Page 71 of The Art of Us

“Absolutely. But there are a few stipulations attached to your birthday party, Ireland.”

Well, that wasn’t suspicious at all. “Like what?”

“Like we have to go where I want to go.”

“Suspicious,” Jade said.

“That’s what I was thinking.” Ireland agreed. “Where do you want to go?”

Mara fidgeted with her necklace. “Geppetto’s.”

“Right. And Geppetto’s is the celebrating in style that you were talking about?” Ireland walked away so she could put her bag inher room. She knew a setup when she smelled one. Conversation over.

“I’m buying, so we should totally go where I want to go.”

“Because we shouldn’t let the birthday girl decide where she wants to go for dinner.” Ireland had made it to the stairs and took them two at a time to get to her room.

“Kal came by while you were gone. He’s really sorry, Ireland.”

Ireland turned slowly on the stairs. “I just walked away from one man I can’t trust. I didn’t do it so I could run to the arms of another one.” She continued up the stairs until she reached the top and then headed to her bedroom. But Mara stayed right on her heels. Jade did too.

“You told me you were going there today to forgive your dad.”

“And I do forgive him. That doesn’t mean I’m going to go hang out with him anymore. That was just today. You’re the one who said it was okay to cut toxic people out of your life.” She went into her room and tried to shut the door, but Mara put her foot in before Ireland could get it closed.

Mara bumped the door open the rest of the way with her hip. “Itisokay to cut toxic people out of your life. But come on. You know that Kal doesn’t qualify as toxic. He’s just a nice guy with a little bit of a Superman complex. But can you blame him? His name is literally Kal-El. He probably uses kryptonite for deodorant.”

“Superman can’t use kryptonite because it weakens him.” Ireland considered leaving the room, but she knew that Mara would just follow her. So she pulled off her socks and fell onto the bed. Jade sat next to her.

“That doesn’t make any sense. Why does he use it if it weakens him?”

“I know what movies I’m going to make you watch.”

“Whatever. The point is that Kal is a good person. And ifyou can forgive your dad for abandoning you, but not Kal for breaking a promise, then I’m a little repulsed by you.”

“That’s a little strong, don’t you think?”

“Not strong enough. Just let me take you out for your birthday. Let me celebrate you. Kal will be onstage for the majority of the time, anyway, so it’s not like you’re going to have to really talk to him very much if you don’t want to. In fact, you won’t have to talk to him at all if you don’t want to. I’ll respect that. But if you at least let yourself see him, then maybe you can move into that forgiveness part that you said was so good for you and me.”

“I already told him that I forgave him.”

“You obviously didn’t mean it, or you wouldn’t be so freaky about me taking you to get food on your birthday.”

Ireland huffed. Then she puffed out her cheeks and huffed some more. She was starting to feel like the big bad wolf.

“I like pizza.” Jade’s quiet, innocent voice was the linchpin in Mara’s argument.

“Fine. You win. But if I decide that I’m not happy in that situation and I want to leave, you have to respect me, and we get to leave as soon as I say.”

Mara jumped up and down clapping her hands. “I love it when I win. It’s my favorite.”

Jade gave Ireland a flat look. “You might think she’s joking. But Mara loves to win more than anybody. It’s why she always gets her way.”

“Trust me. I didn’t think she was joking.”

After Mara and Jade vacated her room and left her alone, Ireland wanted to call them back. Loneliness wriggled uncomfortably inside her belly.

“Why am I so unwilling to forgive him?” she asked herself.

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