Page 32 of The Facade

“Yeah?” my mom asked. “And what did you decide on?”

“We’re going to be a fireman and his Dalmatian.” Carter shrugged.

“Oh, that’s a cute idea.” Mom smiled.

“I guess,” Carter said. “I mean, I was really pushing for the sumo wrestling costumes, but apparently, Ava thought I’d look better as a fireman.”

I bet she did. I loved Ava—she was spunky and fun, and we actually got along really well. But she was also a little too good at feeding my brother’s ego over how hot they both thought he was. So it wouldn’t surprise me in the least if Carter’s fireman costume included averytight T-shirt to show off the muscles he’d grown since last summer…if she had him even wear a shirt at all.

And before I could picture their costumes in too much detail, I pushed the thoughts away. Because even though all my friends growing up had told me how lucky I was to have such hot brothers, I did not have the same kind of feelings as them since, yeah, gross.

“And we already know Cambrielle wants to keep her costume a secret,” Mom said, glancing at me with a twinkle in her eyes since she was the only one who knew what it was. “So I know better than to ask about that. But do you have any other things going on over the next few weeks? Still considering auditioning for the play?”

“I, um…” I looked down and straightened my napkin in my lap. “I’m still thinking about it.”

“You’re auditioning?” Nash furrowed his brow, like he hadn’t heard me mention it before. “For which part? Not Christine, right?”

“And possibly have to kiss you if you get the part of the Phantom?” I laughed. “Yeah, no.”

“Good.” Nash let out a long breath. “Because that part better go to Elyse. She was made to play Christine.”

“Don’t worry,” I said. “I’m not going to ruin your plans.”

Did I think his plan to wait for their romance to blossom on stage instead of just asking her out on a date was a bit ambitious? Yes. Of course. Especially since technically, Christine was supposed to end up with Raoul and not the Phantom.

But Nash seemed to believe that his plan would work, and I knew better than to tell him not to try. Once Nash was set on a path, there was usually no way to convince him to try something else—no matter how unconventional it may be.

And really, I guess it wasn’t that much different from my plan to wait until the Halloween dance to possibly set things in motion with Ben.

But now that he’d invited me to the haunted house, hopefully I wouldn’t need that plan anymore.

“You still considering being one of the dancers, honey?” Dad asked, his bright blue eyes showing a hint of concern, like he was worried I might fall back into old habits if I picked up dancing again.

But I nodded and said, “I think I’m going to try at least. I think I can handle it.”

“Then I wish you the best of luck,” Dad said. “Miss Crawley would be crazy not to cast you.”

“Yes, she would,” Mom added. And when I saw a little sparkle of pride in my mom’s brown eyes, my chest warmed because I liked having my parents’ support.

I knew I’d put them through a lot of stress when the pressure of everything at the ballet academy got the better of me my freshman year—what should have been my first and not my last year at the school. And I knew I needed to be careful and always watchful so that I didn’t fall back into old habits. But I really had missed dancing so much and didn’t want my fears over what might happen keep me from something I loved so much.

After dinner, I finished up an assignment from my AP Biology class. Usually, Mack and I worked on our homework for that class together since we were the only ones in our friend group taking that class and science was more his forte than mine. But Mack still hadn’t come downstairs since this afternoon, so I decided to finish up on my own.

Before heading upstairs for the night, I made myself some chamomile tea. I made Mack a cup as well, knowing that the news from his parents would probably only make sleeping more difficult for him tonight. I carefully carried them up the marble staircase to the second floor.

Carter and Nash were just leaving Mack’s room and shutting the door behind them when I got there.

“How’s he doing?” I asked my brothers in a hushed tone that I hoped Mack wouldn’t overhear.

“He’s trying to put on a good face, but I think he’s really struggling,” Carter said with a solemn look in his eyes.

“Did he tell you about the latest with his mom then?” I asked, my gaze darting back and forth between my brothers’ faces, which were so similar most people thought they were twins when they found out they were the same age.

“Mack told us they’re probably going to come back tomorrow.” Nash swallowed. “That they’re probably going to be saying goodbye sooner rather than later.”

Tears pricked at my eyes at the confirmation of what Mack had hinted at before. And the helpless feeling that flooded my insides made my heart squeeze so hard in my chest, because I knew there was nothing we could do to protect Mack from the pain of losing his mom this early in his life.

His dad could be the best neurosurgeon and be best friends with the seventh richest man in the world with all the possible options for care at their fingertips. And yet, we couldn’t fix this.

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