble before it hatched.
I think anyone in my shoes would be nervous. I was meeting people who would be in my life for years to come. People who didn’t have to like me. Brandon and Mack assured me it’d be fine, that everyone in their family was easygoing and I’d become part of the family, but still. My own parents didn’t like me. How could I expect anyone else to?
I kept up in the airport hallways, not wanting to be left behind, and it was kind of a crazy dream. I’d spent my entire life in Arizona, had never crossed the state’s borders until this morning.
Brandon had his phone at his ear, calling someone for a pickup. He’d said his parents would get us. I’d video chatted a little with his family and they did seem super nice. Hopefully that stuck.
We hit the outside, with the massive concrete overhangs, and people lined up for ages waiting on their people to show up. The air was bitingly cold, colder than I’d expected. It somehow felt different than the cold I was used to, and that excited me a little, to already be experiencing something new about my new home.
I kept one firm hand on my suitcase, and the other rested on my messenger bag. I was never leaving my messenger bag behind. Booker had gotten me amazing stuff, and it’d proven handy more than once. I have the same feelings for it that I would a security blanket—even if I didn’t need it, I’d rather have it.
Brandon lifted a hand in a wave. He must see the right vehicle.
A white Chevy Tahoe pulled up to the curb, passenger side window going down. Oh, Alani had come too? She had her dark hair up in a twist at the back of her head, a plain shirt on, and a brilliant smile. “Welcome home! Oh, Gwyn, its good to meet you in person.”
Something about her smile took my nerves down a notch. She seemed to mean it? “I’m happy to be here.”
“Hop on in,” she said.
I handed my suitcase to Brandon, so he could load it in the back. When I got inside the vehicle, I realized that there were two captain chairs in the middle and then a bench seat in the very back. Knowing how long Brandon’s legs were, I took the very back bench.
Kanye turned in the driver’s seat to shoot me a smile. “Welcome, Gwyn. Good flight?”
“Yeah, it wasn’t terrible.”
Mack loaded in and dropped into the far chair. “At least no ghosts on this flight.”
I thought that a strange comment to make and had to ask, “Does that happen?”
“More often than you’d think.” He shot me a wry look. “Had one on the way to Arizona, in fact.”
Uh. Seriously? Was this something I’d need to be on guard for? Booker telling me to keep my messenger bag at hand atall timesnow made more sense.
Brandon loaded in and Kanye wasted no time pulling away from the curb.
Turning in her seat, Alani told all three of us, “There’s a welcome dinner tonight for Gwyn. Lauren and I did most of the cooking, all you need to do is show up. Gwyn, we invited Skylar and Abby, they’re excited to meet you.”
