Page 74 of Riverside Reverie

Lux

The anxious feeling in my chest grew the closer Jasmine got to my parents’ house. I was having difficulty breathing by the time she pulled into the driveway, but the anxiety released a little when I realized Brinley’s car wasn’t there. She wasn’t home. Neither was my dad, but Mom’s car was parked in its regular spot.

My shoulders slumped in relief. At least I wouldn’t have to face Brinley immediately. Since I was moving up north, Jasmine convinced me to leave most of my camping gear in the shed there. All I had with me was my bag of clothes and toiletries.

I took a steadying breath, preparing myself for the battle I was sure would ensue.

“Let me know if you want to hitch a ride back with me. I talked to Des, and he said you could move in whenever.”

“I appreciate it, but I still have a lot to do here,” I reminded her. But I also wasn’t about to close myself off to the idea. If Brinley was unbearable, I’d tie up things quickly and leave sooner.

“Okay, good luck,” Jasmine said, reaching across the console and hugging me tight. “I can’t wait until we’re roomies. In the meantime, try not to let the wicked witch get to you.”

I got out of the car and watched Jasmine back out of the driveway before I spurred into action, walking through the expansive house in a quest to find my mom.

She was in the back sunroom, reading a fashion magazine and listening to music. I opened the sliding door and stepped outside, and she lifted her head in surprise.

“Oh, Lux! You’re home. How was your trip?” she asked.

“It was really good, actually. I had a lot of fun,” I told her, sitting down across from her at the glass patio table.

“Meet anyone worth noting?” she asked, a playful grin on her still youthful lips. Mom’s appearance was enhanced by plastic surgery—a little Botox here and there, some lip fillers to plump things up. She didn’t shy away from plastic surgery, but she also didn’t want it to be a noticeable thing she did.

“Well, I did meet a great guy. All of Jasmine’s friends were great, actually—”

“Oh, tell me more about this great guy. What’s his name?” Mom was relentless when she got a whiff of interesting information. “I knew you met someone when you extended your stay.”

“His name is Theo,” I replied. I didn’t want to reveal too much to her, that we’d started sort of dating, and I didn’t want to let it slip that I’d be living next door to him when I moved in with Jasmine. Instead, I opted to change the subject. I tucked a strand of hair behind my ear, looking toward our manicured backyard. “Has Brinley been home?”

“She’s supposed to be back sometime today from her trip with her friends. She’s been on a yacht the last few days, lucky girl,” Mom replied, smiling and shaking her head ruefully.

“So…you haven’t seen much of her?”

“Not lately, why? Is everything okay between you two?” Mom asked, her brows creasing, not that a wrinkle appeared on her perfect brow.

“No, not really,” I sighed.

“What’s going on?” Mom sat back in her chair, her eyes narrowing with suspicion. My stomach tightened with anxiety, but Jasmine was right. I couldn’t keep my parents in the dark about Brinley’s latest antics. They’d end up finding out eventually, especially if she continued to carry on the way she was online.

Neither of my parents had social media, but some of their friends did. Sooner or later, it would get back to them. I took a deep breath, preparing myself.

“She’s been seeing Scott.”

Mom blinked. “I’m sorry, I don’t think I heard you right. Scott, as in…your ex-boyfriend Scott?”

“Yeah. Turns out Scott was cheating on me with Brinley. She was kind enough to tell me before I came home for the summer, but she’s still seeing him.”

Mom’s mouth opened and closed several times while she absorbed this information. “Oh, honey…I’m sorry, I had no idea. Why didn’t you tell me sooner?”

“It’s all over her social media,” I looked down at the table. “Everyone knows. I’m surprised it hasn’t gotten back to you guys already. Besides, I wasn’t sure what telling you would do. Brinley’s going to do whatever Brinley wants to do. And what Brinley wants to do is hurt me, however and whenever she can.”

Mom put her hand on my forearm. “You know that’s not true, your sister loves you, she just—”

“Mom, she willingly slept with my boyfriend, then sent me a picture of herself in bed with him. She sends me regular videos and stories of herself draped over him. If that’s Brinley’s version of love, I don’t want anything to do with it.” My voice shook and my hands trembled, my heart cracking with the power behind revealing this aching truth.

Mom looked stricken by my words. I don’t know what hurt her more, to hear how Brinley was acting, or to hear me saying I didn’t want anything to do with it or with her.

“Let me talk to her, I’m sure I can get to the bottom of this. It’s a big misunderstanding. You said you and Scott had drifted apart years ago, so—”

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